Asking for help ["nin - jitsu" related. ze]

[Grzegorz]

Hi !
I write to you from Poland.
My sensei told me, that he has 4 th dan in nin - jitsu, and he got
1,2 and 3rd one from sensei Hatsumi, when he was in Japan about 15 years ago.
He said that he got his 4th one in Stockholm from sensei Chikurin
( I'm not shure about corect writeing the name of that sensei ).
Me and my friends are his pupils (uchidatchi), and we are affraid that it's not true.
He's owner of big nin - jitsu club named " Asiatic Fighter " in Poznań ( Poland ).
He's name is ZBIGNIEW KARALUS . Nationality - Polish.
Nickname: Darth Vader
He gaved to me " CERTYFICATE OF PROMOTION MAMOCHI RYU "

If you'll be so kind to send me any informations about my "sensei" I'll be gratefull.

Thank you.
My e-mail adress: jasminka1981@tlen.pl

[kennin]

Even if it might be the truth, imagine this story:

There once was a little rock, sitting next to a little plant... and it was happy and it didn't feel too bad.
But in quite some years, the plant had grown really big and turned into a marvellous tree while the little stone still was nothing more than a pebble.

If your teacher received his sandan 15 years ago... and he now only has a yondan... it doesn't seem to me that he is training actively.
In other words: he probably might turn out to be a bit... errrrr... "outdated".

My best tip: go and find another Bujinkan dōjō somewhere in Europe and have a look at the training there.
Compare it with what you learn at your place and make up your mind.

Or you can ask him to show his Shidōshikai card as well as his certificates for yondan and shidōshihō...
But that doesn't mean anything either. There are -unfortunately- a lot of dōjō ignoring the membership cards who still are magnificent Booj technicians.
On the other hand: if you ARE his student, you should have a Bujinkan membership card from Japan.

[hoshizawa]

Sometimes there are reasons why a person has not gained rank, though he needs to have an updated Shidoshi-kai membership and a Shidoshi-ho certificate. Sounds kinda fishy to me though, but I am an active trainee and have been the same rank since 1991. I have only missed a year or maybe a little more without the instruction from a Godan or well above.