Frequently Asked Questions
Following are some of the questions most frequently asked about the warrior arts of the Bujinkan and about the San Francisco dojo. Please click on each question to see the response.
The Bujinkan or “Divine Warrior House” is an international training organization based in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is headed by Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi, the current generation head of nine ko-ryu or feudal-era traditions passed to him by his teacher, Toshitsugu Takamatsu.
That requires a complex answer, divided into at least three areas: moral foundation, historical perspective, and physical training.
It provides a framework for appropriate application of the skills we develop. Hatsumi sensei often says that “The purpose of martial art is to live”. This can be taken on different levels: staying alive through physical danger, or as a path through which one can have a vital and satisfying existence. The Bujinkan approaches the study of actual feudal battle skills (bujutsu) as a spiritual life path (budo).
In the San Francisco Dojo we begin with the premise that the most basic value is life, without which nothing else is possible. This value manifests biologically in the natural drive to protect oneself (and one's family, etc.) from harm. This in turn means that actions one takes to preserve life (another’s or one’s own) in the face of something directly and immediately threatening it are among the most fundamentally moral human acts. It is this “dual life (protection of self and others) value,” rooted in natural law, which sanctions and sanctifies the warrior's training. It may seem strange to consider, but this life-protection value extends even to protecting an attacker's life if it is feasible to do so.
This physical/moral foundation also identifies the difference between a fighter and a warrior. One may become a very proficient competitor in any number of martial arts, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. This person can be said to be a good fighter; but what he does is for himself. The warrior trains to act on behalf of others first – loved ones, innocent victims, one’s community, one’s nation – and self last. We train people who want to be warriors.
In the broadest sense, it is necessary to understand the pressures and influences which led to the creation of these arts in order to understand the arts themselves and how they might be used today. The arts of the Bujinkan were developed and refined through centuries of political upheaval, social repression, and internecine warfare. Some were used by Japan's hereditary professional military class, the samurai. Others were used by clans and families of intelligence and unconventional warfare experts, the ninja. There is not as distinct a division between the two as some would have you believe: Ninjutsu, historically, was essentially a military subspecialty dealing with intelligence and unconventional warfare, and the families and groups in the Iga and Koga areas who were most known for these activities were of the samurai class themselves or were trained and led by people who were.
In a narrower sense, historical perspective helps to understand technical distinctions between the different ryu of the Bujinkan. Differences in social status and in mission requirements dictated different ideas about combat effectiveness among the different ryu. Such factors as whether or not armor was typically worn, whether the norm was “open” battlefield combat or the need to escape and report vital intelligence, etc., all influenced tactics and characteristic ways of moving in combat among the different systems.
These arts developed in, and survived through, periods of warfare in feudal Japan. As such they are weapons-based arts, though the physical methods are designed to work in fundamentally the same way, with the same movement dynamics, whether the practitioner is armed or empty-handed. Even the empty-hand methods take weapons into account and affect the way we approach things. For example, in a purely empty-hand sport art such as boxing a practitioner might be willing to absorb a couple of blows in order to get to a point where he can do something really decisive to his opponent. The Bujinkan practitioner would tend to move as though the attacking hand held a concealed knife or other weapon which he simply had not yet seen, and would deal with the attack in such a way that the opponent would be unable to use a weapon effectively if there was one.
Training is conducted in a supportive, “family” atmosphere. Since these arts rely on proper structural alignment, positioning, and use of “tactical space” rather than on upper-body strength, they can be learned as easily by women as by men.
Not quite like those. In the old arts such as ours, kata are generally performed by two (or more) partners and are quite brief, reflecting the reality of combat encounters. They teach an art's basic concepts: typical attacks and common ways of dealing with them. Kata may also refer to a class or set of waza (techniques), especially groupings which embody a particular principle or group of related principles. Kata are the starting point for learning the arts.
It seems that in most arts, the formal techniques and kata either are considered to BE the art or, alternatively, are considered to be a way of putting various techniques together without much relevance to actual combat. Do you mean starting point in this latter sense?
In the first case above, the approach is not so much that of traditional arts at the time they were being developed and used, as it is of the end of feudalism when kata became highly formalized and rigid as a way of preserving some semblance of an art in the face of pressures pushing it into disuse. . .not unlike (if you will pardon the imagery!) a virus going dormant and awaiting an opportunity to become active again. The second case seems to derive from the first, where the fighting methods used bear little or no relationship to the forms. Both indicate that the understanding of the kata has died.
The approach to kata training in taijutsu as taught by Hatsumi sensei is very different and reflects the Protean fluidity and dynamism needed in real, life-protective combat. First, the basic “transmission” form as recorded in the densho scroll is shown, and the student will have some time to simply work on the mechanics of the movements and the aspects of timing, distance and positioning, balance-taking, etc. which the base form presents. From that point, various “problems” will be introduced for exploration. Some examples would be: How might the kata change when a different distance is used? When you can't move to a “required” position within the form because of some obstacle? When the form is done with a particular weapon or weapons instead of unarmed? When you have a weapon and want to use it, but it isn't in your hand? When the opponent has the weapon and you need to keep him from using it, or want to use it against him yourself? When multiple opponents, or multiple opponents armed with a variety of different weapons (all with their own unique characteristics), enter the picture?
Part of the object here is to require the student to take continually more complex sets of relationships into account, while still maintaining the essence and “feeling” of the transmission form. In this way the student grows to truly understand and incorporate the principles of the form and can freely adapt them in actual combat as needed, instead of being hampered by a “fixed” sequence of movements -- or feeling that form is useless, irrelevant, and should be abandoned.
In a sense, one eventually learns to “transcend” forms by incorporating (literally “bringing into the body”) their underlying concepts and principles. This is the difference between learning a particular system (which is what most people do) and becoming the art in one's own person.
One thing is that as a comprehensive or “total” life-protection system, it does not “specialize” in particular kinds of applications as many arts do. That is, it does not “emphasize” primarily grappling and throwing as in judo; striking and kicking as in karate; or any particular weapon as in kendo. Everything is used freely, including unconventional weapons; unconventional applications of common weapons; and concealed weapons. This is one aspect of the Bujinkan’s happo bikenjutsu or “secret sword” methods.
Much more significant, however, is the fact that the physical training is approached via a completely different conceptual paradigm from that of other martial arts. In other systems the focus is on learning particular techniques and applying them against an opponent. In Bujinkan budo as Hatsumi sensei is teaching it, there is a very different way of viewing one’s relationship with the opponent. Just as in a Japanese Zen garden the shapes of the spaces between objects are every bit as important as the nature and positions of the objects themselves in the overall composition, so in our martial art perceiving and controlling the shape of the space between yourself and the opponent is critical to mastery.
One way of thinking about this is that if you try to deal with an opponent’s weapon (fist, knife, gun, etc.) the person himself may still kill you. It is more effective to try to control the opponent himself, because then you control the weapon also; but in that case you still will have a fight on your hands and the outcome is still in doubt. If you control the space your opponent wishes to use, however, he is totally neutralized and all his efforts are ineffective. Senior U.S. Bujinkan instructor and former Marine officer Jack Hoban, has expressed this idea eloquently in military terms: Your unit can try to outshoot an enemy force, but it can be a grueling ordeal with heavy casualties on both sides. . .and you may be defeated. But if you control the terrain around the enemy so that you can reach him easily, while he cannot fire on you and cannot maneuver without exposing himself to your own fire, his defeat is inevitable. . .and you may save lives on the “enemy” side as well as your own. Whether the opponent lives or dies thus becomes, in a very profound sense, his own decision.
Another way of expressing the concept is that where other arts tend to operate from left-brain hemisphere processes (linear, logical, focused on performance of technique), Bujinkan budo draws more on right-brain hemisphere intuition and perception of shape, pattern, and the total context of the situation.
How long do you have? You begin learning effective life-protection principles and skills from the first class, but there is no end to the process.
These are a recent development in Japanese arts. The old arts have shoden, chuden, and okuden (low, middle, and advanced) levels, with the hiden or secret oral teachings passed only to a select few. Bujinkan students do not receive kyu or dan ranks in any of the nine systems, but Hatsumi sensei has instituted such grades for the Bujinkan “umbrella” organization. The current rank structure is “modern”, in the sense that kyu and dan grades are used; yet it also harks back to the ancient shoden/chuden/okuden form in that there are three general levels of training and understanding.There are nine kyu grades (beginning with 9th and advancing through first), signified by a green belt worn by the practitioner. These are followed by fifteen dan grades, signified by a black belt. The kyu ranks, essentially, are “preparation to become a student” of Bujinkan budo; and one is considered to be ready to really begin learning at first dan or first-degree black belt.The dan ranks or black belt grades are divided into three general levels: Ten, Chi, Jin or Heaven, Earth, and Man, as follows:
- 1st through 5th dan: Heaven
- 6th through 10th dan: Earth
- 11th through 15th dan: Man
These correspond roughly to the old shoden, chuden, and okuden levels of training. Since Hatsumi sensei is the soke or inheritor of the nine systems, he can reorganize the training material and the rank structure of the Bujinkan as he sees fit: All ranks emanate from him. The approach to ranking in the Bujinkan is vastly different from that of other arts. In most martial arts the rank structure denotes specific skill sets for standardized grades, and also establishes a hierarchical authority structure - what in the military would be called a chain of command. In the Bujinkan, rank does neither. People in other martial arts inevitably find this confusing; but then, so do Bujinkan members.
Hatsumi sensei has for many years staunchly resisted pleas from Bujinkan members to establish specific measurable criteria for ranks, explaining that such an approach tends to “kill” a real martial art because people tend to focus on what they need to pass a rank test rather than on the essential principles which will allow them to respond freely and appropriately in actual life protection. He has instead encouraged instructors to establish their own standards for their own training groups.
At the same time, he has followed no easily discernible criteria for his own award of ranks above 5th dan. Dan ranks are not certain indicators of an instructor's technical proficiency or teaching ability, and they do not confer any specific authority over others of a lower grade.The only meaningful conclusion which can be drawn about Bujinkan ranking is that its meaning is a personal thing between the teacher who awards it and the student who receives it. Each rank awarded to each person is, in reality, as unique as any actual combat encounter.
Dale Seago is the founder and chief instructor of the first and oldest Bujinkan dojo established in San Francisco. He has been involved in a variety of arts since 1967 but has focused exclusively on those of the Bujinkan since 1983. In 1989 he was tested and licensed as an instructor (which occurs at 5th dan) by Hatsumi sensei, becoming one of the first 20 Americans to reach this level. He was promoted to 10th dan in 1998.
An extensive military background in intelligence, law enforcement, and special operations; several years in civilian security work; and a master's degree in political science.
The Bujinkan does not exist merely to preserve these arts as cultural museum exhibits. The overarching perspective comes from ninpo, which is largely concerned with adapting to prevailing conditions and events to accomplish one's goals successfully. These arts are intended to preserve and enhance the lives of their practitioners on all levels, from the simple joy of effective movement or as a physical model for moving successfully through life, to the same applications needed by those who developed the arts in feudal times. The study of ancient strategies and tactics becomes much more meaningful with a thorough grounding in their contemporary analogues.
First, understand that the dojo program is not like most contemporary schools where one attends regularly, gets some physical exercise, and has a pretty good understanding of everything within a couple of years. It is more like a fraternal association promoting a life development process. Regarding the San Francisco dojo, anyone of good character and not an otherwise prohibited person may join, but people wanting a conventional approach to training soon select themselves out. To explain this a bit further: Most martial art schools found in the United States are like joining a health club or a fitness program: You go to your classes regularly, and that's all that is really expected or necessary. Not here. We have more knowledge and information to impart than can possibly be covered in a couple of classes a week. About 70-80% of learning and training needs to take place outside the dojo classes and will involve reflection, analysis, experimentation with others, and personal work on fundamental movement skills on your own time. Without these things, you may enjoy the classes but you will not progress significantly. The training process is also very “chaotic”, and this is intentional. Other arts tend to be highly structured with very defined sets of techniques/skills required for progression (“progression” usually being defined as being able to pass a test). Life and combat are both inherently chaotic, and the student needs to learn to look for and discern the larger “meta-pattern” that underlies all the seemingly disparate skills in which we train. If you don't think this approach is for you, please don't waste our time.
The first four points of the Bujinkan Guidelines from Hatsumi soke identify categories of persons considered unsuitable for training:
- The Bujinkan shall be open to only those who agree with and uphold the guidelines of the Bujinkan Dojo. Those not doing so shall not be allowed to join. Specifically: Only those who have read and agreed with these guidelines shall be allowed to participate. Only those able to exercise true patience, self-control, and dedication shall be allowed to participate. A physician's examination report shall be required. Specifically, individuals with mental illness, drug addiction, or mental instability shall be barred from joining. The necessity of such a report concerns individuals who may present a danger to others, for example, those with infectious diseases or illnesses, individuals with clinically abnormal personalities or physiology, and individuals lacking self-control. Individuals with criminal records shall be turned away. Trouble makers, those who commit crimes, and those living in Japan who break domestic laws shall be turned away.
- Those not upholding the guidelines of the Bujinkan, either as practitioners or as members of society, by committing disgraceful or reproachable acts shall be expelled. Until now, the Bujinkan was open to large numbers of people who came to Japan. Among them, unfortunately, were those committing violent drunken acts, the mentally ill, and trouble makers who thought only of themselves and failed to see how their actions might adversely affect others. Through their actions, such people were discarding the traditional righteous heart of the Bujinkan. From this day forward, all such people shall be expelled.
Yes. These are martial arts in the literal sense of “martial” as pertaining to, or suitable for, warfare. Dale Seago often refers jokingly to them as “X-rated martial arts” in the sense that they are for mature, responsible adults. Accordingly it has always been his policy not to accept persons under the age of 18 for training in the regular dojo program.
A number of Bujinkan dojo do have children’s programs with a modified or “toned down” training curriculum focusing more on fundamental body-movement skills and on defending/escaping from dangerous situations than on the combative aspects. Dale does not teach such a program but has authorized one of his black-belt students, Rebecca Kidder, to do so. Information on this program can be found at http://www.sfninjakids.com.
Wherever the instructors and students gather. It is very unusual to find a commercial “storefront” dojo operation in the Bujinkan, in the United States or anywhere else. Hatsumi sensei actively discourages this approach, feeling it tends toward imbalance in a teacher's life. Even in Japan, the master teachers under Hatsumi sensei's instruction hold real-world “day jobs”, generally renting space by the hour in some facility to hold classes (sometimes in different locations on different days). Our classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30pm to 10pm at Hwa Rang Kwan, 371 5th Street, San Francisco.
Just show up and train. He holds weekly classes at the Hombu dojo in Noda and at the Tokyo Budokan in Ayase.
Hatsumi sensei’s view is that a true martial art – and certainly his own budo – is not constrained by nationality, historic period or culture. Its principles are timeless and applicable to all circumstances, conditions, and weapons. Dale Seago is of Scottish (Clan Douglas) descent on his mother’s side (and Irish on his father’s), and he identifies strongly with his Scottish heritage; hence his use of the Douglas tartan and dirk at his dojo’s site.
