The
Bujinkan was
founded by Masaaki Hatsumi, the Soke (grandmaster) of
nine schools (Kuryuha) of Ninpo
and Budo. These nine schools trace their roots back well over a thousand years
to various regions of Japan. Unconventional skills of scouting, spying and
commando assault were used by many political leaders and generals in the
struggle to unify Japan over 500 years ago. Each of the nine schools are
traditions of “Jissen Gata” which means real fighting forms. Hatsumi
Sensei inherited these schools from his teacher, the late Takamatsu
Toshitsugu in 1972. Hatsumi Sensei was 26 years
old when he first met Takamatsu Sensei in Kashiwabara City west of the Iga region
in Japan. He traveled across Honshu island on weekends for fifteen years
to study with his te
acher. The
500 mile round trip train ride took him over a half day from his home in Noda to
Takamatsu's home in Kashiwabara. Hatsumi Sensei would study all
weekend long with his teacher and then return home in time to open up his
Seikotsu (Bone Setting) clinic on Mondays. Today, Hatsumi Sensei continues
to teach the traditions he learned from Takamatsu Sensei in Japan by setting
a training theme each year for his students to study. He is the author of
many books and videos, as well as being featured in countless
magazine and newspaper articles worldwide. Hatsumi Sensei is also an
accomplished artist in the Nihonga style of brush work painting and his
works have been on display in galleries in Japan and abroad.
Toshitsugu
Takamatsu Sensei was born on March 10th, 1889 in Hyogo prefecture Japan. At
the age of nine he began studying the martial arts, and mastered the various
schools from his grandfather Toda Shinryuken as well as from Ishitani Matsutaro, and Mizuta
Yoshitaro Tadafusa. Takamatsu Sensei also lived in China and Korea for a
while, where he had a teacher by the name of Kim Kei Mei. Takamatsu Sensei
at one point in his life decided to secluded himself in the mountains. After
returning from his first stay in China, he lived in his grandmother’s house.
At this time, he was suffering from Beriberi (a vitamin deficiency disease
that affects the cardiovascular, muscular, gastrointestinal, and nervous
systems). He was
told that his condition was incurable. Not wanting to be a burden to his
grandmother
with his ailments, he decided to leave. He took a few pounds of rice with
him and went up Mayasan (Maya Mountain) to be alone, perhaps to die there.
Takamatsu Sensei stayed by the Kame-no-o (Turtle Falls). There surrounded by nature,
living on natural food (fruits, nuts from the trees, and on the fresh air
and the "space" of the mountains), he managed to recover some of his health.
Most of the time he spent on his back and could get around only by crawling.
Takamatsu Sensei would wash his rice in a nearby river and just leave it on
a rock in the sun to split open, and he would then eat it. One day an
ascetic mountain monk came to Takamatsu Sensei, known as "Old Man Tamaoki".
The ascetic found Takamatsu Sensei praying under a waterfall in a poor state
and told him that he had tapeworms and beriberi. The strange old man said to
Takamatsu Sensei, "We will have to get rid of them!", and started to chant
an incantation and then stabbed him in the abdomen with a To-In hand seal.
Takamatsu Sensei had his own ideas about such things and apparently said,
"Come on, old man, you don’t expect that to work, do you?" By that time,
Takamatsu didn’t care whether he died or not. The powerful old man said to
Takamatsu that he would be rid of the tapeworms in a few days and walk off
into the mountains while saying that he would be back. Three days later, two
huge tapeworm, almost the size of two bowls of noodles, came out of him with
two cut marks in a cross shape fashion. Soon the mysterious mountain monk
appeared again one day and said it was time to cure his beriberi. Again the
ascetic chanted an incantation and folded his fingers into a Ketsu-in hand
seal. This time the monk said to Takamatsu your leg affliction will be gone
in less then ten days. In seven days he felt full of life again! He began
practicing his martial arts again, using the trees, rocks and wild animals
around him in whatever way he could for his training. As a result of his
training in the mountains, Takamatsu had become highly sensitive to many
things. He was able to tell intuitively the sex and age of anyone
approaching before they came within range of sight or hearing, he learned to
see in the dark and how to foretell future events. He became know as the
Sennin or Tengu of the mountain. After about a year of
living like this, he had grown a long beard and finally came down from the
mountains.
The toughened hands and feet of Takamatsu Sensei. He
developed his finger and toe nails to the point where they resembled
the claws of a wild animal. His nails could no longer be cut with
nail cutters. He could tear the bark off of a tree with his bear
hands due to the severe training he underwent. While he was in China, he was known as the
Moko No Tora (The Mongolian Tiger).
The
Bujinden is the Bujinkan Honbu or headquarters which is
located in Noda city, Japan. It is an international organization with
branches in many countries as well as many cities within the United
States alone.
Many people travel to train in Japan with Hatsumi
Sensei and his senior instructors from all around the world. There
is a very special feeling of sharing and learning there that can not
accurately be described by words alone. One week of training here is
easily equal to three years of homework! Your habits in life,
personal outlook, and the qualities and eyes of your heart grow
correct if you manage to trim your ego and catch the true feeling
behind Hatsumi Sensei's teachings.
On November 22nd, 1999 Hatsumi Sensei was awarded the
prestigious International Culture Award by the Japanese government. The
highest honor given for cultural exchange, the award was presented to
Hatsumi Sensei by a representative of the Imperial Household. Hatsumi
Sensei is the 92nd recipient of this prestigious honor. In May of
2001 he was also presented with an award from Pope John Paul II for his
achievements in promoting kind relations among the world's people. This
is the first time such an award was given to a martial artist in
history.
The
Bujinkan was
founded by Masaaki Hatsumi, the Soke (grandmaster) of
Toshitsugu
Takamatsu Sensei was born on March 10th, 1889 in Hyogo prefecture Japan. At
the age of nine he began studying the martial arts, and mastered the various
schools from his grandfather Toda Shinryuken as well as from Ishitani Matsutaro, and Mizuta
Yoshitaro Tadafusa. Takamatsu Sensei also lived in China and Korea for a
while, where he had a teacher by the name of Kim Kei Mei. Takamatsu Sensei
at one point in his life decided to secluded himself in the mountains. After
returning from his first stay in China, he lived in his grandmother’s house.
At this time, he was suffering from Beriberi (a vitamin deficiency disease
that affects the cardiovascular, muscular, gastrointestinal, and nervous
systems). He was
told that his condition was incurable. Not wanting to be a burden to his
grandmother
with his ailments, he decided to leave. He took a few pounds of rice with
him and went up Mayasan (Maya Mountain) to be alone, perhaps to die there.
Takamatsu Sensei stayed by the Kame-no-o (Turtle Falls). There surrounded by nature,
living on natural food (fruits, nuts from the trees, and on the fresh air
and the "space" of the mountains), he managed to recover some of his health.
Most of the time he spent on his back and could get around only by crawling.
Takamatsu Sensei would wash his rice in a nearby river and just leave it on
a rock in the sun to split open, and he would then eat it. One day an
ascetic mountain monk came to Takamatsu Sensei, known as "Old Man Tamaoki".
The ascetic found Takamatsu Sensei praying under a waterfall in a poor state
and told him that he had tapeworms and beriberi. The strange old man said to
Takamatsu Sensei, "We will have to get rid of them!", and started to chant
an incantation and then stabbed him in the abdomen with a To-In hand seal.
Takamatsu Sensei had his own ideas about such things and apparently said,
"Come on, old man, you don’t expect that to work, do you?" By that time,
Takamatsu didn’t care whether he died or not. The powerful old man said to
Takamatsu that he would be rid of the tapeworms in a few days and walk off
into the mountains while saying that he would be back. Three days later, two
huge tapeworm, almost the size of two bowls of noodles, came out of him with
two cut marks in a cross shape fashion. Soon the mysterious mountain monk
appeared again one day and said it was time to cure his beriberi. Again the
ascetic chanted an incantation and folded his fingers into a Ketsu-in hand
seal. This time the monk said to Takamatsu your leg affliction will be gone
in less then ten days. In seven days he felt full of life again! He began
practicing his martial arts again, using the trees, rocks and wild animals
around him in whatever way he could for his training. As a result of his
training in the mountains, Takamatsu had become highly sensitive to many
things. He was able to tell intuitively the sex and age of anyone
approaching before they came within range of sight or hearing, he learned to
see in the dark and how to foretell future events. He became know as the
Sennin or Tengu of the mountain. After about a year of
living like this, he had grown a long beard and finally came down from the
mountains.
