Buyu is a group ethic

It`s a gray day here in Japan. Overcast and cool. I found it strange waking up in Kashiwa again so soon after being here in June, but nevertheless, it`s great to be back. I am alone for this part of my trip and I have to say, I miss my crew.

Buyu are an interesting bunch, especially in the SGTIDojo, where we are consistently closer as friends than we are peers, students, or instructors. As such, I appreciate being in Japan experiencing this warrior training with warriors-in-training. The camaraderie masks a complex method of group learning, which makes it ever-more fulfilling.

In that light, Budo is as much a group pursuit as an individual one, whereas the individual can find ways to flaw, question, or even deny moral and ethical determinations in training, there is something 'immovable' in the 'check and balance' group instinct provides in answering these aspects. I have never known the group's 'gut' to be wrong in these cases. As individuals, we must try to uphold these ideals as best we can, under the conditions we are under.

Our physical training is no different. Taijutsu principles should always be practiced ideally, no matter the conditions we choose to train under, for it is the principles we are trying to intuit. Circumstances change, but adaptation to change is a core principle of the Bujinkan and integral to training. So, no matter what the particular situation may be, we should search for these universal principles to apply. It is the process of applying - adjusting, improvising, imagining - where Taijutsu actually occurs.

I'll be training with Nagato sensei this afternoon and Noguchi sensei tonight.