This year I went to the Daikomyosai.
I dined. I trained. I trained. I met up with old friends. I trained and trained. I dined with my Buyu. I trained and trained again. I met up with more friends. I trained and trained yet again. I attended the party. I attended the after party party. I trained. I trained. I trained. I waved goodbye to the Soke and I came home.
Yes, that was it in a nutshell. I wish I could say more but the honest truth is that the things I realized about Japan, the Bujinkan, about people and about myself on this trip can not be written at this time. I am well fed on this latest experience and no doubt will digest upon it for some time. All I can report to you now are the messages that I heard above all others, most of which have been relayed time and time again:
1) Strive to have a universal view. Budo is not about one culture or group but an interweaving aspect of humanity. We should understand this and look out for it as we go about our lives.
2) It is important to utilize the kukan (space). Not just any kukan but the correct kukan point or kyusho of the kukan.
3) The training is more about feeling ultimately than anything else. Being able to cultivate the correct feeling is what the art is about. This feeling allows us to find the correct place to be in the current moment.
4) Being able to flow freely and adapt to the attack is critical to prevent the feeling from dying. Nothing remains the same so in order to remain alive there must be constant adaption.
5) At the same time, not having any fundamentals from which to break free from is an exercise in futility. There are many good 15th Dans in the world to learn from.
6) The 15th Dans play an important role, and it is not just important that they study hard but also that they act well and have a good heart.
7) Understanding the history of the art is useful and to a certain extent critical, but it is also less important than the training itself. There is a need to find the correct balance between the past and the present in order to create a good future.
8) Keep going!
