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Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu

Soke Masaaki Hatsumi

34th Grandmaster of Togkure Ryu

The Bujinkan (武神館) is an international martial arts organization based in Japan and headed by Soke Masaaki Hatsumi. 

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The Bujinkan system is most commonly associated with ninjutsu. However, Soke Masaaki Hatsumi uses the term Budo (meaning martial way) as he says the ryūha are descended from historical samurai schools that teach samurai martial tactics and ninjutsu schools that teach ninja tactics.

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The Bujinkan system incorporates the teachings of the 9 martial arts lineages (ryūha) that Soke Masaaki Hatsumi learned from Sensei Takamatsu Toshitsugu under the banner of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu:

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  • Togakure-ryū Ninpō Taijutsu (戸隠流忍法体術)

  • Gyokushin-ryū Ryū Ninpō (玉心流忍法)

  • Kumogakure Ryū Ninpō (雲隠流忍法)

  • Koto Ryū Koppō jutsu (虎倒流骨法術)

  • Gyokko-ryū Kosshi jutsu (玉虎流骨指術)

  • Kuki Shinden Happō Bikenjutsu (九鬼神伝流八法秘剣術)

  • Shinden Fudo Ryū Dakentai jutsu (神伝不動流打拳体術)

  • Takagi Yoshin Ryū Jūtai jutsu (高木揚心流柔体術)

  • Gikan Ryū Koppō jutsu (義鑑流骨法術)

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Soke Hatsumi has spoken about three things that are important for a martial artist:

  • Sainou (Ability/talent)

  • Tamashii (Soul/Spirit)

  • Utsuwa (Capacity)

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Gogyō

The Five Elements

As part of the fundamentals of training, the Shoshin Gokei Gogyō teaches us to move by taking into account the 5 Japanese elements: Chi (earth), Sui (water), Ka (fire), Fū (air) and Kū (empty).

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These embody movements based on the spiritual feeling of the elements and teach us to use flow of movement in different ways.  It is a set of metaphorical guiding principles that allow us to explore every movement we learn with a different mental orientation.  This vastly expands our breadth and depth of understanding in each technique or movement.

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Mastery  of this side of training helps elevate the practitioner's skill well beyond basic structures and forms and therefore this is a set of movements that is trained by everyone from beginner to 15th Dan.  Each individual will be able to perform these in a manner that is most natural to their body types and mental framework.  The idea here is to make any movement more and more natural to the body to the extent that you may not even be able to distinguish the movement from thought and intention.  

Chi

Feeling of Earth Element

Sui

Feeling of Water Element

Ka

Feeling of Fire Element

Fu

Feeling of Wind Element

Ku

Feeling of Space Element

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