In this section we post what’s new with our Dojo; our students; seminars and other events that we are hosting or going to; and events and information from the Bujinkan Hombu (for example, Daikomyosai, etc.).  This is also the home of our Newsletter and Blog - Tengu no Mono.

Ofter following the discussion from Ohashi-Sensei (on Facebook and his Website), the comments others posted, as well as what Shihan Arnaud Cousergue has said - the Bujinkan Theme for 2011 is Kihon Happō but not the regular meaning of Kihon Happō.  Ohashi-Senesi posted the Kanji for this phase and I then went to my Essential Kanji, (O`Neill, P.G., 1973/1976, 3rd printing, Weatherhill, New York) and I found some interesting information.  Soke Hatsumi-Sensei is using a mixture of On and Kun readings of the Kanji to make the prase 'Kihon Happō'.  The first Kanji is 'Ki' (Number 641 in Essential Kanji) and it means 'season' as in the four seasons.  The second Kanji 'Hon' (1551) means wave/flutter.  Both are On readings.  The third Kanji 'Ha' (636) is Ha(tsu) meaning 'the beginning' and it is the Kun reading, the On reading is 'Sho' as in 'Shodan' beginning level.  The fourth and last Kanji 'Ho' (1490) is the On reading and it means to 'destroy or demolish'. So perhaps a possible meaning of 'Kihon Happō' as Soke Hatsumi-Sensei wrote it is "to flow with or crash through the season (moment) by destroying or going beyond the beginning or basics or first level".  This is only one idea.

When I use a different Kanji Dicitonary to look at 'Kihon Happō' the meanings as reported in Kanji and Kana, (Hadamistzky, W. and Spahn, M., 1981/1992, 17th printing, Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vt.) are 'Ki' (465), 'Ha(tsu)' (679), and 'Ho' (1122) and are the same as reported in Essential Kanji (the numbers refer to those in Kanji and Kana).  'Hon' (596), however, has a slightly different meaning between the two dictionaries.  In Kanji and Kana, this Kanji means to 'change', 'turn over', as well as 'wave', however, both are using the On reading.  This could change the meaning of 'Kihon Happō, to 'Reversing/Changing the season (moment) by destroying the beginning or first level'.  Again this is just one idea.

On Kanji

Soke Hatsumi-Sensei is very skilled in the Literary Arts as well as with his phenomenal movement.  He is a very successful Caligraphy Artist as well.  Whenever I try to research material Soke Hatsumi-Sensei presents us, I often have to use different/older Kanji dictionaries to find the Kanji he uses.  For instance the character 'Ko' for tiger is not in this Kanji dictionary that I use regularly - Kanji and Kana but it is in Essential Kanji. 

I remember reading or watching something from Soke Hatsumi-Sensei in which he said that he wanted all of his students to get Ph.D.s.  I believe that one meaning of what Soke Hatsumi-Sensei was saying is that we need to research these concepts thoroughly. The discussions around 'Kihon Happō' as Soke Hatsumi-Sensei has written it, certainly reaffirms the need for careful study.  Over this up-coming year Soke Hatsumi-Sensei will show the meaning of 'Kihon Happō', however as students we need to make sure we understand his meaning to take full advantage of what Soke Hatsumi-Sensei is teaching us.