Bujinkan Central London Dojo

30/11/2024

Our latest artwork by the amazing is an expression of Koteki Ryuda Juppo Sessho no Justu. This is one of the deepest concepts in the old Japanese martial arts.
It can be roughly translated as “Applying the strategies of the dragon and the tiger whilst negotiating in many dimensions”
Probably we could write a whole book on the concept….
The general idea is that we should develop the ability to apply different approaches to fighting, constantly switching between them and to be able to respond with many different techniques to an opponent’s action.
Koteki means Tiger Attack/Hit and Ryuda means Dragon Hold
For example in BJJ terms the dragon represents bearing your weight down on the opponent, maybe we could think of it as the top game. Whereas the tiger represents getting underneath your opponent, so perhaps the bottom game.
The idea is applied to many opposing concepts in martial arts. Dragon = gripping, Tiger = striking. Dragon = being deceptive, Tiger = being direct and so on.
Juppo literally means 10 directions, the number 10 shouldn’t be thought of literally, it really signifies many or an infinite number of possibilities.
Sessho means negotiation, exchange, adapt. It’s made up of two characters that mean bend/fold and collision/encounter.
In essence Juppo Sessho is the ability to instantly adapt to the situation by absorbing your opponent’s attack (taking into account their whole body and mindset/strategy) and finding a response that works on a different dimension to the one they are operating on.
An example of this from BJJ would be to keep your weight just off your opponent’s frame and to move around it until it can be used against them as a lever.
So the combination of all these things represents the objective of a martial artist to develop a complete skill set and the mental flexibility to apply the optimal solution to the opponent’s attack
The same concept applies to life more generally

01/11/2024

Recently we had a talk with Nagato sensei where he said something that was very profound and aligned well with my personal experience

He said that the training we experience in Japan isn’t sufficient. We have to train hard with blood, sweat and tears and, critically, he said that we have to be able to deal with modern sports martial artists. They have good striking, throws and submissions, they are athletic and strong etc

I feel that this point is lost on many of us in the Bujinkan. We train like old men (because we copy our teachers who are over 70) and believe (or perhaps kid ourselves) that the artistic side of martial arts is all we need

At best people nod to guidance like this and carry on training the same way as before with fully compliant partners throwing punches from miles away and standing still while we perform techniques that we just made up

I’ve spent the last 13+ years also training with world class BJJ and MMA practitioners and can categorically say that you need to:
a) Find ways to practice your Bujinkan techniques against people who are fighting back, and
b) Expose yourself to sports martial arts techniques/practitioners (eg no one in the real world punches like we do)

I really hope that we, the Bujinkan community, take this to heart and change the way we teach (especially the younger generation) so that our beautiful art can retain its practicality

08/05/2024

There isn't much ground fighting (newaza) in the Bujinkan curriculum. However, I think it's important to have few basic responses for the situation where you've tried a sacrifice throw (suitemi) and it's failed or been countered
Sharing this basic sweep as it's a simple, reliable option from this situation
I hope the broader Bujinkan community find some value in studying this area a little

24/04/2024

Newaza and Suitemi
Suitemi is an important part of the Bujinkan curriculum. However, if you fail to throw your opponent cleanly (or they counter) you will inevitably find yourself in a newaza (ie ground fighting) situation
So I believe that we should all study the basics of newaza even though they are not explicitly in our curriculum
Sharing this old clip from our ground fighting class which is a good attacking combination from dojime (eg the technique fubi)

22/04/2024

Perfect Form
When observing kata (two person drills in Japanese martial arts) you must learn to discern the good from the bad by observation alone. This is a very important skill: To be able to see the weakness in a technique instantly
I recommend using this broad structure:
1. Is the opponent continually and increasingly compromised? Often one movement will compromise the opponent, but during the transition to the next position perhaps they have an opportunity to reset/recover. You have to not only look for the compromise, but also how the opponent is prevented from moving back into a good position throughout. For example if the opponent can take a simple step it will usually undo all the balance breaking of the previous stage(s)
2. Does success rely on the opponent being compliant & static? This is a very common problem in styles that do not spar. A joint is easily manipulated if it is relaxed, but it is a very different matter when someone resists. It’s also important to look at the relative speeds of the people performing the kata
3. Can the opponent easily counter? Often people are good at shutting down one particular counter/follow up, but by overly covering one avenue they become exposed to another. This is a quite nuanced as usually the ideal is a balanced position that makes it difficult (not impossible) for a number of attacks as opposed to impossible for one possible attack
Performing kata (or technique drills) perfectly is extremely difficult, but it is a critical goal of the martial artist

19/04/2024

I really respect what my namesake, Duncan, is doing to preserve the traditions

08/11/2023

This is the way we perform musha dori at Bujinkan Central London Dojo
The forms are not fixed, but it's important to have a method that
a) allows you to stretch your opponent out even if they grab firmly
b) breaks the structure of their spine backwards
c) prevents your opponent from simply matching your footwork and stepping back to regain their posture
d) wraps the arm even if they resist
Finally it's critical that your opponent is not able to simply connect their hands and pull you over from your kneeling position at the end of the kata

Kihon Happo are not fighting techniques. They are exercises to learn important foundational skills. So I believe that our focus should be on achieving/learning these key elements like those above as we progress through the kata

01/11/2023

This is how I think about grading in our dojo. There is no fixed timeline for this, but I’ve yet to see anyone, even very talented hardworking individuals, achieve the level of 4th Dan in less than 9 years continuous training

16/09/2023

A lovely insight from Senou-sensei

My memory is vague of when and where I heard this, however, the point is clear.

“When Soke came back from training with Takamatsu Sensei, he realised he couldn’t do what was shown. So, he went back to the fundamentals. Now ( at 80yrs+ ) it’s scary how he moves just like Takamatsu Sensei did.”

Words from the late Senouh Sensei.

16/06/2023

Shinken from Shinden Fudo Ryu
The written form is to use a shuto, but often my teacher would perform it this way and I find this method creates a better effect on the opponent’s structure

28/01/2023

This is the other sword in my “collection”
I fell in love with it because it is a short bladed (chisa) katana, but with a long handle and over sized scabbard
Kinda like the Togakure Ryu style
It was dated around 1590, is unsigned and has only been shortened a little bit
I suspect that the tsuba is in the shape of a family mon (crest), but I don’t have any insight into which family or area this relates to

27/01/2023

I recently purchased this sword
It’s interesting because it carries the mon (family symbol like a crest in the west) of the Kuki family on the habaki (2nd photo)
There is a curious symbol on the other side of the habaki (3rd photo). If anyone has any ideas as to what this might mean I’d be really grateful to hear about them
The sword was made by a sword smith called Kaneyoshi who operated in the Yamato region between 1558 - 1570