Andragogy is a pedagogy adapted to adults. (1)  It primarily deals with education. This article is the follow-up of our previous article on the subject, published two weeks ago. (2) In this second part, we will cover the last three items of the andragogy system developed by Knowles. (3) Japan is a hierarchical cultural society, and andragogy is not the best system for their culture. Westerners can benefit from andragogy because we have Descartes’ logical approach to life. We need to understand to accept. The Japanese don’t; they must comply. Japan has been an obedient society since the K ..read more

A few months ago, Sebastian from Brazil came to train in Paris for a week. We had fun on the mats and outside and discussed a lot. Pedagogy in the dōjō was one topic. At one point, Sebastian coined “Andragogy” or “pedagogy for adults.” I didn’t know the term. After reading about it, I would like to share my thoughts here. (1) When you create a new dōjō from scratch as a young teacher, beginner students are in their twenties. Two decades later, the same ones are now grown-ups in their forties. They are adults with families and responsibilities. Therefore, you must adapt your way of teaching i ..read more

A critical aspect of Budō is to accept the change offered by Nature. We keep adapting our certitudes to new realities. This evolution requires hard work and humility. As a young teacher, I was sure I knew all the correct answers. And I was critical of the other high-rank teachers. It was more “ego” than “knowledge” with a pinch of immaturity. We all go down the same rabbit hole. The main goal on the path of Budō is to get out of it at some point. Many get lost.  As a teacher, I learned from my mistakes and grew up. As I matured, I wondered why other people, Budō teachers, work colleague ..read more

This morning, I read a post by my friend Alexander Ivanov, a Wudang instructor from Sofia, Bulgaria. The following sentence made me think and enticed me to write about change. “To blindly go where everyone walks is the same as ignoring a new experience for the familiar.” In other words, following the same behaviour as others does not get you anywhere. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.” This is what it is about here. Most adults follow the behavioural norms of Society. Often, it is because they see change as painful, stressful, and ful ..read more

At the end of the class, Nagato sensei said, “if you master one thing, you can master anything”. It reminded me of how Musashi became a fantastic painter after mastering the art of the sword. (1) In his famous book “Gorin no Sho”, he writes, “When I apply the principle of strategy to the ways of different arts and crafts, I no longer require a teacher in any domain.” (2) This universal mastery is visible when you train here in Japan. The Japanese Dai Shihan are so good that whatever new field they begin to study, it turns out to be great. I often hear students being amazed by how the Dai Shih ..read more

The Japanese Dai Shihan show how to polish our movements; I call them “polishers” for that reason. My younger son Amaury is 27 years old, and this is his first Japan trip. Entering Nagato sensei’s class, he had the time of his life as he was his uke for the course. Being the son of the polar bear, it was obvious that Nagato sensei would use him as uke. I should have told him in advance, but somehow I forgot (am I a bad father?). This trip was supposed to be in 2019, but I had to go to Lebanon for a few months, and then the confinement hit us all. Amaury opened the training with Stephane and S ..read more

With my brother-in-arms Pedro, and a few others, we had the chance to share lunch with Sensei. During this time, he said, “this year, the important is Kannin, keep going.” (1) There are several meanings to Kannin. Kannin refers to a period in Japanese history at the beginning of the 11th century (1017-1021). (2)  Then during the Heian Jidai, it became a generic term referring to the officials of the imperial government. (3)  When Kannin is read Kanjin, it refers to some missionary work done by the monks. (4) When Sensei says “keep going”, he might use these various meanings simultan ..read more

Before the pandemic, I used to go and train in Japan every four months. It has been four years since my last trip in May 2019! Needless to say that I was dying to come back. COVID has changed a lot of things in many aspects all over the world, in Europe and the Americas. So I was expecting to see the same here in Japan. And it is the case; change is everywhere in Japan. It might be a detail, but the price of drinks in the vending machines has gone from 120 yen to 150 yen. Many places I knew, like the Ulala cafe in the Kashiwa Plaza Annex, are now closed. Many new ones that are more “COVID-fri ..read more

In the Kukishin ryū, there is one central concept that many don’t know, and it is called “Jūjiro”. (1) With the pandemic, everyone experiences difficult times, and it seems that many of us should be reminded of some basic concepts. Jūjiro is one of them. Bujinkan practitioners often do not understand or never heard of what is Jūjiro.  Let me refresh your memories about the Kukishin Ryū. When you receive an attack, you must pivot at a 90-degree angle with the body, weapon or both. Staying in line with the opponent is the fastest way to lose a fight. Sport is different as you don’t die in ..read more

Happy Shinnen to all! This 新年 (shinnen) is the Japanese for “New Year”. (1) This became a particular date only when humans began counting time. But this cosmic event has been going on for more than 4.5 billion years. So if humans put so much weight on this date, I guess it is to get a new start every 365 days. In the Bujinkan, this fresh start always coincided with a new study theme. Sōke Hatsumi would give it at Daikōmyōsai. Since the first official theme in 1993, it represented a new start for us. And each year, we would discover a new way to fight or think. The “non-Bujinkan” new yea ..read more