Innate connection of all things

This rope Sensei speaks about from my interpretation is a metaphor or mirror of an innate awareness. Perhaps we went to sleep knowing and woke with no recollection of how things, people and places are/were connected, yet separated. It’s the duality of the consciousness and subconsciousness where  both claim leadership. The role of the two are of equal value. While I was in Japan it was apparently clear how this metaphor or rope (string) consist of things, people and places are united. Some disturbing truths I was faced with upon my return was the necessity for some people to partition, separate, or divide off, by means of this rope, so as to exclude themselves from the majority. Another aspect that emanates from the conscious mind – is the “ego”.  It must be understood that when life is looked at from the perspective of the soul (tamashii) everything is seen as a lesson or challenge . Every interaction is seen as an opportunity to respond from a mindset of that which connects all things “Shiiki” consciousness or for lack of a better word adhesiveness to the principles of nature (i.e . respect, humility, trust, love). It bewilders me to learn of how many can be tainted by the vanity and lush of propaganda. These are the very poisons  that deter one from fully developing the Shin Gi Tai. While in Japan Hatsumi sensei said that the unification of “Shin Gi Tai” is the ultimate quest for the martial arts, thus person. Again I emphasis the rope to bind (friendship/buyu/people), fasten (things,material, books) and tie with a cord of connecting the past, present and future (Japan, structural elements). The fabric of our existence (arteries) is linked to everything. Make it a point in your daily lives to acknowledge your being in the moment, this in turn will link you to all “shikii” and bind you to the wonders of the magnificent self that you are.  

                                                              

 

Since returning from Japan I’ve found many paradoxes of my psyche that generally has taken me to know highs. Assimilating the material  and experience has been an ongoing purpose challenge. Sainou Kon Ki comes to mind simultaneously as the experience filters through my conscious mind. This past trip I had the fortune to train, serve and uke for Noguichi Sensei and learned some essential lessons that has assist me in better understanding of how much I really don’t know. Anyone who claims to “know” in my opinion don’t know, they are such unfortunates. Some would be considered pompous, better, arrogant.  Noguichi sensei at my request taught a class on “ten & chi ryaku no maki” that has shifted (consicousness), changed my interpretation and understanding of the basics. Noguichi sensei also said that bout time your sandan you should haved mastered “ganseki nage”. Assuming he meant the basics / kihon. At the beginning of class there were lots of kaiten (front, back, side), ukemi, kamae, sanshin no kata, kihon happo to list a few that Noguichi sensei suggested that those of us who teach do for a warm-up prior before class. How does one master the basics? Uh by doing the basics, simply put.  Also congratulations to Blaise Barron and Merridith Allen on their promotions to Godans and Bobby Mcfarland to Shodan.  The three of them for the most part trained almost 3 classes a day and tons of notes later to help facilitate the process. I mostly recorded my notes which is easier and conducive to my plan. We now have 4 godans including myself at the Koteki dojo. It’s been a month since our return, we have visit two dojo’s and had the fortune to share a class with another dojo at our place last weekend. The plan is continue to connect with other practitioners of likeness and establish a strong line as in when pulling together on a rope, the unity binds from the beginning, middle and end.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 “The qualities in Budo relations which I consider important – always – beauty, simplicity, originality, discrimination, and sincerity”.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Quote by ~ Anthony Lucas ~

Class Log: “Noh & Budo”

 

 Indeed, the word yugen, meaning that which lies below the surface, with connotations of nobility, reserved elegance and classical refinement is often used about Noh  -  Anthony Lucas

 

One should always be ready for the unexpected and this class was no exception. As Anthony demonstrates new and exciting techniques building on the basics, we sometimes struggle to grasp the concepts and capture the feeling he is sharing with us. At the end of the class, we were told that for now, the students will be writing this blog so here is my version of the Friday night class.

 

Since the start of the year, the theme has been ‘no theme’ as we explore freedom in movement and applying it to the basics. In this class we examined the idea of ‘Noh’ theme, hinting at the concept of masks (from the Japanese theatre) and concealing the true nature of the technique.

 

We practised striking nerve points in the neck, back of the leg above the knee, strangling or choking muscles in the arms with rope, all while the weight or stress of the opponent resides in these points – very very painful indeed.

 

From basic sword cuts, we enter the space to take control of the attacker, his weapon and his space. Also from these sword cuts or a punch, we enter with a concealed rope and secure the opponent while avoiding moving in front or getting too close to allow for an unexpected head butt or fist strike.

 

Practise makes perfect and as the saying goes, fear not 10,000 moves practised once, rather fear one move practised 10,000 times.  – Blaise Barron, Yondan.

 

 

 

 Charlie Parker Quote – “Learn the changes and then forget them”.

 

 

THE SIMPLEST ANSWER – A BUYU PERSPECTIVE

The Simplest Answer

 

            One of the things I’ve noticed in our training since being back from Japan is the importance placed on breaking up the body’s structure.  In the past we’ve talked about taking space, controlling the space, dancing in the space.  But what exactly was happening to the physical body while all of this space-dancing was going on?  The answer; the body’s structure is systematically being taken apart like a game of Jenga, until all the pieces fall to the ground. 

“A house with no foundation cannot stand.” Right?   So if we are attacking the foundation of the body (the skeletal, nervous and muscular structure) then ultimately the body will not be able to support itself.  We are learning and practicing to stretch the body to the point where it can go no further, and then change directions, then stretching the body in that direction, then changing directions again…or, we use the feet to step inside the space at the right angles in order to break the balance, or we use touch to take the body in a certain direction and then change directions to where there is no support for the spine. 

This is of course, easier said than done, especially when you’re learning how to do it.  But I’ve been thinking, maybe this is something I’ve missed in all my years of training and it really pays to take a closer, and I’ll admit, slower look at this aspect of body mechanics.  We are always trying to simplify in the Bujinkan – we strive for our movements to become smaller as we learn, and we try not to complicate our thoughts or actions. 

In relevance to all of this, I ordered Chinese food today and my fortune cookie said this; The Simplest Answer is to Act.  ‘These are words of wisdom’, I thought, because if we act instead of react to a problematic situation, we will not let our thoughts or actions complicate how we solve that problem.  In Japan, there was a lot of talk about not responding to the aggression of your attacker – having ‘no mind’ as they said in The Last Samurai (and many other valid places).  There is something else which comes to mind for me here; the literal meaning of acting – acting for the stage or film etc.  Weren’t the ninjas actors?  They did use Kyojutsu (deception) to trick their opponents, or perhaps even used the non-aggression approach to win the fight by feigning that they were actually in it to begin with.  If you pretend you’re not involved in a fight when you are, or if you pretend you are if you’re not, you’re misleading your adversary, aren’t you?  If you are convincing enough when you act, you will trick your opponent and the outside world – you do have to make sure not to trick yourself too  

And one more thing; if you act, and don’t react to something, you will be able to utilize the space around you without looking for tools, tricks, or answers.  They will simply appear out of the space, because space is everywhere and in everything – it is more expansive than one thought.  This is why having just one thought, ie: focusing on something, or being hypnotized by something is limiting – you won’t be able to use all of the space available to you.  So there you have it – I’m learning to break structure (not just the body’s, but of my thoughts as well) and I’m learning how to act all over again… I had an acting teacher who taught me that ‘acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.’  So maybe what we do in training is living as truthfully as possible under the imaginary circumstance of a real fight…something to think about…

 

 

Written by -

 

Merridith Allen

 

 

 

Attention – Japan Review Class 4/4 – Open to all

                        

Open Call to all Bujinkan practitioners who have been to Japan during Jan 2008 – April 2008. This is an open invite to everyone who has been to Japan this year and would be interested in sharing & showing what they’ve learned. 

Members of the koteki dojo has just returned from Japan less then a week ago and who’ll be present to show & share what they’ve learned from Soke and the shihan. This is a good opportunity or excuse to start this Bujinkan community Sensei often speaks about.  Class is going to be 3 hours long from 7pm til 10pm – cost is $20 do at the beginning of class.

Date – April 4th 2008

Time – 7pm til 10pm

Cost – $20

Location – 440 Studios, 440 Layafette St. Room 4D

This is an open class to anyone of any level to attend and most will benefit.

For more info call – 917-224-3630

Visit our site at www.kotekidojo.com

Thank you.

Kasumi no Ho – by Arnaud Cousergue, Bujinkan Shihan

                           

Here is another great article for our “buyu share” section.  Arnaud wrote this article back in January of 2005 titled “Kasumi no Ho”. I remember this very well, for it was the year of Gyokko Ryu. We studied this school extensively along with the 6ft staff. In addition to this, Arnaud taught the “sanshin no kata” with this feeling. I’ve sinced added to my study of budo taijutsu.

Kasumi no Ho

Last August Sensei spoke about the theme for the year 2005. I heard him speak of “Kasumi no Hô” or “Kasumi no Bô”. I don’t know exactly which it was and I decided to keep the Kasumi no Bô as I knew that 2005 was dedicated to long weapons.

But recently, I watched the Daikomyô Sai of the year 1993, dedicated to the Bôjutsu of the Gyokko Ryû. And I remembered that he also spoke of being invisible. This is why until next time I go to Japan; I will consider it to be about Kasumi no Hô.

The sound “Hô” in Japanese has various meanings as always. I think Sensei was referring to the idea of “Hô” as in “Ninpô”. Therefore, I will consider the year of the Kasumi no Hô as the year of the principle/Law of fog.

Now how can we move with this principle? My understanding is that this feeling still belongs to the Juppô Sesshô system as it is the major idea of Ninpô Taijutsu.

Through the years we have been studying the Ni Jigen no Sekai (2 dimensional world), then we moved to the San Jigen no Sekai (3 dimensional world) and then last year in 2004 to the Yûgen no Sekai (spiritual non manifested world).

As always, this Kasumi no Hô (no Sekai) must be an evolution from what we have studied in the past.

Recently, one of my students said to me: “Arnaud this fog stuff isn’t it a mix of earth (Chi), water (Sui) and air (Fû), created by the light or fire (Ka) to create emptiness (Kû)?” I must admit that I did not think about it in that way before.

But it makes sense. Last year, we discovered the 6th element, “Shiki” aka consciousness. The fog is visible but you cannot grab it. It is the manifestation of this consciousness that we must gain access to.

Sensei during the Daikomyôsai spoke of us as heading to become artist in the real meaning of it.

This Kasumi no Hô attitude is a good stairway to transform ourselves into artists. At the artist level you have this ability to transmit things that cannot be explained. What is beauty? What is art? There is not an easy definition for those terms.

The Kasumi no Hô no Sekai is the next step to our evolution into the Bujinkan system. It is a concept that goes far beyond the others as it is formless. When you master the technique, the form is not necessary anymore.

So far, until I get more information during my next trip to Noda, I will consider that this Kasumi no Hô is something higher that everything that we have been studying so far. The reason is that it cannot be taught nor trained. It is something that comes naturally without any mental decision.

To express it I would say that this Kasumi state of mind is encompassing the first three levels of Juppô Sesshô. In his last book, the way of the Ninja, Sensei explains that this Yûgen no Sekai is not to be used at any moment. This is why we need this Kasumi no Hô.

With the Kasumi no Hô attitude, you can access to any of the other dimensions of the Juppô Sesshô. Taken by surprise, you disappear by answering strongly to the attack (Ni Jigen); Seeing the attack coming you move to its destination in space and time (San Jigen); aware of the danger you move prior to the attack (Yûgen).

But all instant you are following the concept of Kasumi no Hô. Your opponent sees you as if you were transparent, he cannot react properly as you are not manifesting yourself in his world.

I do not think that many Bujinkan practitioners will understand this fog state but I hope to be able to reach it.

Arnaud Cousergue

Bujinkan Shihan

Budo Taijutsu in Ohio, a friends Quest

  First I need to explain here that at our dojo in Ohio we are just beginning in a new art for our school. We are basically a Karate school that has added jujutsu training in the past year. Our system of Sanuces Ryu Jujutsu is a very effective and powerful system of self defense. Sanuces Ryu teaches the skills of blocking, striking, throwing, and subduing in the practical (street) application. It was developed by the late Dr. Moses Powell in 1959. We have no experience in Budo Taijutsu, other than the introduction so generously given by Anthony last Saturday. Our first meeting was brief and we did not get the chance to work for more than just three hours, but I still got a small taste of the rich, traditional art that Anthony has embraced and immersed his life into. It was a rare opportunity for which I am very grateful!

My fist experience with Budo Taijutsu could be summed up with the words; fascinated, impressed, and captivated. I could see the ease and simplicity in Anthony’s movements as he showed how to confuse, off-balance, and trap his attacker. The beauty was the apparent lack of great effort on his part. He intuitively knew what to do as he anticipated his attacker’s movements. He had his attacker locked up in very few simple movements. He almost always had his attacker’s legs, arms and even head locked up with one or both of his own hands still free to do as he pleased! Wow!

A couple of our students tried to resist and move out of Anthony’s clutches as he presented the dragon, only to find that they had moved into yet another trap. Even I attempted to escape and found myself in a very uncomfortable toe lock. I felt like it was useless to resist, no matter what he would trap me.

Anthony’s teaching and demonstration was a very impressive display of technique, intuition, and a level of experience and knowledge that showed me that Anthony is the real deal. He knows what he knows and it is not some fake American flavor of Martial Arts, or sport karate. I was left with the desire to learn more.

By – Sheri Mcfarland

Training at the Bujinkan Koteki Dojo by Brian Gore

In July of 2006 my heart was broken as I discovered that my Sensei had abandoned Bujinkan as a system to develop his own style, a Christian type martial style, what ever that meant, and he made no bones about me not being anywhere near the type of person he wanted in his Dojo, not that I would have remained, being solely dedicated to Soke Masaaki Hatsumi and Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. From that moment I was on a quest to find real Budo and began training in every Dojo in the Austin Texas region. I only found one individual in the region that could develop me in any way, Rob Boger of Mizukagami Dojo and he only trained one night a week! There was no way I could limit myself either in duration of training or quality.

I started watching videos of several individuals, Arnaud Cousergue, being the man that impressed me the most I decided to order some of his Juppo Sessho videos from Budomart USA, and finally talking to Anthony Lucas, the instructor of Koteki  Bujinkan in New York City. It seemed that we had much to talk about and after a few set backs and personal issues to deal with I set out to train with him and his students. Anthony has been nothing but honest, frank, and intelligent in his expressions and understanding of Bujinkan and the state that the Bujinkan seemed to be in here in America.

Finally the opportunity to train with him came! First in a park not far from his Dojo, we reviewed a few sword techniques, and I can’t say that I feel I impressed him much. I felt awful, like a cat that had its claws removed, he reminded me that Soke says if you want to measure someone’s Taijutsu, put a weapon in their hand, and seeing that my previous sensei never really gave me the opportunity to train with weapons much, once actually throwing a sword to the floor declaring it as useless, I never had the opportunity to incorporate those things tightly in with the rest of what I was learning.

At 7:00pm class started in earnest, meeting everyone was a great delight! It’s been a while since I have such high caliber Buyu to train with. Meredith is outstanding and will put a hurt on you in a serious way. Larry was cordial, polite. With a heart that is found rarely in the populace in general. Ken  being  quiet, discerning and extremely capable in his expression of gentleness and flow. 

It seems that one quest is over and another has begun, finally I have found a place that can take me to the summit which I aspire! The class was amazing! He enlightened me on how to utilize the Kukan like no other individual. No holding back at Koteki Dojo either, when you get hit you get hit! It’s been a long time since I’ve trained like that. I can’t say that I have learned everything that was taught , but I can say that my learning capacity was satiated to the point that my body took in all that it could hold.  His expression of the Tiger and Dragon’s relationship to one anther in Jupppo Sessho, has changed drastically how I relate to freedom of expression and movement.

At this point the only expression that I have for Anthony, Koteki Dojo and my new Buyu that train there, is gratitude. I humbly thank each and every one of you, especially Anthony for taking me in and allowing me to feel at home. I can gratefully say that I now have two homes, one in Austin Texas and the other in New York. My heart overflows with gratitude.

Brian Gore.

Exploring & Understanding the Parallels

Brian Gore and Merridith Allen of the Bujinkan Koteki Dojo both run their own training groups. For contact info please email me. Here is something Merridith wrote from her experience this past week. With her permission I added article to our buyu share catergory for those whom might find this share interesting. Please continue to visit our blog and more so,  your invited to attend any one of our training. We now have three groups for budo taijutsu training.

Today, while doing some literature homework, I came across a concept which I think might be helpful in terms of training.  That is the concept of ’signifier’ and ’signified.’  A signifier is a word, a picture or tangible or visual thing, and the signified is the ‘concept’ which the signifier refers to.  For example, the word ‘tree’ a picture of a tree and the actual tangible tree are all signifiers for what is commonly agreed upon as the concept of a tree.  The signified is always a concept – it is not tangible – it cannot be seen or touched or even explained, but only referred to through signifiers. 

  We’ve all heard that the physical expressions of the techniques (kihon, gyaku and nage waza techniques from the densho) are only vehicles – excuses to explore the ‘feeling’.  The actual feeling (which is the signified thing) cannot be taught or explained generally because it is an individual experience – the feeling cannot be seen.  My taijutsu will be different from my teacher’s taijutsu,or my peer’s taijutsu because of this - even if we are taught the same techniques (these are the signifiers) they will be expressed in a different manner.  

  This is why we must pay keen attention to the words of the techniques – and deciphering what their meaning is on a very subjective basis.  A Japanese translator once told me that the interpretation of the Japanese language is unique to each person because the words, formed from the characters, can mean many different things, so the individual person derives their own personal meaning from all of that.  For example, there is a technique in the sabaki gata level of the Kukishin School called ‘chikusei’ – the voice of the bamboo break (the sound of the bamboo split).  That’s a recent interpretation from Noguchi sensei last April.  That is what the words of that particular technique mean to him – so he expresses that technique with the feeling he derives from those words.

  So perhaps it would be helpful to try that as an exercise. Once the technique has been practiced and learned mechanically, factor in the feeling of your interpretation of the meaning of that technique and see what happens! 

The Journey for Budo Taijutsu

Brian Gore and Anthony Lucas of the Bujinkan Koteki Dojo. Brian Gore made the journey from Austin Texas to New York this past week. For five days Brian endured rigorous training. Brian showed fortitude, dedication and kokoro. Brian arrived on thursday and trained til monday afternoon. We studied all the basic kamaes from kyu grade to shodan. The sanpo kosshi kihon we revisited and tweak a new approach to it. Goho no kata was shown and how to apply these gyaku & nage wazas with little strenght and force yet controlling the space and breaking the balance as a result of using the legs (i.e. whole body) and proper angling. We went over most of the nage waza’s from the kyu level to more intense levels. The idea was to not intentionally throw or drop uke on his/her back or stomach. Where ever uke lands (back or stomach) it was stressed to control using “omote or ura gatame locks”. This has to happen naturally in order to understand the dynamical of gravity. Brian was so eager to learn and share. We used tombu and bokken (tachi and katana) to express the kankaku of kuki taisho. I took some basic cuts from happo kiri and insist upon everyone to explore these fundamentals and discover their natural movements. Give life to these kiri waza’s. We toyed with bo no uchi kihon also and did the same. The weekend was very tiring and exhusting for me, because I wanted to give Brian a basic introduction (crash course) on the way we follow our syallbus. It was’nt easy because in our program, the pupil has to understand and learn the vocabulary, history and techniques from 9th kyu to shodan. Unfortunately we only had time to cover mostly the 9th kyu. We talked alot about the tiger (attacking, etc) , dragon (holding, seeing the solution, etc) and how the child fearlessly plays with the demon, etc. Overall it was a good week of training with brian and everyone. I learned alot. Any instructor who does’nt learn from their pupils and always teaches, misses a very significant part of there training.

Anyone in the Austin area or visiting who wishes to train with Brian and his group can email me for his contact info.

 Regards to you all,

Anthony Lucas – Bujinkan Shidoshi

Budo Training Review –

Bujinkan Koteki Dojo class training Sept 28th. Here is some feedback from buyu who attended friday night class. We had a total of 5 people that showed up. Remarkably everyone was shodan above.

Remarks from friday night.

Buyu Share - Circumstances have brought me for the first time to the Big Apple.
While here I contacted a BuYu (Anthony Lucas) who I had met while
training in Japan. I attended his Friday night class which was similar
but different than my usual Friday night class. We started off with some
punching and kicking drills, which I need to work on more, then went into
some Kukishin katas. My balance was taken right away and it got worse
from there, as I moved and as the tori moved my body was twisted and
compressed downward into the ground by my own body weight. A very
scary feeling as I found no way out of this situation. Once I was released,
a sense of relief came over me, but that only lasted for the moment as
we moved on to the next movement which had similar results. – Shaun Jennings, Yondan.

Buyu Share -This past Friday, class was fast-paced, rough, and mind boggling. Of course, it was also equally informative, challenging and fun. Overall, a great training session.
As is usual for each class at the dojo, I can’t remember every nuance of every technique or variation (henka). However, I remember the feeling of the class very well. Beginning with Ku no Kata and basics, then moving into Kukishinen Ryu techniques, we all experienced trapping (as tori) and falling into a trap (as uke). We focused on the idea of moving using the spirit of the tiger/dragon; observing and assessing the situation as the dragon and physically solving it as the tiger. (Note: Arnaud says that Man is the link or axis point between these two transcendental realms – therefore this is why we can continually move through both of them). We were all careful to try not to stay as one or the other too long, so as not to be read or overtaken by our opponent.
This is how I felt when Anthony demonstrated a technique on me;
Whether I punched, grabbed or used whatever attack, I felt as though I could have hit him (in fact I do get him sometimes). Though this feeling proved to be irrelevant because the instant I launched my attack and went to the place where I couldn’t turn back, he moved in a way which set me up to trap my body and my mind. Whichever way I tried to get out, he would get there before me, or move in a way where the lock or my position as uke would get worse and more dangerous. It was as if I were tied with ropes that got tighter as I struggled against them. And once it was done to me the first time, each subsequent attack became harder for me, mentally. I didn’t know exactly how he’d do it, but somehow I knew Anthony was going to lead me into a place where my body and my life would be put at great risk until he decided to let me go.
I sometimes have a difficult time in training dealing with this mental struggle. Upon reflection, I think it has to do with the fear and confusion I experience and that I am supposed to experience as uke. But I believe this to be positive, regardless of how bad or disoriented I end up feeling. Here are the reasons why;
1. I know I have attacked properly if I feel like I just missed hitting tori, and felt taken by him moving off line.
2. I was able to experience the feeling of what happens to the mind and body in a real fight when one is put in a compromising position. That means if I am in a real confrontation, I will know what to expect to a certain degree, and hopefully I will deal with it accordingly and not panic.
3. I was able to experience how the attacker is supposed to feel every step of the way if tori executes the technique properly. So not only will I know if I (as tori) am moving correctly, but I will also feel if my partner (as tori or as uke) is moving properly.
4. My state of being uncomfortable means that I am going to a place in training I have not been before, and probably don’t understand. But the only way to push through that barrier and keep learning is to continually dive into the unknown and test the waters. As Nagato sensei said, “Learning doesn’t necessarily feel good.”
So we must go to these places of discomfort, of fear and of confusion just as we must go to places of joy, play and creativity, to grow, not only as practitioners, but also as human beings. It is my understanding that this is all a part of Budo training.  -Merridith Allen, Sandan.

Buyu Share – I had a great time training this friday. I noticed what the unfettered mind is about. I also notice that there was as Anthony and I spoke of besides the kihon happo (8 ways of moving), the existence of two other directions  to move in (up and down –  juppo). I also have to be able to make movements without thinking  about what I am getting ready to do, the unfettered mind. I want to be able to fit into that moment where not even a human hair can fit. I understand if you clap your hands and yell at the same time, there is that moment in time where there is that gap in between that clap and that yell. I feel good about getting back to training. - Mychal Watts, Shodan

Buyu Share – Class was mentally & physically challenging to say the lest. If words can describe best what I experienced. I would say being uke and training was like the a*% whoppin my daddy use to give me. Everyone’s ability to receive technique that night was good.  The thing that caught my attention was how Anthony used this natural expression and distance that gave me something to attack. I realized that was a grave mistake that lead into a trap where I felt and experienced confusion and dismay. What I got from the first class that evening from the atemi tanren practice, was looking at my distance and how to use my whole body properly. Anthony talked much about using the body effectively. He showed a hidden fist from “hi ken juroppo” and created a technique using ku no kata as a base to move through henka.  From this I learned how important distance and timing is in order to enter ukes kukan where the world of variation exist. - Larry Hill, Sandan