武神館道場 Bujinkan Dôjô
初見良昭 Masaaki Hatsumi sôke is the founder and current headteacher of
武神館道場 Bujinkan dôjô (house of the warrior gods).
When Hatsumi sôke met his teacher for the first time he was scared for the first time in his life, He was around 27 years old and had met many martial arts masters, and
probably also street regular thugs but no one had scared him before. Takamatsu sensei was a 70 year old martial arts master with 20 years of actual combat experience in China
during the early 1900's, and Hatsumi sôke felt that he was as powerful as a warrior god. Takamatsu sensei passed away in April 1972, and soon later on Hatsumi sôke named the
organization to Bujin-kan in honour of his teacher. More about Takamatsu here if there is interest.
初見良昭 Hatsumi Masaaki
Hatsumi Sôke was born December 2'nd 1931 and is still actively teaching in the 武神殿
Bujinden, the Bujinkan honbu dôjô in Noda-shi, Chiba-ken, Japan. He started training martial arts when he was seven years old, he studied most of the modern Japanese
martial arts such as Kendo, Judo, Karate, but also western boxing. He also played soccer and social dancing. He graduated from Meiji University with a major in theatre
production. He also studied medicine and opened his chiropractic clinic in Noda city.
In addition to his martial arts background he is a highly respected writer, and artist.
He have produced many books videos about Japanese Budo and culture.
He played guitar in a hawaiian music band in his teens.
He was an advisor or director for many films and TV series during the 60's and 70's, most famous here in the west is probably the Shinobi no mono movies starring by Ichikawa Raizo, Chokugeki Jigokuden and Kage no gundan both starring Sony Chiba.
He also acted as Yamaji Tetsuzan in the Asahi TV series in the late 80's.
He is an accomplished Nihonga style artist of brush and ink. His art work have been exhibited in various galleries around the world.
He is also a collector of antiquities, and dreams of opening a budo museum for people interested in martial arts (donations is welcome) in the future.
Hatsumi sôke have received numerous prices and awards from high positioned leaders from all around the world for his work. I did list most of these awards on my previous website
(here is one copy), I plan to put it here again and update it if there is interest.
武道体術 Budo-taijutsu
The art that we in Bujinkan dôjô practice is generally called Budo-taijutsu. But there is many different arts in the Bujinkan system. For example,
Jûjutsu, Jûtaijutsu, Dakentaijutsu, Koppôjutsu, Kosshijutsu, Ninpô-taijutsu, Yoroi-kumiuchi. These are all unarmed combat systems both with and against yoroi (armor) and of
course also without armor.
All the styles are slightly different from each other with different focus on how to handle combat situations.
Then there is also many, many weapons taught in the curricullum. Weapons such as knife and swords of various lengths, sticks and staffs of various lengths,
pole arms, spears, big heavy battle weapons, flexible weapons such as ropes and chains, and also projectile weapons such as throwing spikes and stars.
In the traditions there is also knowledge how to use explosives, guns, cannons etc but this is not really practiced anymore.
九伝 History
The origin of our budô comes from "China and the lands beyond" more than 2500 years ago, some records go as far back as to 4300 years ago.
Fighting methods with sticks and stones have probably been around since the homo sapiens first appeared.
The legends say that 忍の者 Shinobi no mono
(poularly called ninja) was involved "behind the scenes" in Ôkume no Mikoto's nation-bulding operations and Emperor Jimmu's subjugation of Yamato around 600 BC. Some old dokuments also say that Prince Shotoku (574-622 BC) used Shinobi.
During the T'ang dynasty (618-907 AD) two persons from China named Yao Yu Hu and Zhang Wu Sheng brought their martial arts
to the mountain regions of Iga (today Shiga prefecture) where they taught the locals Hichô-jutsu and
Senban-nage among other arts. Another legend tell us the story about General Yi Gou who fled from military defeat in China and landed at Ise where he hid in the Sada caves close to Iga and practized Zen meditation. Yi Gou was a master of Hichô-ongyô-jutsu.
After some generations these teachings formulated into different ryû-ha (schools) of martial arts.
In the early 1900's 高松寿嗣 Takamatsu Toshitsugu learned all nine schools (and more) from three masters. He had many students but at the end of his
life he had only one true student left, and that was Hatsumi Yoshiaki who changed his sir name to Masaaki (same kanji but different pronunciation).
Hatsumi sôke trained with Takamatsu sensei for 15 years and learned everything, in 1968 he was appointed to be the next grandmaster for all nine schools by Takamatsu sensei.
The following poem was written by Takamatsu sensei to Hatsumi sôke.
Long ago I was an accomplished warrior of the Koppôjutsu tradition.
I was courageous, and as intense as a flame, Even in battle against dangerous animals.
I have a heart that is like the wild flowers of the meadow,
And yet as straight and true as the bamboo.
Not even ten thousand enemies can cause me fear.
Who is there in the world who can keep alive this will of the warrior's heart?
There you are.
This one sent to me by the Warrior Gods (武神 = Bujin).
I have been here waiting for you through the ages.
Takamatsu sensei died on April 2, 1972 at the age of 85.
手解き Introduction of Bujinkan to the west
It was after the first book in English about Ninjutsu (Ninja, the invisible assassins by Andrew Adams) in 1970 when
the first westerners started to get in contact with Hatsumi sôke.
Doron Navon from Israel had already found Hatsumi sôke in 1969, he went home after five years training with Hatsumi sôke in 1974 and opened the first
dôjô outside Japan in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Around the same time Stephen Hayes from USA moved to Japan for training, he moved back home to USA and introduced Bujinkan in 1980 to the americans.
Ishizuka sensei, one of the Japanese Shihan was invited by Bo Munthe to Sweden on his honeymoon in 1974 for a short visit, Bo Munthe visited Japan the following year for
two weeks and met and trained with Hatsumi sôke for the first time. He then went back home with 1'st Dan and was allowed to open a dojo in Stockholm under supervision of
Ischizuka sensei.
In the early 80's the big "ninja-boom" came in the west and everyone wanted to be a ninja. The word "Ninja" and "Ninjutsu" was widely used effectively because it was
what many people wanted and it was easy to get many, many students. But there was really not much Ninjutsu taught. Hatsumi sôke was teaching from all schools under the
Name Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu because the people wanted to learn Ninjutsu. Later on it was called Bujinkan dôjô Ninpô-taijutsu until 1995 when sôke deiced to
change it to Bujinkan dôjô Budô-taijutsu.
The training in Japan had been very tough in the 70's as sôke was struggling hard to feel worthy for the legacy of Takamatsu sensei, he said that it took him 30 years
of hard training to feel worthy (15 years of training with Takamatsu sensei, and another 15 years of hard training and testing the effectiveness of the style).
He trained so hard that he got sick. The training in the west was also hard and tough in the 80's but for another reason, the art was still young and everyone teaching and
writing books only had a few years of experience in the art. Often the lack of technique made the trainings dangerous and violent wich resulted in many unnessesary accidents.
Today the art here in the west is more mature and the level is much higher. But there is still a lot more to learn from Hatsumi sôke and the shihan. If you choose a random
date anytime of the year there is around 50-100 foreigners training with Hatsumi sôke in Japan. This does not mean that the training is bad outside Japan, on the contrary
it is realy good. There is many good instructors everywhere, but if you want to train with the best you still have to go to Japan.
九古流派 The nine ryûha
In the Bujinkan system there is nine official ryû-ha, Masaaki Hatsumi is the Sôke (grandmaster) of the following nine Japanese traditions...
神伝不動流打拳体術 Shindenfudō-ryū dakentaijutsu - (immovable heart school)
Founded in the Yeikyu-era (1113 a.d.) by 出雲冠者義照 Izumo Kanja Yoshiteru.
The school is characterized as a style that emphasizes natural movements, and the study of nature is important.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 26'th generation grandmaster
九鬼神流八法秘剣術 Kukishin-ryū happōbikenjutsu - (nine demon gods school)
Founded at the end of the Kamakura-era (1336) by 出雲冠者義照 Izumo Kanja Yoshiteru.
The school is most famous in Bujinkan for it's many weapons techniques such as sword, spear, halberd and staffs of various lengths.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 28'th generation grandmaster
高木揚心流柔体術 Takagiyōshin-ryū jūtaijutsu - (heart of the willow tree school)
Foundend in the Yeiroku-era (1625-1711) by 高木折右衛門重俊 Takagi Oriemon Shigenobu.
The school is a self defence style both Jûjutsu unarmed close combat techniques, and mûtô-dori unarmed against sword attacks.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 26'th generation grandmaster
玉虎流骨指術 Gyokko-ryū kosshijutsu - (jewel tiger school)
Founded in the Hogen-era (1156-1159) by 戸沢白雲斎 Tozawa Hakûnsai.
This school is perhaps the school that have the biggest influence of the unarmed basics in Bujinkan, such as Sanshin no kata, and Kihon-happô.
Striking with the fingers and toes is very characteristic of this style of fighting.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 28'th generation grandmaster
虎倒流骨法術 Kotō-ryū koppōjutsu - (knocking down the tiger school)
Founded in the Tenbun-era (1532) by 坂上太郎国重 Sakagami Taro Kunishige.
This school's speciality is the art of manipulating the bone structure. The foot work is also quite unique by cross stepping, quite similar to the chinese styles.
Also the use of the sword in this school is quite unorthodox.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 18'th generation grandmaster
義鑑流骨法術 Gikan-ryū koppōjutsu - (truth, loyalty and justice school)
Founded in the Yeiroku-era (1558-1570) by 瓜生判官義鑑房 Uryu Hangan Gikanbo.
This school have not been taught that much yet.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 15'th generation grandmaster
戸隠流忍法 Togakure-ryū ninpō - (the hidden door school)
Founded in the Ôho-era by 戸隠大助 Togakure Daisuke.
This school is known in the Bujinkan as the school where all the Ninjutsu techniques come from.
In the 80's everything that was taught in Bujinkan was called Togakure-ryu, but the truth is that most of the things that was taught was from the schools above.
You could say that the name was used to attract many students.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 34'th generation grandmaster
雲隠流忍法 Kumogakure-ryū ninpō - (hidden cloud school)
Founded in the Tenmon-era (1532-1554) by 伊賀平内左衛門家長 Iga Heinaizaemon Ienaga
This school have not been taught that much yet.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 15'th generation grandmaster
玉心流忍法 Gyokushin-ryū ninpō - (jewelled heart school)
Founded in the Tenbun-era (1532) by 佐々木 Sasaki Goeman Teruyoshi.
This school have not been taught that much yet.
- Hatsumi sôke is the 21'st generation grandmaster
現代武道 Modern day use and practice
The techniques, principles and feelings from the old is still valid today!
The Bujinkan system is taught to suit our modern day society for self defence for civilians, but also for special forces, police etc.
Hatsumi Sôke have taught people from police, special forces and agencies all around the world who can testify that what he teach is still very practical and useful even today.
One very important thing that makes Bujinkan unique is that you don't need to learn each and every weapon there is as a separate art.
The Bujinkan system teach us how to use whatever object we have in our hands effectively. It doesn't look spectacular. It doesn't look beautiful.
And if the technique is good you can't even see what happened. Many times the one who received the technique don't know what happened.
Maybe even the one who did the technique don't know or can explain it. This is the feeling of a Bujinkan technique, something that is very difficult to explain.
One of Hatsumi Sôke favourite poems read あるかわなんか (aru-ka wa nan'ka) which means something like,
if you think there is - it isn't, and at the same time it means if you think there isn't - it is.
This might be very difficult to grasp, but consider if you think you understand you probably don't.
Hatsumi Sôke have said many times that the invisible training starts after the 5'th Dan test.
後書 End note
English is not my native language and this might come out other than intended, I'm sorry if that is so.
I will might come back and read through the text again and change it in the future, but right now I want to finish the rest of the web site to.
I would be happy for corrections if you see something that is not correct, please let me know.
I could omit the whole text until I was happy with it, but that would take months. I'll take the chance and realize I might look stupid in some eyes and release it anyway.
This is also part of 決死 kesshi (in the spirit of do-or-die) or maybe being a 傑士, hehe ;-)
ガンバッテクダサイ Ganbatte kudasai!
/Mats Hjelm (August 24'th 2006)
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