“Fortress India” and the essence of “Totoku Hysohi no Kamae”

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, India CurrentAffairs, Martial Arts, trainingLeave a comment

The murder of Hindu tourists in Kashmir earlier this week has severely affected all of us Indians. We are all coping with it in our own ways. Since I have a domain and blog, I am using them to deal with the sadness, anger and other feelings. Perhaps some of the ideas shared here might resonate with others, though that is neither necessary nor the objective of this post.

The most important thing that any practitioner of the martial arts learns is protection of the self. One can choose to use the word “defence” instead of “protection”. This is true whether one is practicing an art form that involves weapons or an unarmed fighting style. When I refer to weapons, I mean both weapons of offence and defence. Examples of weapons of defence include body armour and shields.

The emphasis on protection or defence is revealed by a very important aspect. I will use the Bujinkan system of martial arts to explain this because that is the art form I am familiar with. We are taught that even weapons of offence are first and foremost, SHIELDS. Whether one is using a sword or a spear or a staff, all weapons of offence, we are reminded that these weapons are to be used a SHIELDS before their ability to cause harm to an opponent is utilized.

When one is using a staff, or bo, the basics taught include ukemi with the staff. Ukemi refers to receiving an attack, in other words, how to protect oneself with a bo in response to an attack. This same is true while using a spear. One learns how to receive an attack and hopefully redirect it away from oneself. While using a sword, one learns how to use the strong part of the blade and the tsuba, or the disc guard on a katana to stop an attack and the middle part of a blade to control or redirect an attack – the principle is similar to how a staff or spear is expected to be used.

I must add, I am referring to traditional martial arts here, specifically to the use of shastra*, as we call weapons that are not discharged, in India. This means that the attacks I am referring to could come from swords, axes, staffs, spears and other polearms. To protect oneself, and use one’s own offensive weapons like swords or spears as shields, all one has to do is put the weapons between oneself and the weapon(s) wielded by the opponent(s).

The importance of using even weapons of offence as protection is demonstrated by the concept having a posture named after it! There is a kamae called “Totoku Hyoshi no Kamae” in the Bujinkan. A kamae can mean “posture” or “attitude” (posture of the mind/spirit). “Totoku Hyoshi no Kamae” can be translated as “hiding behind the sword”. The reference to the sword is because we learnt this kamae while training the sword. But this kamae could refer to any weapon, when it could be called “hiding behind the weapon”. Simply put, this means using the weapon as a shield, by putting it between the wielder and the opponent (or opponent’s attacking weapon).

One of the senior most sensei of the Bujinkan system and soke of the Shinden Fudo Ryu is Nagato Sensei. I distinctly remember him saying, one should “Leave no opening” while facing an opponent. His statement was made with respect to how one should move in response to an attack by an opponent. He meant that when one responds, he or she should ensure that there is no opening left for the opponent to exploit. Until this is achieved, there is little sense in attempting a counter attack. Of course, this is incredibly hard to achieve and requires years of incessant training.

Another learning from Sensei’s statement is that one should keep moving in response to an attack until there are no openings left for an opponent to attack after the initial one. It need not mean that one moves or responds to the very first attack in a manner that denies any further openings. That could be a happy outcome, but not to be expected, much less depended on.

This brings us to the use of armour. One can “use any weapon as a shield” and move to “leave no opening”. The two together mean that one should move in response to an attack while using one’s own weapon as a shield. This movement will ensure that the shield is in the right place to protect its wielder. Like I said earlier, this is difficult to achieve without a lot of training and practice. Lack of training can be mitigated with the use of armour.

In any fight the conditions are always unpredictable and many a time, unknowable. In such a case, body armour is important. When the individual cannot move as required or utilize a weapon as protection, the armour takes the attack and protects its wearer. Further, armour also increases the opportunities to use a weapon of offence as it was intended, to harm the opponent.

While an armour protects the one wearing it, training is also needed to maximize the protection afforded by armour. No armour is without its openings and chinks. The openings are usually at the joints, the back of the leg and the arm pits. These openings are necessary to enable movement in armour. These openings will be targeted by opponents and practice is needed to keep these attacks at bay.

The above image shows openings in Plate Armour. Image credit – Wikipedia.

Historically, armour and weapons have evolved in response to each other. I will take the example of western armour to elucidate this. In the early Middle Ages chain-mail was worn over gambesons as armour. Later coats of plates were worn over the mail and gambeson combination. Eventually, a full plate harness came about. The full plate armour meant that the person wearing it was pretty much impervious to any weapon on the medieval battlefield. But this armour had openings as well, in the places I referred to earlier. To better protect the arm pits, chain mail was used under the plate. The elbow and knee joints eventually had articulated plates to enable movement while affording protection. The back of the legs were always vulnerable, but eventually plates were added there as well.

But weapons evolved to challenge armour. The estoc evolved from the regular sword, as a stiffer pointer version of the same. This allowed half-swording as men-at-arms and knights grappled to stab through the joints of plate armour. Daggers with reinforced points appeared to enable the same. And poleaxes evolved to combine hammers, axes and spears. The poleaxe could bludgeon opponents in armour to cause blunt force trauma and concussion like injuries. The spear point of this weapon could stab into joints and eye slits in the helmets that accompanied plate armour.

The head of a Poleaxe

When all the previous points are considered together, the following points should be clear.

Protection or defence is of paramount importance.
Every armour has its openings that can be exploited.
One needs to train to move to protect the openings.
Even weapons of offence are first and foremost a shield for protection.
A counter attack can only come when protection is achieved and there are no openings left for exploitation.

With the above points in mind, let me look at the situation we Indians and the Indian Government are in, post the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir. Before I start, I must mention that I am not an expert in geopolitics or geo-strategy. I am not a defence expert or an ex-soldier. Nor am greatly aware of how international relations and diplomats work. I am just a layman, with experience in martial arts, the knowledge of which drives some of my thinking. I am as sad and angry as most of my fellow Indians and its diaspora. This post, specifically what comes next, could be considered my rant, or a means of venting; either way, it is me trying to make sense of what is going on and what could come next. When I say what comes next, I do not mean a response by India to the terrorism it has been subjected to, I mean how we Indians share opinions and react to what the administration does, or has done.

There are many people who are wondering why there was no security in the Baisaran valley in Pahalgam where 26 Hindu tourists were murdered by terrorists. That is a fair question and the government has admitted there was a lapse. Over the last 6 years tourist numbers in Kashmir were continuously on the rise and violence was on a steep decline. Hence it was assumed that normalcy was pretty much back and tourists would not be targeted as that affects the local economy. One aspect of normalcy is that overt security presence is minimized. All of this seems to have been a temporary truth and hopefully normalcy will indeed return in the near future, perhaps with overt security presence. Either way, the lack of security leads to a point that has been raised even when violence was on the wane in Kashmir and in the naxal belt. I have heard this point referred to by some as “Fortress India”.

I have heard the term “Fortress India” mean two things. First is to ensure that India’s territorial integrity is inviolable. The second is to ensure that the life of every Indian is protected within the country. The second is usually in reference to protection from terrorist violence. In my opinion, this concept of Fortress India is the same as “Totoku Hyoshi no Kamae”. It means that protection is paramount. “Fortress India” refers to the country as a whole, while “Totoku Hyoshi no Kamae” refers more to the protection of an individual. Protection of the nation includes protection of its critical assets and infrastructure apart from the people and includes protection from cyber warfare and any 5^th generation warfare attempts.

Once protection or defence of a nation is paramount, weapons invariably come into the picture. And like mentioned earlier, every weapon is first and foremost a shield. To demonstrate this, the first example would be the nuclear weapons possessed by some 10 countries in the world. The nuclear option has always been a deterrent, in other words a shield. Countries possess nuclear weapons to prevent other countries from causing damage beyond a “threshold” (however they define it). No one would ever dare to use one, at least as of now.

This concept of “protection” extends in a slightly different manner to modern day “stand-off” weapons. These include missiles launched from various platforms, but mostly aircraft. These can be launched from a distance far enough away to prevent the aircraft from being targeted by the air defence platforms of enemy nations. So, the range of the missile, or glide bomb, is the defence to the platform, while still being able to deploy the offensive (destructive) capability of the missile. This is the same as moving to a position to safely parry an attack from the opponent and carrying out the counter when “there is no opening” exposed to exploitation. In the case of the aircraft, the distance from the anti-aircraft weaponry is the “safe position” when there “is no opening” to attack for the air defence systems.

A shield for the nation, easy for visual representation, but very hard in reality.

The “protection” aspect extends to any air assault being able to have an electronic warfare suite, to jam the radar of incoming attack missiles. Then there is the ability to conduct network centric warfare, where an AWACS can guide a missile fired by a fighter aircraft. Or the aircraft that is using its radar can guide a missile fired by another aircraft which is part of the same mission package. All of this requires that vastly complex technologies work together precisely. And this working together or networking, requires a great deal of training. In other words, in a strike package, some aircraft are protecting the other aircraft which are carrying out the attack. So, this is the basic concept of traditional martial arts at a personal level scaled up to massive technological deployments at the scale of national armies.

And that brings me to the concept of resources, time and money. For a modern day martial arts practitioner, there is a huge cost to keeping up with the practice, even as just a hobby. The training equipment is not cheap, and time has to be set aside for the practice, both of which are hard even if one is passionate. And seeing improvements in one’s martial abilities takes time, years even, and for recognizable changes to manifest in personal and professional lives takes longer still. This same is true for the protection of nations. Vast resources are needed, and the time taken to evolve and improve technologies runs into decades. The cost to society due to defence related expenditure can be large. So, not all nations can afford technological superiority. This includes cyber warfare and war for the minds and morale of national populations.

Lastly, technological progress, just like personal ones, will see failure, and learning from the same is needed. Losses will be faced, and overcome. Who can state that nothing has changed in India’s defence architecture since the 2019 Balakot strike and the consequences of Pakistan’s Operation Swift Retort? I would say no one can. And if someone said it, they would be wrong. Longer range missiles have been inducted, better EW suites are available, software defined radios have been introduced to overcome jamming, and more improvements are on the way.

Grey zone warfare has perhaps been used (unknown gunmen) as well. Have there been improvements in intelligence and cyber warfare capabilities? I have no idea. And improvements are happening at an impressive pace in the development of laser weapons and scramjet engines. Both of these bring us closer to an Indian version of the Israeli “Iron dome” missile defence. Just so we do not forget, there is already a ballistic missile defence shield based on the Prithvi missile. This has been deployed for a few years now. So, development is happening incrementally and continuously.

But this is not to say that there is no scope for improvement and there are certain projects that are more cause for disappointment among the general public than the rest (think Kaveri engine and the infrastructure needed for its testing). And speaking of disappointment, we come to the war being waged against the fabric of Indian society.

We are a polarized country, just like the rest of the democratic world. Homogenous non-democracies will always attempt to exploit fissures in our societal fabric, like the fault lines of caste, religion and militant leftist ideologies. This is no different than finding an opening in armour. A united national populace is armour for a nation, and the splintering of the same if the creation of an opening to attack.

This begs the question, are we protected against “narrative warfare”. It seems we are, at least for now. And are we using it successfully against adversaries? I do not know. Perhaps we are and I do not know, or maybe we are not very successful at it, yet.

This leads to the question, are we citizens responsible for protecting our own selves and hopefully each other in this narrative assault? Perhaps we are. And if yes, how successful have we been? Considering how polarized and tribal we are in current times with social media access, perhaps we are successful in not being defeated by narrative, but not successful is ensuring the opponents of the nation realize that the attack will always fail, for certain. It seems that foreign adversaries still see opportunities for success here. There is sufficient friction in the country to enable these attacks.

There is an old Bedouin saying, which goes, “I against my brother, my brother and I against our cousin, my brother and our cousin against the neighbours, all of us against the foreigner.” I suppose in the Indian context, considering the size of our population, we can expand it to something like this.

“Me against by brother or sister. My sibling and I against the family. My family and I against the village or city. My city and I against the country. My country and I against the enemy nation.”

The spirit of this saying is that no matter our differences, we unite against a threat to the nation, be it foreign or domestic. We perhaps need to train how to protect each other in the narrative wars to come.

With that I conclude this post. This article is more of a coping mechanism for me, venting if you will, as I confessed earlier. So, I do not have a clear conclusion. Just a bunch of thoughts and connections I have strung together.

Notes:

* Shastra (weapons that are not discharged), not Shaastra or Shāstra (fields of knowledge/study)

The Magic of the Feet, from Bhakti to Budo, Kamae to Tradition

April 10, 2025April 12, 2025 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, hinduism, Indian Culture, Indian History, Martial Arts, training2 Comments

In large parts of India, among Hindus, touching the feet of elders and teachers or bowing down to them, is a common practice. It is an extension of bowing down before the Gods and Divinities. When I say bowing down, it is not the Japanese bow, or one seen in a historical European context.

We do what is called a “Shāstānga namaskāra” or “Dheerga Danda namaskāra”. Men do a full prostration in front of Divinities. Women sit on their knees touch their foreheads to the floor in front of the Gods. The same is done in the presence of our Gurus, some teachers and elders in the family, community or society based on the situation.

Two depictions of the “Dheerga Danda Namaskaara”. Image credits – (L) “Mahabharata 23 – The Twelfth Year”, published by Amar Chitra Katha, (R) “Mahabharata 20 – Arjuna’s Quest for Weapons”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Touching the feet is not something generally performed with the Gods. This is done mostly with humans we revere. In this case, one bows down and touches either the feet or the ground in front of the feet. This is an abbreviation of the prostration described earlier, performed in the interest of space and time. A further simplified version is just bowing down and touching the knees of the person*.

Irrespective of the exact nature of the “bow”, the act denotes showing respect to the Gods or to the person before whom the same is performed. It is not exactly an act of deference or subservience, it is purely one of respect, and maybe bhakti (loosely translated as “devotion”). It could be an act of deference, but that was not, as far as I know, the original intent and is not the intent in most parts of modern India today.

The key point of the “bow” is to touch or be in front of the feet of the individual(s) towards whom respect is being shown. The Feet are, in this sense, the most important aspect. This extends to the point where we consider the ground that is trod by the feet of great people and Gods as sacred ground.

It was common practice, perhaps it still is, for elders who accompany younger folk to any temple, to tell them to look at the feet of the idol of the deity. This is a constant reminder and is passed on from generation to generation. In Kannada, it is called, “Paada nodu”. In Hindi it would be, “Pair dekho”. It literally translates to “look (nodu/dekho) at the feet (paada/pair)”. In this vein, touching the feet is “Paada muttu” in Kannada and “Pair chuo” in Hindi. “Muttu” and “Chuo” translate as “touch”.

So, the focus of Bhakti and the act of showing respect always involves THE FEET.

The other field where the focus on the feet is vitally important is the Bujinkan system of martial arts; I daresay this is the case with all martial arts.

Among the first things that a student learns on starting in the Bujinkan is “Kamae”. “Kamae” could be considered “posture”, of the physical body. It could also refer to “attitude”, which is the “posture of the mind”, which in turn refers to displays or the exuding of non-physical aggression, confidence, fear and the like. For the purposes of this article, I am referring to the physical posture.

Two depictions of Kamae (physical posture). Sketches by Vishnu Mohan.

Kamae, when seen by an onlooker, predominantly shows the posture of the hands and the legs as a whole. But the kamae as experienced by the budoka (practitioner of budo), has greater focus on the core and the feet. The core because it holds the upper and lower halves of the body together. And the feet because it ensures balance and determines potential movements the body can perform, from said kamae. I will focus only on the key aspects regarding the feet in this article.

One of the key things that I have learnt from my teacher, mentors and seniors in the Bujinkan is that the weight should be towards the front half of the feet, i.e. towards the ball of the feet and the toes. The weight of the body should NOT be on the heels in any kamae. This holds true even for the most basic of the kamae, Shizen no Kamae, which can be translated as “Natural posture”. For those not in the know, this kamae just involves standing naturally in a relaxed posture.

Two more depictions of Kamae (physical posture), one with a weapon. Sketches by Vishnu Mohan.

The distribution of the body weight on the feet is absolutely crucial in the Bujinkan! To reiterate, it must be on the front half of the feet. This is vital because, making any movement from any given kamae, is faster with the weight on the ball and toes of the feet. Triggering any movement if one had loaded one’s heels is definitely slower. This is because the body is a lot more stable and rooted if one is standing on one’s heels. This in turn means that the inertia that needs to be overcome to initiate a movement is greater if one is on the heels.

When I say the “time taken to initiate a movement”, it is not too much, it could be a fraction of a second. But this time difference makes a definite difference during training and most certainly in a conflict situation that involves real harm. It could be termed “a split-second difference which makes all the difference”. This difference need not be distinctly visible to an onlooker, but any practitioner of the martial arts, certainly a practitioner of the Bujinkan, experiences this time and time again, perhaps in every class.

The distribution of the weight on the feet brings us full circle, back to the feet in Hindu culture. Specifically, to the depiction of the feet in sculpture produced by Hindu culture.

Lord Varaha saving Bhoodevi – carving in Cave 3 in Badami, Karntaka, India. The image on the right is a close up of the feet in the image on the left. Observe that the weight is either on the front half of the feet or on the side of the feet. Photograph by the author.

Consider any architectural or sculptural marvel from Indian history. It could the temple in Madurai, the sculptures in Mahabalipuram, the carvings on the magnificent temples at Halebeedu, Hampi or Badami, the marvels at Ellora or the historical monuments around Sanchi and Vidisha, or the many many others I have not mentioned here. All of them depict stories from Hindu culture. These include stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana and the deeds of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Devi Durga. Many sculptures and bas reliefs depicting these stories show the human form in martial action. This includes the use of weapons and unarmed combat. Apart from the stories themselves, almost all temples have guardians carved on either side of the entrance to the Garbha Griha (literally “home or abode of the womb”), or sanctum sanctorum. These guardians always bear weapons.

The image on the left shows Lord Shiva destroying the Asura Andhaka (Aihole, Karnataka, India). Observe that the body is leaning forward and hence the weight will be on the front half of the feet. The image on the right from Pattadakal, Karnataka, India, shows a “Dwaarapalaka” (Guardian at the door). Observe that the individual is leaning on the weapon (mace/gada) and the weight is either on the front or the side of the foot. The weight of the body is not on the heels in either image. Photographs by the author.

Now consider the depiction of the feet in the sculptures showing martial action. Almost all of them show the body weight on the front half of the feet, irrespective of the kamae or posture depicted in the sculpture. This also extends to the posture of the guardians at the doorway to the Garbha Griha. Individuals might be shown leaning on the weapon they wield but are never depicted with the weight on the heels.

I am sharing multiple images with this article, that show the posture of the feet from a few different temples. One of them even shows the crimping of the little toe when the foot is lifted as if in a potential axe kick!

The image on the left, from Cave 3 in Badami, Karnataka, India, shows the Trivikrama form of Lord Vamana. Observe that he is standing on one leg. The image on the right is a close up of the left foot in the image on the right. Observe the crimping of the last 2 toes, as the weight is distributed to the front and side of the foot. Photograph by the author.

It is well known that temples in India have historically been more than just places of worship. They have been cultural centres, malls, schools/training centres, banks and treasuries, apart from just places of worship. The carvings on the temple walls were intended as teachings and storytelling features, sometimes both. Everything from tales from history and ethics to practices of intimacy were carved on temple walls. This was, according to some, because a lot of this knowledge was not taught directly.

Temples were thus a means to learn what was not yet in books and was not taught specifically as a subject in schools. So, considering this intent, in my opinion, what is carved in the temples are depicting what is, in all likelihood, the correct way one is supposed to load one’s feet. Therefore, the depictions of feet of warriors, even if they are deities, is showing how the weight distributions on the feet works, in marital arts in India.

The image on the left, from the Ravanaphadi Cave in Aihole, Karnataka, India, depicts the Mahishaasuramardhini. The image on the right is a closeup of the left foot of Devi Durga. Observe that weight is clearly on the side and front of the foot. Photograph by the author.

This continuum of importance of the feet and more importantly, the weight distribution on the feet is awesome indeed, at least to me. If one is a Hindu, it will be well known that feet are important to Bhakti and if one is a budoka practicing the Bujinkan the importance of weight distribution on the feet would be a key learning. The two come together in the depiction of the feet in sculpture seen in Hindu temples. Perhaps the best place for a budoka to appreciate the kamae of the feet is in a sculpture in a Hindu architectural marvel and being a Hindu, it is impossible to miss the kamae of the feet, for the feet is what one is culturally conditioned to observe. An absolute win-win combination. 😊

Notes:

* When a person touches the feet of another, the person whose feet is touched, almost always offers āshirwāda, which can loosely be translated as blessings. So, there is a responsibility placed on the person receiving the respect. It is not just to foster an air of superiority. A person being shown respect must have the humility to know that āshirwāda is due, even if not expected.

A, B, C, D, E – Conflict Management in Budo, Industry and Life

April 3, 2025April 1, 2025 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, Corporate culture, Indian Culture, Martial Arts, Work cultureLeave a comment

The above image summarizes the 5 methods of conflict management described further in the article, with examples

In this article I am suggesting that conflict management in human life, be it in the martial arts or at work, in different industries or in personal relationships, follows similar patterns. Hence, experience at work or in relationships or in the martial arts can bleed into one another. The experience in any is likely to be beneficial in the others.

One of the first things that a student of the Bujinkan learns is the “Uke Nagashi”. Uke Nagashi can be roughly translated as “receive the opponent in flow”. In practical terms, it means “how to respond to an attacker”. In generic terms that might be used in multiple martial art systems, “Uke Nagashi” could be called “ways to defend or block or parry”.

There are two ways in which Uke Nagashi are classified, for ease of learning by beginners. Over years of practice, the importance of Uke Nagashi does not diminish, it takes on a more central role, but is not top of mind in regular practice. One of the ways of classifying the Uke Nagashi is beautiful and simple, for it is alphabetic. Five Uke Nagashi are defined. These are,

A – Absorb
B – Block
C – Counter
D – Deflect
E – Evade

A reasonable description of the above 5 methods of Uke Nagashi are seen below.

“Absorb” generally means ceding space. It means allowing an attack, either unarmed or with a handheld weapon (non firearm) to reach its intended extent but surviving the attack by out of the space where the attack lands or ends.

“Block” refers to holding ground. It means that an attack, again unarmed or with a weapon, is stopped when it reaches its intended target, and fails to inflict the intended harm.

“Counter” usually means moving into the space (occupy space) that is likely used by the opponent/attacker. The individual receiving the attack likely moves forward to occupy space to deny the attacker the needed space to carryout the attack in the first place. The attacker could be forced to withhold or mitigate the attack to avoid any harm to herself or himself.

“Deflect” is a variant of “block”. The individual receiving the attack positions herself or himself such that the attack, despite landing, fails to cause the intended damage or is turned away from the intended target.

“Evade” could be considered a combination of any or all of the above 4 methods. It could simply mean, “not being in the space where the attack is likely to land”.

The above could be a hard to visualize, so an example to visualize the five Uke Nagashi could be the following. Imagine an attack with a sword.

Stepping back beyond the maximum reach of the cut or thrust would be an “absorb” uke nagashi.
If one has a shield or is wearing armour, receiving the attack on either of these without changing ones position would be a “block” uke nagashi.
If one has a sword and stops the attack by threatening the attacker with a counterattack (😊), that is a “counter” uke nagashi.
If one has a shield and repositions oneself such that the sword attack glances off the shield, maybe because of its convex curvature, that is a “deflect” uke nagashi.
A combination of any or all of the above would be an “evade” uke nagashi.

The above are a perspective through the prism of the martial arts. I posit that the same methods of response to various conflict situations are what we use on a day-to-day basis at work. I further suggest that these five methods of responding are used at all levels of organizations, not just the entry levels or middle management or the higher echelons of leadership.

To elucidate this point, I share the following examples. Consider a scenario where a client disagrees on any aspect of doing business. The 5 five methods of responding to this would be something like those mentioned below.

“Absorb” response – One either says that they will see what can be done to accommodate the client’s requirement or apologize if there seems to be a lacuna of some sort in one’s actions. Here a supplier has acceded to a client’s position and has bought time so see how the requirement can be met.
“Block” response – One can tell the client that the supplier does not agree with the stated position, and it will have to be looked at in greater detail. Here, the position of the client is not accepted, and further negotiation/discussion can take place. The client’s position is also stopped where it was and further expansion on the same is checked.
“Counter” response – One tells a client that the supplier disagrees with the client’s position and the reason for the disagreement is something to do with client actions in the recent past. Here, the client is not only thwarted from confirming a position in a discussion but is potentially pushed on the defensive to explain a stance previously taken.
“Deflect” response – A representative of a supplier can tell a client that they will set up a separate call to discuss the issue at hand or say that one will have to discuss the issue with someone else to get details of what has transpired. Here, in setting up a call, one has deflected the issue in time, to later date or bought a few hours to respond. In saying someone else needs to be contacted, the deflection is in space, where a different person has to be brought into the fray. This of course could buy time as well. The client’s position is not acceded to or disagreed with, it is “put on hold”.
“Evade” response – Like in previous examples, evasion is a combination of a few or all of the previous 4 methods of response. So, one could say that the supplier disagrees but will set up a call to discuss further. This would be a combination of “counter” and “deflect”. Or the response could be that they are sorry for the disagreement and will discuss further on a call. This is a combination of “absorb” and deflect”. There could also be a case where the specific person the client has a disagreement with goes on “leave”. This is a “deflect in time” and a “block” as the client position has been put on hold for the time being without acceding to their position.

I have considered a scenario which involves a business interaction. The manner of responses would apply to personal relationships as well. Consider any disagreement with a spouse, a parent, sibling, child or friend. All these disagreements are conflicts of varying scales with the consequences ranging from financial ones to reputational ones to just considerations of ego. The responses in all of the disagreements/conflicts can be classified into one of the five defined earlier in this article.

So, if the “5 methods” of responding or uke nagashi are applicable in just about any conflict, either physical or not and be it in business or in personal life, this cannot be something new. It is not an invention of mine. It is just an observation of an application in the Bujinkan system of martial arts to life beyond the dojo. The “A B C D E” seem to have always been applied by humans.

So, if the ways of responding are not new discoveries and something that we humans have always been doing, why am I writing this post? The answer is as follows.

Generally, even if an idea is well known, if we externalize it, by writing it down or making a video or picture of the same, it is easier to remember. Also, if we can rely on an external medium and not just memory to remember an idea, it is easier to express and evolve the idea from its base. This also frees up our memory without any worry of losing ideas due to focus on other pieces of knowledge.

There are also stressful times when we lose track of what we already know and an external reminder of what we could apply based on existing knowledge and experience in such a situation tends to be helpful. Consider it as having access to one’s notes or a textbook, or a manual or support webpage or just a search engine, if not AI LLMs. 😊

To take an example from popular fantasy, consider the Harry Potter series. Professor Dumbledore uses a “Pensieve”, a magical device which he uses to look at his own memories from an external perspective, that helps him with new realizations. This aspect also has a parallel in the Bujinkan. One of our mentors, Daishihan Darren Horvath, once said that to be able to improve as a martial artist, one should be able to look at one’s own movement from an external perspective.

That brings us full circle. Perhaps being able to look at our actions in life, at work and in personal relationships, should be able to help us achieve better movement and flow during practice in the dojo. The A, B, C, D and E of responses seem pervasive, likely due to their facilitation of preserving one’s life, or position or opinion at work and in life outside the dojo.

Notes:

Uke – Attacker

Tori – Defender

Shashti and the Sixties

March 13, 2025March 9, 2025 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, hinduism, Indian Culture, Martial Arts, trainingLeave a comment

This post is a series of observations in hindsight. It is an identification of a set of coincidences that seem important to me personally. There is no great significance to the observations but for the experience of having them.

This article will be my 65^th post. This number is what brought about the observations that are documented below. Not specifically the number sixty five, but the numbers in the “sixties” in general. My posts are about the intersection I see between Hindu culture and the martial arts, specifically the Bujinkan system of martial arts. So, here are the series of thoughts I have had, as of now.

In India, the 60^th birthday of an individual is considered very special. It is called “Shashtyabdha Poorthi” or “Shashti Poorthi”. “Poorthi” means “completion”. “Shashti” is “sixty”. “Shashtyabdha” means “cycle of 60 years”. Both terms refer to the completion of sixty years of life. The significance of the 60 year cycle comes from astronomy.

Shashtyabdha Poorthi – written in Kannada (left) and in Devanagari (right) script

The cycle of 60 years refers to the time taken by three important celestial bodies, according to Hindu tradition, to cycle through the sky from and to the constellation Mesha (Aries). When Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon) and Guru (Jupiter) are in the constellation Mesha (Aries), it is considered the year zero. The three celestial bodies move across the night sky to cycle through the 12 zodiacal constellations multiple times before all of them are in Mesha at the same time again. Since the three bodies move across the night sky at different rates of time, they do not meet in Mesha often. It takes 60 years for Surya, Chandra and Guru to meet in Mesha once they start their cycle and move away from each other.

This is the reason the 60 year cycle is considered very important. Hence, when a person turns sixty, a pooja or homa is performed at home. If nothing else a visit to the temple is almost always guaranteed when an individual turns 60. Also, in the Hindu calendar (panchānga), a year is called a “Samvatsara”. There are 60 samvatsaras, each with a specific name. There are 60 samvatsaras because they are designed to coincide with the alignment of the Sun, the Moon and Jupiter in Aries.

The Bujinkan is a system of martial arts with its origin in Japan. And interestingly, the 60 year cycle is of importance for the Japanese as well! The 60^th birthday of an individual is considered important even in Japan. From what I know, this is called “Kanreki” in Japanese. The word means “return of the calendar” according to Google. So, what is “Shastyabdha Poorthi” in India is “Kanreki” in Japan.

Kanji for “Kanreki”

The Japanese follow the Chinese zodiac. This zodiac has twelve animals and five elements. The five elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Wood and Metal. Every twelve year cycle is associated with an element. So, one twelve year cycle has one year for each animal and is associated with one element. For example, this year is the “Year of the Wood Snake”, wood being the element and snake being the zodiacal animal. So, a multiplication of 5 and 12 gives 60, 5*12 = 60.

Thus when a person turns 60, he or she would have lived through all the 60 years as a combination of the animals and each of the five elements. And hence, they have “returned in the calendar” to the year which is a combination of the animal and element at the time of their birth. Thus, a full cycle is complete and is a cause for celebration. The measurement of the cycle is different, but interestingly, both the Indian and Japanese (and of course Chinese) methods lead to a sacred time span of 60 years!

Even in the Western way of thinking, the 60^th anniversary of an institution or an event, is considered the “Diamond Jubilee”. An individual is supposed to have entered one’s “Golden Years” when he or she turns sixty or perhaps 65 by some points of view. This seems tied to the fact that one is retiring from a regular job and has more time for leisure. It therefore seems that in many parts of the world, a sixty year cycle is considered important, if not sacred.

But can the importance of the number 60 have a reference to the martial arts? Specifically the Bujinkan system of martial arts? It seems possible, as I elucidate below.

The link with the Bijinkan is not specifically to the number 60, but more to the numbers in the sixties. This is something like the definition of the “golden years of one’s life”. Also, this absolutely is me cherry picking data to suit an idea. It could also be a case of Frequency Bias or the wonderfully named “Baader-Meinhof Effect”*. Either way, I am writing this because I enjoyed doing so and it makes sense to me. This is not an attempt to connect things for anyone else.

The core of the Bujinkan consists of the Ten, Chi and Jin Ryaku no Maki and the Buki Waza. The Buki Waza refers to training with weapons of varying lengths. “Buki” is “weapon” and “waza” is “technique”, literally, “techniques with weapons”. The Ten, Chi and Jin Ryaku no Maki (Ten Chi Jin for short) consists of training unarmed combat and in some ways is a precursor to training with weapons, for one needs to learn body movement before adding a weapon into the mix.

My mentor Arnaud Cousergue once referred to the Ten Ryaku no Maki as the “ryaku” of the Bujinkan. He also referred to the Chi Ryaku no Maki as the “waza” and the Jin Ryku no Maki as the “kata” of the Bujinkan system respectively. “Ryaku” is “principle”, “waza” is technique” and “kata” is “form”. So, a student of the Bujinkan learns the principles and techniques of the Bujinkan, followed by the forms. The forms are designed to be able to apply the principles and techniques in various combinations. These are carried on to training with weapons, with modifications where applicable.

Now for the numbers.

The Buki Waza consists of 67 forms across 9 weapons. This is exclusive of the kamae (postures) and kotsu (key points).
In the Ten Ryaku no Maki, 60 kyusho are listed. Kyusho are weak points or “pressure” points on the human body.
In the Ten Ryaku no Maki, apart from the kyusho there are 61 points (or ryaku), apart from the variants for some of these.
In the Chi Ryaku no Maki, there are 67 waza including the variants of some. If one disregards the variants, there are 57 waza.
In the Jin Ryaku no Maki, there are 59 kata including the variants of a few, which is just short of 60.

The above chart has the entire Ten Chi Jin and Buki Waza syllabus. It is a chart created by our mentor Arnaud Cousergue. I have only shown the headings for reference and hidden the actual forms and techniques, for they have to be learnt in a dojo. Also, I do not own the rights to the above chart.

As can be seen, pretty much each segment of what a student of the Bujinkan learns as part of the basics consists of roughly 60 forms/techniques/concepts. The Ten Chi Jin and Buki Waza are key learnings every practitioner has to imbibe before earning the black belt or before being considered a real student of the system.

Since we are looking at similarities between and Japan and India, there is one point that must be mentioned. And this one involves a number in the sixties as well. In ancient India, a cultured or learned individual was expected to be skilled at 64 kalas**. A kala is an art or in this case, a skill. These 64 include, singing, dancing, conversation, flower arrangement and a host of others. These are separate from the 14 vidyas, or “forms of knowledge”, which include the 4 vedas, 4 upavedas (subsidiary vedas) and 6 shāstras (branches of knowledge)***. The 64 kalas/art forms are discussed in the famous ancient Indian text, the “Kāmasutra” (yes, it has information beyond just the “positions”).

A folio of the “Kamasutra” written in Devanagari script. Image credit – Wikipedia

Now, before concluding, I would like to descend further into the rabbit hole of numbers. 😛

In the Bujinkan, there are 10 kyu levels, or more correctly, 9+1 kyu levels. Kyu levels are like standards or grades in schools, like 1^st standard, 2^nd grade and the like. They are levels or stages a student passes through before achieving a black belt or “shodan” level, which is a 1^st dan or 1^st degree black belt. After earning a black belt, there are 15 levels, which are called Dan ranks. So, before a black belt, there are kyu ranks and after a black belt, there are dan ranks.

When a student begins her or his budo journey in the Bujinkan, she or he is considered a “mu kyu”. “Mu” is “empty”. So a “mu kyu” is someone who does not have a kyu or any rank at all. This is the first level. When a student with a “mu kyu” passes the first test, she or he earns the “9^th kyu”. This is the first of the numbered ranks. Over the course of training, the kyu levels reduce in descending order. So, when a student with a “1^st kyu” earns the next rank, he or she becomes a “1^st dan black belt” or a “shodan”.

A male student wears a green belt before earning the black belt (while holding the kyu ranks). Female students wear a red belt before the black belt is earned.

In the Bujinkan, there is a concept of the “Goho Sanshin no Kata”. Here, the word “goho” refers to “five ways”. These five ways correspond to the five elements. Here though, the five elements are, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space (wood and metal are not a part of this set of five). These elements are the same as those seen in Hindu culture. In Hindu culture the five elements are called “Pancha Bhoota”. “Pancha” is five and “bhoota” is element. The five elements in many Indian languages are called, “Prithvi (Earth), “Jala (Water)”, “Agni (Fire)”, “Vāyu (Wind)” and “ākāsha (Space/Sky)”.

The forms related to the Goho are trained over and over all through one’s life as a practitioner of the Bujinkan. The learning from the training of these 5 forms is applied in armed and unarmed combat in various ways. The Goho is pretty much a foundational aspect of the Bujinkan. Hatsumi Sensei, the previous Soke or Grandmaster of the Bujinkan system, had once said that there is a sixth element beyond the five we train regularly. This is something I have heard from my teacher Shiva and other mentors.

A representation of the Godai (the five elements). Artwork by Adarsh Jadhav.

Hatsumi Sensei had said that the 6^th element is “Consciousness”. The Japanese term he used to refer to “consciousness” was “Shiki”. This could also be referred to as “being aware” or “being mindful”. From what I have learnt and experienced of this concept of Shiki, this is supposed to be something that one can experience when the experience with the other 5 elements are imbibed with many years of training.

Hatsumi Sensei is also supposed to have remarked upon this idea of “Shiki” in reference to the famous book “Go Rin no Sho” authored by Miyamoto Musashi, the master swordsman who lived during the 16^th and 17^th centuries in Japan. “Go Rin no Sho” means “The Book of Five Rings”. It is quite a popular book even in modern times in corporate circles where it supposedly teaches strategies to overcome challenges.

The five rings in the title of the book refer to the five elements that we mentioned a little earlier in this book. Sensei supposedly said that he has moved beyond the five elements referred to by Musashi, and into the sixth one, that is Shiki or consciousness. This was supposedly mentioned as a further evolution from the past and an improvement as well. He also mentioned that he was teaching this to his students and that they should imbibe Shiki as well.

Thus, there are 6 elements, the five which are analogous to the Pancha Bhoota in Hindu culture and Shiki, which is a layer on top of the five. I cannot help but think of the old cartoon series “Captain Planet” here. In the series, there were five parts to the eponymous superhero, 4 elements (earth, water, fire, wind) and “heart” (because it is what unites the other 4 elements or something like that, I cannot recall). In real world martial arts training though, Shiki enables the effective application of Chi, Sui, Ka, Fu and Ku (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space).

So, there are 10 kyu levels and 6 elements. There are several other concepts and sets of concepts with different numbers in the Bujinkan. But why did I look at the two sets that had 10 and 6 respectively. Simply because this article is about 60 and the sixties. Six time ten is sixty, 6*10 = 60. 😀

Notes:

* Baader-Meinhof effect – A phenomenon where one seems to encounter a word or concept often after coming to know of its existence.

** https://artudio.net/14-vidya-techniques-64-kala-art-forms/

*** https://artudio.net/14-vidya-techniques-64-kala-art-forms/

Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj – The Bagh Nakh and the Shuko

February 19, 2025February 20, 2025 Vikram M R3 Comments

Today, 19^th Feb, is Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti or the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji Maharaj, who lived between 1630 and 1680, was the founder of the Maratha Empire (later Confederacy) that grew to be the most powerful political and military entity in India in the 18^th century. He is also an extremely influential historical and cultural icon in modern India.

Portrait of Shivaji Maharaj. Image credit – Wikipedia

Shivaji Maharaj is an icon because of his military, political and social achievements. There are several books, series and movies featuring his life. His life is filled with several instances of derring-do, each of which, if not known history, would seem like the imagination of a great script writer. Shivaji and many of his military leaders were involved in acts of military heroism and greatness that are remembered to this day. Listening to the stories of their escapades is a hair raising, goose-bump inducing experience to this day, simply because these were audacious and carried out against overwhelming odds. Some of these would perhaps be called “Special Forces” operations if they had occurred in contemporary times.

Listed below are some of the incredible victories of Shivaji Maharaj and his military leaders in the second half of the 17^th century. These are the ones that are top of mind for me, not a comprehensive listing.

The Battle of Pratapgarh, Nov 1659 – Shivaji Maharaj killed Afzal Khan with his Bagh Nakh during this conflict.
The Battle of Pavankhind (Ghodkhind) July 1660 – Maratha General Baji Prabhu Deshpande with 300 troops held back a Bijapur army many times its own size in a narrow pass allowing Shivaji Maharaj to escape.
Battle of Surat, Jan 1664 – Shivaji Maharaj led a daring night attack against much larger Mughal forces led by Shaista Khan.
Escape from Agra, Aug 1666 – Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji were political prisoners in Agra. They escaped through stealth, without a military action.
Battle of Singhagad (Kondhana)*, Feb 1670 – Maratha General Tanhaji Malusare and his troops scaled the walls of the Kondhana fort to defeat Mughal forces in a surprise attack.
Capture of Panhala fort, 1673 – Maratha commander Kondaji Farzand is supposed to have captured the fortress of Panhala with just 60 men, defeating a garrison of 2500 men (I am not aware if this is confirmed history of if folklore is mixed with history).
Battle of Umrani, 1674– Maratha General Prataprao Gujar led Maratha troops to victory against the army of the Bijapur Sultanate. There is a story relating to this battle where 7 Maratha warriors attacked the enemy camp, losing their lives in the process, but leading to an eventual Maratha victory.
Southern conquest – Shivaji Maharaj embarked on a conquest of many parts of Southern India between 1674 and 1680. This was in the direction opposite to that of their primary threat, the Mughal Empire under Aurangzeb! This military action later allowed the Marathas to survive the 26 year long Mughal-Maratha war.
Bahirji Naik – He was supposed to the spy master for Shivaji Maharaj, who was instrumental is several successful military campaigns. I am not aware of the full details of his specific role in the many military actions of the then fledgling Maratha Kingdom (it became an Empire later).
Maratha navy – The Marathas built a coastal navy which for many decades was a match for the Siddis of Janjira and all the European navies operating off the Indian coast at that time.

Consider the first battle mentioned above, the Battle of Pratapgarh. This occurred in late 1659 between the army of the Adil Shashi Sultanate of Bijapur and the Maratha Army. The Adil Shashi army was led by Afzal Khan and the Marathas were led by Shivaji. Afzal Khan was supposed to have been a giant of a man, standing somewhere between 6’6” and 7’ tall, and suitably large as well. Shivaji was supposed to have been about 5’6”.

This is a representation of the size disparity that was likely between Afzal Khan and Shivaji Maharaj!

The Marathas could not win in a pitched field battle and Afzal Khan’s troops could not face the Marathas in the hills and jungles. So, there was a siege of sorts of the Pratapgarh fort. A parley was arranged to allow for negotiation and perhaps a surrender of the Marathas without bloodshed. Afzal Khan and Shivaji were supposed to meet without any weapons and one bodyguard each to parley.

They are supposed to have met in a tent. Afzal Khan had a dagger hidden in the robes of his garments. Shivaji Maharaj did not trust Afzal Khan and hence wore chain mail armour under his garment. Shivaji also wore a Bagh Nakh (sometimes called the Wagh Nakh). This is a small weapon that resembles the claws of a tiger and is worn on the palm. “Wagh” or “Bagh” means “tiger” and “Nakh” means “claws”. The weapon is worn through rings on the fore and little fingers. The weapon is not visible and stays hidden in the hand. An opponent in front only sees two finger rings at first glance. Images of the bagh nakh and how it was carried are seen below.

A representation of a “bagh nakh” / “wagh nakh”

When they met in the tent to parley, Afzal Khan is supposed to have invited Shivaji for an embrace as he was the son of his friend. Afzal Khan knew Shivaji’s father who was also in the service of the Bijapur Sultanate. When the two embraced, Afzal Khan is supposed to have used his massive size and strength to try and crush the much smaller Shivaji. When this failed due to the chain mail, the large man drew his dagger and attempted to stab his opponent to death. This also failed as the dagger did not penetrate the mail shirt.

In defence against this attack, Shivaji used the bagh nakh against Afzal Khan. He managed to disembowel and kill the gigantic enemy General. With their General dead, the Bijapur army was routed by the Maratha forces. With this victory, the “Bagh Nakh” has achieved eternal fame in Indian military history.

A representation of how a bagh nakh is worn

The bagh nakh is memorable to such an extent that it is today used as the nickname of the 21^st Batallion of the Special Para. This is one of Special Forces units of India. The unit is referred to as the “wagh nakhs”, “Tiger’s Claws”!

Considering my blog is about the intersection between Hindu culture, Indian history and the martial arts, here is the link between the use of the bagh nakh mentioned above and the martial arts. As my readers may know, I am a practitioner of the Bujinkan system of martial arts. The Bujinkan is a martial art of Japanese origin.

In the Bujinkan system, there is a close quarters weapon that is used, called “Shuko”. The shuko is no different from the bagh nakh. It was used historically as a tool to aid in climbing trees or scaling walls. The shuko was worn on the arms of the user and could double up as a weapon in a pinch. There is a version of the shuko that is worn on the legs, which also helps in climbing. An image of the training version of the shuko is seen below.

A representation of training version of a Shuko

The shuko can be used in grappling against an opponent wearing armour, by using the hooks or claws as points of leverage against the armour. They can also be used against unarmoured opponents to get past clothing and cause flesh wounds. In extreme situations, they can be used as protection for the palms when blocking a strike by a staff or even a sword. They are not guaranteed to protect the hand, but might improve the chances of reducing injuries. This potential use of the shuko as a weapon, shows that it is nothing but a Japanese version of the bagh nakh. Both versions of the same weapon seem to have come in handy in a really tight spot!

Another training version of the Shuko, with spikes instead of hooks

The equivalence between the bagh nakh and the shuko is the main purpose of this article, as elucidated above. But beyond this, I can see similarities in the military ways of the Marathas and the original teachings of the Bujinkan. One of the aspects taught in the Bujinkan system is “Ninpo Taijutsu”, also called “Ninjutsu”. There are 18 parts of study related to Ninjutsu, some of which include unconventional warfare.

Dr. Kacem Zoughari, a long time senior practitioner of the Bujinkan, has written a book about the history and origins of Ninjutsu, called “The Ninja, The Secret History of Ninjutsu: Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan”. A link to this book is seen in the notes below. In this book, he gives many examples of how Shinobi were used in medieval times. A lot of these examples would seem like examples of sabotage and infiltration activities today.

The use of surprise raids and actions, using fire or darkness to allow small units to gain an advantage over larger forces are examples one sees in the book. This is pretty much the same thing that the Marathas employed against their more numerous opponents, who also had access to greater resources. The Marathas are always known for guerrilla warfare in the Indian mind. So, in the early stages of the formation of the Maratha Empire, their military actions were very similar to how the Shinobi operated in a roughly contemporaneous period in Japan.

I am not suggesting that either the Shinobi or the Marathas had any role in the evolution of the tactics and methods of the other. It is, in my opinion, a case of convergent evolution when faced by similar situations. But what this does reveal is that we in India have perhaps not done enough to popularize the actual combat methods of the Marathas.

The Marathas and Shivaji Maharaj are likely more popular in India than the Ninja are in Japan. But the study of the actual martial arts of historic Japan are definitely more prevalent when compared to those in India (including those of the Marathas). Yes, Mardani Khela, the martial art of the Marathas is still very popular in Maharashtra and other parts of India – but more as a performance and demonstration art. I am not sure if there are manuals of Maratha techniques that have been compiled and the same can be practiced today.

A bagh nakh integrated with a bichua (scorpion) knife

Perhaps seeing links with traditional martial arts in other countries will bring India to document her own traditional fighting arts, as more than dance, gymnastics and other performances. If traditional fighting arts can be documented elsewhere, the same can be done here, and the process might reveal a lot, like its application in other walks of life. This is perhaps as much a pranaam to Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj as is preserving his memory and legacy of patriotism and valour.

Notes –

The Ninja, The Secret History of Ninjutsu: Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan – Dr. Kacem Zoughari

* A link to an older post of mine, where I discuss the attack on the fortress of Kondhana and other such forts.

https://mundanebudo.com/2023/08/15/swaraj-and-the-lizard-and-ninjas/

The Bujinkan, as I see it – Series 1, Part 5 (of 5)

February 13, 2025February 2, 2025 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, hinduism, Indian Culture, Indian History, Martial Arts, training1 Comment

Learning from oral transmission and experiences in the training spaces

The purpose of this series of posts is multi-fold. Firstly, it is a resource I can share with people who are not practitioners of the martial arts. For most of us, a majority of the people we interact with do not practice any form of martial art. Sharing ideas and practices about martial arts might require some “first principles” like definitions, overarching themes and ideas and objectives of the art form. Hopefully this series will be that resource.

Secondly, it is an opportunity for me to look back at my own thoughts about the Bujinkan. The thoughts are a document I can refer in the future to see if I my thinking has changed or evolved.

Lastly, practitioners of the Bujinkan who are relatively new to the system and long-time practitioners who might need a look back at aspects from earlier years could use this as a starting point for further discovery. There are several practitioners and Sensei of the Bujinkan with a lot more experience compared to me, who share content about the art form and the system. I strongly recommend that everyone consume the content from those sources. This series is possibly an index to search further in those sources.

So, this series in not a deep dive, it is more like a primer of my thoughts with scope for expansion in each aspect. Most importantly, whatever knowledge can be gleaned from this series is a conversation starter or direction pointer at best; it does not in any way replace actual training in a dojo with fellow budoka and a teacher who can help one progress.

In the first post of this series, I had given an introduction to this series and defined some basic concepts that would be revisited during subsequent posts. In the second post, I had looked in greater detail at the “Ten Chi and Jin”, which is considered the “basics” of the Bujinkan. In the third post, I discussed in brief the 5 styles of fighting and the 9 schools that make up the Bujinkan system of martial arts. In the fourth post I discussed the use of weapons as a part of training in the Bujinkan and martial arts in general, which in my opinion is the most important aspect of the martial arts. In this part, I will discuss how learning occurs in the Bujinkan and perhaps in most martial arts around the world. This is last of the aspects I had referred to as the “physical aspects” of the Bujinkan. These are seen in the screenshot below. The topic highlighted is the focus of this article.

This post refers to the actual training, learning, experience, expression and realization that happens in the space where martial arts training occurs. The space of training can be called dojo, akhada, kalari, garadi mane, gym or by any other name depending on the part of the world one is training in. The finer points of the various concepts, forms, weapons and their use, and the nuances of the movement and its flow; all of these can only ever be assimilated when one actually trains physically with a teacher and fellow practitioners (hopefully both senior and junior in martial experience).

It is because of the experiential nature and perpetual flow of learning that it is impossible to document it all. It is documented at a personal level and in most cases, perhaps never. Most individuals just use the martial arts to generate wisdom and lead a good life, and never bother to document their learning and journey. This aspect will be expanded upon later in this post.

A representation of experiential learning. Credit for the images – Left & Centre – “Mahabharata 5 – Enter Drona”, published by Amar Chitra Katha, Right – “Mahabharata 16 – Pandavas conquer the World”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

The words spoken by the teacher and fellow practitioners and experiences shared while training form the oral transmission part of the training. Each person hears everything differently and develops a system of movement that works for her or him individually. This works over years of training because the objective is learning and not teaching.

A representation of learning with a teacher. Credit for the images – “Mahabharata 5 – Enter Drona”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Again, because there are as many variations of learning as there are people, it is impossible to document in any media. To give an analogy from Hindu culture, it is said that there are 300 versions of the Ramayana. But since every person who consumes any version experiences some part of the epic differently from every other person who consumes the same, a new personalized version is created for that person. So, there are in reality, as many versions of the Ramayana as there are people who experience the same in any media. And this changes every time there is another experience depending on the media of experience or the situation of the person, in terms of age and physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual states. So, there literally are infinite versions of the Ramayana. This same is true of actual martial arts training.

This nature of learning is why most of the training is called “Kuden”, in the Bujinkan system. The “ku” in kuden is refers to empty space and “den” comes from the word “densho”. Densho refers to the scroll or book of teachings which is more like a syllabus. So, kuden means learning that is not contained in or cannot be obtained from a written document. In the modern world, densho can extend to videos or any other media available through social media and digital technology. Thus, literally everything that is learnt ONLY from experience can be classified under kuden.

A representation of learning by practice. Sketch by Vishnu Mohan.

Another analogy here from Hindu tradition is the difference between Shruthi and Smriti. Shruti refers to that which is heard and hence is analogous to the kuden mentioned above. Smriti refers to that which is documented (in the past it was books). Many a time, Shruthi could be some knowledge created due to a wonderful revelation that has occurred in a moment of great inspiration. This adds to one’s own and also to the learning of others. Of course, the inspiration in that special moment itself could be due to earlier experiences, learning, wisdom, or exposure to some Shruthi or Smriti. Also, over time, some Shruthi could become Smriti, if it becomes commonplace and can be documented to the advantage of many practitioners. This is when a densho gets created to supplement or replace kuden. Even this article could be considered a personal Smriti of years of Shruthi on my part.

A representation of “Shruthi”, or learning from the spoken word in the presence of a teacher. Image credit – “Mahabharata 1 – Veda Vyasa”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Going by this analogy and the defined concept, all the other 4 parts before this one, where I discuss my understanding of the Bujinkan, where I have discussed the physical aspect of martial arts training, are a broad documentation that can be used to “learn about” the Bujinkan and maybe about martial arts in general. But the information there cannot be used to “learn” either the Bujinkan or the any other martial art. It is information about the martial art form, but not a guide to learning the martial art.

A representation of “Densho” or “Smriti”, a manual a student can use for practice. Sketch by Vishnu Mohan.

An aside here – I am adding a bit of personal opinion. I think learning happens through the skin, by means of osmosis while training in the dojo or an equivalent space. Many a time one is confused in the mind and hence learning is not active. Seeing and hearing lead to a semblance of imitation, but not learning. Also, I have never heard of anyone learn through smell and taste. Therefore based on what I have experienced and seen, learning seems to be through the skin, and passive. Maybe someone can share more details based on their knowledge & experience.

Considering that the martial arts lend themselves to learning through personal experience and not all of it is documented, an important concept takes shape. The one of the “martial journey” or “Shugyo” as it is referred to in Japanese. Over the years of training any martial art, one likely trains with multiple teachers and their respective students. These teachers contribute one’s experience and realizations through their own expressions of the art forms. These teachers might be from different countries, cultures and backgrounds, all of which adds to the learnings.

Then there is the exposure to knowledge from other media that is available today, like YouTube, books, and any other media. There are also online workshops and conferences that while not great for starting one’s martial journey, are great tools to share knowledge. All of this leads to one’s growth as a martial artist. Due to the long time this takes and perhaps the journey across many geographies, it is a journey in a very real sense. This journey is where one finds expressions of kuden by different individuals. Also, every time one finds a new set of documented experiences of kuden from a martial artist one has not trained with before, that is a new station in one’s martial journey as well.

One last point about the martial journey is that it is not necessarily a linear one. It helps one buttress one’s existing learning and add layers to one’s own experience. It also, more importantly, allows one to remember concepts that have been forgotten, basics that have not been revisited and practices that have been discontinued to one’s detriment. In this sense, it is a reminder and hence a circular journey to reconnect with basics or roots and make them stronger.

Word of caution – All of the above is my personal experience from class. It could be different from those of others, and I could be wrong in some of my perceptions. For details of specific concepts, techniques and forms, I recommend people train and experience the art form on their own. Barring that, there are several books and videos by the Soke (Hatsumi Sensei) himself, and then there is content in various media by people who have trained from around the time I was born or even before that. So, there is a lot of experience to immerse oneself in.

This is the last post that delves into physical aspects of the Bujinkan. The next series of 5 posts will deal with the non-physical aspects of the Bujinkan. These are seen in the screenshot seen below. I will start this series of posts in late March or April ’25.

Year of the Snake – An Indian perspective through Budo

January 29, 2025February 2, 2025 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, hinduism, Indian Culture, Indian History, Martial Arts, trainingLeave a comment

A young Spectacled Cobra

Today, 29^th January, 2025, is the Chinese New Year. This year is the “Year of the Snake”. More specifically, it is the “Year of the Wood Snake”, “wood” being the element associated with the animal of the zodiac this year. Due to historical cultural connections between China & Japan, we use the zodiac animal associated with the year as inspiration for training, every now and then, in the Bujinkan (which is of Japanese origin). This is not a norm, but something that is not uncommon either. Snakes are animals that have a strong presence in Hindu culture. So, me being a Hindu, a Budoka, and someone who has a deep respect for snakes, inspired me to write this article.

Everyone knows of the main aspects that are considered advantages in the martial arts. These generally are strength, speed and agility. Skill and experience can offset some of these. But weapons mitigate the advantage physical prowess provides. This includes both offensive and defensive weapons. In my previous post, from last week, I had discussed the importance of weapons in the martial arts*. This seems like a nice follow-up. One advantage that weapons additionally provide is reach, or how far away an attack can be carried out. Modern weapons of course also have “range” which is how large an area can be affected (of course, “range” can also be used interchangeably with “reach”, when it comes to modern weapons).

While training the Bujinkan system of martial arts, one story that everyone learns is that of Ishikawa Goemon. Ishikawa Goemon is a legendary character from the Sengoku Jidai (warring states period) of Japan, which is the second half of the 16^th century. Ishikawa Goemon is a shinobi from Iga who tries to assassinate either Oda Nobunaga or Hideyoshi Toyotomi, using poison. I have been told that there are stories which describe him as trying to assassinate one or the other, though neither of them are supposedly strictly historical. In both stories, the attempted assassination fails. Goemon is supposed to have been executed along with his family according to some tales while some supposedly say that he escaped.

Chains that guide rain water into a harvesting area – something like Goemon used to guide poison into his quarry’s mouth?

Despite the failure of the attempt, the means he used in the assassination is fascinating! He gained access to the bed chamber of his target and hid in the rafters overhead. When the quarry was asleep, he let poison drip into the mouth of the sleeping individual over a thin rope. Think of this as the chains used to guide water into a harvesting tank below. The poison only made the target sick but was insufficient to kill the person. This legend was used in a sequence in the James Bond movie “You Live Only Twice” starring Sean Connery.

Another story related to “Ninja” using poison is something I saw in the old Discovery Channel series “Ancient Warriors”. This series showed how various groups of historical warriors fought and lived. This series ran between 1994 and 1995. One episode of this series focused on the Ninja and was titled, “The Ninja: Warrior of the Night”! This series has not aged well. The “facts” shown in the series are questioned and not considered entirely accurate.

In this episode about the “Ninja” a situation is narrated where the ninja assassinate a warlord by sprinkling poison powder on flowers in his garden. The ninjas observe that the warlord takes a stroll in his garden every morning smelling the flowers. They use this behaviour of his to kill him. Even in the episode, the name of the warlord is not mentioned, nor is any context given for the assassination. So, I am not sure if this is historical, and if it is just a story, I would request anyone else who might have heard the same, of its antecedents. Who is being referred to in the story and in what quasi-historical situation? I am attaching a link to a video of this episode in the notes below**.

Irrespective of the provenance of the second story, the two stories mentioned above show that the use of poison is certainly attributed to Shinobi. And this links the Shinobi/Ninja to snakes. Many creatures on our planet have developed “Venom” as a survival strategy. These include molluscs (e.g. snails), arthropods (e.g. scorpions), insects (e.g. wasps), amphibians (e.g. frogs) and reptiles (snakes and lizards). But snakes are undoubtedly “top of mind” when it comes to creatures that use chemical weaponry, namely venom (many a time referred to as “poison’).

An old photo of a Saw Scaled Viper

A small tangent here. Venom is poisonous. I have heard a beautiful explanation regarding when the terms venom and poison should be used. I will repeat the same here. If a snake bites a person and the person dies, the snake is VENOMOUS. If a person bites a snake and the person dies, the snake is POISONOUS. In contrast, if a snake bites a person and the snake dies, the person is POISONOUS. If a person bites a snake and the snake dies, the person is VENOMOUS.

This is why there exist frogs referred to as “Arrow Poison Frogs”. These frogs secrete a venom from their skin. So, if any animal bites these frogs or tries to eat them, the frog is POISONOUS and hence they learn to not consider the frog food. Similarly, there are “poisonous” mushrooms, which if eaten, can kill the individuals who eat them. Now, we go back to the main article.

One of the things that a practitioner of the Bujinkan system learns in the first few months of training is the “Hi Ken Juroppo”. This refers to the 16 ways of striking/hitting an opponent, without weapons. This includes the use of the fists, fingers, elbows, knees, feet etc. Apart from this, a concept called “Shizen Ken” is taught. Shizen Ken can be translated as “natural weapons”. This generally refers to nails, teeth and spit in humans. In other words, one can scratch or bite or spit at opponents. These are not trained as a part of “striking” an opponent as these are considered to be more “natural” or something we do due to our evolutionary past.

When it comes to animals, shizen ken would be horns, claws, fangs, tongues (think chameleons), beaks, and of course, VENOM. Obviously, when we consider weapons, we need to consider defensive weaponry as well, the examples mentioned earlier being exclusively offensive in nature.

Defensive weapons in animals include armours (carapace, cuticle, shell ec) in the case of crocodiles, tortoises and crabs, secretions (like the ink used by squids and octopi and the stink raised by skunks), spikes in porcupines and of course the wide range of camouflage that exists in nature. Beyond these, we can include the warning mechanisms used by animals under shizen ken. This includes the warning sounds used by various animals and the bright display colours that poisonous animals like frogs and caterpillars sport.

If we consider protection developed by various creatures against the heat, cold and the natural elements, this list of “natural weaponry” deployed by life on earth increases manifold! Of course, the development of weaponry is not limited to the animal kingdom. Weapons, mainly defensive ones are seen even in the plant kingdom, like thorns, resins, hard shells and of course poison.

Considering just snakes, they have developed a natural weapon that gives them a huge advantage in the battle for survival. Venomous snakes are distributed all across the world, but not all snakes are venomous. Venom is one of the weapons that snakes have evolved apart from size, speed, camouflage, agility and flexibility, which are seen in many species of snakes, sometimes in conjunction with venom.

An old photo of a young Common Krait. I could be mistaken here, this could be a Wolf Snake, which looks very similar to a Common Krait.

One factor about weapons is that they nullify the advantage proffered by size and strength. This is true in all species. This means that venomous snakes can afford to evolutionarily be smaller in comparison to many other snakes. This also means that they can be ambush hunters and minimize the risk they face from prey, struggling or otherwise. Of course, nature being nature, not all venomous snakes are small. Some rattlers and bushmasters in the Americas grow pretty large. Gaboon Vipers in Africa are large as well, and then there is the King Cobra, which is a very big snake by all standards, by length if not weight and girth. But most venomous snakes can be small or medium sized. In India, the Saw Scaled Viper, the Common Krait and many of the Pit Vipers tend to be on the smaller side according to common parlance. Cobras and Russel’s Vipers are medium sized snakes.

A majestic King Cobra

I have seen on some nature documentaries, the afore mentioned African Gaboon Vipers described as “docile”. This is in relation to its behaviour vis-à-vis humans. Of course, every snake has a different temperament and this is only a general characterization that I have heard. I am not even sure if this observation is correct. But assuming what I have seen is correct, I make the following observation. The Gaboon Viper has very large fangs to deliver venom, the largest of any extant snake. It can deliver a large dose of venom in a single bite. So, if I anthropomorphize the Gaboon Viper, it is so certain of its natural abilities and of course weapons, it has no need for any aggression. It knows its opponents will stay away due to fear or evolutionary knowledge of its weapons. Thus, it can AFFORD to be docile!

The Gaboon Viper also has a fantastic camouflage pattern that resembles the leaf litter on a forest floor. Lastly, it is an ambush hunter. Now consider the following traits. The Gaboon Viper can inject sufficient venom to kill its prey in a single bite – it is therefore armed with lethal weapons. Due to its camouflage, its quarry cannot see it coming. Being an ambush hunter, it can lie in wait for long durations. Consider these traits together – it is literally an Ishikawa Goemon from another species! Of course, there are several other snakes that have the same combination of traits and I am just using this as an example.

A Gaboon Viper amidst leaf litter. Image credit – “1000 Wonders of Nature”, published by Reader’s Digest

In India, in the stories from Hindu culture, there are entities called the “Nagas”. Nagas are depicted as part human and part snake in many representations. They are also depicted exactly as snakes in others. I have heard some people distinguish between Nagas and snakes. Snakes are also referred to as “sarpa” in many Indian languages. Some people suggest that Nagas are different from “sarpa” or snakes since they have traits that far exceed those of snakes, traits that far exceed those of humans as well. But the Nagas are definitely linked to snakes and in modern Indian culture, the difference is hardly ever considered. Nagas are also prevalent is South-East Asian culture.

A representation of a Naga as depicted in South East Asia

The Nagas, based on my knowledge have three traits that most Hindus are commonly aware of.

Firstly, they are symbolic of fertility, in humans and of the land itself.
Secondly, Nagas and snakes in general, are considered guardians. They are depicted as guardians of material wealth, like ancient and hidden treasure. They are also symbolic of wisdom and spiritual prowess.
Lastly, Nagas are considered technologically superior as cultures go, which is perhaps an offshoot of their being associated with wisdom.

I will share a couple of examples of this technological superiority. In the Mahabharata, during the Ashwamedha Yajna after the Kurukshetra War, Arjuna is killed by own son Babruvāhana. He is healed and brought back to life by his wife Uloopi, who is a Naga princess. Uloopi uses a “Naga Mani” to heal Arjuna. The “Naga Mani” is a popular trope in modern Indian entertainment as well. It again links treasure (Mani is a gemstone) with the Nagas. This story shows Nagas possessing technology or knowledge that allows them to perform tasks that are beyond normal humans. It brings them closer to the divinities in this sense.

Uloopi summoning the “Naga Mani” or the Gem of the Nagas. Image credit – “Uloopi”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

The other example is the “Sarpāstra” or the “Nagāstra”. “Astra” can be translated as an arrow or a projectile weapon. Astra can be used to depict any weapon that is discharged, with a bow or any other device (the air-to-air missile developed by India for its fighter aircraft is also called “Astra”). This is a special arrow used in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharta. This arrow is supposed to never miss, unlike other arrows. Further, an adversary who is struck by this arrow is either sure to die, with no hope of recovery, or be bound for all time, as one can never escape the weapon’s clutches. In essence, this Naga weapon is more capable compared to those used by humans.

A representation of the “Sarpastra” being superior to a normal human arrow. Image credit – “Uloopi”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

These positive traits associated with Nagas results in names associated with Nagas being widely prevalent in India even today! Names like “Nagaraj”, “Nagaswamy”, Nageshwar (male version) and Nageshwari (female version) and many others associated with Nagas are encountered by all of us regularly. All of these names translate to “King / Lord/ Chief” of the Nagas. I am sure all of us can recall at least one friend or relative who has a name associated with the Nagas. This is not to mean that snakes are not feared in modern India. There is a healthy respect for snakes all across India. The association with the Nagas, and hence snakes, is not new. Many royal lines from the times of Ramayana and Mahabharata to historical times link themselves to Naga ancestry.

It might seem that Nagas, who are part of legend and folklore in India are the ones who have positive traits. It is not snakes that have positive traits. I beg to differ on this point. I will share my personal opinion on this point. Let us begin with venom again. Earlier, I mentioned the astra named after snakes or Nagas. This is literally true in snakes! Snakes have developed the mechanism to deliver venom at a “stand-off” distance. There are multiple species of Spitting Cobras that have evolved a fang with an opening through which they can spray venom on an adversary, and keep them at bay. This is a true astra indeed!

Let us now consider aspects of snakes beyond the use of venom. Let us begin with the physical trait of snakes that everyone recognizes – the forked tongue that snakes possess and flick in and out of their mouth every now and then. Snakes use their tongue to analyse the environment around them. Snakes have an organ on the roof of their mouths, on the inside, called the “Jacobson’s Organ”. The tongue collects samples from the air and deposits it onto the Jacobson’s Organ, which in turn determines what the surrounding atmosphere is like. This is like snakes carrying around a lab inside their heads that can analyse their surroundings! This is miniature technology like no other!

The forked tongue of a snake

Of course, this is not limited to snakes. Other species have evolutionary senses that seem like magic, or at least marvels of technology, thanks to modern science. Some raptors (birds of prey) can see in the ultraviolet spectrum, sharks can detect the electrical signals in water to find food and elephants can communicate using infra sound. These are just a few examples from the natural world, without even considering the plant kingdom.

Considering evolutionary senses, one cannot ignore “the Pit” used by snakes. Pit vipers and some pythons have an organ called the “Pit” at the top of their heads on the outside. This pit is a sensory organ that allows the snakes that possess them to perceive their surroundings through something like “heat vision”. They can identify temperature differences to identify prey and track them.

So, considering just the two examples above, snakes carry in their heads, heat vision equipment and a lab to study their surroundings! 😛 This does indeed seem like high technology to us humans, in hindsight of course. Therefore, Nagas, who are linked to snakes and sometimes are nothing more than anthropomorphized forms of snakes, are no doubt considered wise and technologically advanced.

Nagas represented as part human and part snake. Image credit – “Uloopi”, published by Amar Chitra Katha

Even if one considers humans before modern science revealed all the “super senses” that snakes possess, we can still explain the fascination with snakes. In a previous article of mine***, titled “Ashta Siddhi and Budo”, I had discussed what are considered the “8 achievements” of a warrior and how they can be understood through modern budo practice. The fifth of these five achievements is called “Praapti”.

“Praapti” can be considered to be “able to receive everything”. This in modern parlance, in my opinion, refers to being able to perceive all the information in a given time and space, which in turn aids in conflict management and hopefully conflict mitigation. For practitioners of the Bujinkan, this would, again in my opinion, be nothing other than “Sakkijutsu”. Sakkijutsu, put simply, is one’s intuitive ability, which could also be termed as “awareness”, “situational awareness” or “mindfulness”.

The sensory abilities of snakes described earlier would be apparent to people in historical times, for they were keen observers of the natural world as well. The senses of snakes might not have been explained, but it would not be something unknown either. So, in a culture where, the ability to perceive the surroundings is celebrated as one of the “8 achievements” and the ability of snakes would be known, would snakes and therefore the Nagas, not be deeply respected as well? I would say that they definitely would be.

All of the above aspects I have mentioned are beyond the usual symbolism attached to snakes – that of growth. The act of moulting has made snakes a symbol of “growth” and therefore “transcendence”. The points shared above are from the perspective of a Hindu in modern India, who is also a practitioner of the Bujinkan (an expression of Budo).

I had started this post with a couple of quasi historical stories from Japanese history. I will now revert to Japan to make yet another point. During my training the Bujinkan, I have learnt from a mentor of ours, Arnaud Cousergue, that the Togakure Ryu, one of the schools of Ninpo Taijutsu (sometimes referred to as Ninjutsu) that we learn, is divided into 18 segments. Only a few of these 18 segments are trained in dojos these days. One of these 18 segments is “Kayaka Jutusu”. This refers to training the use of explosives. There is no segment that is attributed to the practice and use of poisons. But Ninjas did use poison as evidenced by the two stories mentioned earlier. So, could it be that a segment for poisons was not present in just the Togakure Ryu? Or was it subsumed under “unconventional weapons”, the chief of which was gunpowder and explosives in later centuries? I am not a historian and have no answer to this question.

In my personal opinion, this segment, “Kayaka Jutsu”, could perhaps be considered to refer to the use of unconventional weapons. A theory about the origin of the Togakure Ryu states that it originates in the 12^th century. This was before Japan’s first encounter with gunpowder and explosives, which was during the Mongol invasion, in the late 13^th century. So, maybe this segment among the 18 was added later during the evolution of the Togakure Ryu? Or, as mentioned earlier, was it that this segment referred to “unconventional weapons” in general and later became specific to explosives as that was the primary new weapon? I am assuming it was so. If anyone knows otherwise, please do share your knowledge with me.

While considering “unconventional weapons”, there is one trait of snakes that is truly staggering, the very definition of “unconventional”. Snakes have no ears and do not hear like other animals. Snakes sense vibrations through the bones in their head. But their “hearing” or perception of sound in comparison to humans and other animals is poor. But snakes use sound to warn potential threats.

Russel’s Viper

The best example of this are rattle snakes. They have evolved a rattle to warn creatures who intrude on their habitats. Similarly, in India, if anyone has heard the warning hiss of a Russel’s Viper, it sounds like a pressure cooker about to go off! In both these cases, sound is used as a warning device. This means that snakes use a medium of perception to warn creatures, that they themselves do not possess! Snakes cannot hear but know other creatures can! And they use that sense for the benefit of both! How cool is that! It is baffling and “unconventional” to say the least.

Of course, the ability to use a medium one cannot perceive well is a product of evolution over millions of years. And evolution itself brings to mind two aspects that are expressed in the Bujinkan. These are Kami Waza and the fourth of the Gojo, “Shizen no choetsu”.

Kami Waza is a concept where one moves during a fight in such an amazing manner that it seems like one was being moved by something divine. This is exactly what evolution is! The outcome of evolution seems truly magical in hindsight. I had referred to Kami Waza in my article about the Ashta Siddhi, which is linked here. “Shizen no choetsu” could be translated as “the transcendence of nature”. It is the fourth of the 5 Gojo that is oft quoted in Bujinkan dojos. I had written an article some time ago where I have discussed my understanding of the five Gojo. The same is linked here⁺.

Evolution that is seen in nature is about continuous and incremental changes to overcome challenges in ways that are inconceivable at any given time. The ability of a creature that does not use sound to ward off creatures that do use it, without knowing the experience of sound is exactly that! Transcendence in its essence! First an animal realizes that other animals perceive something that it does not, and then devices a means to use that perception to its advantage, but without developing that perception in itself! 😀 I know, I am saying this a lot, because it boggles the mind!

There is another Gojo, the third of the five that goes, “Shizen no Ninniku”. This can be translated as “the forbearance of nature”. This refers to how one needs to persevere through any activity, just like nature has an abundance of ability to take any challenge and over time overcome the same. I have discussed this also in my previous article. I will use a personal experience of mine to show this trait in snakes.

My family used to run a rescue and rehabilitation centre for wild animals within the city many years ago. This centre functioned from the late 1970s through the late 2000s. Sometime in the late 90s of the early 2000s, an interesting incident took place. We got a call from a local timber yard about a snake in one of the logs at their premises. It was a log that had been transported from Malaysia to India. In the log was a clutch of eggs that had not been noticed earlier and had somehow survived the processing of the tree before transportation.

One of the eggs hatched and a live Small Banded Kukri Snake emerged from the same. It was a Malaysian species of Kukri Snake which hatched in India. Unfortunately the snake did not survive long. But this does show how snakes can survive and extend their territories. In this case an egg travelled from Malaysia to India and hatched. We hear many stories of how Burmese Pythons have successfully created a habitat for themselves in Florida, the other side of the ocean.

A large Indian Rock Python

Snakes can endure habitat destruction, disturbances to their nests and dwellings, human trade in exotic pets and still find new habitats to inhabit. This is a wonderful example of how nature perseveres, its forbearance is infinite. This is not unlike how one needs to spend years to train the martial arts. It is a gradual process, demanding time, effort and many resources to be expended.

That is a roundup of the fascinating connections between snakes, the martial arts and Indian culture. In conclusion, snakes are like a living breathing sensor package, much like modern day fighter aircraft and other weapons systems. This is like “Praapti” in Hindu culture and Sakkijutsu in the Bujinkan. This is also the key behind modern day 5^th generation warfare, where conflicts are not kinetic and information gathering is of paramount importance and technology is a vital ingredient. Technology of a natural kind is what snakes also deploy, chemical weaponry, or venom, in a world where strength, speed and size matter. This leads back to the martial arts, where unarmed combat might be basic, but weapons are the true expression of the art. And we have not even spoken about flying snakes or the world of the sea snakes…

Acknowledgements – All images unless mentioned, were taken over the course of many years by various members of my family. I share my deep gratitude to my uncle, Dr. Shashidhar for sharing many images of the many creatures that shared our home over the decades.

This post would be incomplete without sharing a couple of images of another uncle of mine, the late Srinath. He had an innate understanding of all wild creatures and a knack for working with snakes that was, to say the least, intuitive. He could sense the temperament of any snake, or any animal for that matter, in an instant. Watching him work with wildlife will be something that I will never not miss!

Left – With a King Cobra. Right – With a Spectacled Cobra.

Notes:

* https://mundanebudo.com/2025/01/23/the-bujinkan-as-i-see-it-series-1-part-4/

** https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ch45c – watch between the 10 and 12 minute mark

*** https://mundanebudo.com/2022/12/22/the-ashta-siddhi-and-budo/

⁺https://mundanebudo.com/2023/03/16/the-gojo-a-personal-understanding/

The Bujinkan, as I see it – Series 1, Part 4

January 23, 2025January 12, 2025 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, Martial Arts, training3 Comments

Weapons and the feeling of armour/defensive equipment

In the first post of this series, I had given an introduction to this series and defined some basic concepts that will be revisited during subsequent posts. In the second post, I had looked in greater detail at the “Ten Chi and Jin”, which is considered the “basics” of the Bujinkan. In the third post, I discussed in brief the 5 styles of fighting and the 9 schools that make up the Bujinkan system of martial arts. In this post I will discuss the use of weapons as a part of training in the Bujinkan, which in my opinion is the most important aspect of the martial arts. This is one of the 4 aspects I had referred to as the “physical aspects” of the Bujinkan. These are seen in the screenshot below. The topic highlighted is the focus of this article.

A bit of a disclaimer before we start. A better title for this post would perhaps be “Martial Art, as I see it”. This post is a brief look at weapons as considered in martial arts as a whole, and is not specific to just the weapons used in the Bujinkan system alone. I might write an article about the weapons specific to the Bujinkan (there are a lot!) at a future date.

There is another serendipitous connection for this post. Three days from today is the 76^th Republic Day of India. Traditionally, the parade during Republic Day of India on Kartavya Path (previously Raj Path) is when a lot of India’s modern weapons systems are on display. They are accompanied by the marching contingents of various units of the Indian Defence Tri-services and various law enforcement organizations. So, a post about weapons so close to the annual display of India’s weapons, seems apt! 🙂

Weapons have always formed a vital part of both self-protection and evasion. All martial arts teach the use of weapons, except perhaps if they have evolved exclusively into sports. Even in this case, if there is a sport version and a traditional version of the same martial art, the traditional version tends to retain training with weapons. Of course, the weapon based fighting itself can evolve into a sport as well.

Once a practitioner has a fair knowledge of oneself and how to affect the opponent (from the Ten Chi and Jin in the case of the Bujinkan), she or he can start training with various weapons. The weapons used can generally be classified based on the range offered by the same. These are,

Short range weapons like the knife, kunai, wakizashi and other short swords, batons, yawara sticks, bagh nakh, katar, ankusha, war hammer and the like.
Medium range weapons like the walking stick, hanbo, jo, longer swords, tachi and katana, dand pata, gada and the like.
Long range weapons like the bo, quarter staff, spear, naginata, halberd, glaive, great sword, vita, dane axe and all the other pole arms.
Projectile weapons like dart, throwing axe, bow and arrow, throwing knife, shuriken, javelin, chakra and other similar weapons that are discharged.

Projectile weapons – Chakra (on the outside) and Shuriken (on the inside)

There are a few additional categories that could be considered. One category is flexible weapons. The weapons that fit into this category can be fit into one of the “ranges” based on how they are used. These include weapons like the urumi, nawa (rope), rope dart, manriki guzari, ball and chain, flails, large flails (almost pole arms), kusari gama (sickle and chain) and others that I might not even know of.

Left – Manriki Guzari, Right – Rassi Gola (Rope with Ball)

One other categorization of weapons that is very important is that between offensive and defensive weapons. The examples mentioned previously and categorizations consist entirely of offensive weapons. Defensive weapons include shields of various types, body armour and helmets of various kinds and protective clothing of any kind. This includes all protective equipment irrespective of which part of the body it protects from harm.

Defensive weapons are perhaps more important that offensive weapons as they are less likely to be illegal to either wear or carry around. Of course, they are also more important as they simply allow all practitioners to train with fewer injuries and more obviously, they are vital because they allow self-preservation with lesser experience in fighting. By this definition, bodyguards would be defensive equipment with offensive capabilities 😊 (this becomes more important I suppose for the near future, when drones take over these roles).

Dhal or Shield – this example is made of metal

Obviously, practitioners train with replica or training weapons without sharp edges and blunt or rounded points. This remains true almost always, irrespective of how experienced the people sparring or training with each other are, as the risk if injury is always to be mitigated when injuries are potentially fatal. Additionally, practitioners might wear protective equipment while training weapons (more so than with unarmed training). In cases where training happens without protective equipment, even with training weapons, practitioners learn to pull blows at the last instant or go slower with the attacks to mitigate injury and enable learning.

A student learns to first move with the weapon and then to use the weapon. Learning to move with a weapon correlates with the “Ten” aspect of unarmed combat and the “taihenjutsu” aspect of the styles of fighting mentioned in my previous article. Similarly, learning to use the weapon correlates with the “Chi” aspect of unarmed combat and the “daken taijutsu” or “jutaijutsu” aspect of the styles of fighting mentioned in my previous post.

Learning to move with the weapon is to learn of oneself with the weapon as an extension. This is very important as self-harm with a weapon is a real risk and to mitigate this, one needs to learn to be aware of or mindful of the weapon. This allows control of the weapon. In the initial stages, this awareness has to be practiced and can be tiring. Obviously, with experience, this becomes easier.

The use of the weapon is equivalent to learning how the weapon can affect an opponent. This is a reason why beginners start with shorter and lighter weapons, which are closer approximations of an extension of the human body. A knife or a kunai or a baton increases range beyond that of a fist, while still not being unwieldy for a student, in terms of momentum and weight.

To reiterate, learning to use a weapon is to realize how it can affect an opponent. A sword is not a staff with an edge, not is it as axe or a hammer where energy is concentrated. It is a device which is to be used with relative motion to cause damage. Similarly, an axe or a hammer requires momentum to cause damage. A staff on the other hand can be used as hammer if the tips of the same are deployed for the attack or it can be used to manipulate the balance of the opponent if it is used to manipulate the spinal structure or to apply joint locks on the opponent. The two can be used together in various ways. This is where one realizes that a weapon can be used with either daken taijutsu or jutaijutsu or a combination of the two (koppo justsu and kosshi jutsu).

An assortment of some weapons used in the Bujinkan system of martial arts

Just as a staff of different lengths can be used in different ways, a sword can be used as something other than a cutting implement as well. A sword could be a shield, an axe, a hammer, or a knife based on the scenario. Consider an opponent who is armoured. There is no way one can cut through the armour. Stabs into gaps in the armour are possible and causing blunt force injuries through the armour are possible, but not cuts. When the tachi was taught initially, this fact was always emphasized. The tachi was an earlier iteration of the nihonto (Japanese sword) compared to the katana. The tachi had its heyday during the Muromachi** period when fighting in armour was prevalent. So, the strike with the back or the blunt edge was also used.

This brings us to the next aspect of weapons training. Armour is the key. There are several aspects of traditional fighting that evolved from the use of armour and shields. Even if one is not wearing armour, it is important to learn its influence and fight like one is wearing the same, at least sometimes. This idea is something that we were reminded of from time to time in training.

To emphasize again, even if one is using a sword or a spear, the same will be used as a shield first, especially in the absence of or the presence of light armour. Protection is always of paramount importance, especially against weapons, even if one has access to one’s own offensive weapons. So, learning the ability to receive an attack from weapons with one’s own, in a defensive manner comes before using the weapon to cause damage to the opponent (the Ten and the Chi with the weapon). This is the “uke nagashi” (ways of receiving an attack) that we described in post regarding the “Ten Chi and Jin”, with weapons of course.

Yoroi – Japanese armour

A last point to note regarding armour and weapons is this. If an opponent is unarmoured, or at best lightly armoured, daken taitutsu would be feasible. If an opponent is well armoured, only jutaijutsu and its allied styles (kosshi jutsu) are feasible. In this context daken taijutsu refers to cutting and stabbing with a sword, stabbing with a spear or any other weapon, and of course striking with blunt force with any weapon is always feasible. If an opponent is well armoured, cuts are ineffective, stabs are only possible in openings which are not easy to access. Blunt force is viable, but is less effective than in the case of light or unarmoured opponents. Grappling is vital, even if one is using a sword or a spear against armoured opponents, as getting them on the ground or exposing openings in the armour has to be achieved only with manoeuvring the opponent’s protected frame.

The following table is a reasonable summary of the above observations.

	Armed & Armoured
Armoured & Armed	Cuts are not feasibleGrappling is vitalStabs feasible only into openingsBlunt force strikes useful but less effective
Unarmoured & Armed	Cuts, stabs and hits are feasibleEverything viable in armoured fighting is also feasible

There is one final point to consider regarding weapons; weapons that are not explicitly weapons. In my opinion, the most important of these are the laws of the land. These are weapons too, that are a protection if they are a deterrent to physical violence, or offensive weapons if they can cause trouble through punishment or the cumbersome legal process itself, which one has no training in. These are similar to the “generic competition” in the Porter’s Five Forces Model if that model is applied to weapons. 😛

From what I have heard, there are laws in places where a martial artist can be considered to have assaulted someone with deadly weapons, even if one did not use a real weapon. The knowledge and experience of the martial arts itself is considered a weapon! Similarly, in the case of bouncers, they are supposedly not allowed to initiate a physical encounter in some countries. There are also places, from the little that I know, where bouncers are not allowed to strike anyone, they are only allowed to use restraining and subduing techniques. In other words, they can only use kosshi jutsu or more specifically jutaijutsu even if the attack is daken taijutsu. So, awareness of laws and other such “non-weapons” might also be a part of mindfulness (or even Sakkijutsu*!) and martial artists, especially experienced ones cannot be oblivious of these aspects!

This non-weapon concept can also be expanded to using the weather and the terrain to one’s advantage, making knowledge and the ability to be mindful of the terrain and the atmosphere weapons as well. This is, in some ways, not unlike using the reflection from a sword to blind an opponent or using water gathered in the fuller of a sword to gain a moment by distracting the opponent. This then leads to using a cloak or a lantern or pocket sand/blinding powder as an accessory to weapons, which might lead to significant changes in the physical exchange.

I am ending the post with something I posted at the beginning of the first post in this series. Seen below is the reason I am posting this series of articles. This segment will be present at the end of each of the posts in this series, just as a reiteration.

Secondly, it is an opportunity for me to look back at my own thoughts about the Bujinkan. The thoughts are a document I can refer in the future to see if I my thinking has changed or evolved.

So, this series in not a deep dive, more like a primer of my thoughts with scope for expansion in each aspect. Most importantly, whatever knowledge can be gleaned from this series is a conversation starter or direction pointer at best; it does not in any way replace actual training in a dojo with fellow budoka and a teacher who can help one progress.

Notes:

* Sakkijutsu – intuitive ability, awareness, mindfulness

** The Muromachi period is contemporaneous with the Vijayanagar kingdom in India

The Bujinkan, as I see it – Series 1, Part 3

January 2, 2025January 2, 2025 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, Martial Arts, training3 Comments

The Schools and the Styles of fighting

Wish you all a happy new year and a wonderful 2025! 😀

On to the post now. 🙂

In the first post of this series, I had given an introduction to this series and defined some basic concepts that will be revisited time and again during subsequent posts. In the second post, I had looked in greater detail at the “Ten Chi and Jin”. In this post, the third in the series, I will look at the different schools that make up the Bujinkan system of martial arts. This is the second among the 4 aspects I had referred to as the “physical aspects” of the Bujinkan. These are seen in the screenshot below. The topic highlighted is the focus of this article.

The Bujinkan system of martial arts teaches five styles of unarmed fighting. These styles are fairly universal when it comes to humans fighting humans without firearms and projectile weapons. The Bujinkan system comprises of 9 schools of combat of which six are taught routinely. Of the remaining three, no regular teaching takes place. As I understand it, the schools are less important than the styles of fighting they encompass, as multiple schools can teach similar or related concepts. So, I will focus on the fighting styles and share a few words regarding the schools later in this article.

The five styles of fighting can more realistically be considered to be two styles of fighting, one layer of fundamentals and two other styles which are a combination of the other three, to achieve interesting objectives. The five styles are mentioned below.

Taihenjutsu
Daken taijutsu
Jutaijutsu
Koppo jutsu
Kosshi jutsu

Tainhenjutsu – This is the base layer and involves learning the ability to move the body as desired to achieve favourable outcomes in a fight. It could be said that this is comprised of the Ten Ryaku no Maki and quite a bit of the Chi Ryaku no Maki which I explored in the previous article in this series.

In the martial arts, without the correct positioning of the body, nothing can be achieved in a fight. And positioning can only be achieved with the ability to move the body as required in a given situation. Since Taihenjutsu is all about body movement, this is perhaps the most important layer in the Bujinkan. I would suspect that the equivalent of Taihenjutsu is the most important layer in all martial arts around the world.

A representation of Taihenjutsu, showing movement and body positioning. Sketch by Keane Amaral

Daken taijutsu – Daken taijutsu refers to the style of fighting that involves striking. By that definition, martial arts like boxing, kick boxing, mushti yuddha, sanda, taekwondo and the like are also expressions of daken taijutsu. Striking an opponent with any part of the body would qualify as daken taijutsu. This is not to preclude locks and throws. It is just that striking takes primacy in this style of fighting.

Striking effectively of course, requires one to be in the right position to execute the strike. Also, one needs to move out of range of any strike the opponent may carry out. This part of daken taijutsu is of course, still taihenjutsu. So, daken taijutsu is an additional layer over taihenjutsu.

A representation of Daken Taijutsu, showing potential strikes. Sketch by Keane Amaral.

Jutaijutsu – Jutaijustsu refers to the style of fighting that involves grappling, throws and joint locks. Based on this definition, Olympic wrestling, judo, Brazilian Jiujitsu, malla yuddha, kushti, aikido, sumo wrestling and the like, are expressions of jutaijutsu. The opponent here might be grappling or striking or using a combination of both. But the defence has a primacy towards immobilising the opponent using grappling, locking and throwing the opponent. Like with daken taijutsu, jutaijutsu does not preclude striking, but the focus in not towards striking is all.

Again, taihenjutsu is the base layer with jutaijutsu, even more so than with daken taijutsu. Getting an opponent to the ground to mitigate an attack, requires far more efficient body movement and positioning than striking, as physics and leverage play a very important role in the same. So, jutaijutsu is an additional option available to a practitioner of Budo apart from daken taijutsu, after taihenjutsu has been understood and executed.

An exaggerated representation of Jutaijutsu, representing taking down an opponent . An image I commissioned in a past Comic Con in Bangalore.

The next two fighting styles are expressions of the combination of the above three layers.

Koppo jutsu – Koppo jutsu is generally explained to be a fighting style that uses striking in a specialized manner. One strikes an opponent to affect the skeletal structure of the opponent. In other words, the strike is applied to displace an opponent from the position she or he was in. Alternatively, the strike could be to take the balance of the opponent. Once the opponent has been displaced or has lost balance, a follow through happens where additional strikes are applied, or a throw or lock can be applied as well. All of this could take the opponent down to the ground or the process could continue until the opponent ceases the attack and retreats.

In my opinion, koppo jutsu is a case of referring to taihenjutsu and daken taijutsu together. So, as a simple definition I would state the following.

Koppo jutsu = Taihenjutsu + Daken taijutsu

But in practice, koppo jutsu is as follows,

Koppo jutsu = Taihenjutsu + Daken taijutsu + Jutaijutsu

The above formulation can be explained as follows. Taihenjutsu is the basis of the movement. A strike is applied (daken taijutsu) while moving (taihenjutsu) to affect the opponent’s balance or position. This is followed with jutaijutsu to mitigate the attack effectively. This is the reason I have put jutaijutsu AFTER daken taijutsu in the above formulation.

Koppo jutsu’s defining feature is to strike with effective movement to affect the physical structure of the opponent. In other words, koppo jutsu seems to me to be designed to defeat the taihenjutsu of the opponent, or, the BASIS/ORIGIN of the opponent’s movement/attack. Any aspect of the earlier fighting styles can be used after this is achieved. So, there is no need for this fighting style to be visually different from daken taijutsu, or even jutaijutsu based on the finishing method applied. The difference can only be experienced by the people involved in the martial exchange that occurs.

A representation of Koppo Jutsu, showing a strike putting the opponent off balance. Sketch by Vishnu Mohan.

Kosshi jutsu – In simple terms, Kosshi jutsu can be termed as “specialized jutaijutsu”, in my opinion of course. The focus of this style of fighting is to affect the balance of the opponent by attacking her or his vertical or horizontal axis or the intersection of the two axes. Yes, this sounds awesome and farfetched at the same time. In reality, the attack is mitigated by attacking the hips, shoulders, knees and face of the opponent. Of course, the uke nagashi or receiving the attack without injury is very important here.

Uke nagashi occurs simultaneously with attacking the opponent’s balance. One moves the opponent’s hips or shoulders, knees or face while surviving the attack. This breaks the opponent’s balance even as the attack is being completed. The attack to the opponent’s axes (plural of axis, not the tool) can be with a strike or a push, it often is something in-between, which translates as a soft strike. Once the opponent has lost balance, she or he can be taken down with further daken taijutsu or jutaijutsu. If this is not achieved in the first move, the process continues until the attack is mitigated.

I guess it is obvious that taihenjutsu is again the origin of this fighting style. For uke nagashi has to be achieved while attacking the axes of the opponent. So, good, safe movement is the key to get into a safe position to apply an effective attack against the opponent.

In my opinion, kosshi jutsu can be explained as seen below.

Kosshi Jutsu = Taihenjutsu + Jutaijutsu

Here I use jutaijutsu to refer to “the taking of the balance” and not necessarily with a strike. In reality, the formulation could be thus,

Kosshi Jutsu = Taihenjutsu + Jutaijutsu + Daken taijutsu

Here, I add daken taijutsu AFTER jutaijutsu, as the primary objective of breaking the opponent’s axes, & hence balance, is geared more towards jutaijutsu rather than daken taijutsu. But the finishing, after the opponent’s balance is taken, can be achieved by applying additional jutaijutsu or daken taijutsu, as the situation warrants. So, in the above formulation, jutaijutsu and daken taijutsu can be interchanged or added twice! It really does not matter. Here again, a bystander might not see a visual difference between kosshi jutsu, daken taijutsu, jutaijutsu and kosshi jutsu. It is purely something experienced by those physically involved in the martial exchange.

An exaggerated representation of Kosshi Jutsu, representing taking an opponent’s balance by misaligning the vertical axis (the spine). An image I commissioned in a past Comic Con in Bangalore.

I must add a qualifier here. These explanations are based on my learning from my teacher and mentors. It is not even necessarily the opinion of my teacher and mentors. There could be other interpretations of these fighting styles from other practitioners who have a lot more experience as compared with mine. Also, people studying the history, origins and evolution of these styles within the context of even just the Bujinkan could have a different interpretation of these fighting styles.

Now we return the schools mentioned earlier. The Bujinkan system comprises of 9 different schools. I will not expound too much on these, but share a few lines about each. One has to physically train and experience the schools for a deeper understanding. Also, since description of the sighting styles fairly encompasses what could be described in brief about the schools. Also, I will revisit the schools in a future article, when we look at some of the non-physical aspects of the Bujinkan, which involves how historical context shapes what we learn in the martial arts.

There are two schools of Daken taijutsu. These are the Shinden Fudo Ryu and the Kukishinden Ryu. The difference between the two is that the Kukishinden Ryu has a lineage of fighting while wearing armour, while the lineage of the Shinden Fudo Ryu is from fighting in wooded areas. Hence, one would expect to be lightly armoured, if at all, while having more obstacles than in the case of the Kukishinden Ryu.

Representative Japanese armour, an example we have at our dojo

Koppo jutsu is represented by the Koto Ryu and the Gikan Ryu. The Koto Ryu is the source of a lot of the basics in the Ten Chi and Jin described in the previous article in this series. The Gikan Ryu supposedly has no densho (scroll/manual) or defined forms/techniques and is not explicitly taught in the Bujinkan.

Kosshi jutsu is represented by the Gyokko Ryu, which is supposed to be the oldest of the schools taught in the Bujinkan. Its historicity is supposed to be from fighting in the small spaces in the interiors of royal buildings and applied by nobles for self-protection.

Jutaijutsu is represented by the Takagi Yoshin Ryu. This school was used by bodyguards of the nobles, and they had a need to immobilize and arrest attackers for later information gathering. Killing the attacker would result in the identity of the person ordering the hit being lost. Of course, this is the objective, it does not mean that assassins were always captured alive.

Lastly, there is the style of Ninpo taijutsu. This is not mentioned in the five styles of fighting as I understand the system. The Togakure Ryu is a ninpo taijutsu school and is taught routinely in the Bujinkan. Based on my experience of the same, it has elements of taihenjutsu (surprise!) daken taijutsu and jutaijutsu.

Two other schools of ninpo taijutsu are a part of the Bujinkan system. One is the Gyokushin Ryu, which does not have a densho, but Soke taught the essence (key points) of this school to a few Daishihan who have shared the same with the rest of the practitioners. The last school of ninpo taijutsu is the Kumogakure Ryu, which also has no densho. I have heard it said that this school had teachings related to disguises, hiding and such. But I have no real knowledge about this school to comment further. This again, is not taught in the Bujinkan despite being a part of the system.

Ninpo taijutsu includes training weapons, espionage, meteorology and use of firearms and explosives, from a historical perspective. These are not commonly taught in most dojos. However, Ninpo Taijutsu is also a source of several concepts that are not just for application in a physical fight. These are aspects I will likely look at in a future article.

So, of the nine schools, six are taught and practiced routinely, while three are not. Of these, practitioners have access to the essence/key points of one, while of the last two, nothing is really known, at least by me.

Secondly, it is an opportunity for me to look back at my own thoughts about the Bujinkan. The thoughts are a document I can refer in the future to see if I my thinking has changed or evolved.

So, this series in not a deep dive, more like a primer of my thoughts with scope for expansion in each. Most importantly, whatever knowledge can be gleaned from this series is a conversation starter or direction pointer at best; it does not in any way replace actual training in a dojo with fellow budoka and a teacher who can help one progress.

Budo, prosperity and the Elephant Festival (Aane Habba)

December 19, 2024December 3, 2024 Vikram M RBudo, Bujinkan, hinduism, Indian Culture, Indian History, Martial Arts, trainingLeave a comment

A majestic tusker in the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve

Nine years ago, on a trip to Japan one of our mentors made a very interesting statement. It was a trip to train at the Bujinkan Hombu¹ dojo with some of the senior most teachers in the system. At that time, a lot of us had passed the Sakki² test to receive the 5^th Dan just a few years previously. Many more of our buyu³ passed the test and achieved the 5^th Dan during that trip. The 5^th Dan is a requisite to receive a “Shidoshi”⁴ certificate, which is a prerequisite to start teaching the students of the Bujinkan.

During that trip, one of our mentors, Sensei Darren Horvath, said something very interesting. Sensei Darren has always considered the teachings in the dojo as applicable to human life as a whole, and not just as those applicable in a physical altercation.

He said that the achievement of the rank of “Shidoshi” means that the person who achieves this should be able to, in the near term, at least double her or his income, as a result of the learning achieved so far. This was in the context of how the learning from becoming a Shidoshi should lead to a considerable improvement in the quality of life of the Shidoshi. Considering how monetary wealth is vitally important in modern day life, there should be a surplus of it, which allows for other pursuits important to one’s life. It was in light of this opinion that the earlier statement was made.

To put it simply, personal prosperity is supposed to be an outcome of the training put in, to achieve the Shidoshi certification. This could be classified under the personal or self-development that results from training the martial arts. The Sakki test that needs to be passed on the way to a Shidoshi certification requires development of trust in one’s own intuitive abilities. This can also be called mindfulness or awareness of any situation. This development of an individual is expected to help one advance in aspects of life that have nothing to do with physical combat or the martial arts.

As a Hindu and an Indian, the idea of prosperity is an intersection between Budo and Hindu culture that stands out. This idea inspired this post. Personal prosperity (including monetary wealth), as I understand it, is a vital aspect of Hindu culture. One of the Goddesses we routinely pray to is Lakshmi, who is the Goddess of wealth and also the consort of Lord Vishnu. Another divinity, who is not prayed to as much is Kubera, who is considered the God of Prosperity & Wealth. Kubera is also the lord of the Yakshas.

The wealth of Kubera represented by his loan to the wedding of Lord Venkateshwara. Image credit – “Venkateshwara Taanada Chitragalu”, published by Pioneer Publications

In a previous article of mine, I had shared a sutra* from the Arthashastra, one line of which says “Dharmasya moolam arthaha”. This means that “artha”, or wealth, is the root of Dharma. Wealth is vitally important for Dharma to exist and permeate all walks of life. Dharma, as I understand it, is “that which sustains”. This means that Dharma is doing what needs to be done to sustain a good life. This is why Dharma is sometimes referred to as “doing the right thing” or “doing the best thing possible in a given situation”. Thus, wealth, or prosperity, is very important for a good life by doing the right things. Personal prosperity is the root!

One symbol of prosperity in India, since a very long time, is the elephant. This is perhaps because people or institutions who owned an elephant(s) in India were prosperous, for owning an elephant was expensive, not to mention maintaining several of them. One of the eight forms of Devi Lakshmi is titled, “Gaja Lakshmi”, where Gaja means an elephant. The elephant is associated with Lakshmi as she is the Goddess of Wealth/Prosperity, and the elephant is a symbol of the same.

A representation of the arrangement during the celebration of Aane Habba (Elephant Festival)

15^th of December, 2024 was celebrated as “Aane Habba” or “The Elephant Festival”. The date of the festival changes every year as it is based on the Tamil Solar calendar. This is a festival specific to my community and not a festival that is widely observed in India, or elsewhere. But the day on which the Aane Habba is celebrated is observed variously by different Hindu communities. The day on which the festival falls is the Poornima (full moon day) of the Kartika month according to the Tamil Solar calendar. It is an auspicious time and hence is celebrated under different names by different groups.

Devi Lakshmi on the white elephant above

One of these is “Kiru Deepavali” or “Little Diwali”. Another is “Vishnu Deepam”. Yet another festival that occurs a day or two earlier is “Karthigai Deepam”

The Kartika month itself is very important for historical reasons. The “Bali Jatra” festival happens in the state of Odisha during this month. Historically this was the beginning of the voyage from India to South East Asia (Bali in particular) for trade. Bali Jatra is associated with the Kartika Poornima festival. This occurred on 15^th November in 2024. This voyage generated enormous wealth historically for the merchants involved and for the nations along the coast. This is the Poornima based on the Lunar calendar, hence the difference in the date of the festival.

The Aane Habba itself is specifically celebrating the elephant, which is another way of saying that we celebrate prosperity and wish for more of it, and in perpetuity. This specific aspect of the festival brings us back to the same idea in Budo which I started with. The notion of personal prosperity seems vitally important, if one is a Hindu. The same idea being reflected as an objective for Budo practice, makes it a wonderful reason to train the same. 😊

Notes:

¹ Hombu – headquarter

² Sakki – intuition

³ Buyu – martial family

⁴ Shidoshi – Master Instructor

* https://mundanebudo.com/2024/01/18/maryada-purushotham-rama-and-the-martial-arts-control-is-the-key/

Menu

Mundane Budo

An exploration of budo in Indian culture

Martial Arts

“Fortress India” and the essence of “Totoku Hysohi no Kamae”

The Magic of the Feet, from Bhakti to Budo, Kamae to Tradition

A, B, C, D, E – Conflict Management in Budo, Industry and Life

Shashti and the Sixties

Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj – The Bagh Nakh and the Shuko

The Bujinkan, as I see it – Series 1, Part 5 (of 5)

Learning from oral transmission and experiences in the training spaces

Year of the Snake – An Indian perspective through Budo

The Bujinkan, as I see it – Series 1, Part 4

Weapons and the feeling of armour/defensive equipment

The Bujinkan, as I see it – Series 1, Part 3

The Schools and the Styles of fighting

Budo, prosperity and the Elephant Festival (Aane Habba)