Japan Report Four 令和5年
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
1M ago
I start off my Japan Report Four video going to Hatsumi Sensei’s house and the Bujinkan Honbu office. I do this on every trip because this is how I submit my rank paperwork for my students. In the video I talk about my “secret” route to his house. I also recall past times when I could just visit and have tea with Soke. During my walk to his house, I review some of my notes from old classes with Soke. During one class he said 自分の第六感兼ねあいうち Jibun no dairokkan kane aiuchi. This is when you make your intuition match reality. Or, more directly, your intuition is combined with something concrete su ..read more
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Japan Report Three 令和5年
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
2M ago
Last night Paul Masse invited me and my teacher Peter over to his house in Noda-shi. While we were in the backyard swapping stories, his wife Tomoe invited us inside to a warm dinner of ちゃんこ鍋 chankonabe. She and Paul are very friendly and generous. Paul asked Peter what he found at the antique weapons market. Peter said that he was looking for 矢の根 yanone, which are arrowheads. He also said he bought a tsuba with a giant centipede on it. Paul was curious about this so Peter told us the story behind it. He told us 俵藤太物語 Tawara Tōda monogatari, the legend of Tawara Tōda. I share my version of t ..read more
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Japan Report Two 令和5年
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
2M ago
Morning Song at 月野宮神社 Tsukinomiya Jinja, photo: Michael Glenn On this day of my Bujinkan Japan Training trip, I began with a visit to the the 月野宮神社 Tsukinomiya Jinja Flea Market. There, I found an impromptu concert from a local guy with a guitar. And I also found many antique swords, jutte, and miscellaneous weapons. I finish by sharing a lesson from Hatsumi Sensei about 弱いも支点 yowai mo shiten, using your weakness as a pivot point. If you want to support my work, sign up to Rojodojo, and you can watch the full video: Japan Report Two 令和5年 During my train ride back to the dojo in Noda ..read more
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Japan Report One 令和5年
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
3M ago
Every Bujinkan trip I make to Japan feels like a gift. And I always share that with you all in my Japan reports. This trip, I decided to video a lot. Like every day. So there will be quite a few of these. The only issue is that it takes me time to edit all of this video, so these Japan reports may spread out into next year. The first video is here: Japan Report One 令和5年 The first day of any Bujinkan trip to Japan starts with a marathon. 20 hours of travel by Plane train, and automobile. Also, a lot of walking with a heavy backpack up and down stairs, through airports and train stations ..read more
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The Sound of Bujinkan 変化 Henka
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
5M ago
One Friday night back in the old Honbu Dojo, Hatsumi Sensei moved to a very high level of training right from the start. After he asked someone to demo, he immediately went into counter attacks using his fingertips. And he said to be playful. Hatsumi Sensei painted and hung a scroll in the corner of the dojo. He did this every year to express the yearly theme. This year it was 神韻武導 Shin'in Budō. You can read this as Budō of exceptional artistry. Or, when you look at the characters for Shin'in, it could be a Budō that expresses the sound of the heart, the soul, or even  the kami ..read more
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Bujinkan Daikomyosai Party and Training Themes from Japan
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
1y ago
What are the current Bujinkan Themes? For my second week of Japan training, I begin with a visit to 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū. This shrine was built in 1627, and enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu. I have visited many times, but they did an extensive remodel a few years ago. This was my first time going beyond the 唐門 Karamon and into the grounds. The entire 本殿 Honden is covered in gold leaf and looks spectacular with the gingko leaves fluttering down around me. Michael Glenn at 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū Later that night, I arrived a bit early for Nagase Sensei’s class. He had moved the class time back 45 m ..read more
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Bujinkan Training in Japan Update
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
1y ago
 Which Dojo's are Open in Japan? After three long years, I return for Bujinkan training in Japan. The world is different. Training in Japan is different. Michael Glenn at the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo I share my expectations and my actual experiences. I came here as a scouting trip. I wanted to see what changed and where the Bujinkan is going. So far I’ve trained in three dojos. Nagase Sensei started my trip with quick, focused taijutsu. Nagase Sensei with Michael Glenn November 2022 I visited my friend Sakai-san for training in Kasukabe. Michael at 酒井一弘 Dojo Novemeber ..read more
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How Do I Prepare for a Bujinkan Class?
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
1y ago
Michael in Leandro Erlich's "The Classroom" at 森美術館, photo Michael Glenn I probably prepare more than most Bujinkan teachers. In fact, I spend 1-2 hours before every training session setting my lesson plan. But when Hatsumi Sensei made me a Daishihan, my prep changed. I had 5 steps before there were two big changes. Step one was easy for me, but step seven I didn’t even know about until recently. Let’s talk about the easy change first.  One: It starts with a Bujinkan theme As you know, Soke used to set yearly themes for the whole Bujinkan to follow. This made it easy to decide w ..read more
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Training From Inside a Bujinkan Dojo Membership Program
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
1y ago
What can you learn from the Rojodojo membership program? or, Why start an online membership? I have been training all of my life. Started in 1985. Around that same time, I also got into film and video production. So when I began teaching Bujinkan and started my own dojo, It seemed like a natural thing to make training videos. I assumed I would put them out as DVDs. I even made some with chapters, extras (remember those?) and gave them out. But, this was the era of Netflix and streaming video. Many people were abandoning DVDs and VHS was already a dinosaur. Then my next thought was how can I ..read more
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How to Practice the Fake Kick of 指拍 Shihaku
Bujinkan Santa Monica | Real Bujinkan Training
by Michael
1y ago
Real or fake kick? The other night in my dojo we were practicing fake kicks during the kata 指拍 Shihaku. It is a challenge to practice a fake kick. Here I will give you a method to make your fakes seem real. How do you trick someone into believing something that isn’t real? You act as if it is real. Or even better, make it real. This is how I often explain kyojitsu to my students. 虚 kyo means fake, and 実 jitsu means reality. For kyojitsu to work it has to be both real and fake at the same time. Shihaku has a kick that is kyojitsu. But remember kyojitsu only works if it can be either ..read more
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