In May 2005 I had the privilege of traveling to Japan and training in the Bujinkan Hombu dojo under Soke Masaaki Hatsumi and the top Shihan of the Bujinkan. I say a privilege because when you study the history of the arts of the Bujinkan and then immerse yourself in the training and environment of its origins, it is a very unique and humbling experience. In New Zealand there are only a handful of people in the Bujinkan who have been to Japan to train. This is my experience and impressions of someone who has been studying this art for over 20 years-and martial arts for over 30.

Early in my training I was introduced to the principle of "Musha Shugyo" or "Warrior quest". This is moving from a position of comfortability into uncharted waters and using your god given talents to survive. You could say that every time you step onto the mat or even walk out your front door this is also Musha Shugyo to some degree. This depends on your state of mind and perception and is a principle of someone on a "Warrior path". This can also apply to other aspects of life and is not just unique to Budo. Life is a series of interactions between you and your environment. In a broader sense, the term environment encompasses everything around you, most importantly the people you come into contact with on a daily basis. Looking deeper into the aspects of the techniques that we practice, one can use these as a guide to help you understand how to deal with your environment and people. For example, people can be related to different weapons. Some have a long reach, like a Bo (Staff), others can be seen as entangling, like a Kyoketsu Shoge and each can be utilised for their special properties, just as the weapon can. Or these principles can help you to understand their capabilities and threats to you.

For those that do not know about or understand the Bujinkan and the Kobudo Taijutsu that we practice, here is a brief introduction to what the Bujinkan is about. Firstly it is a collection of 9 martial arts, 3 Chinese, 3 Samurai and 3 Ninjutsu schools. Soke Masaaki Hatsumi is grandmaster of each of these and holds Menkyo Kaiden (Master license) for each school. Handed down to him, by his teacher Toshitsugu Takamatsu, who is recorded to have killed over a dozen people in combat, using the techniques of these arts and won many more fights. Soke Hatsumi is a national treasure in Japan and is recognised as the last true ninja master. Secondly, although there are many techniques practiced that are designed to maim and kill your opponent, it is not essentially a combat system, but focuses on survival. In fact one of the key principles of Ninjutsu is to gather information without being detected. With this emphasis on survival there is no sparring as such and less emphasis on "winning". In real combat there is no such thing as a winner-just take a look at the major conflicts in the world today, most are based on reprisals from adversaries who had "lost" previous conflicts-and so it goes on and on.

With the focus on survival, I would like to look at my personal journey to my arts homeland. From the outset, I must say that I did go with a group of people and had money in my pocket, but I would like to share the survival principles that I learnt that can be applied to anyone on a Musha Shugyo. More importantly, the principles of the Martial arts that I have learnt that can save your life in a foreign environment. Also I live my life as a warrior. This doesn't mean that I physically fight everyone and am an aggressive person. In fact many of the people that I deal with do not know or would never guess that I study martial arts and are surprised when they find out. There are many levels to combat and as a warrior there is no difference to me, from someone throwing a punch to throwing a verbal insult or attack-just a different degree or intensity of energy. People who know me, would also have heard me say that I learn more from the journey than I sometimes learn from the teacher and their techniques.

Bujinkan Kobudo Taijutsu focuses on the principle of minimum effort for maximum effect. Putting this into other terms, you could say minimum amount of energy for maximum effect. Energy could also be money, as money can be transformed into many forms of energy from food to transportation. To survive is to conserve energy (money) and expend it where it will provide maximum effect. So there are several areas of survival that need to be considered. Also paying attention to the environment-in Budo this is being aware of the dangers on a battlefield that could kill you. Not just others with weapons, but terrain, weather, poisons, structures etc.

I have one very proud moment that I would like to share before I talk about Japan that is very relevant. I had a student who although showed great promise, became skeptical of what I was teaching and after a time started missing training-eventually not turning up at all. Teachers loose students all the time, so all I could wish for was that at some stage later on in his life, he may have an opportunity to realise some of the principles I had taught him, that may help him to survive. About a year after he left training, I was watching the TV news and a story was run on NZ troops in Indonesia. This was just after Private Leonard Manning (a NZ soldier) was brutally murdered and this was the point of the story. The reporter was asking NZ troops if they were worried about meeting the same fate as their comrade. A young soldier in camouflage replied with "we do whatever it takes to survive" – this was the student who had left the dojo and these were my words that I said to all of my students over and over again.

Japan is fortunately a very un-hostile environment, but people still die there of dangerous things. Even eating the wrong food in a restaurant can kill you-such as the fish Fugu. In Takamatsu sensei's Ninjutsu Hiketsu Bun (Essence of the Ninja) he says "By opening his eyes and his mind, the ninja can responsively follow the subtle seasons and reasons of heaven, changing just as change is necessary, adapting always, so that in the end there is no such thing as surprise for the ninja." I interpret this as being aware of your environment, as people can be easily "swallowed up" and killed by such things if they are not careful. Everything from starving to death, to being poisoned, to dying in a earthquake (in Japan we experienced 3 in 10 days). Where you can't get prior knowledge of an environment you are venturing into, it is necessary to keep your eyes open for danger by considering these points;

Traveling

Traveling in Kobudo is associated with how and where you move. You can move out of danger and harms way or to the contrary, into danger. This all depends on where and how you place your body. Being aware of where and how you move is all about strategy.

Of course travel is very safe, in most cases, but there are a lot of ways to minimise the risks of being injured or killed. The trip to Japan from NZ is around 11 hours. During this time, it is possible to succumb to dehydration, food poisoning, DVT (deep vein thrombosis), turbulence, hijacking and even crashing-although you have more chance of dying from a paper cut, than you have in an airplane crash. However, things like being at the rear of the plane has its advantages. Statistically, you are more likely to survive a crash in the tail. You can get a view of any hijacking activity before it happens. You are close to the rear exit and would be one of the first out. DVT is a reality, so it is advantageous to keep moving around (a principle of Budo) during the flight. Take on heaps of water to prevent dehydration also. Taking public transport in Japan is the best way to get around. But a lot of time, money and energy can be lost, by not being prepared or understanding where you are going. Also understanding protocols and signs on trains, such as where you can and cannot sit and where you can use a cell phone. Not understanding these could cost you an unnecessary trip to the police station. Getting yourself a day pass can save money if you understand what lines it can be used on. Also there are some lines that are privately owned in Tokyo, so you may have to exclude those from your route and go around the "long way". If you catch taxis, have a card with the place where you are staying or traveling to, to make sure you get there, rather than trying to speak pigeon Japanese. Also in some of the more hostile environments, you could get robbed or raped by a taxi driver, so be very careful.

Eating

What you ingest relates to how you take in and assimilate information. If you believe something like a specific technique that you are told will work, when in reality it leaves you open to attack. Bad information can poison your perception and endanger your life.

As I said before, you need to be very careful about what and where you eat. If you have allergies, you need to understand the composition of everything, otherwise you could end up in hospital or worse dead. Eating the right foods is important to get the most out of training. Food that is bulky not only weighs you down, but can dullen the senses-meaning you could miss something that was shown by a Sensei, or be struck by the blow of a weapon during a training session-this could also seriously injure or even kill you. Be careful what you drink and also understand the alcohol percentage of liquor that you consume-you could find your self waking up in the gutter mugged or robbed. You could also waste a lot of money buying the wrong foods that are not even of any nutritional value. Also a rule of thumb for good nutrition is to eat what is grown locally at that time of the year. It is easy to tell, what is in season as usually this is in abundance and cheap.

Accommodation

This is about structure-how you hold and project yourself and also form. If your Kamae (posture/attitude) is not sound, then a blow in the right area could knock you down. Also maintaining form or style can make you predictable and therefore get you killed. You need to understand your weaknesses.

Roykan – Japanese Inn accommodation

As I said earlier, there were 3 earthquakes in the space of 10 days. In fact being on the Pacific "ring of fire" Japan is known as the "shaky isles". There have also been some large earthquakes such as the one in Kobe in 1995 which killed 5100 people. It is important to understand the structure of the building that you are in. The strong points, where to stand in an earthquake and evacuation points, not just common exits, but windows, balconies and the like. There are also some medical conditions that should be avoided. One of these is Tinnea. You can get a bout of this (as I did) from wearing the communal slippers that are provided for guests of the Ryokan (Inn). Also communal baths and saunas etc. Finally, be aware of how much and what you can get for your money. Any extra money you have to pay will impact on money that you may have needed for food or other essentials.

Medical

This can relate to Tsuki (pronounced "ski") and is about not showing weakness to your opponent. Any good Tori (attacker) will take advantage of this and use it against you. Again, do not show injury or even use it to your benefit to draw in your opponent.

It is imperative that you understand your medical condition before you travel and what may or not be covered by your insurance. Some airports in Asia have heat scanners for sensing rises in normal body temperature to detect SARS, so if you travel with a cold, you may find yourself in quarantine. Also taking local medication with you, as it may not be available or even banned in that country. Knowing where the local doctor or hospital is and how long it would take to get there in an emergency is extremely important and could mean the difference between life and death.

Communication

This is related to how you project yourself to your opponent and in the case of "Ninjutsu", relates to "Kyojutsu" (the interchange of actuality and falsehood). Also projecting or hiding ones intent, as I will explain later about the Godan test.

There is the aspect of communicating back home and how to do this. Ask your local telephone service provider what will work and what won't and make sure you are setup. In Japan, there are not Internet cafes on every street corner like other places, so sending emails home can be a mission. The language is unique and requires a lot of time and dedication to communicate effectively and fluently. Although basic Japanese can be mastered relatively easy, most Japanese assume you understand everything that they say to you-which can lead to all sorts of problems. Also not understanding the correct address or protocols when speaking to someone can be taken the wrong way and get you into trouble or even killed. If you are not sure of what you are saying, then don't say anything, is a good rule of thumb. Finally, all of the lessons are given in Japanese, but often translated into English. Understanding Japanese will be of great benefit, especially since understanding what is taught in the Bujinkan, is passed down from teacher to student via Kuden (Oral transmission)

Training

Training is about developing the sensitivity to read your opponents moves and remain one step ahead of them. This is no more evident in the Bujinkan than during the Godan(5th Dan) test. This is the only "formal" grading in the art and defines when one has the ability and potential to understand more than the physical form of fighting. The test can only be conducted by Hatsumi Sensei or on his direction a 15th Dan. This is conducted by sitting in Seiza with your back to the person performing the test and your eyes shut-in a state of quiet (Zanshin). At any given moment, the person will cut with a bokken to the top of the head. You must sense the intention and move with it as the cut is made. If you move without being cut and at the correct moment-you pass the test. The projection of the intention is called Saaki and refers to a feeling projected from the person of a "killer intent". Interestingly in recent years Hatsumi Sensei has relinquished himself as the only person who is allowed to conduct this test. In fact my experience was that being one of the few people in the Bujinkan to sit and pass this test twice, I was fortunate enough to feel the difference from both times and noticed a dramatic lack of intention second time around. This is I believe because Hatsumi Sensei has mastered the ability to conceal his intention, making him even less predictable and therefore less vulnerable to attackers. Also be careful who you train with. Some people have little control, or want to make an impression and can end up seriously injuring you. Even people who can waste your valuable training time with their ignorance or ego. Kobudo Taijutsu was used very effectively on a battlefield and the techniques we practice to day are here because they work.

So with these points in mind, maybe your travels will be a lot safer. If traveling with a group, assign each member a specialty before you go and have them get as much information as possible. A bit like an SAS troop that has; a communications expert, a medic etc. you can have a specialist for each of these aspects. They can then impart a basic level of skill for each other member.

For me I feel I survived and could go back into that environment more knowledgeable and be safe. To me, this is the ultimate goal of my training in the Bujinkan and this is what keeps me going in life.

Stuart Campbell is a Godan and Shidoshi (licensed teacher) in the Bujinkan.

Stuart – out side the Hombu Dojo

Bicycles are a big means of transportation in Japan

Vending machines are everywhere in Japan

Stuart and fellow Kiwis with Nagato Shihan