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January 2012 Volume 15 Number 1

Providing information to Bujinkan members in 67 different countries around the world

1Dojo

Newsletter for the Bujinkan Lincoln

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A kind, gentle man who could wrap you up like a pretzel

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Koichi Oguri passed away this week. He will be missed. To those of you that do not know, he was one of the first students of Masaaki Hatsumi of the Bujinkan, and he was one of the students taken to see Toshitsugu Takamatsu. I remember him talking about the ways that Takamatsu hit him, demonstrating on another Japanese student and me on the side of class as everyone else was practicing. When I posted a photo of him on facebook, a friend of mine from Texas asked, Is he the one that could make a man smell his own butt in four (easy for him ) moves! My response was, No Clint, he could bend me over so I was smelling my own farts in what seemed to be just ONE move. I would try my best to smash his face in and the next thing I knew, I was mangled and crying in the corner. Several times I KNEW I had him and he was going to be sailing across the room. But for some strange reason, he defied reality and just was not there when my fist was supposed to connect. Oguri sensei was the stereotype you see in movies. A small Asian man who smiled a lot and grinned as he wrapped you up in knots. Strong winds could have blown him over, yet he made guys built like NFL linebackers scream in shock and pain. When he was young, he travelled the world and lived out of a backpack. I remember discussing his experiences with a wall in Afghanistan that turned out to made of dried human feces. He frequently travelled with his teacher when they went to teach overseas. After the news of his death reached us, a friend called and shared his experience with him at an event in America, where they met on an elevator and Oguri took the time to open up to him and talk instead of hurrying on to wherever he was going. 2Dojo Newsletter for the Bujinkan Lincoln

www.hanako.co.uk What I really enjoyed most about his classes was the attention he would give to a few of us. If you did not do anything that showed ill intent, such as adding in extra moves or correcting other peoples movements on your own, he would take the time to try to help you individually. He was not a teacher that showed something and sat back as you tried to figure it out. He would come around and do the technique on you, pointing out what he was doing that you werent. In most cases, it was just what he considered the basics. I guess it was because of this that I became so vocal in my opposition to video training courses. It was one thing to see what he was doing, another to feel it. If you did not actually feel the level of control he had, you would think that his victim was just going along with him with no real resistance. But the lessons I gained from being pounded on by him cant be explained. It was different than when I helped him demonstrate. Instead of explaining to the class, he concentrated on me and I got instant understanding of how my actions either gave him something to work with, or could be suppressed by even a little old man with the right dynamics. Despite the fact that I knew he was sick, and had taken time off from teaching for a while, part of me always thought I would have a chance to see him again. I guess I was in a state of denial. I regret a lot of things in my life. One thing I regret now is not really showing him how much I treasured him and what he shared with me. When he was alone, I would sit down and talk to him. We talked about many things, most of them not related to martial arts at all. We talked about things going on in Japan, and things we had done. He was very human and down to earth. I might miss those conversations most of all. He was a kind man, and a generous one. He shared his knowledge with us and asked little in return. My request to those of you reading this is to tell someone you love just how you feel about them today. Because you never know when the last goodbye will come. (Thanks to Antonis Mitrou for the black and white photo, and Beard Man for the top one. All others are mine.)

3Dojo

Newsletter for the Bujinkan Lincoln

www.hanako.co.uk Oguri sensei was the man I thought of as my teacher. I trained with many people in Japan, but in the end, it was his advice I asked for, his guidance I sought and whom I looked to as my teacher. He passed away this week, and I will miss him.

Article by Don Roley. Don Posted this on his blog and gave us permission to reproduce it here in memory of Oguri sensei so that all in the Bujinkan and see what a wonderful man he was
Visit his blog http://web.me.com/keldaerismaster/Colorado_Springs_Bujinkan/ Welcome.html

Oguri Sensei (UK Taikai 1994) I wrote this about Oguri sensei after I met him for the first time at the UK Taikai in 1994. I was lucky enough to be sat with him and Someya sensei for a short while on my own, something that is almost impossible these days. I have published it again for those who have never read the early issues. Oguri has now been training under Hatsumi for 32 years. With him at the Taikai was his wife, and young son. When asked if this was to be his next student he laughed and said maybe, but training had already started. He now has a Dojo in his home town of Tochigi. He had a Dojo up until the middle 80's, but due to a fault on a regulator on top of a gas cylinder the Dojo burnt down. For the full story ask Chris Bell in Sweden. Oguri says that he remembered Chris, and asked if his hair was still burnt off. When asked why he wanted to study Ninjutsu he said as a child he always wanted to be a Ninja. He used to read a lot of books about Ninja, and read that they were good a Kosshijutsu. One day someone told him that Hatsumi was a master of Koppojutsu, and Kosshijutsu. So 32 years ago Oguri knocked on Hatsumi's door. Hatsumi told him to go away, so he did. Then he went back, and Hatsumi took him as his student. But it is not the Kosshijutsu that he has become good at, but the Jutaijutsu from Takagi Yoshin Ryu. He is so good that Hatsumi has made him a master of this school, and he was the first of Hatsumi's students to study the Daisho Sabaki Gata (this can be seen on the new Quest videos).
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When you watch Oguri he looks as though he gets everything wrong. But watch carefully, as always he his the correct point. Hatsumi says that Oguri's memory is not so good, but he make everything look wrong, but he always gets it right in the end. he did mention that training now is very soft. When he was a beginner, it was nothing for someone to stop training for a few weeks due to a broken bone, or a sword cut.
Originally printed in this newsletter Volume 1 No2 1994 As Oguri Sensei was a Shihan of Takagi Yoshin Ryu I wanted to add this picture of Takagi Oriumon with a translation of the text in honour of Oguri sensei

A short biography of Japanese Kendo Painted by Kuniyoshi Chouourou Takagi Oriemon

He was the strongest man of all time and there werent people who were as skillful in Bujutsu as him. In order to escape from his stepmothers slander, he ran away from home and became Rokubu(Rokubu is one of Buddhists). Then he went out to perfect his skill in the martial arts. He met pilgrims in Hitachi country (Now it is Ibaraki prefecture) Kazusa-ya and he stayed overnight with them at an inn in Shiinoki village. While he dropped off into a doze, he found an old man stand at the side of pillow and said, Watch out! Watch out! He awoke from his dream and thought, Thats strange. Then he looked up the beam of the house, there was a big stone hung with a thin rope. This is the reason why he said. He sneaked away and concealed himself. Not knowing this, rascals cut the rope and dropped the stone. They became happy and saw close at hand. At that time, Oriemon, the host and 5, 6 Rokubus defeated them with no pain at the same place. Taking various articles back from the rascals, Oriemon wrote about defeating of the thieves in big letters on the wall. The hostess gave a feast to repay an obligation. Oriemon prepared quietly and left the inn. He is famous for various stories like this, but I omitted them. An inhabitant of Oushu Shiroishi (Now it is Miyagi prefecture), Mr. So-and-so of Takagi defeated many thieves here.

5Dojo

Newsletter for the Bujinkan Lincoln

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TRAINING TIMES: Tuesday 7pm 9pm Ermine United Reform Church, Sudbrooke Drive, Ermine East, Lincoln

Hanako is the newsletter of the Bujinkan Lincoln Dojo (UK). This is not an official Bujinkan newsletter. It is also a free publication, and may b e copied and distributed to anyone free of charge, no monies are to be paid for newsletters except for the cost of reproducing the copies. Anyone wishing to submit an article should e-mail it or post it to the addresses below Produced and edited by Paul Richardson (Shidoshi) Bujinkan Lincoln Dojo, 7 Torrington Road, Lincoln LN22DP, England. E-mail: Umaryu@yahoo.co.uk - Telephone: (+44) 07868298949 - Skype: Umaryu For information regarding the newsletter, training, any comments, or to be added to the mailing list (Mailing list is e-mail based only), please E-mail us at umaryu@yahoo.co.uk Bujinkan Lincoln Dojo 2011ad

Disclaimer. All comments and views made in the articles are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the personal views of the Bujinkan Lincoln Dojo or the Bujinkan Dojo directly. If you have an issue with an article please take it up personally with the author. We dont have time for petty childish Bujinkan Politics.

6Dojo

Newsletter for the Bujinkan Lincoln