gambatte ne

. GAMBATTE
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Newsletter for the advancement of Bujinkan studies - Takamatsu den
May 2007, volume #6
No Dojo Politics... No Hype...No Bull
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News update!
Expose
KAIGOUSURU PRESS RELEASE!
1997 - 2007 I0 Years of Bujinkan History
The end of Kaigousuru. After 10 years of
holding the noted Kaigousuru seminars in
Europe, the team of Mats Hjelm and David
Rodriguez have decided to call it quits.
Listen to this message
htto://www.talkr.comlaudio/a/VVt/I144625.mp3
Lets wish them the best in their future endeavors.
The purpose of publishing this newsletter is to
help serious students of the Bujinkan advance
their studies through a community effort. This
concept is reflected in the name of our
newsletter, "Gambatte ne", which means, "Keep
going". Please feel free to pass this information
among other Bujinkaners.
All content published here is for the exclusive
use ofBujinkan students. We will strive to be as
accurate as possible. If anyone feels that they
have anything to contribute please e-mail it to
me and it will be considered for publication.
Any comments or questions will be welcomed.
Nevin Zeljko Broz
Shidoshi-ho
Bujinkan Seishin Ninpo Ronin Dojo
E-mail: [email protected]
In this section we will introduce you to many of
the Bujinkan's top instructors. Sensei you might
not have heard about and individuals you might
want to know a little more about as well as
historical figures from our different ryu.
Momochi. Sandavu
With the exception of the Hattori families,
the Momochi and Fujibayashi families are
the most well known ninja families from the
Iga province. According to some sources,
they also came from the Otomo Hosoto and
Otomo families. It is said that the Momochi
family ruled the southern part of Iga, the
Hattori family the middle, and the
Fujibayashi family the northern part.
Momochi Sandayu was one of the most well
known ninja jonin (leader) besides Hattori
Hanzo.
Momochi Sandayu lived during the Tembun era
(1542-1555) and was the soke (grandmaster, or
family head) of Momochi Ryu, Koto Ryu and
Gyokko Ryu. He was well known as a skillful
ninja.
To hide his identity, he had no less than three
different homes. One of them was in Ryugu
Sanbonmatsu in the Yamato province, that was
founded by the Daimyo Kitabatake Tomonori;
the others in Hojiro Yamato and Takiguchi-Jo.
He also had three different families, which he
alternated between. The place he mainly lived in
during the 1570s seems to be Ryugu
Sanbonmatsu, since he was considered to be one
of the leading men in that village.
Some sources state that Momochi Sandayu and
the third most famous ninja leader, Fujibayashi
Nagato, where the same person. This could be
confirmed under the premise that when Oda
Nobunaga invaded Iga in 1581 there was no
evidence that Nagato was active, but that
Momochi was. Another reason for this
assumption is that the Momochi family is not
listed among the 45 leading ninja families in the
Ninjutsu system.
3
One ofMomochi Sandayu's homes at TakiguchiJo, close to Iga-Ueno, was burned down by Oda
Nobunaga's invasion of Iga. Momochi
successfully escaped with his men and stayed in
Sanbonmatsu until the news of the assassination
of Oda Nobunaga (on the 10th ofJune 1582)
reached him. Sandayu Momochi probably died
not long after the Iga invasion; his grave was
found in the I960s on the old family grounds
near the Nabari village, at the foot of the OkaOne mountain, approximately 24 kilometers
from Iga-Ueno. It was located on a hill near one
of his homes.
Momochi Sandayu II inherited both Gyokko Ryu
and Koto ryu during the Tensho era (15701592) from Momochi Sandayu. Who became the
next Soke in Momochi Ryu is unknown. Gyokko
Ryu and Koto Ryu where passed down to
Momochi Tanba Yasumitsu in the Bunroku era
(1596- 1615); he was also known as Tanba No
Kami and master of the Ryugu castle. Momochi
Taro Saemon, who was the master of the Ueno
Shokudai castle in the Iga province, took over
the Sokeship in the Genna era (1615-1624).
After that time period, the two ryus left the
Momochi family to wander their own separate
ways in the Iga province.
Other well-known persons in the Momochi
family were Momochi Jindayu Yasutatsu,
Momochi Sannojo and Momochi Chuzaburo
Yasumasu. That their methods were very
effective was among many things proven. A
kunoichi (female ninja) named Tanaka Sadako,
was never revealed or discovered when she
worked under disguise. The descendants of
Momochi Sandayu are still living in one of his
houses, but they no longer have any connection
with the ninja tradition from Momochi Sandayu.
All the remains and ninja tools where sold to
museums and collectors about two or three
generations ago.
Peter Carlsson
Translated by Mats Hjelm
"Ninjutsu is not something which should be
usedfor personal desires. It is something,
which should be used when no other choice is
available,for the sake of one's country,for the
sake of one's lord, or to escape personal
danger. If one deliberately uses itfor the sake
of personal desires, the techniques will indeed
fail totally. "
Momochi, Sandayu
Training tips
Taihen iutsu
(Art of movine: the Body)
The main objective oftaihenjutsu is to clear the
angle of attack. This way your body will not
receive the attackers intended blow. One then
tries to control the attacker so that they are in
complete control of the situation. This is the
essence oftaihenjutsu.
4
5a&6a
Leaves the defender open to repeat attacks as
well as still being hit by the original attack as
one is still within its striking range. Moving
sideways is more for escaping with ukemi
(breakfalls).
6 Aggressive
1 & 2 Defensive
Moving outside the attack and away from the
attacker on an angle (naname). It increases the
distance between the opponents and promotes a
safer feeling for the defender. It is a very
uncommitted movement, not forcing the
defender to strike back.
Moving straight in (I 80 degrees) is very risky.
To move in this manner successfully one must
move in before the attacker actually gets the
attack half way out.
3 & 4 Counter-defensive
Moving inside the attack and away from the
attacker on an angle (naname). It shortens the
distance between the opponents. It is a very
committed movement and as such is riskier.
When moving forward like this being as close to
the attacker limits his chance of countering your
movement.
7 Moving downwards
Move your body under the attack. By utilizing
this method one can strike the suki (weak points)
that the attacker has left open.
8 MovingJ!l!wards
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Moving upwards is risky and should only be
used in certain situations when called for, as one
has no foundation to support the body. It should
be used in combination with kicking or escaping
techniques.
9 Internal
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This can be used to feign weakness. Making the
attacker overconfident and careless, allowing one
to attack his suki (weak points).
5 Defensive
Moving straight back (180 degrees) is risky as
well. The attacker only has to move straight
forward to attack once again. It should be used
only by more experienced artists who know how
to use it effectively.
10 External
Using facial expressions, body movements or
kiai (spirited shout) to terrify the attacker
allowing one to overcome them.
5
Ancient knowledge
In this column we will tell old stories or lessons
that we have come across. While not dealing
always with direct Bujinkan knowledge, we feel
that it has benefit for all in one form or another.
Enjoy.
Sabaki
There once was a boy who lived in a village at
the edge of a great forest. The forest was filled
with many wild animals, particularly bears that
had killed a number of villagers wandering too
far into its hills. One day as the boy sat with his
older brother in ITontof there cottage, an old
man walked by on his way into the village.
Dressed in a bearskin, the old man had a long
beard and carried a burnished walking stick
slightly taller than he was. At the end of the
stick was a small leather cap.
As the bear approached the old man slowly
removed the leather cap ITom the top of his staff.
He turned to face the bear and planted his feet at
shoulder's width in the middle of the path. The
old man braced the butt of his walking stick in
the dirt under the arch of his back foot, angling
the sharpened tip toward the bear. Then he
waited, gripping the sharpened staff easily in
both hands. Crouched behind the old man, the
boy watched as the bear reared again not three
feet in ITont of the old man's motionless figure.
"See that man? He's killed more bears than any
man alive." The older brother said. The boy
laughed. "He's just a toothless old man with a
stick. How does he do it?" "No one knows for
sure. He lives all alone and hardly ever comes
into the village," the brother said.
Suddenly the bear lunged and an enormous paw
swiped down at the old man. In a blur the
burnished tip dipped towards the bear and
disappeared deep into its ribcage. A sharp howl
pierced the air. The bear IToze and dropped to its
knees, its heart impaled by the burnished staff.
The boy was intrigued by the mysterious old
man and later that afternoon, when the old man
passed the cottage on his way back to the forest,
the boy had determined to learn his secret and
followed him.
A few minutes later the old man was skinning
the animal as the boy stood at his side, his mouth
gaped open. As the knife blade worked steadily
in the twilight, the old man began to instruct the
boy. "I watched bears for many years before I
ever attempted to square off against one. They
always eat with the right paw, but always attack
with their left. As they swipe, they lunge
forward. My power is no match for a bear's, but
I saw how to get the bear to use his own power
against himself. I practised with this staff until I
could hold it steady under any condition. I
carried it everywhere I went. I slept with it and
practised setting it in muck, in sand, on stones,
against stumps, and even in tree-roots. I learned
to use it like a part of my own body. Even with
my heart hammering in my chest, I could set the
staff and plant its butt end into the dirt without
thinking about it. That way, when the bear fell
like a great wave crashing down over me, I could
hold my ground and let the bear do everything
else.
The old man hiked a few miles on the road, then
turned into the forest on a path that climbed into
the mountains. The boy followed at a distance.
As quietly as he could. They had climbed for an
hour into a dense canopy of trees, when suddenly
the boy heard a low rumbling growl. Not ten
feet off the trail, standing on its hind legs, a
grizzly bear towered over the boy. With a
piercing scream, the boy ran to the old man's
side.
Keeping one eye on the bear, the old man
snatched the boy by the arm. "You've been
noisy ever since we left the road, and now
you've made the bear curious with your
thrashing about. Stay behind me and be quiet for
once."
'There's a word for this," the old man exclaimed.
"It is the same way a rider knows how to stop a
6
runaway horse by turning it until its own
momentum makes it stop. It is the way fanners
channel streams for mills and rice paddies. It is
the way of turning any superior force to your
advantage. It is called sabaki.
"I am not as big as this bear. 1am nowhere near
as powerful. But 1have one thing this bear did
not." "What is that?" asked the boy. The old
man looked the boy in the eye and tapped his
wizened forehead with a gnarled hand.
"If you use your mind, anything is possible."
The Hachi-wari
Joko Ninomiya
This weapon is actually known by two common
names, one is Hachi-wari the other is Kabutowari.
Test your knowledge
The hachiwari (helmet breaker) is an edgless
blunt trunchion similar in appearance to the jutte.
When it was worn, it was thrust through the obi
and worn in the same manner as a tanto or
wakizashi.
Think you know it all? In this space we will post
a picture of something dealing with our arts and
will invite you the reader to identify it. In
following issues we will post how many of you
were correct and share knowledge about the
item.
It's main purpose seems to be as a clubbing
weapon against armoured opponents.
Secondary uses were for prying up lames of
armour with the small hook so that a knife or
other bladed weapon could have easy access to
the opponent.
Here is this month's item.
The tip of the hachi-wari was pointed allowing
one to stab an enemy and leave a gapping wound
that would permit the tree flow of blood.
Guessing, trom the size and weight of the
weapon one might be able to pierce through
armour with a really good thrust or swing. Not
having any positive evidence of this, it should
only be taken as speculation.
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Japanese
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Send your answers to: [email protected]
Last month's item:
Part of understanding our tradition is learning at
least a basic level of Japanese, the original
language of the ninja and samurai.
Studying these basic phrases helps us to bridge
cultural gaps and helps us have a basic
understanding when training with Sensei who
might not speak our native tongues.