Tai Kai is over for another year, and American Sempai have significant work to do. Sitting with Mrs. Hatsumi was a peculiar education, indeed, but the rest of the year, I will continue to train.

Basically, we in the middle have to figure out what we really want. Is our training a means or an end? If your goal is to learn what Hatsumi-sensei teaches, then you must do whatever your power allows to get to where Hatsumi-sensei is. Stop expecting the mountain to move, never ever be satisfied with second best, and recapture the power you now give to excuses that keep you from doing what you should.

If you cannot afford to go to Japan, you must go to Tai Kai and attend seminars by Japanese Shihan with all your faculties and not just your physical presence. Then train regularly with the best American Sempai you can find. Test out everyone you encounter.

Yet, unless you have a command of basic techniques (the test: are you a Japanese Shihan with years of consistent training under Soke?), you must go to a teacher who can give you the tools you need to break down what Soke shows. Sempai, be not proud: know what you don't know and find someone who can help you. If you see someone on a tape do something you can't do, identify that person and ask questions! Things that can be bought and put on the shelf are simply not enough.

As a lawyer, I have yet to see a contract which says: "I sold, you bought, cool." People prefer complexity, because it gives them the excuse of confusion, which leads to conflict caused by misplaced aggression. It also keeps politicians, talk-show hosts, priests, economists, lawyers, and therefore doctors, gainfully employed. Sempai should provide protection from conflict by delivering a simple message, not a more complex one in a vampiric feeding frenzy upon others' insecurity and confusion.

I do have a problem, therefore, with Shidoshi who say that they are teaching others as Hatsumi-sensei instructs, legitimize their dojos with his pictures and certificates, yet reject that teaching in thought, word and deed by doing as they darned well please. I don't think Hatsumi-sensei suffers, but it is annoying to hear them complain about "not getting it." The Ten Commandments are only difficult for Apostles in denial. Perhaps it is a human tendency to take the easy route, but Shidoshi should at least TRY to do a little better.

I too am fascinated by modern warfare, but this is not Taijutsu. In fact, unless the basics are understood, playing with any weapon may well get a student killed through arrogance. Nor is Taijutsu necessarily bound up in religious practice or "self-defense." These are merely diversions. Too many teachers teaching what THEY think is fun, instead of passing down Bujinkan tradition as they were taught, will cause more damage than anything else.

Tai Kai proves annually, therefore, that the most important thing is to train. Reserve some time to question, read and teach, but reserve the most time for physical training. If teaching is all you can do for money, then why not pick up another profession? It's never too late. This is America, but at least for us, freedom should be bundled with responsibility. Instructors, stop changing the training to make yourselves seem more knowledgeable!

Any Shidoshi can wow an audience on the spur of the moment. But, how many can readily synthesize and show what Hatsumi-sensei teaches? Someya-sensei, Iwata-san, Alex and Mike - the only ones who understood what Hatsumi-sensei taught (because they had the luxury of prolonged training in Japan), - spent their time training even as they knew they had to demonstrate. Almost no one ASKED them how to do anything. What a pity for American students.

How does this "Mini Tai Kai" thing fit in? Well, it is an excellent idea. A teach-in would be a perfect opportunity for those who attended Tai Kai to compare notes and reach a better personal understanding of what Soke showed. It would also be an excellent training opportunity for their students to train with those who have a direct ability to access what Soke teaches. If that's what they want, cool. It's certainly time to try something new.

Shidoshi Regina Brice's primary life skills are in law (int'l corporate and family) and Japanese translation. She uploads legal FAQs to rec.martial-arts (a newsgroup on the internet) every few weeks. "A Martial Artist's Guide To American Law" (560 pages) is now $50; those who've already bought it will receive the first-year update free. She translates letters @ $25/page and does seminar interpretation @ $250/day + expenses. She will also paraphrase Japanese books ($50 per original page) but Soke's works are for individual instructor use only. In spite of her "slacker" front, a training group has re-formed on Sunday AM; she's flexible if you're out that way. She may be contacted via E-mail: Happo@aol.com, or write Regina Brice, P.O. Box 87, Oberlin, OH 44074.