Asobu to osaeru (play and control)
-By Alex Bushman
And so another pilgrimage has come and past. In many ways I have found this trip hard to summarize and present. In fact most of the individual classes were hard to summarize in a tangible manner. Once again as in the years before, I do not feel Soke was teaching Kuki Shinden Ryu but rather used elements of it as a starting point to elucidate his understanding of Budo beyond lineage or tradition. However this particular tradition is quite valuable and it was mentioned more than once that it should be learned correctly and thoroughly to truly benefit from its contents. This is quite a feat to manage, we have a duty to learn a martial tradition as thoroughly and intimately as possible and yet be free of it all at the same time.
Many would not agree with me on this point, claiming that the schools and their techniques are not to be studied in a thorough manner, all we need is the �feeling�. However during this trip it was definitely emphasized by Nagato sensei and Someya sensei that the school should be studied correctly. Now Nagato sensei is definitely not viewed in the Bujinkan as a �technophile�, in fact I can�t really think of anyone who has seen his training in Japan and not fallen in love with the pragmatic beauty. This trip was no different of course. Nagato sensei used a �classical� rendition of various waza as starting points and then took us through his practical view of the content.
Asobu-Play
During Soke�s classes he made frequent references to asobu or �play�. Now this is not uncommon as we have always heard him tell us to play. Soke stressed the importance of having this freedom or leeway in our movement. However on more than one occasion he mentioned that there is a correct way to play. So its not really just a matter of doing whatever we want.
We found that this concept of play is of relative importance in the study of the Dakentaijutsu waza. Throughout the Shoden, Chuden and Sabaki Gata levels you are exposed to quite a variation of relatively long prearranged attacks that normally end in a painful throw (crash might be a better word) of some sort. Through consistent and gradually more intense training one will become quite comfortable with receiving a barrage of random attacks. In fact this is the point! (or a point). You will find that shortly into the Okuden level the attacker is to attack freely and Tori is to respond as necessary until he has a window of opportunity. This is martial �play�.
On a side note concerning play, Soke didn�t really mention too many things concerning the Kuki Shinden Ryu in particular. However during a class at Ayase he mentioned the story of Issun Boshi (the inch high samurai). Now as we all know, fairy tales are kids �play�. However Soke said that the story is in a way related to the Kuki Shinden (not in a literal way). I do recommend that everyone read the story. I did find quite a connection to the martial techniques we were studying. Perhaps I�ll elaborate about that at another time.
Osaeru
If you look up the verb Osaeru it is translated as �to repress� (at least in the dictionary I checked). While in Japan this trip it was translated as �to control� in the context of training. Whether you say repress or control, this was a definite common element of all the classes. Soke made a few references to demons here on a few occasions, making note of the horns and claws that demons have and use to control. He also made mention of Takamatsu�s demon like nails that he used to control.
The dakentaijutsu sets and weapons work is a union of this control and play.
Weapons were used in every class. Hanbo, knife, shuriken, sword and a smidgeon of bo staff. The kuki shinden ryu has an extensive armed repertoire, however the �classical� sets were not emphasized. The movement of the taijutsu sets and the tangents drawn from them were used as grounds to teach the use of weapons.
I asked Soke to draw a picture of a demon, instead he drew a demon bo �Kibo�. Now we could sit for a while an philosophize over the layers of meaning hidden in this simple painting. To get started, phonetically the term �kibo� can also mean �hope� as I was told. The painting has come to have a few other meanings to me but I think just sharing the image itself is the best way I can share something of the �feeling� (I don�t like to use the term very much) of training in the first half of June 2007.
-Alex is a Bujinkan Shidoshi training in Sacramento, CA.
Disclaimer: the following terms were used quite loosely and in a particular context (feeling, technophile, classical, play, and probably most things in quotation marks). Any and all mistakes, misquotations and/or mis-implications are solely the authors, based on his experience and poor notes. In fact if I understood what moguri or shirabe were a little better I probably would have written about that!