Krappy Katana DVD ???

[Paul Steadman]

G'day all,

Here's a treat www.samuraisecrets.com (http://www.samuraisecrets.com) , knock youreselves out. Found this in a full page ad in the "Blitz- Australasiann Martial Arts" magazine and couldn't help looking it up on the web.

Regards,

[Howard Quick]

I saw that ad.
The really sad thing is, it costs $900.00 for a full page ad in Blitz, which means there are enough people out there buying that dvd to make it worth this guys while.

[Paul Steadman]

G'day Howard,

Yep, pretty sad. He's heart's probably in the right place (?) But it's easy enough these days to seek out qualified Japanese sword arts instruction. It's guys like this that remind me of the old saying "...a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." I mean check out the kanji scroll in the back ground! If this guy had qualified instruction from a Japanese system/sensei he wouldn't display that crap. The kanji looks like a 5 y/o brushed it, the strokes and angles are just all wrong...which leads me to wonder about his cutting angles and technique etc. Anyway rant over and out.

Regards,

[Brian Owens]

"Learn as the Samurai did 800 years ago...unchanged"

Wow; I knew the Japanese were advanced in electronics technology, but I had no idea they had DVDs 800 years ago. :rolleyes:


Has anyone here ever seen the sageo wrapped around the end of the saya as he shows here?

http://www.samuraisecrets.com/pic4.jpg

[Jock Armstrong]

Never saw that before. The kanji on the wall and jacket look dodgy too. Something "do kai". A load of freshly steaming, stinky bits.

[A.J. Bryant]

There are many ways to tie sageo... Never seen that one... But who cares; does/did it work??

The "kakejiku" in the picture appears to be manipulated and enlarged from computer font, rather than real brushed kaisho, gyosho, etc. The proportion of the kanji is all wrong, etc., etc... Doesn't give me "warm fuzzy feelings" about the group in question...

Wasn't this guy discussed before in the "Bad Budo" section?

[Chidokan]

wrong grip and poor kamae on the opening page says a lot....

[Brian Owens]

...The kanji on the wall and jacket look dodgy too. Something "do kai". ...
I think it's supposed to be "Budokai" -- but very badly done.

武
道
会

[Paul Steadman]

Hello All,

In the old days I would have tried to contact this guy, say hello, pass on the compliments of my sensei and start a dialogue about the sword and budo etc, but now I'm so sick of these people. You ask 'em who they trained under... they respond with "oh I've trained under many different Japanese masters," you ask 'em what school/ryu of swordsmanship they train in, they respond with "oh it's a little known, secret family system only taught to a small select number of close family members... blah blah blah." Or my all time favourite... what kata/waza do you guys do? "Oh we don't do waza/kata we train in concepts." Anyway you guys know the SOP.

Rant aside, instead of complaining, qualified high ranking sword instructors should release a DVD demonstrating quality basic or introductory swordsmanship. But maybe they don't want to show their "ura or okuden secrets" or they don't want to show to much 'commercialism' or start the commodification of budo. Whoop's too late, check out the adverts in "Hiden Bujutsu" magazine. Rant mode off again.

Cheers,

[Brian Owens]

...qualified high ranking sword instructors should release a DVD demonstrating quality basic or introductory swordsmanship. But maybe they don't want to show their "ura or okuden secrets" or they don't want to show to much 'commercialism' or start the commodification of budo. Whoop's too late, check out the adverts in "Hiden Bujutsu" magazine.
There are some very good DVDs available; but many people want video instruction, not just demonstrations. Can't be done. Trying to learn swordsmanship by watching a DVD is like trying to learn to fly by reading an aeronautical chart.

So the hucksters and charlatans fill the void with their garbage.

[Jock Armstrong]

Where can I get a copy of "Hiden Bujutsu" Paul? As for master Phil, He is a very silly person. I haven't seen the DVD [only some stills] and I wasn't impressed. I made a vid for one of my guys in Cairns who is dead keen so he could have a reference for his kata. I had a hangover and the arthritis [gout] was playing up but I think I might have done a bit better than Mr Hilzinger- and I anm by no means a highly ranked practitioner.

The twits are everywhere- I mentioned before about a melbourne based mob called Shingen Ryu. I had one of their students on vacation here come to class. He was a damn good student and a good bloke to boot. he has just been taught shite for three years.

[soma san]

“Learn as the Samurai did 800 years ago… unchanged”

Sword secrets of the samurai’

”At last! An authoritative reference for Japanese sword enthusiasts. For the curious and the beginners, everything is explained. For the dedicated practitioner, a rare treasure of pure (poor?) art form.”

And,
“Phillip Hilzinger brings together 45 years of experience to give instructions in the complex training methods of authentic Samurai swordsmanship.”

And,
“The definitive model for researchers to compare with other sword fighting systems, “Sword Secrets of the Samurai” sets the benchmark for superlative sword mastery.”

Definitive model? Sets the benchmark? Superlative sword mastery?

On his DVD Mr. Hilzinger introduces himself as someone having trained for 40 years in the Oriental and Japanese sword arts, and states that his masters had entrusted him with their legacy to be passed on by him, but he carefully avoids to mention a sword style or sword school (ryu-ha), a location, where he trained, or the name of his master.

On disc one, he reveals the ‘sword secrets of the samurai’. They are called:

BU DO KAI Swordsmanship!

In other words - a FICTIONAL Japanese sword style!

Not exactly what the advertisement says: “Learn as the Samurai did 800 years ago… unchanged”

For someone who claims to have spent 40 years training with Japanese clan sword masters his command of the Japanese language seems to be non existent.

And here is a selection of the many highlights he presents:

He advises us, when placing a sword on the dojo floor, that the cutting edge has to face away from the [nearest] wall?

He tells his listeners that “katana and shinken are [diabolically] dangerous.”?

When training outdoors, he advises that you should tell people to leave the area and that they should control their dogs and supervise their children?

His sword handling is abysmal and so are his stances and cutting drills. He seems to be all arms and shoulders with little attention to proper posture and foot work.

The second disk is a tour de force, him trying to show off his tameshigiri.

Tameshigiri on the beach, up and down sand dunes, on rocks and in the water. Yes, the locations are spectacular (Australia IS a beautiful country)and so seems to be his tameshigiri –till you replay the scenes and look closely at what he does.

His commentaries are uninspiring and his sword techniques are more akin to karate than swordsmanship; that’s what his actual background is.

He presents us with odd sword forms and absurd two-sword techniques.

He tells us never to take our eyes of a target, but losses it all when he can’t re-sheath his own wakizashi.

Nor does he touch on the many major areas of swordsmanship study, like
Japanese military history, samurai tradition, ken jutsu applications, swordsmanship strategy (heiho), philosophy, and the five major areas of swordsmanship study including its history, its current practice, the different types and purposes of tameshigiri, including sword-testing and its role in Japanese swordsmanship today.

This totally diminishes it to be the “definite model and THE authoritative reference source…”

Over all presentation: ACCEPTABLE
Educational contents: NIL
Historical contents NIL
Samurai sword secrets revealed NIL
Technical contents POOR
Sword safety POOR
Cutting sequences AT TIMES INOVATIVE
Cutting techniques POOR (He only uses soft beach mats)

Not something one would advertise as being a definitive model - setting the benchmark – displaying superlative sword mastery – and a treasure of pure art form.

And, check out the warning on the DVD cover:

WARNING! Copying this video illegally is dishonest.
Dishonesty invariably attracts bad luck.

Mhhhhhh???????????

[Paul Steadman]

G'day Jock,

"Hidden Bujutsu" is hard to get hold of in Oz. They are a yen a dozen :-D in Japan. I'll see if I can get an old one for you, let me know your mailing address.

There was this guy getting around north western NSW a few years ago in a red hakama etc claiming he was sponsored by Coca Cola doing katana waza to the "Lion King" theme music at high schools...holding onto the blade during the routine to boot. He was getting into the schools via the drama and arts teachers! Did you ever see that guy on the "Footy Show" cutting water melons? Why does the sword attract so many dick-heads? Ooops, the sword attracted me :-/

All the best,

[Chidokan]

my association were going to make a video as a sort of intro to iaido/ recruitment/reminder for new students dvd, but were told not to by one of our senior japanese teachers as:
1. the standard shown in the dvd would reflect back on our senior teacher who would take a lot of flak if we werent as good as we should be.
2. it simply isnt done to do a video if your instructor is still alive.
3. He has videos out there, so why do we need to do one anyway?

there are good videos around if people look carefully,(well I have seen some good ones anyway!) just buy those instead...

[Harry]

Fantasy Phil in this months Blitz and stay tuned apparently he’ll be back with a whole series of B.S.

I sent an email to Blitz and I encourage all the Aussies to do so if we want to have a decent martial arts publication. Advertisers should not dictate content, the readers should.

Send Silvio an email at admin1@blitzmag.com.au and tell him what you want to read.

We have some exceptionally talented people in Australia but you hardly hear of them. I am sick of reading crap about some Head of Style, Master so and so, that 10 years ago was a green belt.

Anyone remember the days of AFA and Erle’s battles with George Dilman. Why aren’t we getting some serious critiques of the people that fill the pages of these mags. Bujutsu is just as bad. If some one holds themselves out to be that good get a reporter that can at least break the surface.

I am not detracting from people like Gary Martin that also appears in Blitz this month but why not give us more on him? Mike Clarke’s Nagamine article was good.

So get this, you got an article on Nagamine inside and Samurai Jack on the cover, figure that out.

If there are enough Aussies out there that insist on something with substance then maybe a major publishing company might do something. I’d prefer black and white newsprint if it had content.

Harry

[Harry]

Oh you can get a look at the cover of Blitz at
http://www.isubscribe.com.au/title_info.cfm?prodID=328

[Jock Armstrong]

I just sent a message to Blitz about Mr Hilzinger. I don't know if it will do any good.

[Jock Armstrong]

Just saw the cover- it doesn't get much worse.

[Chidokan]

Blitz has the same name and unfortunately content, style, and approach here in the UK...usually some young guy who's just got world champion whatever or the 'new' version of some chinese style revamped by a fitness instructor. As in the aussie mag, there are the occasional gems hidden inside a rather dodgy exterior.
Problem is.... how many people would buy a serious magazine, say along the lines of Kendo world, in the UK? It would be interesting to see circulation figures for KW for each country, as a good pointer. The nearest we have here is Martial arts illustrated, and that can be pretty biased to the karate circuit.....which is hardly surprising as its the biggest group here. More to the point how many sword guys are in the UK anyway? Not enough to warrant a mag, for sure!

[Harry]

I love my Karate, but am happy to read quality articles about Kendo, Iai, Taichi, Kung Fu and anything else. But there needs to be some serious reporting. You can't let people submit a whole series of their own propaganda without some proof of their claims. Fantasy Phil was just the straw that broke the camels back for me. I'd pay $20 a month for something with real content. Am I on my own? If Blitz don't publish some of the complaint emails and ask the martial arts public what they want I will write to a major publisher and ask them to investigate the viability of a serious mag. Don't know what good it will do but damn sure I'm sick of reading about fools.

Regards
Harry
Oh yeah, realistically these mags are contributing to the deterioration of budo in Australia. The next generation aspires to be like these guys..... hay bla bla bla Super Sensei was on the cover of Blitz he must be great, Sonic Sifu got Blitz man of the year, wow wee.

[Jock Armstrong]

Make sure you have your full name on your posts Harry, as per forum rules. I fully agree- I used to love reading about other MA [hell, thats what got me interested in JSA- I was a karate head]

[Ken-Hawaii]

[QUOTE=Brian Owens]There are some very good DVDs available; but many people want video instruction, not just demonstrations. Can't be done. Trying to learn swordsmanship by watching a DVD is like trying to learn to fly by reading an aeronautical chart.

Has anyone considered that it really is NOT a good idea to learn iaido from a videotape, DVD, or anything or anyone other than a qualified sensei? It scares me to think that I might be doing kata with some yoyo who has never had a moment of real instruction!!

I guess that it's good that iaido is primarily a solitary martial art.

[Hattori]

It scares me to think that I might be doing kata with some yoyo who has never had a moment of real instruction!!

Not to worry, Hilzinger "was authorised by his peers in Japan to release his three and-a-half hour instructional DVD on the art of Japanese Samurai swordsmanship, called Sword Secrets of the Samurai"

"Phil Hilzinger has lived an extraordinary life, having been taken under the wing of a Japanese family of Samurai heritage and taught their secretive methods, including the deadly art of swordsmanship..."

http://www.e-budo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30758

[Brian Owens]

Has anyone considered that it really is NOT a good idea to learn iaido from a videotape, DVD, or anything or anyone other than a qualified sensei?.
Well, yeah. I think most of us feel that way.

That's why I said what you quoted:
...many people want video instruction...[It] Can't be done.

[Harry]

Make sure you have your full name on your posts Harry, as per forum rules. I fully agree- I used to love reading about other MA [hell, thats what got me interested in JSA- I was a karate head]


Sorry Jock
New here,
Edward Harold Kilmer,

Harry

[jest]

Sorry Jock
New here,
Edward Harold Kilmer,

Harry

Harry, you can set up your signature to display your name (usercp>edit signature). That way you don't have to remember to type it with every post.\
Welcome to E-budo!

[Ren Blade]

"Learn as the Samurai did 800 years ago...unchanged"

Wow; I knew the Japanese were advanced in electronics technology, but I had no idea they had DVDs 800 years ago. :rolleyes:
Real Samurai drove Toyotas back then also.