Tokyo seminar report April-June 2021
I have been practicing since April of this year. Thank you very much for your guidance, Ushiro Sensei and Enomoto Sensei. I have received a lot of energy and I am filled with gratitude and excitement.
At the first training session, from the beginning when Sensei talked about black holes and gravity to the practice that followed, everything made sense, and I was able to clearly recognize that the theme of "energy, time, and weight" was at the root. I felt a fresh impression that this is how the practice of integrated facts and theories should be.
I was amazed at the delicacy of the grip when handling the wooden sword, which Sensei taught us at the beginning of the training. First, I placed my palm, then gently wrapped my little finger and middle finger around it. At the same time, I put my thumb over it. As the Ki originates from the center of the palm, there must be a space between the palm and the hilt.
When practicing with your partner holding the wooden sword for verification, you should practice neutralization through the wooden sword at the moment of contact, without thinking about pushing. I was biting my tongue and chewing on the happiness of being allowed to participate in the practice.
I felt that this was a lesson that I would never have encountered if I had been under a low-level master or had been practicing in my own way. When I think of the many more discoveries to come, I feel the greatness of the culture and Ushiro Karate, and I have hope for the next training.
During the free sparring, there was a moment when I lost my Ki. However, when my partner (senior student), who had still Ki threw me, my Ki came through to me again and I was able to do the technique. While I couldn't help but be happy because I felt that I could do it, soon after, Sensei told me that the moment you think you have done it, you cannot do it anymore.
It was exactly the kind of guidance that immediately warned me of my pride in thinking that I could do it. While dealing with a large number of students, I wondered how Sensei could provide such personalized guidance to so many students without speaking to them individually. At the same time. I was dumbfounded by Ushiro Sensei’s unfathomable human power. I learned that humility is not just a mental theory, but a very practical teaching that is in line with how the human brain and body work.
In one of the lectures, Sensei talked about work and time. A short term view where everything is reactive, a mid-long term view which is a 3-5 years vision, and a bujutsu view which is an entire life. In a regular world, it is considered difficult to even have a 3-5 years vision. Then it is clear how Ushiro Sensei is on a totally different level with his bujutsu view. How does he view the world? I would like to have eyes that are as close to his perspective as possible, and I need to devote myself to it. That’s what the lecture made me think.
Since the first practice, I have been ruminating carefully on the sparks that were given to me. I have been challenging myself to practice alone, making sure not to become a self-centered thinker. I'm trying to think about what would happen if I brought the feeling of the inside of my hand when I held the sword to the soles of my feet.
When I hold a sword, I realize how I used to move my hands selfishly when empty handed. At first, I could not even perform a cut in a straight line. But as I mindlessly repeated, there was a moment when I forgot the existence of the sword and felt as if my Ki was spreading into the space around me. At that time, I was not aware of any particular physical movement, and I think I was just tracing the kata. As I experienced these moments repeatedly in my daily practice, I gradually became able to swing my sword straighter and straighter. I am happy with this change and I feel a sense of fulfillment that I have never felt before. I never knew that practicing alone could be so much fun.
In karate training, I practice basic and kata while reviving the feeling of holding a sword.
But I soon found myself reverting to selfish movements. I try to get back to the sword swing feeling and try to bring it to the karate movements little by little.
Even before being allowed to participate in the karate Jissenjuku, I had experienced the difference between muscular power and martial arts power (Ki) when participating to Dojuku for 4 years. However, I had no idea of why they were so different, and even when I tried to convey the difference to others, I could not do it well.
However, after practicing at the Jissenjuku, I realized that while muscle power can only be used to endure a crisis (the surrounding environment or a looming enemy), bujutsu power can be used to change the opponent. In other words, bujutsu power is a power on a different level that can change an opponent, or in extreme cases, even turn an enemy who is trying to kill you, into a friend.
While still an immature impression, it finally made sense to me why the two were on different levels. By embracing, harmonizing with, and raising the level of the other person, you can make them less of a danger to you. This is love, and I believe it is the truth of the universe.
When you reach a higher level, there is love and there is no conflict. This is why Ushiro Karate is the ultimate form of Budo.
I think it is a miracle that I have been blessed with the opportunity to learn Ushiro Karate, and I believe that those who are blessed with this miracle must return the benefits to society through the one person revolution. I strongly believe that this is the mission of us students.
It has been only two months since my first practice, and I feel a mixture of infinite hope and a sense of tension at being on the path to explore the unfathomable depths. And I am really happy to be able to participate in the practice every month from now on.
Ushiro Sensei, Enomoto Sensei, and all the seniors of Jissenjuku, I would like to ask for your continued guidance and support.
Thank you very much.
Tokyo Jissenjuku Seminar Student DS
Thank you very much Ushiro Sensei, for showing us the incredible world every time. In the practices from April to June, there was a class based on the video of a black hole. In the video, a scientist was describing that if you are swallowed by a black hole and rotate, you will be connected to a new universe and dimension. I thought this was exactly what happened when we held hands and rotated, and when Sensei enabled us with Ki, we rose from the lower dimension of collision to the higher dimension of harmony, and we were able to apply our techniques to each other. I thought that the macro level was the black hole in the universe and the micro level was the "Ki" of Ushiro Karate. To generate the energy of the universe and to give energy to the opponent is "love" in human emotion. I have been shown this in various ways. At the same time, we can know the absolute fact that the universe is full of what we call "love," and that the universe is full of energy. It is only our ego that says we don't have energy. We can know this. In Ushiro Karate, we can feel the truth and laws of the universe through our own body, not through theories. The more we feel it, the more we realize the greatness of the universe, the magnificence of the body, and the preciousness of the existence of the teacher who conveys it to us. During sparring, we cannot move at all due to the strong gravitational force that is created on the spot. However, this state can also be used to protect the opponent, and we can experience with our body that we can protect our opponent with love, and even raise their dimension. Isn't this the very truth of the universe, that a being who has ascended to a higher dimension can protect a being in a lower dimension and raise them to a higher dimension? I can't help but be moved by this. Ushiro Karate is a way to feel the truth of the universe with our body. I believe that Ushiro Karate is the one and only means of ascending to a higher dimension that exists today. I am truly grateful to have found Ushiro Karate in my life. I am truly grateful to have been given life by the heavens and to have been born just to have encountered this place. I feel this from the bottom of my heart. Ushiro Karate is not about win and lose which are the low dimension but it is about fighting with yourself. Through kata training and Bunkai, we gradually realize that we are free in the truest sense of the word, that we are free to decide our own possibilities. Through that process, we also learn to let go of our ego. As we grow older, we lose the potential that we were able to feel when we were children. Common sense, knowledge, and sports took these potential from us. Through Ushiro Karate, we can regain that lost potential. And if we walk that path, we can raise the level of those who are suffering and trying to walk the same path. As someone who takes peace for granted and has a disease of being healthy, when I go back to my daily life, even though Sensei has raised my level of consciousness through practice, my eyes immediately become vacant and I unconsciously enter the cage of common sense that I have lived in my whole life. Then, when I moved my body, I would get tired, and I would start to worry about other people and completely lose the fresh mind/heart that I got enabled with Ki. In May, a boy with Down's Syndrome came to observe the practice, tried the greetings and successfully pushed many people. Sensei told us that the boy started to greet people every day after that. I think this is exactly how what we learn in practice is reflected in our daily lives. I was really stunned when I saw the video of the second grade girl in Sensei's column. Her eyes, her posture, and her body were so relaxed and free of tension that I realized how stiff I was and how I had stopped breathing. What I also realized was how much she loved karate, was seriously committed, and in such a natural state that she is not even aware of it. Also, her eyes were really straight and serious, as if they were penetrating me. I knew she would enter to me. In the sword teachings, Sensei taught me how to grip the sword and so on with such care that I could not have asked for more, but the content was of such a high level that it could be called the very essence of the art. I feel very fortunate to have been able to receive such guidance and instruction from the greatest sword masters of our time. I think that sword practice (and karate, of course) is the most blessed thing to receive from Sensei. I think that I have to bring in the physical sensations I get from sword practice to karate. In the past three months of practice, I have received a lot of teachings on swords, the seriousness of children, the black hole and Ushiro karate, which has really benefited my training and helped me change and grow more than ever before in my life. I am very happy to have been able to spend such time and practice in such a place and time is really a precious time in my life. That's how I feel. It was a great opportunity for me to learn more about myself and what I am going to do in the future, and for what purpose I am learning Ushiro Karate. I need to be more aware of this. I want to be able to face Ushiro Karate more seriously, to change and grow, to be happy, and to make the people around me happy. The only thing that remains to be seen is how deeply and seriously I can face Ushiro Karate, which can bring out the true energy of human beings. I think it all depends on me. Half of the year has already passed. However, during the monthly practices, I had experiences that I would never have had if I had lived a normal life, even if it took a lifetime. I would like to use what I have felt and gained from these experiences to raise my own level, turning dots into lines and surfaces. For the past six months, I have had truly wonderful practices, and even more wonderful experiences through them. Every moment of this practice is filled with something really important. Now it is up to me to increase the scale and realize it. I would like to further deepen what I have learned here and connect it to my own growth. I would like to ask for your continued guidance and encouragement. Tokyo Jissenjuku student Farmer YF
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