I’m always obsessed with understanding the name of a gata. I believe the name can often provide insight into the intention of the form,...
I have to confess: I haven’t been the best teacher. I rarely do the Sanshin in class. I figured it was super simple, and takes away the...
If you visit a touristy area of Japan, you may see a straight sword marketed as a “Ninjato” or Ninja sword. These have little in...
There was an interesting topic in a Bujinkan Facebook Group that someone posted: “What exactly constitutes what is part of Bujinkan?”...
I heard a quote of Soke Masaaki Hatsumi saying “teach only 50% of what you know.” Without context, this might be viewed in a negative,...
四拳波羅蜜大光明 Shikin Haramistu Daikoumiyo If you’ve ever taken a Martial Arts class at a Bujinkan Dojo, you’ve heard those...
Nothing can replicate training in Japan; the immersion in the Japanese culture, the amount of training one squeezes into a trip, the...
If you have ever trained in Japan, you have heard Soke talk quite a bit about the Kukan. Kukan roughly means “space” or “opening”....
As we mention in our article Shuhari, there is a Japanese philosophy to studying a craft. However, this philosophy describes the process of...
A student in class recently asked why I don’t say the entire Tadashi Kokoro no Kaisetsu. The answer was simple: I didn’t know it by...
