Stories....

[BigJon]

I have read many facsinating stories of Takamatsu sensei. Some of them dealt with travels in China, fighting duels. Some while he was young in Japan. I was wondering about stories based around Toda sensei, the soke of TOgakure ryu, and Kumagakure ryu before Takamatsu sensei received the titles...sometimes these posts get no responses, but I have to try anyway. thanks for reading/considering this post!
Jon GIllespie

[kirigirisu]

Once, Toda-Sensei was in a diner, and somebody dropped a spoon...

:D

Actually, I do have a valid observation for this, but I'm short on time right now and I just couldn't resist. More later...

[Bradenn]

Actually, the person dropped a chopstick.

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Braden Nicols

[BigJon]

Geez, I should know better than to post anything serious in this forum, my mistake...I'll keep my questions to myself and stick to making fun of 24 year old Sokes. Jon Gillespie

[Bradenn]

To be more serious, I was wondering about some of the stories about Takamatsu-Sensei.
Specifically, I was curious about the challenge matches he used to fight in. I belive it was customary to issue challenges to other dojos, but what type of fights were they? Were they
a)to the death,
b) no holds barred with submission or k/o,
c) very few rules (like the early UFCs),
d) lots of rules like a modern day Judo contest

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Braden Nicols

[Oni]

Originally posted by Jon G.
Geez, I should know better than to post anything serious in this forum, my mistake...I'll keep my questions to myself and stick to making fun of 24 year old Sokes. Jon Gillespie

Heh...give it a chance Jon. I think it might just be that not too many people have any stories on these gentleman. I know I for one do not really have much to offer on this topic. Perhaps William will have something intesting when he has more time :)

[BigJon]

I know what you mean ONI, there was a post not too long ago about a Karate teacher who molested children. I posted a reply because the same thing happened in my area. Then some guy responded with a Bill Clinton reference, I just think some things aren't funny PERIOD! However, I should lighten up a bit concerning the last post, my apologies everyone.(Bad day today...)
Jon Gillespie

[kirigirisu]

Howdy folks,

First off, my thanks to our gracious moderator for vouching for me despite my uncontrollable urge to throw in realultimatepower.com references in every other post.

Secondly, the second I finished posting above, life and work instantly became hellaciously time-consuming and busy thanks to certain events referred to in a thread authored by Kimpatsu in the member's lounge. Can't wait for the 22nd to be over...

Karmic retribution, perhaps?

Anyhow, the point I was supposed to make over a week ago involved the story of Soke going over to Takamatsu-sensei's house shortly after Takamatsu-sensei's passing to collect his vast library of notes and references and what-not including stories of Toda-sensei, Ishitani-sensei, and Mizuta-sensei (or so I think, my mind is currently the consistency of Alpo thanks to work, can't remember specifics) and was told by Takamatsu-sensei's widow that the rats had gotten to them and they had just finished burning the remains.

As it was told to me, Soke realized after his initial weeping that it was probably the greatest gift Takamatsu had given him. Turns out that the true budo is in the practicing and not in the stories or traditions of past masters. The admonition was not to fall into the trap of placing emphasis on personalities of budo over the budo itself.

Hatsumi-sensei is an expression of true budo (or, if you want to get metaphysical, the expression of the Bujin), not the budo itself. As was Takamatsu-sensei, as was Toda-sensei before him. In a sense, if it works out, the next "generation" of practitioners would have no idea who Toda-sensei even was (besides whatever's mentioned in the text books), the generation after would have little inkling of Takamatsu-sensei, and the one after that would know little if anything about Hatsumi-sensei, because it would be that generation's Soke who would carry on the budo and keep it alive.

I hope some of this made some sense, as I am half-dead from lack of sleep. Sorry if the payoff was less-than-helpful after a week of buildup.

Oh, and the closest readily available thing to any stories about Toda-sensei are the various references made about him in stories about Takamatsu-sensei's training in that Essences of Ninjutsu book.

Everything else is pretty much word-of-mouth and folks in the know don't appreciate having it repeated online.

[BigJon]

I appreciate your point William, but I still would like to hear some stories about Toda sensei, Ishitani sensei, and Mizuta sensei...I am someone who can open a good history book, and it is like watching television or a movie. There are many stories of Takamatsu sensei, but few are known about his teachers. -Just curiosity I guess.

Jon Gillespie