Many who have been training for a period of time, may have come across certain Japanese phrases that describe the road to mastery.  Japanese phrases like Shu-ha-ri and Ten-Chi-Jin are often used to describe the progression.  With “守破離” Shu-ha-ri, each kanji character represents a stage of development and requirements.  The “守” Shu stage of development requires diligently studying the fundamentals, learning strategies, developing the mind and body, applying the techniques and kata without deviation.   The “破”Ha stage of development is the refinement and innovation stage, creative stage and test ..read more

Randori translates into free exercise or sparring, but in the Bujinkan not all dojos utilize randori as a part of their regular practice. In this article, I will discuss my methodology and approach to randori, but first here are a few words on randori in general. In Judo the term, randori is the same as the bujinkan, in Kendo, they call it jigeiko, like mini matches without points and in karate they use the term kumite. All these terms are basically the same thing, it is sparring without points. As a yudansha in Kendo and a senior teacher in the Bujinkan I have used randori and jigeiko in m ..read more

Maintaining a daily practice is important. Every great martial artist not only advocates it, but has lived it by example. Martial arts mastery is a never-ending journey. It doesn’t begin or end in the dojo; it begins the moment you are determined to improve yourself and make the appropriate steps towards that end. The journey ends at the moment you think you are good enough, or in the moment you make excuses for not practicing or improving. As soon as you decide not to practice or begin to make excuses for why you don’t practice, is the moment you must realize your journey has ended. This i ..read more

Dear Reader: It is my hope that my students find this manual useful as well as a guide for their training. It was created to serve as a personal record of a students’ journey towards a black belt in the Bujinkan. It stemmed from my need and desire, to ensure the students of the Bujinkan Roselle Dojo receive the core instruction needed for shodan. I am sharing this free ebook in order help other dojos, instructors and students, with this information as well. It is entirely up to the reader to make use of it as they see fit. My hope is that it helps as a guide. Any mis ..read more

JAPANESE DOJO FOR CHILDREN I am a firm believer that children are the future, but to create a better future for our children we must educate them and aide their growth. I also believe the Japanese way of teaching and nurturing children through the martial arts aides in creating brighter futures for children. But you might wonder, “what is the Japanese way of teaching?” Here are a few outward examples of the Japanese way of teaching you will find at the Bujinkan Roselle Dojo. SOUJI (掃除): The dojo is cleaned and maintained by the students, regardless of rank and age. What this entails ..read more

THE HIDDEN ASPECTS OF KATA TRAINING Most martial arts training is begun using kata as the starting point before moving on to henka. Henka is often seen as the goal, or rather they see the goal as the ability to easily and freely change given the situation. Kata training is the bridge to henka and the ability to freely change in any given situation. However, kata training is often neglected not because it is unimportant, but rather it is not well understood. Most seem to merely use the kata as a general guide for a technique. In addition, the kata is often practiced with the wrong mind-set, wh ..read more

Budo and Proper Practice Budo is often difficult to define. The term budo is made up of two characters “武” and “道”. The character “武” has many meanings. It can mean “bravery” or “valor”; it can also mean “warrior” or “military arms”. The character “道” also has many meanings. It can mean “road”,” path” or “course” and “moral teachings” or “journey”. When combined we can arrive at several possible translations. However, it is unnecessary to disambiguate the two characters into precise English terms. Instead, it would be better to allow the concepts of the characters to swirl about ..read more

GREAT FAITH. GREAT DOUBT. GREAT EFFORT “Great Faith. Great Doubt. Great Effort. – The three jewels of training.” (a zen saying) In order to get the most out of ones training I think it is important to embody these three characteristics. I am often told to have more confidence by my teachers. Having confidence allows one to move forward and continue despite what happens and despite the unknown future. “自信” has multiple meanings one of its meanings is faith and another is confidence the literal meaning is self-belief. You have to believe in yourself enough to keep going, and keep training ..read more

学習 LEARNING There is a zen saying about learning that states: “When you go to a house you must go through the gate first; arriving at the gate is an indication that you have arrived at the house. Going through the gate, you enter the house and meet the host. Learning is the gate and not the house. Learning is the gate to attaining the way.” Learning is not the same as understanding or attainment. Just because one has a bit of new information doesn’t mean one understands it. In the martial arts this seems to be very important as some can confuse the gate for the house. Or they confu ..read more

Translation: “DOJO CODE To know that patience comes first. To know that the path of humanity comes from justice. To renounce avarice, indolence, and obstinacy. To recognize sorrow and resentment as natural, and seek the immovable heart. To not stray from the path of loyalty, and with a balance between the pen and the sword, always delve deeper into the heart of Budo. Observing these five rules to the right is the law of the dojo. Meiji 23 (1890) Spring, Toda Shinryuken Masam ..read more