Bujinkan 弱骨 Jakkotsu

From https://www.rojodojo.com A preview of my Bujinkan video exploring 骨法術 koppōjutsu and 弱骨 jakkotsu. We began by reviewing the fourth waza I studied with Noguchi Sensei in Japan last month. The three kicks in this form really attack the structure of the opponent.

Our main focus was jakkotsu. Normally in the Bujinkan we know this as a kyusho or weak point on the arm. The first kanji is 弱 jaku which means weakness. And koppōjutsu attacks the 骨 kotsu, the core or bone structure of the body, but Hatsumi Sensei also refers to the koppō or kotsu that means skill or secret. We are learning the skill to find the weakness in our opponent.

We moved to the fifth waza I did with Noguchi Sensei. This comes in a series of rapid fire strikes. He said it was like a machine gun.

Hatsumi Sensei used the word 開く hiraku for the evasion. This means opening up. And it comes in a small movement of the foot.

Soke said it was like the walk of The Little Tramp, “your feet are out like this. It's like Charlie Chaplin style. It's important to discover that budo is connected to these things in life.” When Soke said this he pantomimed the walk and we all laughed.

All five strikes happen quickly. The last one targets the kyusho 時 toki, also called 強経 kyokei. This pins or breaks the foot as the opponent collapses.

Now that we had a feel for the form, I moved into an expression of 人動説 jindōsetsu for our taijutsu. This is an advanced idea that Hatsumi Sensei shared with us when he said it was something for us Daishihan to study. Jindōsetsu is a theory of dynamic human change and movement.

When you deal with different opponents or different attacks, you can’t respond with a form. Your response must be dynamic. And it is a reflection of what they bring to the fight. Bounce whatever they throw at you right back on them.

In this case the 骨 kotsu, or structure that you break is not purely physical. The opponent has structure with their body, but also in their mind. And there is even structure to the kukan. What happens when we find weakness in their thoughts or in the space itself?

We finished by exploring 開く hiraku during iai with the sword. As our opponent punches or cuts in with his own sword, we draw under. Then pivot to find weakness by striking with the kashira.