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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207974723239112002018-09-16T21:24:21.013-07:00Bujinkan Santa MonicaTrain smart. Live better.Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-91193832858554050002018-05-15T12:48:00.000-07:002018-05-15T12:48:24.004-07:00Hatsumi Sensei's Use of 指先 Yubisaki

Hatsumi Sensei Directs Sayaka Oguri, photo by Michael Glenn

During one class in Japan I was shivering. It was so cold my teeth were chattering. We were indoors, training on a chilled hardwood floor, so my indoor tabi were little comfort to my feet.

Maybe that is why when Hatsumi Sensei smashed his opponent's head to the floor, my frozen mind didn't understand the very important lesson he shared with us. After my brain thawed out, I could grasp the message. He was teaching us about 指先 yubisaki, the fingertips.

I first wrote about this in my personal training notes which you can get here: http://eepurl.com/d0w_r

At that moment, my own fingertips were encased in gloves. And probably tucked under my armpits for the body heat. I watched Hatsumi Sensei's uke twist on the floor in pain, exhaling vapor in the cold after each gasp.

Soke did henka from the kata 天地 tenchi. Heaven and Earth. But which comes first?

You strike low to 鈴 suzu, and this lifts your opponent to heaven! Then strike high with 手五指 te goshi to 顔面 ganmen. But with this strike, you slam him back down to Earth.

In my own experience, the kick delivers the opponent's face to your fingertips. Then most people deliver this next strike like a 蝦蛄拳 shako ken. That does work, but Hatsumi Sensei shared a different strategy with us.

Soke constantly tells us to use the fingers to control (yubi osae). But this seems impossible when you have a strong opponent. Can one finger, or even all five, do very much? If you have ever been Hatsumi Sensei's uke, you know he doesn't do too much.

It is a very subtle thing. Hatsumi Sensei said 指取りをこみ仮り yubi-tori o komi kari, which is like placing a temporary hold with the fingers as an incentive. He applies a light touch or pressure that he interrupts with percussive strikes.

Soke also used the words 操り ayatsuri and あや取り ayatori. This suggests that he manipulates you like a puppet to line up each strike in quick succession. When Hatsumi Sensei does this to me, I never see the strikes coming, so my body is unprepared to receive them or defend in any way.

Each strike becomes more powerful. They arrive in an uninterrupted flow that you cannot escape. This is because Hatsumi Sensei steers you with his fingers!

But this use of the fingertips doesn't end with striking. While grappling, Soke used the word 量るhakaru. This is when you size up your opponent. You estimate his strength and ability, as well as his balance or weakness.

Soke does this with subtle shifts in his hands or elbows while grappling. The fingertips control but also act like antennae. These light touches may or may not get the opponent's attention.

Hatsumi Sensei chooses when he wants you to notice what he is doing. This is another form of control. He directs your attention even with his fingertips.

Soke does this often against a sword or knife. It looks crazy watching him manipulate the blade with his fingers. I think this is more 量るhakaru.

Once you find the measure of your enemy, his weakness will reveal itself. The feeling I get from Hatsumi Sensei when I cut at him with a knife is that he allows you to fall victim to your own weakness. He doesn't need to do very much.Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2018/05/hatsumi-senseis-use-of-yubisaki.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-70502862339302590992017-12-24T10:50:00.000-08:002017-12-24T10:50:10.252-08:00虚実皮膜 Kyojitsu Himaku: A Barrier Between Truth and Falsehood

"Spectrum" by Tokujin Yoshioka, photo by Michael Glenn

During one Friday night class at the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo, Hatsumi Sensei asked a senior student to demonstrate a technique. The student avoided a punch and redirected the energy of it to knock his opponent down. This was a normal start for Soke's class, but what happened next surprised me.

Soke called me out and punched at me! Now I was supposed to do the technique that had been demonstrated. But how was I supposed to knock Hatsumi Sensei down? Of course, that wasn't going to happen.

But, I gave it my best shot. Hatsumi Sensei punched at me and I foolishly attempted to capture his punch. As soon as I did this, it was like the kukan shifted. This left me hanging or floating in space. I still don't remember how he threw me, but I ended up in a pile on the mat.

Hatsumi Sensei then told us we must exist within 虚実皮膜 kyojitsu himaku. I had never heard that term, nor had the translator. But lucky for me, Hatsumi Sensei had left clues for us by referencing art.

Coincidentally, I had gone to Ginza earlier that morning to see an art exhibition at the Shiseido Gallery. The art installation was called "Spectrum" by the designer Tokujin Yoshioka. The gallery was filled with light and fog. Beams of light radiated off of prisms to brush the walls, floor, and the viewers with a spectrum of color. Like any great installation art, you become a part of the art as you experience it.

The term kyojitsu himaku comes from the Bunraku theatre, when the writer 近松門左衛門 Chikamatsu Monzaemon wrote about a theory of art,

"Art is something that lies between the skin and the flesh, the make-believe and the real. ... Art is something which lies in the slender margin between the real and the unreal. [….] It is unreal, and yet it is not unreal; it is real, and yet it is not real. Entertainment lies between the two."

 —"Chikamatsu on the Art of the Puppet Stage," Anthology of Japanese Literature, from the Earliest Era to the Mid-Nineteenth Century, ed. and trans. Donald Keene

For us in the Bujinkan, we are familiar with the term kyojitsu. But himaku is a thin membrane or "skin" between truth and falsehood. In fact, it is so thin it is permeable and inseparable from one or the other. Chikamatsu (who was the son of a Ronin) even pronounced it as hiniku, which is the skin over the flesh.

This philosophy is a kind of solipsism. It rests on the idea that we process the entire world through our senses. This means reality is filtered by this processing in our minds. Kyojitsu himaku takes advantage of this by existing in between the mind and reality.

In art, this means the art is created in such a way that the end result only comes to life in the mind of the viewer. If you've ever "looked behind the curtain" at a piece of art, maybe looked too closely… you will know that this examination breaks the illusion.

In fighting, we also create these illusions in the mind of our opponent. But we should not care if he "looks behind the curtain" or is able to pierce through our kyojitsu. We strategically place ourselves at the "himaku," or the place in between. Then if he breaks through, what has he accomplished? Now we are behind him!

Anyone who has attacked Hatsumi Sensei knows that feeling when he seems to disappear and reappear elsewhere. He is not really doing anything. We do it to ourselves in our efforts to understand what cannot be understood.Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/12/kyojitsu-himaku-barrier-between-truth.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-78496853419560064162017-11-17T12:35:00.000-08:002017-11-17T12:35:29.596-08:00A Pointed Attack

shrine to 蔵王権現 Zaō gongen. photo by Michael Glenn

At a Friday night class in the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo, Hatsumi Sensei's opponents cut in at him with a sword, and he literally pointed their cuts away! It looked bizarre. But there is a foundation for why and how this works.

Earlier that afternoon in Japan I visited a mountain shrine to the Shugendō deity 蔵王権現 Zaō gongen. The Meiji government had abolished such shrines, but this one was still hidden in the shade of the forest. Probably too small to bother with.

Through the broken sunlight, I spotted the stone monument. A bleached white object caught my eye at the base of the mossy grey stone. Someone still active in the shamanistic practice of Shugendō had laid a lone antler and a skull on the rock.

Zaō gongen is often portrayed forming the 刀剣印 tōken-in sword mudra by his hip. This mudra is a wrathful hand gesture for conquering evil. I did not expect that later that evening I would see an active variant of this mudra used in combat.

When the attacker came in, Hatsumi Sensei would point and his attention would be caught. Then Soke would redirect it. This is a method for shaping the kukan. You must understand that kukan is not just the physical space between the fighters. It also holds the much larger space that exists in the fighter's mind. If you control that, you control the fight.

In Japan, there is a similar practice for controlling one's own mind and manifesting this in the physical world. It is called 指差喚呼 shisa kanko (pointing and calling) and is a safety measure. You will see it at train stations with the white gloves. It provides the engineer with an extra indication as to whether a switch has been turned on or off, or whether the train station platform is clear before and after departure.

When Soke pointed he caused the opponent to change his focus or move his intention in a certain direction. The ability to do this comes from a strong kamae and the ability to manage the space and the psychology of the opponent. In fact, in one instance, Hatsumi Sensei waved the finger through the air like he was erasing smoke (it looked like 千早振る chihayafuru). When Soke brandished the finger this way, the opponent stuttered his attack and his ability to stand just collapsed.

Hatsumi Sensei told us that to do this, "You can't focus on any one point. It's like cutting through the kukan. This is what defines 気 ki."

I certainly felt a kind of atmosphere and mood when I saw the antler that afternoon before class. And later that evening, I felt different when Hatsumi Sensei changed the spirit to one of laughter. I can't wait to go back to Japan next week!Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-pointed-attack.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-44027597864810530262017-10-05T09:27:00.000-07:002017-10-05T09:27:44.837-07:00Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 7: 中心 chuushin

Hatsumi Sensei and Michael Glenn

I got off the plane and went straight to the dojo. This is extreme. And maybe a little foolish.

I got up at 5am in California, went to the airport to fly across the Pacific Ocean for around 12 hours. When I land in Japan, I get on one train for an hour, then another for half an hour, and the last one to the dojo for another half hour.

When I arrived for Hatsumi Sensei's class, he decided to throw me around the dojo. Then I got back on a train to go check in at my hotel. When I finally lay in bed, it is 22 or 23 hours since I left home. But I lay awake trying to understand what just happened in training.

Even if I only had this one class, the whole trip was worth it. Hatsumi Sensei was teaching us about control. But it is not accomplished by purely physical means. In fact he said, "Don't grab, it's neither grabbing nor not grabbing."

What is in between grabbing and not grabbing when you are trying to control someone? This in between space is what he was trying to show us. And here is a huge revelation for your training if you are ready for it. Soke said,

"Don't do more than necessary by grabbing. But trying NOT to grab is also doing too much. you have to be in the middle. that middle space is where you can disappear."
What does this type of control look like? Well, I just felt it and witnessed it in the Bujinkan Honbu dojo. The opponent ends up fighting himself. Soke was doing this against knife attacks. And every time the attack came in, Soke pivoted around it and was able to redirect the knife so the attacker stabbed or cut himself.

This can happen when you are neither taking nor not taking. But what you do "take" are things you can't see. Those in between things, those invisible things are really controlling the opponent. とってでとってない totte de tottenai.

Soke threw his opponents very painfully. But they couldn't take ukemi because he controlled them. He laughed and said 親切 shinsetsu. which is the word for kindness, but the kanji means killing the parents. Like you're killing them with kindness. He said that throwing them is a type of kindness.

He also used the word たすけて tasukete which suggests that he is helping them find the destruction they seek. You are helping them and using kindness to throw them, but then you have to be able to immediately kill them. Kill them with kindness.

I watched as he demonstrated a type of 手の内 tenouchi which is the way of using the palm or the fingers. He would catch the opponent's finger right in the center or palm of his hand and move it around like a joystick.

He told us 力を感じさせない chikara o kanji sasenai… don't let the opponent feel your power. You control through connection, but when you connect these ideas, they become zero.

Remember, it's not your hand that is connecting to the opponent… and it's not the place on the opponent where you put your hand…. it's the connection. It's the zero in the middle. In between your hand and the opponent is where the connection exists.

When you block or place a hand on the opponent, it's neither the hand or the opponent that matters. It's the connection or the place in between. That moment of zero.

Soke says we are studying mutō dori. And when we do mutō dori we are not really taking their weapon. He said we are taking 中心 chuushin, or their central point. This is their essence or core spirit. Another way to write the kanji for 衷心 chuushin can mean their innermost feelings or inner spirit. Hatsumi sensei called this type of control "zero-style."

Soke reminded us that he cannot teach this. We have to discover it for ourselves. We have to try to get this feeling from him in person.

I had travelled 5497 miles or 8,846 km for tonight's class. I closed my eyes and dropped my head into the 蕎麦殻枕 sobagara pillow. I was exhausted, but for a lifelong budo addict like me, every mile was worth it!Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/10/bujinkan-strategies-of-control-part-7.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-58284494869599912502017-06-02T20:21:00.000-07:002017-10-05T09:29:30.781-07:00Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 6: 神経 Shinkei

Ricky, Kiwa, and Michael on our way to the Bujinkan Honbu

I got up really early on Sunday to meet a new Japanese friend in the train station. He had been training in a Bujinkan dojo in Tokyo until his teacher died. I was sad to hear about the death of his teacher who had been Soke's uke for many years. And I was very surprised to learn that my new friend had never been to the Bujinkan Honbu dojo to train with Hatsumi Sensei.

I decided to risk breaking some kind of Japanese formality or etiquette that I was unaware of and invite my friend to train with us today. I hoped that Soke would be happy to meet him. We never know what these connections might bring.

In Hatsumi Sensei's class everything he taught was about using small points of connection for control. He demonstrated this with with his fingertips. In one moment he slapped the opponent in the eye with his index finger. Then he showed us how to line up the body and the shoulder behind one finger as if it was a sword.

Then you pivot around that point. When you pivot around this small point, you control the opponent's kamae, his balance, or the point of pain.

Soke said,

"With the fingertips being able to 変えるkaeru. You've got to be able to do this just with your fingers. it's not a technique. you don't really feel like moving much, right?"
Soke said he was controlling through connection. Connect to the opponent's movement, but also what he is thinking and feeling. Once you make that connection you can control him. Control his body, thoughts, and his feelings through this connection.

But he emphasized,

"You're not controlling one specific point, you're controlling everything. I said by the fingers, but it's not really the fingers. It's about control. It looks like it's happening at the fingers but it's actually happening with the whole body."
Soke used the word 神経 shinkei. This is a sensitivity through the nerves.

"Study this way of controlling through connection. Connect with what he's thinking or he's feeling. It's not technique. you have to be connected with him like this. You can't teach this. If you try to avoid, you're going to break that connection."
This is not something you do with your own human intention. Shinkei is instinctual like an autonomic response that your body has if you are sensitive enough.

You use the small parts of your body. To demonstrate Soke began to wiggle his ears and we all laughed. Then he said to take the small things and connect to the big things in the kukan and then use that connection.

This is the correct 空間利用 kukan riyō or use of space. When you connect with a finger, it is a small thing or point. But it connects to a big thing which is the conflict or your opponent's aggression. You use that small connection (NOT the finger… the connection itself) to control.

Hatsumi Sensei said we create a vacuum and have this "mood." Soke used a play on words between English ムード muudo and Japanese 無道 mudou or even 武道 budou. You are being led by the martial arts into zero. Going between mood and the way of emptiness or formlessness. We are led by the martial arts into zero and become zero through the martial arts.

During the break, Hatsumi Sensei painted a dragon for my new Japanese friend. Many of our other Japanese Shihan and buyu were very friendly and welcoming to him. Maybe in time he will find his new teacher in the Bujinkan.

UP NEXT: Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 7: 中心 chuushinMichael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/06/bujinkan-strategies-of-control-part-6.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-63418226445244932422017-05-15T20:35:00.001-07:002017-05-15T20:35:53.201-07:00Ninja True: Bujinkan Iceland

I visit Iceland to share some Bujinkan lessons from training in Japan with Hatsumi Sensei. As you will see, I have made my own Icelandic saga and many new friends:
https://youtu.be/Dmynj-nntCM

Also, if you want to always be the first to hear about my current Bujinkan training, please subscribe hereMichael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/05/ninja-true-bujinkan-iceland.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-88621833665598666802017-04-13T10:07:00.000-07:002017-06-02T20:23:38.335-07:00A Pattern 荒む Growing Wild: Bujinkan Strategies of control Part 5

Nezu Bamboo. photo by Michael Glenn

Have you ever leaned against a tree and felt the wind blowing the whole trunk? It is an interesting feeling because the trunk feels so solid, yet it sways in the wind. Even a small breeze can shift the whole thing.

One Tuesday night in the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo I felt this from Hatsumi Sensei. It was so soft and subtle that it would be easy to miss. And at this point, Soke said,

"Don't do too much. Whether it's in contact or not, you're moving away. But you're not trying to do it. 力を感じさせない chikara o kanji sasenai."
Chikara o kanji sasenai. This means you don't let the opponent feel your power. You don't let him feel any technique from you. Or any force, or power. You may use force and power, but you want to use it in a way that he cannot feel it! Then when it affects him, he has no idea where it comes from or how to counter it.

That afternoon I had spent some time in a bamboo grove near 関さんの森 Seki-san no mori. The breeze was quite strong. I stared in wonder at the movement of the very tall bamboo as they swayed and squeaked against each other in the sky above me. I placed my hand on one of the culms. I felt it move my palm softly.

In this way you do not telegraph or give away your intent. This is a fascinating way of using taijutsu. You are responsive to your opponent, but not fighting.

Hatsumi Sensei showed this again when his opponent grabbed his wrist. He told us,

 "He will have the tendency (勝ち gachi) to relax his grab so you wait for that. Then you move with 雅致 gachi (artistry or grace) to control with your feet. Study this connection."
He then told us we should float the opponent in the kukan. What does that mean? Well, imagine a heavy object like a bundle of bamboo. It would be hard to push around with one finger. But if it were floating as a raft in the water, you could push and turn it through the water with very little force. Even if someone were sitting on it, you could still move it easily.

This is what happens to your opponent when you float him in the kukan. Hatsumi Sensei said that one of the themes for the Jugodans in this type of training was to be able to apply a technique without really doing it. He told us to not use any technique, yet have it happen anyway.

He described it as 荒むのパターン susamu no pataan. This is a pattern of wildness. There's no pattern but it's all connected.

This is challenging to get your mind around. If you think of a technique like omote gyaku, or ganseki nage, these are techniques that you normally have to do yourself. And we train hard to learn to apply them correctly. But for us Jugodans, we have to have these techniques happen without actually doing them ourselves.

One clue for how to do this was when Soke told us to break the balance in the space. You do this by becoming the kukan yourself. If you become the kukan, there is no pattern and you can be free. This is the kind of control he wants us to embody.

UP NEXT: Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 6: 神経 Shinkei

Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/04/a-pattern-growing-wild-bujinkan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-42820163065654203322017-03-27T17:35:00.001-07:002017-03-27T17:55:04.488-07:00Muto Dori With Marishiten

Michael Glenn

at 摩利支天 徳大寺 Marishiten tokudaiji

The other night in Hatsumi Sensei's class I ran to grab a bokken from the weapon rack. When I returned, my training partner was waiting for my attack so he could try the muto Dori technique that Soke had just demonstrated.

When I cut down I had a great surprise. Hatsumi Sensei appeared from behind my training partner. He pushed my training partner aside so that I was cutting at Soke instead!

I thought that I hit something but Soke was beside me laughing. Somehow I missed. He said that I should learn this feeling.

This year one of the main themes of the training in Japan is Muto Dori. Anyone who has cut at Soke will tell you that he disappears or even splits in two.

That was what I experienced this time. It was like there were two of him. I hit one but that was an illusion.

I've often struggled to understand the reality behind this. Even though I can sometimes do this with my own students, the act remains elusive from any explanation.

But today I was lucky. Hatsumi Sensei gave us a big clue later on in the class. He showed a knife evasion and he said to move like the heat wave from 摩利支天 Marishiten. He said this as an aside to his uke and then he moved on.

Marishiten is a goddess I have some familiarity with. One of the very first shrines I visited in Japan was 摩利支天徳大寺 Marishiten tokudaiji in Tokyo. This place is a bit hidden in the middle of a very urban market.

Marishiten is very important for warriors and for ninja. She protects because she uses illusion to help us disappear from our enemies. In Mikkyō (esoteric Buddhism), there are mantra and mudra which are said to make a warrior invisible.

Marishiten appears like a ray of light or mirage. Her image is like a shimmering heat that bends light. Under her protection, anyone who attacks us would be blinded by illusion.

The illusion comes in rays of shimmering light. When you look, it is like staring into the sun, and Marishiten charges from within this brilliance.

When Soke said this a subtle light went off in my brain. This ineffable feeling he wanted me to understand was now more than just an odd experience I feel when I attack him. You have to see more than the illusion.

Maybe my training is to grasp the nature of the mirage and illusion that arises from Marishiten. This is one aspect of Hatsumi Sensei's lesson to me. But an odd side effect of this knowledge it is that I can now learn to counter this.

The mirage of Marishiten is a type of blindness. Once you can see and pierce through this veil, what lies beyond it grows clearer. I do not know what surprises Soke has waiting for me when I see past this layer, but I suspect it will open like the lotus blossom.

Marishiten is often depicted standing on a lotus. But her more angry form is shown standing on the back of a wild boar. Hopefully I will see flowers instead of beasts!

Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/03/muto-dori-with-marishiten.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-17191943768433226622017-02-14T10:16:00.001-08:002017-02-14T10:16:08.457-08:00Ninja True: The Takagi House

高木 Takagi. photo by Michael Glenn

Based on a lucky tip from one of my favorite blogs, Japan This!, I explore deep into Tokyo's history from when the Samurai held the high ground of the yamanote in old Edo. What I found was surprise for me and for any Bujinkan student.

https://youtu.be/Dy0Y2MGVbCs

I got off the at the right train stop and started walking through the neighborhood. But my map and these shadowed early morning streets didn't make me very confident I was on the right path. I was about to enter a konbini to ask for directions, when a police officer on a bicycle rode up.

He parked outside the 7-11 and went inside. I followed. My Japanese is not awesome, but I have had good luck with getting directions from Japanese police in the past. So while he was browsing the potato chips, I approached him like the dumb tourist I was.

He seemed a bit bothered, but gave me the "chotto matte," so he could finish his shopping. He seemed to be buying drinks and snacks for a few people. I went outside next to his bike.

He put everything in the handlebar basket and motioned for me to follow him. We walked a couple of blocks to the kouban. There were about 5-6 police bustling around the street corner. My cop took me up to a map on the wall.

Suddenly, we had an audience. ALL of the officers were very curious to see what we were looking for. As he tried to find something on the map, each one interrupted with their own attempt to help. It was a combination of testing their English on me (which was not good) and trying to explain to him where he should look on the map.

As I stood in the huddle of six cops, I was embarrassed and amused by all the trouble my inquiry had created. A crowd was gathering on the street corner, and most of the locals were staring at me. Then the boss arrived.

An officer that was much older came out of the kouban and all of the others stopped talking. He calmly looked at the address I held in my hand. He punched a finger like a dart into the map and handed the address back to me. He told me that I could not go inside the place. I said I knew that, and I just wanted to take a photo of the outside.

Then a funny thing happened. He started scolding the original officer for not knowing what this place was. I mean, it has been there for more than 400 years and all. Like I said, my Japanese is not great, but I could hear the dressing down in any language.

I thanked them, and started walking. But the senior officer would not allow me to go. He continued scolding as the original cop was unloading the groceries from his bike basket. He pointed down the street and was giving him directions. And orders to escort me, apparently.

Now I walked beside the officer. And he walked his bike. I apologized to him. He waved it off.

That was a long 15 minute walk. There was the language barrier. But maybe just a bit of touch of annoyed policeman. It has a different flavor than annoyed police in America.

He dropped me off at the historic site with one more admonition that I could not go inside. Then he got on his bicycle and pedaled away to leave me alone in the quiet neighborhood. I spent a little time observing the old architecture of this Samurai house.

On the main gate was the name plate of Takagi. This had really driven my visit. You may know that one of the main schools of our Bujinkan study is 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. And the fact that this was an old Samurai house made me dream of a connection.

The Takagi family has been living in this residence for more than 400 years! I know that Takagi is a common name in Japan. But I can dream. Anyhow I took some pics and walked around the old gate.

Then came a surprise! And old man called to me from the other side of the gate. He peered through the slot and motioned me to a smaller, side gate. He unlatched it and slid it open and beckoned me inside!

This old man, maybe a member of the Takagi family, made it clear I could give myself a tour of the property. He told me to let myself out when I was done. Then he went back inside the house.

I am always blown away by the generosity of the Japanese people. So I spent about 30 minutes quietly taking pictures and admiring the architecture. It seemed like there were a number of families living on the property, so I didn't want to overstay my welcome or intrude too much.

I tried to imagine what old Edo must've felt like inside and outside these walls hundreds of years ago. I let myself back out the side gate. And wandered back into the streets of modern Tokyo.

I must thank the police. It occurred to me later that the older policeman who seemed very familiar with this property might have even called ahead to let the family know I was coming over. That may be why I was allowed to enter. I also must thank Japan This! for finding this, and for all of the other wonderful reports on the blog.Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/02/ninja-true-takagi-house.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-57595141454102600982017-02-09T11:40:00.000-08:002017-04-13T10:09:08.770-07:00Evade Without Evading: Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 4

五條天神社で、お焚き上げ otakiage preparations at Gojoten jinja. photo Michael Glenn

Last time I attacked Hatsumi Sensei, he disappeared. It left me very confused. But Hatsumi Sensei described it this way,

"This is a way to control. You've got to be a shadow. He won't believe that I'm avoiding."
The next day I ran some errands in Tokyo. The local shrines were already beginning their new year's preparations. I stopped and stared at a pile of wood that was made ready for the お焚き上げ otakiage bonfire. Fire can purify and burn away problems from the previous year.

 I kept thinking about what happened in yesterday's class with Soke. How did he disappear? That was what I was stuck on.

I thought, next time I get that chance, I am going to really try to hit him and see what happens. If anything goes wrong, the year is almost over and I can throw myself into the fire.

In Hatsumi Sensei's next class, he asked me to punch at him. I decided this time I would go for it! I really tried and he disappeared. Then I was kind of hanging there in space. I felt a finger (I think it was his thumb) very light on the back of my hand. And somehow this threw me. He said,

"This muto dori feeling is very important. One finger. Just kind of pass by. This way of moving through the kukan is important."
What Hatsumi Sensei was teaching was how to control. I discovered much later that this type of control arises neither by evading or NOT evading. It is hidden in between.

Hatsumi Sensei told us over and over, "Yokeru yokenai!" This is getting out of the way without getting out of the way. Not evading while evading.

This is hard to understand. Obviously you don't want to get hit by your opponent. If you can't evade or stand still, then what?

Hatsumi Sensei gave us a clue when he said "人間の意識からない ningen no ishiki kara nai." Don't do it with your own human intention.

That is the problem with evading. The human intention or thought takes too long. Soke said, "I'm not avoiding. Not thinking."

This creates a special kind of distance that is connected to nature. It is not something that you came up with yourself. If you're trying to get out of the way, then you won't be able to control anything because you are preoccupied.

You don't want to get hit, or cut by the weapon. But if you try to evade, or try NOT to evade, you will fail. No matter how good you are. There is always someone better, faster, sneakier. So the answer lies in between evading and not evading.

What is in between? Connection and zero. This has long been how Soke describes his budo,

"You control him like this. This is the theme. Connect these ideas. It becomes zero. Connecting zero."
You can find the middle way between evading and not evading by merging with this universal space (Hatsumi Sensei said shizento and uchuuto). Then he called it a 玉 gyoku or egg ( I don't know what that means, but if you do, please contact me).

Your whole body becomes like the mist. I wouldn't believe any of this, except I tried to hit Soke and that is what happened. I have been holding onto that feeling ever since.

In my own training I have discovered that in the moment you evade, you break the connection and become trapped in your efforts to evade. You escape this through play. Play sets you free. Hatsumi Sensei described it,

"This is the idea of freedom. This is the strength of freedom. The power of freedom. Because it's very wide, it's very vast (宇宙 uchuu). You want to go up into space."
The flames from the bonfire rise above the shrine, sending sparks past the 鳥居 torii, and up among the stars. I would burn with them. There I learn the freedom of this distance.

UP NEXT: A Pattern 荒む Growing Wild: Bujinkan Strategies of control Part 5Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/02/evade-without-evading-bujinkan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-38484328529880124012017-01-28T08:56:00.000-08:002017-01-28T09:05:38.203-08:00Bujinkan Year of the Rooster

Fighting Cock 闘鶏 toukei by Hatsumi Sensei

Today marks the year of the rooster by the lunar calendar. This is significant for me because I was born under this sign. During one of my visits to Japan, Hatsumi Sensei painted the fighting rooster for me as you see above.

I was attacked by mosquitoes earlier that day. It was my own fault because I had gone into a deep meditation in the woods next to a statue of 不動明王 Fudō Myō-ō. I didn't notice the mosquitoes. But it was very hot and I was sweaty after my long climb, so they definitely noticed me! The next day, I discovered at least 30 very itchy bites.

This year I am 年男 toshiotoko, or "man of the year" since it is my sign. This can be unlucky, but I am protected. 不動明王 Fudō Myō-ō is the protector of people born in the year of the rooster.

The hour of the rooster is at sunset in the zodiac. And the direction of both the rooster and Fudō Myō-ō is west. In fact, there are still Shinto shrines where the monkey and the rooster guard the entrance gates.

I will lead the training in my dojo this year while heeding the expression, 鶏口牛後 keikougyuugo, "It is better to be the beak of a rooster than the rump of a bull." For me, this means it is better to guide a small group of students who really care about training, instead of a crowd of people who train for the wrong reasons.

I wasn't there, but reportedly Hatsumi Sensei first met Takamatsu in 酉年 toridoshi, the year of the rooster. I feel lucky to have this connection back to Takamatsu and the previous generations of our art through my studies with Hatsumi Sensei. The Bujinkan is a living art, and the spirits of the warriors of the past are kept alive in our current training.

I will spend some time this year focusing on the 妙音術 Myō-on jutsu that I have experienced from Soke. Since Fudō Myō-ō protects me this year, I will work to cut through my ignorance. Here is the Fudō mantra if you also want to say it while cutting through ignorance with your sword:

なーまくさーまんだーば さらなんかん
Naamakusaamandaaba saranankan
Don't ask me how to pronounce it, I think I need more training.Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/01/bujinkan-year-of-rooster.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-74525550952752985992017-01-07T19:02:00.000-08:002017-02-09T11:42:15.073-08:00The 虚実 Kyojitsu of Control: Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 3

渡月橋 togetsukyō at 六義園 rikugien. photo by Michael Glenn

Hatsumi Sensei puffed out his chest. His attacker went to grab with both hands, but then Soke collapsed the target. It was like he shrugged the attack away, tossing his opponent aside.

If you have been following my training notes, then you know that this kyojitsu of offering a target is one of the Bujinkan strategies of control that I have been writing about since my recent training with Hatsumi Sensei. He explained that he was teaching control to the Jugodans. He said he wasn't teaching technique.

I managed to get a few pictures of the snow around the Bujinkan Hombu dojo that morning before class. A few days later it had all melted away. If you are not careful as a Bujinkan teacher, your own days as a student will melt away too.

Soke said that people in sports do technique, but we are trying to have a flow that can't be copied. Flow is the most important thing in a fight.. This is why he teaches this way. He told us,

"You have to become the kind of person who cannot be copied."
When Soke puffed out his chest this way, he was offering his opponent an illusion. The target was not real. He used the word 的 mato and told us to control by creating a target.

The way he moved his shoulders was very loose. And next, he made us all laugh by wiggling his ears. He did this to show how you control the opponent by having this very precise control over your own body first.

When he asked me to grab him, he did this with his shoulder and then I went flying through the air. He said,

"I'm lifting the shoulder with this kind of kyojitsu. You have to be able to move every part of your body."
You offer the target as the 虚 kyo, or illusion. Then hit him with the 実 jistu or the truth. Another time Soke did this with a sword. He blocked the cut with his own sword. But he left his face right in front of his opponent's blade. It did not look safe!

But this target was an illusion. As soon as the opponent tried to cut, Soke pivoted and hit him hard with the tsuba in the ribs. He looked around the dojo at our confused faces and said,

"Everyone tries to use the sword and that's why you're missing the kyojitsu. Kyo comes first and then jitsu."
When you control your opponent with illusion, you don't even have to fight at all. In fact, you never have to touch him. Hatsumi Sensei said we could feel it in the air. He used the phrase 空気で殺気 kuuki de sakki.

This can be thought of as sensing the intent of the enemy in the air. But it is also projecting your own threat into the air. It is like you strike with the air or the kukan itself! How does that work?

Many of us have felt this from Hatsumi Sensei. He did this to my friend Yabunaka-san. I watched when Yabu hesitated and then froze up. Next he stumbled right before Soke would have broke his arm. Hatsumi Sensei asked Yabunaka to describe this feeling. Yabunaka said that you feel like he is striking you even when he is not.

This is the opposite of presenting a target as an illusion. You strike with illusion! In fact, Hatsumi Sensei told us that this was 遠当之術 tōate no jutsu (or even 遠當之術). This is striking from a distance.

But Soke said he was not using tōate for striking, he was using it for control. For me, that moment was a big key to my whole trip and my efforts to understand Hatsumi Sensei's current teachings.

I was lucky to be invited to uke for Soke in almost every class. And these experiences were like a gift. Every day that I train in Japan or in my own classes, I feel humbled by the generosity of my teachers and students. I hope you can have that in your training as well.
UP NEXT: Evade Without Evading: Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 4
 Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-kyojitsu-of-control-bujinkan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-9817076083778952572016-12-18T17:33:00.000-08:002017-01-07T19:03:57.702-08:00勝負いなく Shōbu Inaku: Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 2

Hatsumi Sensei's dynamic kamae. Photo by Michael Glenn

In the first article on Bujinkan Strategies of Control, I described one of the times I attacked Hatsumi Sensei. Anyone who has been Soke's uke can tell you the same thing. What it looks like and what it feels like are very different!

One common thing we all feel from him is that he disappears. I know that sounds odd, but it's like he's there in front of you, then he's not. In fact, last week he explained how this is one of his strategies for control. He told us to,

"Move naturally like this as they're coming in. Move naturally without making a fight of it."
That was the English translation but Soke used the the words 勝負いなく shōbu inaku meaning that there is no fight or the fight disappears. Shōbu implies a contest or a match where victory or defeat is decided. Since we don't study sports martial arts, we are not attached to either of these outcomes.

いなくなる inakunaru means to disappear. Or, in a definition that will help us understand this strategy, it means "to stop being". Any fight, match, or contest requires at least two combatants. What happens if one disappears?

This starts internally. You have to remove yourself from the idea of winning or losing. Or even that there is any fight to win or lose. When you step outside of that small world where the fight exists, you will find it very easy to control the situation.

Hatsumi Sensei watched all of us trying to do that. He likes to stand in the back of the dojo on the wood floor and observe us. Sometimes I will even see him stand right in the middle of the room watching. He saw that many of us were still trying to fight, so he said we should leave that attitude at home…

"In your own training it's ok to punch and fight like this, but here we're studying control."
He told us we are not learning to exchange blows. That is what happens in sports martial arts, people exchange blows until victory or defeat is decided. Sometimes by judges! But there are no judges in real combat.

Instead Hatsumi Sensei told us to play in the space. It's not fighting. This is how we learn how to control in the space.

When you understand this at a deep level, two critical changes happen in your training:

First, by not showing that you're fighting, you disappear from the fight. This is not just a psychological trick. You can learn to physically disappear from the fight.

I felt this when I tried to grab Hatsumi Sensei's arm. He was teaching tehodoki. When I went to grab he just disappeared. He reappeared after I flew through the air and landed on my back.

And second, you make the fight itself disappear. This causes the opponent to lose strength and ability to fight. Hatsumi Sensei showed me this aspect another time when I stabbed at him. The way he smiled at me, and his kiai in that moment, caused my attack to just deflate because he was not fighting me.

Hatsumi Sensei said again and again that コントロール kontorooru is this year's theme. Not fighting... just controlling. It's not a waza or technique that can be taught.

In fact there is only one clear way to learn it. That is through direct experience with Hatsumi Sensei or with a teacher who has had that experience. Then you can learn what Soke means when he tells us that he is not fighting. He says he is just following the path of kami (神の道 kami no michi). We would be smart to follow his lead.

UP NEXT: The 虚実 Kyojitsu of Control: Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 3 Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/12/shobu-inaku-bujinkan-strategies-of.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-8592969131570458562016-12-05T16:49:00.001-08:002016-12-18T17:35:19.762-08:00Bujinkan Strategies of Control

雪吊り yuki zuri at 六義園 Rikugi-en. photo by Michael Glenn

The train rattled by the Bujinkan Honbu dojo. I looked down at the knife in my hand. I looked up at Hatsumi Sensei who called me to stab at him. I plunged the knife toward him. He made a kiai that came out like the creaking, groaning sound of an old iron gate.

It was not a human sound. And he was in my face, laughing. I fell to the floor. He asked me to speak and share what I just felt with all of the students in the dojo. All I could say was that his smile made me drop.

It has been difficult to write about my training with Soke during this trip. Not because I don't have anything to share. But because writing or talking about it is a distraction from the experience itself.

I didn't want my own thoughts or preconceptions to intrude on the direct transmission of the teaching that Soke is giving us. So I waited. Just absorbing as much as I can. And now I feel I can begin to share.

In every single class, Hatsumi Sensei tells us not to fight, but to control. In fact, he says that this is the theme that he is teaching from. He uses the 外来語 gairaigo (borrowed from English) pronunciation of the word control. In the Japanese pronunciation this becomes コントロール kontorooru.

He tells us that what he is showing us cannot be taught. He says,

"I'm not teaching how to fight. I'm showing control. If you try to fight then it's a very low level of budo. Please learn to control."
Why can't this be taught? Because it's control, not waza. Waza (techniques) can be taught. But this is not waza. It's control.

Soke says he's not teaching technique anymore. He told us to have this control of あも一寸の玉 虫 amo issun no tama mushi. In a real confrontation, this "amo" is very important.

Hatsumi Sensei's classes are all about control. But first you have to control yourself, only then can you control the opponent. He demonstrated this over and over by controlling his opponents without even touching them. It happened to me every time I faced him. He explained it like this:

"You have to be able to not do a technique yet have it happen anyway. This is the theme for the 15 dans this year."
One of the ways he does this is kukan no コントロール kontorooru… to control the kukan or use the kukan to control. But here is a warning: Any method you use to try to do that will probably not work! That is the mystery of this strategy.

Since I cannot possibly share everything I am experiencing here in Japan in just one article, I will write a series of articles. Maybe I will call them Bujinkan strategies of control. If you want to receive all of them, make sure to subscribe here.

When I attacked Hatsumi Sensei with the knife, he asked me to share the feeling I got from him. In that moment it was overwhelming, so I couldn't say much except that his smile made me drop to the mat. But now that I've had some days to consider what happened, my feeling is that he used one of the strategies I will write about next. 次次次… The next one is the best one!
UPDATE and here it is: 勝負いなく Shōbu Inaku: Bujinkan Strategies of Control Part 2Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/12/bujinkan-strategies-of-control.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-70917659927894192412016-11-27T15:38:00.004-08:002016-11-27T15:38:50.390-08:00Snow on the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo

Snow on the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo

Last week when I arrived in Tokyo, it was cold and dark. Much colder than anyone expected. Tokyo hasn't had its first snowfall in November for 54 years. And breaking an even older record, this was the first accumulation of snow in the city center since records began in 1875.

It was dark when I arrived, but I pressed my face to the cold glass of the train to get a look at it. I knew it would melt quickly. So I made a video and you can just see it outside the train: Ninja True: How to get to the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo.

When I arrived at the dojo, a man doing construction near the train tracks called it a November surprise. He thought I was funny because I was poking at the snow and taking pictures. I told him I live in Santa Monica and we never have snow.

Even though it was cold on my arrival, the reception I got from my friends here in Japan has been very warm. The Bujinkan is truly international. I got warm greetings from Spain, Australia, Florida, Canada, Estonia, Colombia, France… and more!

The Japanese teachers always have a smile for me! They always tell me, "welcome back" before hurting me in class. And the classes have been great.

Senou Sensei seemed to be carving up his opponents with his fingers. With almost every technique, he manipulates his fingers to change the opponent's balance and attack. In fact, he started one class by intertwining his fingers like you would for 暗黒透視術 Ankoku tōshijutsu.

Then he used that grip to receive the attack. The fingers became pivot points as they interlaced (かわす kawasu) with the opponent's body. It seems impossible to move someone with one finger, yet he did this to me and I moved!

Hatsumi Sensei has also been carving things up. He did this with a ninja-to, but he also seems to carve up the space itself. I tried to attack him, but he changed the space, and I was moved again!

Hatsumi Sensei told us that for 42 years since Takamatsu Sensei's death, he's changed the Bujinkan theme every year. In these yearly themes he taught us techniques. But this year he's teaching something that goes beyond or transcends that.

He began to demo this feeling or "mood." He showed the connections between being punched, a double lapel grab, tehodoki… and even sword. He said you have to have this "mood" to be able to use any weapon. This word "mood" was both English and Japanese. He said ムード muudo but also in Japanese 無道 mudō or 武道 budō.

Soke said this means you are being led by the martial arts into zero. You think it's there but it's not. You don't think it's there but it is.

He told us that the Bujinkan has come to this high level, so he thinks things will be very interesting from now on (此から先 korekarasaki). Since this was just the beginning of my training here in Japan, I have no doubt things will be very interesting in the coming days.

This will be the first of several articles about the training I am currently doing in Japan, to receive all of them, please subscribe here: Bujinkan updates
Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/11/snow-on-bujinkan-honbu-dojo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-85203144026311927952016-10-17T11:08:00.001-07:002016-10-17T11:08:56.248-07:00 Bujinkan Kuden: 自然行雲流水 Shizen kōunryūsui

根津美術館 庭園 photo by Michael Glenn

We have a Bujinkan kuden, 自然行雲流水 Shizen kōunryūsui. This is sometimes translated as going with the flow. It originates from an old Chinese poem. But in Japan it became an essential mindset for zen.

It is having a mind that is light and carefree like the journey of the clouds through the sky. No matter what wars are being fought on earth, or what pain and emotion is being expressed, the clouds just float by. What if your mind could be light like that?

But this saying also suggests we can flow along like the water in a river. No matter what obstacle it encounters, it just keeps going. It is ever changing and persistent. What if your mind could run deep like a river?

The river and the clouds are connected of course. The clouds drop rain and snow which feeds the river. Then the water might evaporate and rise back into the sky to become a cloud again.

In Bujinkan taijutsu, this mindset is expressed as natural and smooth movement. This kind of taijutsu is not an attack or a defense. When we are unattached to results, victory appears.Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/10/bujinkan-kuden-shizen-kounryusui.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-60664076282200102632016-09-13T11:10:00.001-07:002016-09-13T11:52:35.392-07:00The Yari Kuri of Bujinkan 槍術 Sōjutsu

Michael Glenn thrusts into emptiness with the Yari, from a recent video on rojodojo.com

In a recent class we were training 四方技 shihō waza. This form has an important secret for all of Bujinkan 槍術 sōjutsu. Soke calls it 槍繰り yarikuri. This can be translated in various ways, like repetitive thrusting.

But we must consider why Hatsumi Sensei explains it this way. What he tells us about yari kuri is that,

"the thrust is kyo, the kuri is the jitsu."
This means we should employ 虚実 kyojitsu in our thrusting with the yari. Where the thrust is the illusion or falsehood, and the repetition is the truth.

This means that each thrust with the yari can be either true or false. So how do you decide which is true and which is false? Hatsumi Sensei described this moment in terms of our bojutsu gokui, when he says

"realize the moment of truth, thrust in, and only after you feel a connection with something does the force naturally flow into it (the thrust)."

I recently made a video about this Bujinkan gokui

In this shihō waza, our first thrusts are probing. Then as we step out to the right we probe further. This second thrust drives in deeper. And there we make a grip change that is unique as the left hand draws the spear back to the right hand.

This creates the distance for striking with the ishizuki. But the deception continues because you quickly flip into another thrust. If he manages to block that one, you finish with a rising strike to the groin.

This is how the yari can play in the field of time (遊ぶ光陰). And time is nothing but the play of light and shadow. Learning to thrust with the yari this way is a revelation for your study of Bujinkan sojutsu.Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-yari-kuri-of-bujinkan-sojutsu.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-74082166425292589962016-08-23T12:34:00.002-07:002016-08-23T12:43:21.579-07:00Bujinkan Kyūsho: 呼吸 Kokyuu, 指 Yubi, and 目 Me

柴又八幡神社 Shibamata Hachiman Jinja, photo Michael Glenn

In the past few years, Hatsumi Sensei has been exploring more than one theme every year. And some of the Bujinkan yearly themes have actually stretched across more than one year. For example, one Bujinkan theme this year of "skipping stones" I first heard from Hatsumi Sensei during one class back in September of 2014: The 間 Aida of Skipping a Stone Across Water

Another Bujinkan theme that Hatsumi Sensei has been expressing the last few years is the use of 呼吸 kokyuu (the breath), 指 yubi (the fingers), and 目 me (the eyes). These three are not to be taken individually. They must be connected in the same way that the ripples on a pond are connected by the stone that skipped across it.

In one cold December class Hatsumi Sensei described this for us,

"(the eyes and the breath are) connected like skipping a stone. It's connected together but really you disappear. Take the eyes and the fingers for jissen. In a real situation you don't want to just go for them, you just kind of let them happen along the way. Take the eyes, the fingers, and stop the breathing."
These three things can be thought of as kyūsho. They are weak points on even the strongest opponent. If you attack the eyes, you destroy his ability to fight. The fingers are very sensitive to pain and break easily. And if you stop or interrupt the breath, the entire body and mind stops with it.

As always, Hatsumi Sensei embeds layers of meaning and wordplay into the things he shares with us. The word 呼吸 kokyuu means breath, but it also can be translated as a knack, a trick, or a secret for doing something. Hatsumi Sensei described one of these secrets in another class I went to,

"Don't grab and hold, just move like this with the body. The finger hooks on here. With this timing, with this rhythm."
Even though it wasn't translated directly, Soke actually said 呼吸から愛人 kokyuu kara ai jin, this is the harmony of the breath between lovers. This means you match your movements or your breath to the same rhythm as the breath of your opponent. You harmonize and become one with him. Then when you break that rhythm, it shatters him like a wine glass.

In case you haven't seen that happen, a wine glass can be shattered by sound (the breath or voice of a singer). This happens because the glass has a natural frequency at which it vibrates. The singer first resonates with this frequency, then breaks that by going beyond it.

Hatsumi Sensei said we can use the finger to attack the rib cage in a way that interrupts the breath. I witnessed this, but since it is a kuden, I would have to show you in person. Don't be afraid to ask me to hurt you next time you see me!

Hatsumi Sensei added that this is why we don't have to avoid a strike. Instead we interrupt the opponent's breathing. This becomes like sutemi. Here we find the feeling of being able to control with just one finger.

The word for eyes or eyesight in Japanese can use different kanji as well. One of them is 目 me which can be translated as insight. Another is 明 mei which is a brightness or clarity of vision.

And the finger indicates the connection or link between these things. We must open up to these connections when we train on the Bujinkan themes. Remember the real training happens in your own breath and your own insight. Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/08/bujinkan-kyusho-kokyuu-yubi-and-me.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-70681217864499559092016-08-03T11:27:00.000-07:002016-08-03T11:27:00.561-07:00Make the Opponent Empty

a rare empty hall in Ameya-Yokochō, photo by Michael Glenn

I've been writing lots of articles for my personal Bujinkan mailing list which you can sign up for here: Bujinkan Training Notes

The other day I wrote about something very important in our Bujinkan training. It starts with a question that everyone forgets to ask:

Who is it that fights? When you are in a fight or an argument, who does the fighting? Is it you? Your opponent? Does it just happen by itself?

Obviously any fight requires at least two participants. Unless you are fighting with yourself. But in that case there are still two because you are divided against yourself.

What if you didn't participate? Remove yourself from the fight. What happens?

The fight dissolves. Almost as if it was never real. Leave the opponent to fight with himself.

In a recent class with Hatsumi Sensei, he told us how NOT to avoid a sword,

"If you evade, you will die. Move without any intention to fight. Make the opponent empty. Make him forget his own intent to fight. Make him forget that he's fighting or trying to strike you."
Make the opponent empty. Make yourself empty. The fight is an illusion that you have created. You can stop believing in it. Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/08/make-opponent-empty.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-13885934068008060122016-07-02T11:46:00.000-07:002016-07-02T11:46:21.948-07:00Hold 間 Ma in Your Mind For Heijōshin

Mural wall art at 明治神宮前駅 Meiji-Jingūmae station, photo by Michael Glenn

I have an important suggestion for you if you plan on training in Japan. When you show up to the dojo, put yourself in the proper mood for training. I suggest a state of 平常心 heijōshin which is a steady and calm presence of mind. Otherwise you can quickly become lost in the depths of what you have just jumped into.

If you've ever been to one of Hatsumi Sensei's classes, you know that a lot depends on the mood. Yes, the Bujinkan Hombu Dojo has a mood. There is a feeling or sensation in the air. Where does this come from and how does it affect our training?

For example, during one recent class I was tired from training 2-3 classes every day for two weeks in Japan. But I showed up to the dojo in an expectant mood. In fact, it seemed there was a mood of anticipation among all of my training friends in the Hombu that Tuesday night. But, when Hatsumi Sensei arrived, his mood prevailed over all of us.

And during this class, he told us,

"I'm not teaching budo, I'm teaching the feeling of contemplation of a divine poem."
Well, I can only speak for myself… but I don't think any of of us anticipated that this would be tonight's lesson.

Before I describe more of what he taught that night, let me lead you back to heijōshin. Because this lesson is beyond what we think about martial arts or combat. It begins from owning the kukan in your own mind.

We often hear about 空間 kukan in Bujinkan training. It means space. Training helps us examine the spatial relationships between fighters, between ourselves and our opponents, and even the physical location of the fight.

But you may not know that 空間 kukan is both internal and external. The fight takes place in the minds of you and your opponent maybe more than in actual physical combat. We must use a fighting strategy that uses both the internal and external space.

That same night at the Hombu dojo, Hatsumi Sensei said,

"You have to be able to take the opponent with the kukan itself."
This is puzzling if you think only in terms of the physical. Yes, you can corner someone, or strategically position yourself to win through the proper use of space. But the real victory is when you own the internal space. Capture the opponent's mind while freeing your own.

The word kukan uses the character 間 ma. This is a deep idea in Japanese thought. Where time is not linear, instead it is contained in the circle of nature. Space is not empty, instead it contains everything. Ma can be the space between things, between moments, or even between thoughts.

Ma can refer to the space between the technique you want to do in your mind and what you actually do physically. It can be the space between what the opponent expects you to do and what really happens. But it also can be the ability to see all of this at once as if from outside the fight.

That is another type of kukan. The space to see the whole fight including the internal struggles in the minds of both combatants. You might call that a divine insight. What if you could use that perspective?

Hatsumi Sensei used that perspective as he taught. First he showed us a technique and then watched us fighting to repeat what he demonstrated. But he didn't let us struggle for very long. He gave us a tip for how to use this space in our minds,

"Don't think of it as a contest. Don't think about making it a fight. It's not a contest. This is heijōshin. Don't think anything."
This kind of 間 ma in the mind is necessary for heijōshin. That is one of the great challenges even in just entering the dojo. If we can't even show up to class with that kind of mindset, what chance do we have in a fight?Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/07/hold-ma-in-your-mind-for-heijoshin.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-38590984389076012142016-04-14T17:48:00.000-07:002016-04-14T17:48:03.530-07:00Axis of the Zero

Jizo from inside 伝法院庭園 Denbōin teien. Photo by Michael Glenn

Two weeks ago, Hatsumi Sensei spun around in one of his classes to show us the back of his sweatshirt. We could see an 円相 enso silk screened there along with the English word, "zero." He showed us this to put emphasis on a comment he had just made,

"We need to learn to move like this. we need to make everything… our entirety into zero."
You may have heard Hatsumi Sensei speak about zero. He has used this term for many years to describe his martial art. But in recent classes, it has been a focal point to our training.

In fact, when I was in Japan last December, Hatsumi Sensei acknowledged arriving at this zero state. But it was not something he could teach. He said it had taken him 42 years to internalize everything Takamatsu Sensei had taught him. He added that in that 42 years he had given everything and taught everything, so now we are back at zero. He looked out at us during that special Wednesday class and said,

"There's nothing to show, nothing to tell. We're just going to continue with this zero feeling."
He said this almost as if it would be the theme for the new year, but in the last few years he has been less and less specific about yearly themes. So when I arrived in Japan a few weeks ago, I was interested to find him moving from "zero" in all of his classes.

Hatsumi Sensei uses zero almost like an axis, or a pivot point. But it isn't just a philosophical idea. It is very physical. When I attacked Soke, he seemed to disappear, but then his finger was crushing my eye socket. Immense pain has a way of drilling everything down to one point.

Hatsumi Sensei was very specific about this,

"When I say make everything zero, that actually is a point. Don't misunderstand and think that zero means nothing. You have to make each point zero."
He then went on to explain that from zero there is a plus and a minus. That is where 陰 in (yin) and 陽 yo (yang) appear. Most people flip between these from one moment to the next, but residing in the zero that those energies spin around is the foundation of kyojitsu.

There is a famous zen paradox that comes from the Heart Sutra, "form is emptiness; emptiness is form." And it seems in the martial arts to be an eternal struggle for people caught up in either 陰 in or 陽 yo, form or non form, technique or randori, kihon or not.

People in my classes or on my personal mailing list often ask me what is the "correct" kihon of a particular technique. The question itself reveals their own mind. Because if you are doing Soke's budo, you are unconcerned with such a question. Consider that "kihon is emptiness; emptiness is kihon," and reside within zero.

Hatsumi Sensei reminds us of Juppo Sessho when he says to remember that "zero" is a point, like an axis or a hub. From this pivot you can go ten directions. But ten is really an infinity.

This is a very practical matter in a fight. Hatsumi Sensei had people stab at him with a knife. He told us not to evade.

What?! How can you not evade? You will get stabbed… right?

Stabbed or not stabbed. In/yo. But what happens at zero? Soke reminds us that trying to evade takes too long. He suggested another way when he said,

"You can't measure the time in real combat. The time has become zero. Then it becomes infinite."
It is like that moment of pain when he clawed down on my eye socket. Everything collapses onto that one point and it feels like an eternity. The point of the knife when it thrusts also collapses down this way. So the answer is to make it zero so that you can find infinity there.

Hatsumi Sensei casually took the knife away from his opponent, then he told us,

"Don't try to force anything. The important point is the zero. The axis point of the zero."
When you try to forcefully grab the knife, or try to evade or do a technique, you give away too much information. The opponent may be faking his attack or notice what you are trying to do. In fact, he expects you to try something! Of course he expects you to evade or try to take the knife away. He is waiting for that to happen.

So you must not use technique, or try to evade. That is common sense that can be read or understood. And countered. Instead Soke tells us not to give away anything at all.

But zero does not mean doing nothing. In the Honbu dojo that day Soke kept reminding us,

"I'm not teaching whether to receive (ukeru) or not receive (ukenai) I'm teaching zero."
Last December Hatsumi Sensei told us to connect to something in that axis point of zero. He suggested that within there's existence… there's presence (意識 ishiki) in that zero. A divine existence maybe. We must internalize that and make that transparent. Because the next wonderful thing will be born from that transparency.Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/04/axis-of-zero.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-36491878044380456112016-04-01T10:24:00.000-07:002016-04-01T10:24:31.765-07:00誠 Makoto: In Defense of Sincerity

Michael Glenn reflection selfie in Harajuku

I just watched Hatsumi Sensei make an attacker kill himself. This has been happening in every class for the past week. Sometimes it is with a sword, sometimes a knife. But the opponent always ends up cutting or stabbing himself.

I'm in the middle of my Bujinkan training trip here in Japan. And I haven't had much time to write. But also some things in Soke's budo are difficult to express. Like how does he get the attacker to do this?

Hatsumi Sensei told us,

"It's important to do this kind of action through the kukan. Use the kukan, become the kukan. You need to receive the opponent's power and be grateful for his power."
This sounds like a joke but Hatsumi Sensei sincerely meant it. In fact, sincerity became something of a theme my first night here. Hatsumi Sensei painted 誠 makoto for me on a scroll. Of course this has more than one meaning. One is sincerity, another is truth or reality.

Hatsumi Sensei was trying to get us to understand how to use sincerity as a strategy. You may not know this, but kyojitsu only works when it is backed up with sincerity. Truth becomes false, or the false becomes real.

Soke said we can understand the truth from a lie. When you hear a lie, doesn't it betray the truth? He told us that if we tell a lie we must be very sincere.

In fact I will be very sincere right now when I tell you this: the opponent's attack is a lie. He doesn't really want to hurt you. He may think so, but he only wants his own destruction. You can help him find this truth.

When one attacker cut in very fast, Soke was not concerned. He said that the way to deal with a very fast attack, was to have 平常心 heijoushin. This is a normal calm state of mind that is not disturbed or surprised by the attack.

Then Soke changed the last kanji of heijoushin. It becomes 真 which can be read as "shin" in the case of truth... or, makoto for sincerity. So what does having this type of heijoushin do for you?

It means that you sincerely want to help the attacker get what he is seeking. This may be his own destruction. And because of your own sincerity, you know from the moment he attacks where to move. His attacks can never hurt you, but they will find their true target. Even if he doesn't know it yet.Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/04/makoto-in-defense-of-sincerity.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-5329205954042651312016-02-25T11:04:00.002-08:002016-02-25T11:07:38.514-08:00空き Aki: Fill Your Bujinkan Training With the Light of Emptiness

Michael Glenn Holds the Empty Teapot, 深川江戸資料館

Hatsumi Sensei told us about a very scary moment in his training with Takamatsu Sensei. One evening they were relaxing at Takamatsu Sensei's house. Takamatsu was drinking sake. He poured himself another big glass and held it up. He said, "Let's go train!" And he gulped down all of the sake, slamming down the empty glass on the table.

They went to the nearby jinja. It was late and cold, but the moon was shining down on the shrine. Takamatsu Sensei took out his sword and said, "This is where you live or die. You must grab my sword."

Hatsumi Sensei told us in that moment his fear left him. Takamatsu came at him with the sword. He instinctively grabbed the blade. He told us that it was a cold night and his fingers didn't work very well, so he couldn't fully grasp the blade. He thinks that is what saved his hand from being cut.

Soke said this fact was testament to how good Takamatsu Sensei's teaching was. This made me laugh because it sounds more like madness than teaching. But, teaching is not necessarily a rational process. And, that Friday night in the Bujinkan Honbu dojo, Hatsumi Sensei could see us struggling to understand this type of technique. He told us,

"There's nothing to do. Wrap him up. The 空き aki, emptiness or the hole is important. In Spain you say aqui, but aki can also be this kukan this emptiness. you connect to this nothingness without doing anything."
Soke called this idea shinjutsu. Another way of writing aki is 明き. This is like a bright light that opens up to fill the empty space. You don't think about it, but it's there when you need it. You can feel this connection with this kind of space.

Hatsumi Sensei went on to tell us the secret to make this happen,

"You won't see any waza or technique here. You have to become nothingness, make your body nothingness (体無いし tainaishi) and stay in that nothingness. If you don't have to do anything, don't do anything. In the end it's not a physical power that matters. It's being transmitted through the space. It's more of an energetic or spiritual thing. "
I bet that Hatsumi Sensei didn't think about all of that under the cold moonlight so many years ago. Takamatsu's teaching was an organic process that brought his student Hatsumi to this place of life or death naturally. The sword cut down, and in that moment when his fear left him, that's when he became nothing.Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/02/aki-fill-your-bujinkan-training-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-24205189959468669922016-01-21T14:41:00.001-08:002016-01-21T14:41:18.630-08:00After You've Taught Everything, You are Left With 意識 Ishiki

Hatsumi Sensei TV interview last month. Photo by Michael Glenn

Right now in the Bujinkan, we are starting from zero. Hatsumi Sensei says he has taught us everything. What will come next will emerge out of zero.

Sometimes there is this weird incongruity when training with Soke. He tosses me around the Bujinkan honbu effortlessly and I am almost 40 years younger than he is. His mind and wit are quicker than most people I know. But the fact is, he is an old man. He himself remarked that "I'm kind of stupid so I didn't realize I was getting older."

Last month when I was in one of Hatsumi Sensei's classes, my friend Silvio Herasme asked Soke how does he feel right now? Hatsumi Sensei said that right now he feels very satisfied or content.

He continued to say that he felt happy that Takamatsu taught him and he could experience this life of budo. He was content to be surrounded by many friends who have been studying for 20-30 years or more. Then he mentioned how dangerous it is to be Soke.

One of these dangers is the onset of age. when we are young, we just train and don't really think about what is next. Soke has grown old and IS thinking about what comes next. And even though Soke can knock me over easily and put me in great pain, he recognizes his age. He said,

"of course my physical body is deteriorating and getting weaker, but my spirit is unbalanced with the flesh."
Hatsumi Sensei says his memories of the years of training with Takamatsu are like images in a dream. When he looks at old photos and the 8mm film of himself with Takamatsu Sensei, he recognizes how bad he was.

Hatsumi Sensei described these days of training,

"Takamatsu Sensei wasn't very specific or hung up on form. He probably saw that I was just so bad at form and I couldn't do anything so he didn't care about the form. Maybe so I wouldn't feel bad."
Can you imagine being a young man like Soke was then? Just training hard and fumbling through what his teacher was trying to share. Then suddenly, Soke said,

"About a year before he died he said I'll pass everything onto you. I was kind of disappointed when he did that to be honest."
This must have been a strange time. One day you are just a clumsy student, the next… you are in charge of the entire legacy. Today Hatsumi Sensei reflects on this time with humility when he describes his younger self,

"They say if you flatter a pig he'll jump up a tree, but then he'll fall out again. That's like me. I'm sort of like that."
We all burst with laughter. The whole dojo was amused by this country adage. But this great humility was coming from our Soke!

During my whole trip last month Hatsumi Sensei was very reflective on the past 42 years. He said it has taken him 42 years to internalize what Takamatsu Sensei taught him. During those years, he said he has taught us everything that was taught to him.

There's nothing left to show. No more to teach. We are at zero again.

This brings us to an odd kind of reassurance from Soke. He says that within zero there's 意識 ishiki. This awareness or consciousness will guide us forward. He speculated that maybe this comes from kami.

Moving forward in the Bujinkan, we are going to continue with this zero feeling. The important thing will be how to internalize that. If you do it with clarity, then what comes next will be born from that. Michael Glennhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/01/after-youve-taught-everything-you-are.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-17041063897028567782015-12-27T14:18:00.003-08:002015-12-27T14:18:48.800-08:00呼吸 Kokyuu: How Hatsumi Sensei Caught My Breath

Michael Glenn Joins Hands with 大鵬幸喜 Taihō Kōki at the Fukagawa Edo Museum

I made sure to grip my sword well. My opponent stood before me, almost daring me to come in. I knew that if I didn't cut in the space of that breath, I would be too late.

I cut, and I was stunned in an instant. I stood helpless at the point of my opponent's sword… my own blade was slammed to the floor like the earth was a giant magnet.

My "opponent" was Hatsumi Sensei. He laughed as he drove the tip of his sword into my body. This forced my back up against the wood paneled wall.

This flash is burned into my memory from earlier this month. Soke was demonstrating to me a principle of 無く力を合わせ Naku chikara o awase that he was teaching that night. Meeting my attack without power. This principle was a thread that ran through many of my classes this month in Japan.

For some background, one night at Senou Sensei's dojo, Senou used the terms 姿勢 shisei: attitude; posture; stance; approach; or carriage (of the body)... And 態勢 taisei: attitude; posture; preparedness; or readiness. This means you can't just do a kata. It all depends on the attack... or the shisei or taisei of the opponent.

In another class Hatsumi Sensei effortlessly threw a series of opponents around the dojo. Each student he called out to attack him was bigger than the last. He was purposely choosing bigger and bigger bodies. He did this to demonstrate the slight changes in technique he used for each person. Soke said,

"When you catch a large fish, you have to change. You have to play the fish."
But how does this happen? If you've ever hunted or fished, you know how important it is to harmonize with the movements and mindset of the prey. It's almost as if you merge with them as you stalk them. Then the moment of the kill creates an incredible concurrence. An incongruous reverence for life appears when you also see your own death in that moment. The body of your prey is your body.

Right after Hatsumi Sensei "killed" me, he said 呼吸から愛人 kokyuu kara ai jin. This is the merging of the breath between two lovers. But Soke used his humorous analogy to suggest you match your movements or your breath according to the way your opponent breathes. You become one with him. Like with a lover.

This was strange to me because it was like he disappeared in front of my cut. By matching me, he became nothing. He met my attack with emptiness. Then my next impression was the sheer force that dropped my own sword to the ground. But it was not his force, it was the shattering of the breath. My own breath. My own life which he had taken in that instant.Michael Glennhttps://email@example.com://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2015/12/kokyuu-how-hatsumi-sensei-caught-my.html


text:
bikeMoral 2010 - Aberdeen and Grampian, Royal Deeside
Sport - Aberdeen and Grampian - Royal Deeside
All Day, Sunday, 13 June 2010
Note: this event may have passed, search for another
Where: Balmoral Estate, Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and Grampian
Offering a challenging completely off-road and cross-country route for competitive cyclists and leisurely scenic route for more relaxed participants, bikeMoral 2010 will take place on 13 June in the grounds of historic Balmoral Estate. The categories are over 18; 16-17 year olds; 8-15 year olds and a 10K scenic cycle for all age groups.
With funds raised going to the charity 'Children 1st', bikeMoral promises to be a family-fun event not to be missed.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Elm St. Fire In Torrington
Torrington firefighters responded to a working fire Wednesday morning around 9:45 a.m. in a multi-family apartment building on Elm St. in Torrington. The fire was contained mostly to the first floor apartment where it started. Only one woman was reported injured, with minor injuries and she was attended to at the scene by EMS. Twelve to fourteen people will be displaced by the fire.
Richard Messina
Copyright © 2018, Courant Community


text:
David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress was vindicated, now twice, for the bogus indictments brought against him for his reporting on Planned Parenthood's illegal procurement and distribution of aborted baby body parts.
Through ground breaking interviews captured on video, which went viral despite attempts to block it by mainstream media, Daleiden exposed the financial profit of Planned Parenthood's sale of baby body parts and the greed of its high level administrators who laughed about dead babies while eating salad and hoped to receive a Lamborghini as compensation.
Last month, a Harris County, Texas judge dismissed the misdemeanor charge brought against Daleiden for posing as a buyer of body parts when he met with Planned Parenthood officials.
On Tuesday, the Harris County District Attorney's office dismissed all charges against Daleiden and his co-worker, Sandra Merritt, who was also involved in the undercover work that exposed Planned Parenthood. The Houston Chronicle reports:
take our poll - story continues belowCompleting this poll grants you access to The Constitution updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Trending: The President's Beef with Stormy Daniels SOMEHOW Got Dumber
The Harris County District Attorney's office on Tuesday dismissed all charges against anti-abortion activists who secretly videotaped Planned Parenthood officials in Houston.
David Robert Daleiden and Sandra Merritt were charged with tampering with a governmental record, for using a fake identification to gain access to the facility. In a surprise move before a hearing on the legitimacy of the indictment, prosecutors dismissed the charges.
Deleiden and his attorneys claimed victory for the anti-abortion movement, saying they were satisfied with the decision.
Daleiden, 27, and Sandra Merritt, 62, both of Davis, Calif., were indicted by a Harris County grand jury in January, accused of tampering with a government record for allegedly using fake driver licenses to conceal their identities while dealing with a Houston Planned Parenthood clinic.
The DA agreed that Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress followed all applicable laws during the investigation, which proves that the indictments were politically motivated.
In an email to LifeNews, Daleiden wrote:
"The dismissal of the bogus, politically motivated charges … is a resounding vindication of the First Amendment rights of all citizen journalists, and also a clear warning to any of Planned Parenthood's political cronies who would attack whistleblowers to protect Planned Parenthood from scrutiny. Planned Parenthood tried to collude with public officials to manipulate the legal process to their own benefit, and they failed. A year after the release of the undercover videos, the ongoing nationwide investigation of Planned Parenthood by the House Select Investigative Panel makes clear that Planned Parenthood is the guilty party in the harvesting and trafficking of baby body parts for profit."
Last month, LifeNews reported on the fact that the Houston District Attorney Devon Anderson "shared confidential information with the abortion business, which she was supposed to be investigating for running afoul of state laws prohibiting the purchase or sale of body parts form aborted babies."
Peter Breen, David Daleiden's attorney who is with the Thomas More Society said:
"The recent filings by the Harris County District Attorney confirm that the DA shared confidential documents and information with abortion provider Planned Parenthood, colluding with it in the prosecution of David Daleiden.
"These filings also include evidence that appears to show that the DA's office worked with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast to undermine the Texas Attorney General's independent investigation of that abortion provider. The conduct of Harris County prosecutors in this case is outrageous and illegal. We look forward to pressing our motion to quash this indictment in court."


text:
The Bachelorette Tries Boxing, Does Comedy, Reminds Us That Amy Schumer …
Bachelorette Recap: Amy Schumer Rescues a Group Date, Britt and Brady Reunite.
We may have appreciated JJ's dirty puck joke upon meeting Kaitlyn last week, but that was only because it mirrored her opening joke to Chris last season. After fighting for the title of Bachelorette last week, Kaitlyn Bristowe faced her first week of dates and quickly got comfortable in her new leading role with her new group of guys.With that pesky business of which woman would be out of the way, wanted to do nothing more than get to know her remaining suitors better during the second week of the show.
But it was the men who began to self-destruct under the pressure this week. "Boxing is a lot like relationships," undefeated professional boxer/daughter of Muhammad, Laila Ali said while training the fellas for the ring. First, though, Chris Harrison checked in to make sure the season's star was in the right headspace, since the week prior she had seemed rather shocked. "I am so happy the guys chose me!" Kaitlyn chirped. "I cannot wait to get started." Meanwhile, a crushed Britt Nilsson called her mother to tell her she was already coming home. Also, judging everyone by their kissing ability! (Or is that just me?) We start with the classic Bachelorette "waking up" shot, in which Kaitlyn—and her new eyebrows—hops out of bed covered in makeup and looking hotter than ever.
However, Kupah's "I just want to know if we actually have a connection" breakdown was a lot more understandable than JJ's conscious decision to be the official a—hole of the house. Making good on his promise to "find Britt" (which probably wasn't all that hard considering she was still at the hotel), the musician showed up and pretty much swept her off her feet. "She's the sweetest, most beautiful person I think I've ever met," Brady gushed, while a brief update revealed that just one week later, Britt was calling him her "boyfriend." Meanwhile, things didn't go quite as smoothly for Kaitlyn. Ian joked about how he looked like the guy from the Old Spice commercials (he does), Chris the dentist unbuttoned his shirt, and Tony the "healer" totally bombed. After hinting to the guys that it will "end with a ring," Kaitlyn invited world-renowned boxer Laila Ali to find a way to relate reality show relationships to organized punching, and then encouraged all the men to literally fight each other in order to win Kaitlyn's heart.
Daniel, Justin, Jared, Corey, Tanner, Kupah, Ben H., and Ben Z. all headed out for the first group date of the season, which involved a boxing ring — because the best way to get know a potential mate is by watching him try to beat the living daylight out of another potential mate. If you do anything dumb or embarrassing, or in a moment of weakness you say something mean, The Bachelorette will air it, and that mistake will haunt you for the rest of your life.
Natural chemistry at an underwater photoshoot brought the bachelorette and architectural engineer, Clint Arlis closer together on the first one-on-one date. Laila Ali was along to help coach and to wax poetic about how both boxing and love require "focus, discipline, and commitment" (just in case anyone was questioning this choice of activity for a date). Five years after Bachelor Jake Pavelka screamed "Stop interrupting me!" at his fiancée Vienna Girardi on national television, my wife and I still jokingly quote it whenever we get into minor arguments.
Big tough guy Ben brought out his soft side by talking about losing his mother, and Jared managed to come back from the hospital just to steal a second and one hot kiss with Kaitlyn. First he (accidentally) sent Jared the hospital, then he told Kaitlyn about how his mother died when he was only 14, and then he got a rose, securing his place for the next week. After an awkward altercation, the confident Canadian cutie just wasn't having it and she decided to send him home even before the rose ceremony. "I don't want to go home.
It's a shortcut to tabloid fame, I suppose, and if you're not a professional dancer but you want to be on Dancing with the Stars, I guess there's that. Our hope is that Chris Harrison actually keeps all the photos (remember the wedding shoot from Bachelor in Paradise?) and uses them to adorn the walls of his prayer room. Kaitlyn kept claiming that this is a trend for engagement photos now, which we're not sure is totally true, but the pair seemed to enjoy it regardless. In order for the show to work, it needs to build to a final episode where it at least appears that the main Bachelor or Bachelorette is falling in love with multiple people and can't decide who to pick. After a few dates, the suave Nashville singer asked the California waitress to be his girlfriend and the two held hands and watched the sunset, while Kaitlyn battled the bros at the mansion until a "To Be Continued" silenced the drama for another week.
As the guys enter the boxing gym, Kaitlyn explains that they are about to undergo a little bit of training—all the while someone who appears to be "A" stands ominously in the background. It didn't get better when they were both invited on the group date, which involved being schooled in stand-up comedy by Amy Schumer and a few of her comedian friends. Honestly, Amy Schumer is a national treasure, and we now would like to demand a show in which Amy Schumer makes fun of average guys who think they can do stand-up comedy, because that was heavenly. Unfortunately, JJ seemed to have no idea that Amy was completely shutting him down as he went on about how he's "90% smarter than most of the audience," so it's hard for him because a lot of people don't understand his incredibly intellectual jokes. The fact that Amy managed to sit there and simply tell him he was wrong without punching him in the face or at least putting a hand over his mouth and going "shhhhh" speaks great volumes about how much of a class act Amy Schumer truly is.
Take, for example, Tony, Season 11's self-described "healer" and a man who clearly takes himself and his vaguely New Age-y philosophies about life and love very seriously. He passive-aggressively accused her of keeping him around for dishonest reasons (though he didn't specify what they were) and then told her, "I didn't feel like there was a connection until right now." Kaitlyn promptly responded, "To be honest, I actually felt a connection until now." Oops. He then tried to recover by telling her how good-looking she was and that he really wanted to be there, but she was looking at him like she wanted to kill him. Hanging around the Bachelor Mansion waiting for a date, he accidentally calls Kaitlyn Britt, realizes his mistake, then fumbles around as he tries (and fails) to play it cool and recover his train of thought before concluding with "Yeah, but definitely I'm here for her," meaning Kaitlyn, the woman whose name he couldn't remember a minute ago.
She pulled him aside and told him, "I'm sorry; I have to let you go." He tried not taking no for an answer, calling upon their mutual love of movie quotes as a reason to keep him around, but Kaitlyn remained unconvinced and sent him packing. The other guys, because most of them are nice people, had made a decision that at the cocktail party, the first guys to get time with Kaitlyn would be the ones who didn't get a date this week. He was on this episode's other group date, where eight men trained to box with Laila Ali and then got in the ring and punched the crap out of each other.
Kaitlyn claimed she "felt terrible" because she "didn't want anyone to get hurt," because what are the odds someone might get hurt on a boxing date? She claims she does, but he's got questions, and she's offended that he's questioning her, and he's offended that she's offended, and he overreacts to the point where we're completely unsure of what he's even mad about anymore. Of course, someone did get hurt, though; earnest Rhode Island restaurant manager Jared got the tar beat out of him by man-mountain entrepreneur Ben Z. At the evening portion of the date, Ben Z.—who literally didn't even win any extra alone time for beating up a million dudes—finally tells Kaitlyn about his mom's death. Generally, the men did a nice job of balancing their desire not to embarrass themselves and their desire to win Kaitlyn's heart — except Kupah, who got so wrapped up in landing punches on the heavy bag that he forgot to try to land Kaitlyn.
When he finally leaves, he's not a fan of the traditional exit interview and seems like he's about to use some of his newfound boxing skills with one of the producers. She made a note of it in an on-camera interview during the date, but the issue came to a head at the night's Rose Ceremony, which escalated the tension and awkwardness to heights that were impressive even by the standards of The Bachelorette, America's most beloved cringewatch. Kaitlyn, during her own interview, sees this happening, and goes to find out what's going on, and that's when another giant "To Be Continued" assaults our screens. Making a stop on the way to the hotel, Jared—in a pink shirt, gold shorts, and Converse—is more confident than ever as he pulls Kaitlyn in for a kiss. The lack of diversity among the show's cast (and particularly among its prime Bachelors and Bachelorettes) has been a source of frequent criticism, and even the subject of at least one racial discrimination lawsuit.
So worrying you're being kept around solely to counteract some of that negative press and publicity is a legitimate concern for a guy like Kupah, who claims he doesn't feel "a huge connection" with Kaitlyn. I think you're hot and sexy." Shockingly, that line didn't work, and Kaitlyn, who's proving herself a savvy judge of how things will play on television, flat-out warned him that "This is bad." After a swig of his drink, Kupah doubled down with "I don't think it's bad!" "No," Kaitlyn correctly insisted. "I'm telling you. It's bad!" And with that, Kupah finally relented, though the episode ended with him getting increasingly upset in his exit interview, rambling incoherently about the show's "process," and screaming at some off-camera producers. Based on this connection, I'm betting this is the guy she sleeps with. (And can you blame her?) Okay, from one hunk of meat—her words—to another, it's time for Clint's one-on-one.
Kaitlyn all but comes right out and says that Clint's drawing of Chris Harrison riding a triceratops got him this date, so he better not mess it up now. -After her one-on-one date taking underwater photographs with Clint, Kaitlyn says "This might be the best first date I've ever had." But then after the group comedy date with Amy Schumer, Kaitlan claims "Today was the best date I've ever had." Sorry, Clint. Gisele, the underwater photographer—I feel like it isn't good for your career to limit yourself to one photographic specialty—takes them through what they'll be doing and gets them to their wardrobe fitting. Once dressed, Gisele—photographer/yogi/sex guru?—takes them through some breathing exercises to calm them before she tells them that this date will pretty much tell them whether they have any sort of chemistry. But before they take the (literal) dive, let's check in at the house, where Tony is pissed that the guys had to box each other, because this competition should NEVER lead to violence.
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