Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu Kaeru Dōjō

It is said that in life the only constant is change. If we pridefully hold firm to a set idea we will be beaten by the change and broken.

To be able to perform true budō, we need to accept that change happens then flow with it.

We train in kata (set techniques) to learn from the experiences of those who walked this path before us. But this is merely the first step along the learning process - Shu (Protect/Obey) Ha (Break/Detach) Ri (Transcend/Leave). Meaning to forget the kata we must know them inside and out.

Come along to the dōjō and start on your own budō journey.

The end point of studying and practicing the martial arts is control. Control of ourselves and control of others.

Each art approaches this differently, but there are only so many ways to juice a lemon. The skills of the nine schools of the Bujinkan can often be seen to compliment each other.

But the only way to get good at any of these skills is to practice and train with those who have gone before and learnt correctly.

Some pics and a write up of a seminar members of the dōjō attended last week hosted and run by our parent dōjō.

Amazing day of learning from Merlyn Sensei and Ben Sensei. Big thanks and congratulations to both for a day well spent.

Always great to train and meet up with old and new Buyu from around the county.

Joining the Kaeru Dōjō doesn't just mean training once a week in Torbay, it means joining up with a network of other dōjōs; from our parent dōjō, Mahoutsukai, to friends met through training from Reading to Wallasey and elsewhere.

Come along to the dōjō and learn from the lineages of the ninja and the samurai of old Japan in a modern way.

The Kihon Happō is part of the foundation of the arts studied in the Bujikan. The lessons should be used throughout our learning and practicing to hold up the lessons found elsewhere.

To learn martial arts we need to ensure we have strong and correctly learnt foundational skills. With this all else will be weak and with little substance.

The basis of the weapon arts (bujutsu) is the art of body movement (taijutsu) sometimes referred to as the soft body art (jūtaijutsu).

Hatsumi Sōke has said before that to test how good someone's taijutsu (unarmed) is you put a weapon in their hands and see how the skills translate.

So why not come along and learn Bōjutsu in the dōjō with a strong emphasis of correct body movement as the base?

The knowledge passed down to us is the jewel of martial arts. To be able to study under a lineage that stretches back hundreds of years is a gift.

It is our job to respect those that came before us and learn from them. This is the first stage of Shu-Ha-Ri, to protect what has been passed down to us.

Too many people want to learn to flow and make it their own art before even understanding the fundamentals of what has been passed down.

Come to the dōjō and learn correctly from experienced and qualified instructors with connections to Japan.

The art of Gyokko Ryū is said to not rely on force or strength. That through proper learning one can develop the ability to knock down an opponent with the power of a finger.

By studying the techniques (kata) correctly we can learn how to use skills that allow us to defeat larger, stronger opponents. Even when old and frail.

Come along and study the nine schools of the Bujinkan in Torbay.

At the base of the martial arts is the fundamentals. Within the Gyokko Ryū, these are the Kihon Happō.

Tonight in the dōjō we will be working on the fundamentals found within Gyokko Ryū and how we can learn from them.

Come along and learn.

What people call the basics encourages them to learn once then leave them alone for more advanced techniques. Never to be touched again.

Instead if we reframe them as fundamentals we look at them as the firm building blocks that help us develop and grow. We should not ignore them. We should revisit, review, and revise them to maintain a strong base.

We must make sure that we are practicing our fundamentals correctly. Not using strength to force something that isn't working. Not using speed to hide poor technique. Not changing it because we don't understand it.

Tonight in the dōjō we will be revisiting the fundamentals. So why not come along and try it out?