Bojutsu or 'am I getting any better?'

Years ago, I remember one day that a student asked his teacher for permission to perform the stick form, Sakugawa no kun. Not only did he want to show off for his friends who were watching but he also wanted to receive some positive strokes from his teacher. The teacher immediately recognized what was going on and simply said... 'fine, do your best.'

The student gave a strong performance of the kata and upon finishing it, looked towards his teacher in anticipation of praise he so strongly wanted.

The teacher, smiling, simply stated the following: 'you are making slow but steady practice.'

The bojutsu sensei then cautioned the strong but slow student with this reality statement: "Student, I have taught you all that you know! But always remember that I have not taught you all that I know!!"

Yes, I favor the stick (kun) and I teach a little known style called Ninten-ryu Bojutsu. I first started to learn Ninten-ryu Bojutsu while living in Japan in 1963. My bojutsu instructor was Hanaue Toshio who was ranked a Shihan in Ninten-ryu. According to Toyama Kanken Dai Sensei, Ninten-ryu Bojutsu is a pre-war style stick art. It contains ten stick forms. More later.