This Marine is physically fit, well-trained in armed and unarmed combat, and is obviously a protector/defender of those children.  His armor is not from centuries past, but from today.  Yet, his calling is as old as mankind.  Most of us are not Marines; that is not the point.  The Bufu (martial wind) blows through the whole world and has done so over the millennia—it is not the province of just the Marines; it is not Japanese; it is not American.  It is human.

I am fortunate to have two great teachers in my lifetime.  One who said: "I am no country, I am UFO."  The other said that all people share a Universal Life Value and a feeling of human equality that trump our cultural differences—if we allow them to.  The point is that we are studying warriorship in the Bujinkan, and warriorship—the call to protect and defend life—is a human proclivity.  We should not be confused or distracted by the cultures of the various martial arts.  Instead, we must seek the essence—ride the Bufu.

It has been 27 years since I started training in this art.  When I began I was an active duty Marine.  One of the jobs of a Combat Engineer (besides blowing things up) is to do what is called "route reconnaissance."  Forget the "recon ranger" stuff; for us, there was nothing "sexy" about it.  We had to figure out if the route that the Marines were going to use in a movement or attack could withstand the traffic.  (Would the roads hold up?  Would the bridges collapse if we tried to drive a tank over them?  This kind of thing.)  Obviously, some of the route could be in enemy held territory, so we didn't want to get caught.  I had first read about Ninja in a James Bond book called "You Only Live Twice."  Being trained as a Ninja sounded like a cool thing and something I might even be able to use in my job.

At that time there was an American, Stephen Hayes, who had been to Japan and said that he had actually met and trained with a real Ninja.  I contacted Stephen and he told me more about Hatsumi Sensei and invited me to Ohio to train.  Within a year he had also introduced me to Hatsumi Sensei in person, when Sensei made his first visit to the USA.  If it weren't for Stephen Hayes, I doubt that I would be writing this; and I doubt that you would be reading it.

Notably, we never used the term "Bujinkan" in those days; we were training in Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu or Ninpo.  And we rarely talked about the differences between, or the specific characteristics of, the nine schools, or even the names of the techniques.  Everything was the "same" and we just trained.  You might say that the training was "harder" back then, but that was because we were younger and just naturally liked it that way.  I remember that Bud Malmstrom and I were both Marines, so we had a natural bond—and an inclination to train together that ended up causing a few busted lips and sore necks over the years.  

Jack & Bud circa 1983

Sadly we lost Bud's wife, Bonnie, this year.  She was quite a lady and a very special person to many of us in the Bujinkan.  A tribute web page is here.

I am thinking about all this, because now, 27 years later, the training theme for next year appears to be Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu.  Interesting number, 27, there's a real Ninja number for you!  Full circle, perhaps.  

But I think, really, it is all the same and has been that way all these years.  Call it what you want: Kukishin Ryu, Gyokko Ryu, Togakure Ryu, whatever—it is all Bujinkan.  Bujinkan is greater than the sum of the parts, greater than all of the individual ryu-ha, no matter how carefully you practice the individual schools, or study the individual densho.  When I step back, I see that the 9 arts may not even have survived if it weren't for Hatsumi Sensei's genius in creating the Bujinkan.  In the grand scheme, few people really cared about the individual arts—until Hatsumi Sensei brought them back to life.

I realize that there is some interest in the different schools and what is written in the various densho.  Sensei told me that the densho were mostly just outlines of techniques (I have confirmed this with my own translations), and that they were very basic and fairly useless without the ability to "read between the lines" and understand the essential secrets of the martial arts.  The ability to read between the lines comes only after many years of training and the good fortune to study under a true teacher like Takamatsu Sensei.  I would add: and Hatsumi Sensei.

There is also some discussion these days about "hard vs. soft" training.  But the thing to do, in my opinion, is to train according to your age and ability.  When you are 25, train hard.  When you are 50, you have to train differently—like Hatsumi was training when I met him.  When you are 77, well, look at how Sensei trains now.  If you train like an old man when you are young, it is not enough.  If you train like a young man when you are old, you look violent and silly; and you will almost certainly become injured.  The concept is not so difficult, really, just common sense; and certainly all of the arguments about it are unnecessary.  The idea is to "keep going," train all of your life in a natural, effective and sustainable way.  Most real combat has weapons, so don't focus too much on being only a "technician," or on being "strong" or "fast."  Learn the taijutsu "tactical movement," and study how to use weapons effectively to leverage your taijutsu and escape—or do what is necessary to protect life.  This is what I think Hatsumi Sensei has been saying consistently since I first met him.

And one other thing has been a constant: Sensei's training regimen.  He always trained, watched his diet if his health was bad, and walked everyday.  Sensei said:  "The first step in Ninpo training is that of physical endurance."  Please remember this point.  Twenty five years ago I walked with Hatsumi Sensei (and 2 or 3 dogs) on many a night for 1-3 hours—after the training!  And I am not the only one; he wore out many of us with these late night/early morning Ninja walks.

But don't worry about saving the world; it's not really about doing something so much as it is about being something.  The secret of being that "uncommon common" person who has the benevolent heart of the warrior is in the training.  It is useless for me to try to write about it any more than this.  So train!

In 2008 we look forward to the possibility of gaining a deeper insight into the way of the Ninja through training.  So I recommend that you walk often—Ninja walk!  Follow Sensei's example in terms of a fitness and a health regimen that is natural for you, and make it part of your lifestyle.  But, most of all, respect yourself and your fellow buyu.  So, those are the themes for our Buyu training group for next year: train consistently, show respect.

Keep going in 2008, my buyu.  Thank you for all of the great training!

Jack Hoban