~NIGHT GAMES 2009
What a weekend we just had! Two and a half beautiful days in the sun, out among the crisp air of the woods, next to a roaring campfire, with good friends, training a warrior's art. Doesn't get much better for me.
I want to thank everyone who participated in Gasshuku; you chose to spend your weekend with us and gain an experience few receive. I hope it was worth it for you and you're better for it. I also want to thank those who helped teach - Shidoshis Jeff Patchin, Jim Delorto, and Joe Bunales were all instrumental in leading and sharing with the good folks who came to participate. There were many years of experience in those sessions and I could not have done it without them. Thanks guys!
When I went back and checked my calendar, it turned out this was my 10 year anniversary hosting Gasshuku. How about that? My very first one was back in 2000 (if you don't count the two 'Outdoor Challenges' I held in college). If I remember right, there were only a few of us back then, but we had a great time. Nowadays, we're at a fancy camp and get to stay in a lodge and what not, but the feeling hasn't changed much. It's still about the training and comeraderie that accompanies it, the 'Buyu Ethic' if you will, the group learning that helps facilitate the individual - the universal and particular coming together.
Friday began with some nighttime Sanshin training under a nearly full moon. Saturday started early with breakfast and a few hours with me training our connection to the Kukan. Part of the training even involved moving in dense woods to ignite our creativity; small steps, coupled with the use of our environment to launch attacks and counters with saplings, tree stumps, and even poisonous mushrooms, gave us all plenty to work on.
Later we made our way through an expansion and contraction, a flexing of Taijutsu's space, using long weapons like bos and spears, down to knives. Good stuff.
Saturday evening saw our annual 'NIGHT GAMES,' our means of applying Taijutsu's positioning, leverage, and timing into the ever-moving, camouflaged world of stealth and stalking. It's always great fun. This year's "MVP," or sneakiest 'Ninja,' went to Kris McKinney, who was awarded the 'Shadow Ninja Flaming Katana.' Good Job, Kris. Hang that $8.00 bad boy on your wall or something.
On Sunday morning, the guys set up a huge backstop to throw shuriken and it did not disappoint. Everyone seemed to be reaching far back into their stockpiles to bring out handfuls of old and new iron. Joe brought out his Meifu Shinkage Ryu bo shuriken, which folks loved throwing and Joe is no slouch at. I even brought out my own stuff, a collection of years and years of old and modern, fabricated and authentic.
We also had folks tackling the ropes course, requiring strength, balance, and near gymnastic agility in some spots.
We ended the day with extending our protection to others. Some seem content to train martial arts for their own personal direction. But I find that direction to become somewhat ambivalent when only applying training to oneself. By physically learning to remove threats to others, we activate our own sense of martial responsibility and realize the natural duties we have in this ancient form of warriorship.
Let's do it again next year!
James
Check out the complete photostream: http://s742.photobucket.com/albums/xx70/sgtidojo/09%20Gasshuku/
Shidoshi Jeff Patchin
Shidoshi Jim Delorto
Shidoshi Joe Bunales
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