Good Question !

The question was posed last night before class, "Did the Samurai have and type of stretching or workout regimen ?" It was an unusual but very interesting question. I had no answer, but fortunately I have a fantastic resource, Sensei Mike Belzer a martial artist of excellent skill and reputation who was the student of Don Draeger (look him up) Draeger Sensei made a life long study of fighting systems, weapons and warriors both ancient and modern. So when I presented my question Professor Draeger had already answered it. Ancient warriors and Kroyu (Old School arts) do not have formalized warm ups. If warm ups and stretching were required they would be ineffective for combat or self defense. It was that simple, the training was the the training. You want to master the sword go out and swing a sword around. Today you can lift weights to improve your physical strength, or have a session of mat pilates to loosen your body, and that would be ok. We are not training to hold the line at Thermopylae we are training to lean the Danzan Ryu system of Jujitsu can one use this art for self defense without a warm up ? From personal experience I know the answer to be yes. That said if I am planning an evening of nage and grappling with my 20-something students you bet I am going to have a through warm up !

Further Study

http://www.danzan.com/HTML/PEOPLE/mbelzer.html

http://dogbrothers.com/phpBB2/index.php?PHPSESSID=18a585506d19ef3f79fb045c5bfb5c0f&topic=1084.0


Good Question !

~Sensei~

Junanshin 柔軟心

Junanshin as a training precept.

Keep a flexible, open mind. This requires patience, the ability to set aside your opinions, previous experiences and biases, and a passion to learn. Develop a mental state of allowing - an attitude of no resistance.

I wrote this article last year as a project for Jodo, the concepts work for a sincere student of any worthy endeavor martial or otherwise.

Defining Junanshin A.A.G. Schiebroek uses the term, “a malleable mind” looking deeper into “malleable” we find Webster’s English Dictionary defining Malleable : capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers 2 a: capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences b: having a capacity for adaptive change). For me this definition of malleable is the most to the point. Imagine the process of forging a Japanese sword, the metal heated, beaten and cooled repeatedly until the finished product is produced. Ultimately Junanshin is a state of receptivity, wherein one makes the choice to trust source of instruction and accept the lesson. Blocking out (or at least attempting to block out) everything in the mind that is not the lesson.

Application to my study of Shindo Muso Ryu.

Without Junanshin the study of SMR would be impossible or at the very least pointless. My first encounter with the ryu was actually pretty much as expected. A Spartan and serious training regimen with very little room or need for the students “input”. I was prepared to practice basic arts in a traditional setting as a total beginner. I understand the need from a safety perspective as we were working with dangerous weapons. Junanshin covers this issue by demanding the student open his mind while simultaneously shutting out outside stimulus except for the tachi in front of him and the sensei at his side. With progression in the ryu immediately after Nuymon the precept of Junanshin (and a bit of fudoshin) must be immediately and vigorously applied. In my mind I desire to be as far away from the tachi as possible. Yet sensei says go forward and scoop upward. Honestly I (my mind) has no desire to do this, but Sensei says go forward and scoop the jo upward and that’s what I must do. Occasionally I will even avoid being (symbolically) disemboweled.
Junanshin silences the mind when I start to think I know anything about the jo, and allows me to remain patient, trust my teachers, work on my humility, and maintain a supple and open mind.

Compatibility with a modern lifestyle.
In the modern world I have noticed a vast dearth of junanshin. In fact the standard is quite the opposite. Sadly this pervades the modern martial arts world. Imagine this scenario, several junior and senior yudansha at a seminar devoted to quelling differences within different organizations of the ryu. A senior instructor gives a long speech about keeping an open mind and demonstrates an art. The first words uttered, before uke even had gotten up from the mat were, “That’s not the way I learned it.” Behold the absolute counter to junanshin. Is junanshin incompatible with a modern lifestyle? I think not, but is a modern lifestyle compatible with junanshin? Soldiers in training are in a constant state of junanshin, but only after several weeks of breaking down the ego. Budoka in koryu systems are taught junanshin from the first lesion. Alternatively school children are taught to express themselves and question authority. Junanshin is more than a training mindset it’s a choice one makes. Junanshin is a magnifying glass we hold over the roadmap we are using. It allows us to follow directions when we are not sure of the path. Using Junanshin we can choose to trust the mapmaker.

As an Instructor the role is both reversed and enhanced. I need to encourage my students to do the kata as instructed and to trust the training, to be patient and accept that their abilities will increase in time. At the same time I need to transmit the kata as I was instructed and trust my training.
Guiding students to quiet the mind and practice with a good spirit also requires a little junanshin. I have to try and accept that each student is coming from a different place and may face different challenges learning the art. I endeavor to trust in my abilities and transmit what was taught to me as clearly as possible.





Source Cited (1)
“http://web.inter.nl.net/users/A.A.G.Schiebroek/budo.html#junashin”

“http://www.rembuden.com/OCT%2007.pdf”

Dojo Kun, A Study.

"The Oath was always chanted with strength, never mumbled in insincerity. Just as movements would become automatic and reflexes conditioned, the simple truths of the oath would also penetrate the mind of the participant."

DOJO KUN

1. Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomeru koto.
Work to perfect your character.

2. Makoto no michi o mamoru koto.
Have fidelity in seeking a true way.

3. Doryoku no seishin o yashinau koto.
Cultivate a spirit of endeavor and perseverance.

4. Reigi o omonjiru koto.
Always act with good manners.

5. Kekki no yu o imashimeru koto.
Refrain from violent and uncontrolled behavior.

Follow the link for the full article.

http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Dtimes/Pages/articleb1.htm

Are You Seeking Rank or Knowledge?

By Prof. Ron Jennings
Prof Jennings is a 7 dan who is active across the Danzan Ryu spectrum. I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did ~Sensei~
After some recent serious health issues, I began reflecting on my many years as a martial artist and my early
years in DanzanRyu. I thought some of those memories were worth sharing with our members.
It was in the spring of 1962 when I went to a DanzanRyu dojo to sign up for lessons. I had just bought my own
car and could now drive to an adjoining city where the dojo was located. The first class I watched included a
promotional ceremony which included two really old guys who were getting their first promotion. One was in midfifties
and one was mid-sixties. To a teenager, they were beyond old; they were ancient. I was so impressed by these
“old guys” getting their first rank I resolved to join and catch up with them. It was a challenge I never met.
Classes at the dojo were very structured and focused on learning a few techniques very well before being
introduced to others. You weren’t shown much above your rank level until Sensei felt you were ready. As a green belt
I remember going with my Sensei and others on a visit to a town about 30 miles away where someone had a workout
room in his house. When asked what he would like to cover, he said “Oku”. Sensei said “No” because they had a
green belt with them (me). At our dojo you didn’t get to work Oku until you were brown belt. I was so disappointed. As
it turned out, Sensei finally relented and we actually got to work the first three techniques. It was six months after I
got to third brown before I saw Oku again. As it turned out there were not enough people at my rank and a Police
Class the dojo was presenting to city police interfered with continuing the colored belt only classes. There were a
couple of new green belts and Sensei said I needed to help them get to brown so we could practice together. What
I thought as a real delay in my training turned out for the best as my Shime became pretty good as well as my Nage
really improved. It seemed however that I was not learning as much as I wanted and I had yet to catch up with those
old guys. I was getting anxious about moving up. But, there was a lesson I still needed to learn about rank consciousness.
One night there was a visitor to the dojo who was very interested and as a new brown belt I felt I had a lot to say.
He attended a couple of classes then disappeared. Shortly after receiving my second brown this young man showed
up again, this time wearing a Black Belt. I was stunned. How could he possibly have made it to Black Belt in that
short of a time period? I had gone from Sankyu to Nikyu in the same time period it took him to go from white belt to
Shodan. He then told me about another dojo in a nearby city. That was enough for me. I am not sure what I told
Sensei but I quit my lessons at his dojo and went to that other dojo. It wasn’t long however before I realized the depth
of knowledge, or should I say lack of it at this dojo. They had some outstanding instructors but I didn’t get to work with
them and instead got to work closely with one of their Nidans. In a few weeks’ time it was obvious I knew more about
training, technique, and execution than one of their second degree Black Belts. Sure he knew a few more moves but
that was it. I felt he only mimicked the arts without understanding the real intent. I knew I had made a big mistake.
I returned to my original dojo with a sincere apology. Sensei accepted me back and told me that my desire for
rank had been one of the things that had been keeping me back.
I finally realized what I had been told many times. Your belt holds your gi
together. It is the knowledge gained from hard work and dedication to learning that
is important, not the color of the belt. It was a lesson I never forgot.
By the time I got to Shodan those two old men made Sandan, but rank was no longer an issue.
In 1968 I left the dojo and moved to another city and opened my own dojo. I have been a school head and
continually active in DanzanRyu ever since. As a school head and still seeking that knowledge, I expanded my cross
training efforts. By keeping an open mind as well as open eyes, I found there was more to DanzanRyu than one
single organization. I now belong to several national DanzanRyu organizations. I’ve trained with a great number of
exceptional instructors and based on my lesson from Sensei, never asked for rank or recognition. However, over the
years I have received both rank and recognition from hard work and dedication to the art.
When I first received recognition as a Professor of DanzanRyu, Professor Imi Okazaki Mullins, youngest daughter
of Professor Henry Okazaki, bowed to me as she handed me a red and white belt and said, “My father would be
proud.” I would have not been so honored without the foundation training and early lessons I received from my
Sensei.

Take a Bow. New Yellow Belts !

Congratulations go out to the following students. Alex L, Amar P, Alexis O. Al of you have worked hard from day one, I am proud to see your progress. Way to go guys !

Parents Night Out A Sucess !

Last Saturday we held our quarterly "Ninja Night" sleepover. While the dojo parents were out painting the town red or just catching up on some sleep in their very quiet house, we were having some great times at the dojo. We had a great time learning some sword basics and then a fantastic time sparring with the padded swords. We enjoyed some pizza and watched "The Princess Bride" a movie known for some amazing fencing scenes. James K. gave an impromptu Japanese lesson and a few of the kids got to take home their names in Japanese Katakana. In the morning we cleaned up and experimented to see who was more ticklish Rosa or Zack, this is good info to know in case you are doing a little grappling (it's Rosa).

Our next event is the kata contest in August we are preparing now.

Here are a couple of good examples of kata and a good primer on dojo bowing. You will find that there are many varations of dojo etikette within the ryu, every dojo will have its own customs and traditions.

Today & Yesterday

I am told that Okazaki Sensei often held Sumo competitions at his dojo, and even sponsored larger events. I have often wondered of all the various forms of martial arts competition available, why train in Sumo ? I think after the last few days of practicing Sumo I may have an idea. If you have ever watched a Sumo shai (tournament) you would be blown away by the speed and intensity of the matches. Sumotori (practitioners of Sumo) spend several minutes trying to mentally upset their opponent before getting into the ring. Contestants square off and, bang its over. Sumo in one of the oldest known combat sports and is highly ritualistic but it seem so real when you get down to it. Hajime, bang, its over. Very much like a real fight. The opponent tried to get into your head to put you off balance and then attacks. Real fights are very immediate, and over very quick. No 45 minute chess match like our BJJ cousins, not even the several moments spent jockeying for position like Judo, its just bang and its over, 20 seconds is a long match.
Juxtapose that with a violent assault, and you have an amazing set of similarities.
After an evening of Sumo training, the class did some simple self defense material, I noticed it was easier to stay focused on the incoming punch after a few rounds in the Sumo ring. Lets keep out eyes out for the next big craze in martial arts, Sumo Self Defense !
I have attached some photos of tonight's Sumo matches for you enjoyment.