Gyokko Ryu Happo Biken
Kasumi no Bojutsu
By Alex Bushman
Standard Bujinkan Disclaimer-
Ok I was in Japan for a short trip during the end of Feb. and here is a brief after action report pertaining to the training and this year�s theme. There are bound to be things incorrect and everything written is based on my understanding, which is subject to fault.
Entrapping the Tiger and Kasumi no Bojutsu
One thing to keep in mind is that in Japan, Soke and the Shihan teach whatever they damn well please or feel they need to address. So in that respect our yearly themes are arbitrary in certain aspects, however there does seem to be a logic to them and the progression of training. There were many classes and not everything can be labeled as belonging to this or that theme, its all taijutsu. But aside of that I was able to catch a few points that I believe pertain to this years theme of Gyokko Ryu Happo Biken.
I was told that Soke is taking one waza each month from the Jo Ryaku (or Ten Ryaku as it has been renamed) of the Gyokko ryu and using it as a catalyst for training each month. There are 12 waza in this level so he may very well continue in this pattern for the rest of the year�.or not. In February the waza Renyo was the catalyst in particular and Soke handed out papers in Japanese with the wazas Koku and Renyo written on them.
Renyo is the second waza in this level and means �Imperial Palanquin�, implying giving or going for a ride. In the Takagi Yoshin Ryu there is a saying that states one must envelope an opponent like catching a bee and holding it in the palm of your hand without being stung, this is the essence of Jutaijutsu. Soke made reference to this and said that what we were doing with Renyo is similar except we are enclosing a tiger and the space is larger, then he made reference to stealing the jewel (gyokko-jewel tiger). With this same feeling Soke taught the Bo and sword via aspects of Renyo.
I think this �Enclosing the Tiger� is an important point Soke was trying to get across concerning Gyokko Ryu Happo Biken. It�s like the Kosshijutsu and the Jutaijutsu making love���.or something like that. Similar in that sense to some of what was being done in 2003 and 2004, last year it was (at least during the Taikai) Bikenjutsu and Jutaijutsu making love and reproducing. (Please remember I am merely addressing one aspect, there are myriad others that were taught and understood by various).
Ok that sums up an important point pertaining to the Taijutsu and overall approach.
Now for Bojutsu, at this specific point in time Soke was doing Bojutsu through aspects of Renyo, no specific Gyokko Ryu Bojutsu wazas (amazing stuff of course). Oguri Sensei did the same and Nagato Sensei did similar, no specific wazas that I was aware of.
Noguchi Sensei was teaching what he called Kasumi no Bojutsu. While I was there we did techniques from the Chuden and Okuden levels and I understand he was teaching the Shoden and Chuden wazas earlier. These wazas are in the same format as the Bojutsu done in the Kukishin ryu after the Sabaki Gata, 9 Shoden, 9 Chuden and 9 Okuden.
They have the same names and more or less match the notes I have been given by people that were taught it as Kukishin ryu Bojutsu in the past, with some differences here and there. Noguchi Sensei was reading them out of a book to refresh his memory and I asked him if these were the same as the Kukishin ryu sets, and he said �no this is Gyokko Ryu Kasumi no Bojutsu�. Now Noguchi Sensei is �the man� so if he says something, I say �OK�. Now if these are Kukishin sets and done with Gyokko feeling or if they are Gyokko sets I don�t know, I have enough work to just do them with good Taijutsu to worry about that.
Soke has made reference to Kasumi no Ho/Kasumi no Bo. As I understand it Kasumi no Ho is a strategy to defeat an opponent, destroying his spirit/will to fight. (I understand its origins in our tradition are from the Kukishinden).
Kasumi no Ho
1. Defeat his spirit
2. Defeat his technique
3. Defeat his body
This is achieved by (in no specific order):
1. Efficient use of strength
2. Defeating/Dominating your enemy with your spirit
3. Use of Kyojitsu
I feel this strategy of Kasumi no Ho was done with the Bojutsu Soke and Shihan are doing and this becomes Kasumi no Bo/Bojutsu, at least on a basic level.
I asked Someya sensei what Kasumi no Bojutsu was after class one night, and he said
�Kasumi no Bojutsu is not a set of techniques, it is a jutsu, an art, and it must be grabbed from the heart. I�m sorry, It is very difficult to explain.�
This makes sense to me, even if we did learn specific sets from Soke or any of the Shihan, that doesn�t necessarily mean it is �it�.
Soke painted me a beautiful picture of a Tiger, and around it he also painted.
I think this embodies some of what he was trying to get across, at least that week.