Ninja and Samurai Martial Arts Dojo

Archive for the ‘Martial Arts With Meaning’ Category

Don’t Miss this Special Seminar – May 19th & 20th: Shoden of Koto Ryu Koppojutsu and Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu

For the first time, we are honored to bring to San Diego Dojocho Amanda Charrier, from Jinenkan Baltimore, to teach this special 2 day seminar series covering Kotu Ryu and Takagi Yoshin Ryu.

Sat. May 19th

Sign in 8:30am – 9:30am
Koto Ryu Koppojutsu – Shoden (basic level) 9:30am – 12:00pm
Lunch Break 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu – Shoden & Eri Jime (chokes) 1:30pm – 4:00pm

Optional Dinner – Location TBD 6:00pm – ???
Please join us for dinner and camaraderie after training!

Sunday May 20th

Sign in 8:30am – 9:30am
Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu – Shoden 9:30am – 12:00pm
Lunch Break 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Koto Ryu Koppojutsu – Shoden & Eri Jime 1:30pm – 4:00pm

Location

Poway Samurai Martial Arts
13160 Poway Road
Poway, CA 92064

Pricing

Pricing for students: $55 both days or $35 1 day. Jinenkan Members: $60 both days or $35 1 day.
General Public: $75 both days or $40 1 days. Space is limited. Please RSVP by May 11. Non-students are welcome.

About Koto Ryu:

The school can be translated as “Knocking down the Tiger School”.
This is a Japanese martial art school that utilizes of koppojutsu, (骨法術) shurikenjutsu, and kenjutsu. This school specializes in using larger bones to strike weaker ones of your opponent. Koto ryu’s core is breaking the opponent’s balance, posture and movement using Tai Sabaki (to block and counter body movement), Kyushu (Attacking vulnerable points), attack to different heights, unexpected punches and deception. The two focus points of this school are first, disabling the opponent’s attacking abilities, and second is the creation of an entrance into the opponent’s weak points and posture.

About Takagi Yoshin Ryu:

The School can be translated as “Heart of the Willow Tree School”.
This school of Japanese martial arts was one of the original forms of samurai grappling, known as Jutaijutsu (more commonly referred to as jujutsu today). It is mostly recognized as a “Bodyguard School” that contains quick and effective jujutsu techniques, and daishosabaki (jujutsu while wearing two swords in the belt). Other techniques are based around bojutsu (using the 6′ staff).

Takagi Yoshin Ryu uses many techniques that appear similar to judo or aikido, but are applied in ways that make it difficult for the opponent to escape by rolling or breakfalling. These are close quarter techniques with the opponent held close.

About Dojocho Amanda Charrier:

Dojocho Amanda Charrier began training in 1996. She initially met Manaka Sensei at the first international Jinenkan seminar, which was held in the spring of 1997. Impressed with the attention to detail and respect given to proper fundamental movements, she shortly thereafter joined the Jinenkan.

In the years prior to Manaka Sensei’s announcement that he would be moving to America to live and teach for a time, she took trips to Japan to train with him. She was extremely fortunate to already be living in Baltimore when Manaka Sensei announced that Baltimore was the very city he had chosen to make his home for the duration of his time spent living in America. So from April of 2001 to May of 2004 she had the great fortune to live less than 10 miles from the Honbu dojo and Manaka Sensei.

Since Manaka Sensei has returned to Japan she travels there again to train with him, as well as to locations around America and Europe when he was teaching abroad. She received her dojocho license in March of 2004, just two months before Manaka Sensei returned to Japan.

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How is Poway Samurai Martial Arts School different from other martial arts schools?

This is a good question is often asked by people calling or coming to check out our dojo. The answer is that not only do we teach traditional martial arts of the samurai and ninja but we hold true to their philosophies. We do not need to pressure people who inquire nor do we try and force students in to long term binding contracts.

It is our philosophy that if you train here, it is your school. We facilitate the school and help you excel in the arts we teach and how those philosophies and skill can help you be successful in other areas of your life. The effort and commitment must come from you and be to yourself. Without that purity of heart and intent then all if the skills and kata will not help you succeed.

The Code of Bushido was not simply a set of rules but truly a way of life and living that went beyond martial skills and we place that same focus here. There are no trophies or weight divisions at our school and the contest is: are you better today than you were yesterday.

See you in the dojo.
Tony Whetstine (The Bushido Guy)

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The study of traditional (Koryu) Japanese Bujutsu has taken the back seat to the modern and commercialized styles of Jujutsu and Mixed Martial Arts. There are many excellent books written on the history of the Samurai and Ninja arts and even so, they are often confused or associated with modern (gendai) Karate, ground grappling, ring fighting and submission techniques. The roots of Samurai and Ninja arts are really very different.

A brief summary on the history of Japan and the martial arts is in order to understand why the Japanese martial arts have such a dominating presence and rich philosophy. For over four hundred years Japan existed as an island of competing provinces that fought constantly for many reasons, each employing their individual systems of combat. By the seventeenth century, this warring period came to a close and many of the warriors needed to seek out another career. Martial systems up to this point had been handed down from one master to the next. Their responsibility to the lineage was the preservation of it’s history, meticulously teaching and mastering the skills, and adding additions and improvements due to the changing course of the times. During this period of peace, these masters went about and began to openly teach the crafts which had been previously studied by warriors and military elite. They would otherwise be out of work, as war had stopped and the demand for their skills had diminished. This was the beginning of a critical era for the Japanese martial arts. It was during this period that the philosophies of the warrior philosophy became the “way”.

Hundreds of martial arts systems were codified during this period, becoming legitimate “schools.” The most celebrated and popular of these combative systems was the Jujutsu. Through history Jujutsu had been recorded in scrolls of various schools as many different terms including Yawara, Kenpo, Taijutsu and Jutaijutsu to name just few. Jujutsu during this period was taught as a means of un-armed and armed defense, with specific hand held weapons specific to a particular school, including methods of bone breaking strikes, soft tissue attacks, joint lock and breaking forms, armor grappling, un-armed weapon defensives, weapon specific forms etc.

From the late nineteenth century up to the beginning of world war two, the common practice for martial arts was found in the practice of karate and the sport arts of sword fencing (Kendo) and Judo. As a result of the more modern arts’ popularity and the passing of time, the old schools were somewhat forgotten. It must be remembered that many of the old martial art traditions were particular to field combat, tactics involving large groups and the strategies to employ the necessary techniques to see a battle through to victory, among others. While these old traditions were no longer recognized by civil authorities, it should be pointed out that many police and military personnel at this time still trained under the auspices of specialized headmasters of old-combat schools and after the second world war came to a close, the practice of martial arts became illegal for a period.

So why practice traditional systems of martial arts and most specifically the Japanese systems of the Samurai and Ninja? This is a very good question. Since time immemorial, the Japanese have been extremely particular about the documentation and recording of anything with even a slight degree of importance. It is in their heritage to maintain loyalty to the teaching of those who have tested and proven progressive methods of any action. This is just as true for martial arts as it is for business, cooking, writing, etc. For this reason, what a student of the true Japanese art learns is quite close to the original teachings and has only been improved upon through the ages. There have been no changes to suit the desire of someone else, cultural bias, commercialized fads or popular opinions.

The “traditions, lessons and philosophies” so quickly thrown away as useless or outdated by many modern martial arts and instructors still strongly influence the kobudo (old martial arts) of the Samurai and Ninja. Most often, instructors who discard these lessons have not obtained the skill level or experience necessary to recognize the value inherent in the teachings. The focus of the Japanese warriors was not simply to be a good fighter or warrior (bushi) but to temper those skills with the lessons and philosophies for a fundamentally more full, abundant and happy life. That is why Samurai means essentially “to serve” and Ninja essentially means “to persevere or be patient”. Too often modern martial arts, especially mixed martial arts (or perhaps appropriately called mixed up martial arts) fail to provide much skill or focus or purpose for life outside of the ring or being in a fight. That is not to say that there are not good mixed martial arts and instructors out there that add philosophy to their training but it is not an inherent part of the training.

The traditional arts of the Samurai and Ninja teach effective skills not only for defense and combat that have been practiced for hundreds of years but they build character, self esteem, focus and self discipline. As a physical activity they offer a non repetitive form of physical exercise and offer stress relief both physically and mentally. These skills help lead not only a safe and happy life but help increase the mental agility and focus and discipline that can give an advantage in work and work ethic as well as a solid moral and ethical approach to life and work as well.

I am pleased to announce that I will be speaking at Pacific Martial Arts on Wednesday June 17th, 2009 from 6 – 8pm. I’ll be speaking about Bushido, which translates to the “Way of the Warrior”. I’ll be discussing how this ancient Japanese code of conduct is important in modern times.

Bushido is defined as a unique philosophy that spread through the warrior class during the Muromachi period. It is the code of moral principles which the samurai were required or instructed to observe, which was frequently unuttered and unwritten. It is typified by the Seven Virtues: Recitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Honour and Loyalty. Codes of conduct and moral principles, like that of the Samurai, are lacking in the youth of today. Gangs and peer pressure have a strong influence and are putting children at risk. I’ll be discussing how martial arts programs can aid in getting these kids back on the right track.

Those who learn the Samurai Way find it has a powerful effect on them. Their lives are changed as they learn things about themselves they did not even know they were looking for. Come and learn about Bushido and let it have a powerful effect on you!

Pacific Martial Arts is located at: 2266 San Diego Ave. San Diego, CA 92110 #619-299-8361 www.pmakarate.com

For more information about the instructor, call Tony Whetstine of Poway Samurai Martial Arts.
#858-486-0059. www.PowayMartialArtsSCHOOL.com.

There are a lot of martial arts today, from Karate to Mixed Martial Arts covering the distance between sport and art. Most of them have been created fairly recently from the late 19^th century to a combination of different arts into a so-called “real” martial art and of course sport fighting in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. There is no doubt that there are intrinsic values in each of these from physical skills to discipline, confidence, respect and other values.

It takes a lot of discipline and skill to be a MMA fighter and it is no less so to be skilled in karate, kenpo or any other marital art. However, going beyond the physical and the inherent discipline, etc., the real question is why train in these arts at all. Some train for physical fitness, some for self-defense skills and others for trophies and titles.

When training in the traditional martial arts, and speaking even more specifically to the kobudo arts we train at Poway Samurai Martial Arts, the teachings go beyond these concepts. Some mistakenly think of the samurai arts as being only the sword or weapon training. And it is true there is a diverse set of skills with weapons in kobudo training. However, traditional martial arts are the source for many of the modern unarmed martial arts. Kobudo is a very diverse training that builds the highest levels of discipline, dedication, confidence as well as leadership and focus.

What really sets kobudo apart is that it is what I call “Martial Arts with Meaning.” The samurai didn’t go “do” kobudo. It was how they lived. The samurai virtues were a code for their entire life and how they strived for the “ever appropriate response” to whatever situation they encountered. Above all the samurai lived a life of service.

Many with only a cursory knowledge of martial arts and the samurai, think only of their tremendous fighting prowess and martial skill. While those were present, what motivated these warriors were service and love of family, lord and their country. It was equally important for the samurai to be skilled in other arts to remain in balance. Whether it was painting, writing or any other number of forms of art, the samurai needed to live a full life in balance.

Now I do not mean to suggest that no other martial art form carries any lessons, philosophies or “meaning”. However, not all more modern schools do or focus on it. In kobudo that original purpose and the “meaning” is inherent and is such an integral part of the training, that Julian R. Fuller in the British Journal of Medical Psychology p.321 wrote that “Traditional martial arts training is more beneficial than modern martial arts training.” When comparing the samurai code of bushido and its principals and effective modern psychotherapy.

Michael E, Trulson, wrote (“Martial Arts Training: A Novel ‘Cure’ for Juvenile Delinquency, Human Relations, vol 38, no 12) “The majority of…schools teach only self-defense techniques, and our data reveals that this type of training enhances negative personality traits of people who are already delinquent…Traditional…martial art philosophy places great emphasis on respect for others, humility, confidence, responsibility, honesty, perseverance and honor.”

There are a number of reasons for training martial arts and choosing a school and there is no “correct” answer for everyone. When considering a martial arts program and school, what do you want most for you and your family?