Bujinkan Liverpool

Just because you’ve seen a teacher perform or teach a technique one way, it does not mean it is the only way.

I’ve seen Sōke and nearly every Japanese Shihan—whether in person or on video—perform what many would call “the correct way” differently on numerous occasions. Please think carefully about this.

If you become blinded into believing your teacher is perfect and that everything they do is the only way, this is one of the downfalls of the follower. The natural changes that occur in their movement are often teaching you the deeper truth of Kihon and technique. Many people become stuck because they lack the capacity to see this. They desperately want something to exist in only one way.

Hatsumi Sensei repeatedly taught his long-term students the importance of being able to vary their approach to Kihon Waza. Why? Because no two opponents are the same.

I once had a student who was struggling to perform Ichimonji no Kata on someone much taller than himself. He came to me and said, “I can’t do the kata.”

I replied, “Then you have to change.”

He looked confused and said, “But I thought that when I mastered the form, it would work on everyone?”

This is a common misunderstanding.

Do not become locked into believing that the way you practise a technique is appropriate for every person and every situation. Hatsumi Sensei has repeatedly addressed this mistake in both his classes and writings. Students become attached to a particular expression of a technique and mistake it for the technique itself.

Kihon Waza, whether in Taijutsu or Bukijutsu, are not a means to an end. As Hatsumi Sensei has often said, they are merely the place where real training and understanding begin. They are, by design, meant to be changeable.

A technique must be understood deeply enough that it can adapt while maintaining its effectiveness. If you have not developed this capacity, then you are still collecting kata. Sōke has often described this as a disease within Budō.

Only when this and other diseases of learning become transparent can true Budō begin to emerge.

For example, in my Dōjō we warm up using foundational solo drills that evolve as students progress. Within these drills we practise five different applications of Omote and Ura Shutō Uchi. Why? Because there is more than one way. The same principle applies to Tsuki and countless other techniques.

One must practise Kihon consistently, but not blindly. There must be a willingness to acknowledge, explore, and accept change. The teacher and practitioner alike should continually investigate both the strengths and weaknesses of a technique. Through this process it becomes clear that no single expression of a technique is quintessential.

Use the base form and its underlying principles as a vehicle to study the many ways it can be adapted. Through this process one begins to appreciate the true vastness of its application.

If one fails to do this, eventually a surprise will come—or hopefully, an awakening. Eg: If you have been told to stay on the line and that there is no circular movement, good luck against a charging Sumo wrestler!

Correct training is the continual movement toward living the teaching of:
Banpen Fugyō (万変不驚)
“Ten thousand changes, no surprises.”

Also. Take what you do seriously but not so much yourself.😆
南虎

GEKKAN HIDEN #7 2026. TEZUKA SHIHAN. I juli-numret av Gekkan Hiden intervjuas Wataru Tezuka, Bujinkan daishihan, om hur han ser på Bujinkans pedagogik och vad han själv fått med sig från årtionden av träning under Masaaki Hatsumi Soke.

Artikeln kretsar kring en till synes motsägelsefull idé: grunderna är livsviktiga – men man får inte fastna i dem. Genom begrepp som Shu–Ha–Ri, Kihon Happō och henka beskriver Tezuka hur träningen utvecklas från att noggrant följa formerna till att slutligen kunna agera fritt och naturligt.
Han återkommer flera gånger till Hatsumi senseis ord:

"Om du inte känner till det kan du inte glömma det. Om du inte först äger det kan du inte kasta bort det."

Artikeln ger också en inblick i hur det var att vara uke åt Hatsumi sensei. Enligt Tezuka skiljde sig upplevelsen av Hatsumis teknik fullständigt från hur den såg ut utifrån. Det som syntes med ögonen och det som kändes genom kroppen var ofta två helt olika saker. Genom åratal av ukemi växte en förståelse fram som inte kunde förmedlas enbart genom ord eller observation.

Samtidigt betonar Tezuka att Bujinkan aldrig har haft en helt standardiserad undervisning. Olika generationer fick uppleva olika sidor av Hatsumi senseis budō, och olika shihan uttrycker samma principer på sina egna sätt. Det viktiga är därför inte att kopiera en viss persons rörelser, utan att förstå de principer som ligger bakom dem.

Kanske är det mest slående budskapet ändå att budō ytterst handlar om livet självt. Tezuka menar att grunderna finns för att öka vår förmåga att överleva – inte om tjugo år, utan redan idag. Om vi skulle hamna i fara på vägen hem från träningen borde sannolikheten att klara oss ha ökat, om så bara en aning.

När han sammanfattar kärnan i Bujinkans undervisning landar han i två enkla mål:
• Att kunna överleva, oavsett situation.
• Att kunna leva ett lyckligt liv.

I Hatsumi senseis träning fanns både allvar och glädje. Trots de djupa tekniska och filosofiska resonemangen minns Tezuka framför allt att deltagarna alltid log. Det är också den anda han själv strävar efter att föra vidare.