Genbukan Ninpo

[Drunken Master]

Whats up dudes

Do any of you know anything about Genbukan Ninpo? its effectiveness as an art to learn?

I have found a dojo near me though i haven't been there yet but i will be going soon check it out. Any recommendations of questions to ask the sensai? What should i look for there?

Here is some info i found on the teacher after a google seach

Tim Anderson has been training in martial arts for over 20 years, since the age of 7. He has studied various martial arts including: Genbukan Ninpo, Kokusai Jujutsu Renmei, Kempo Karate, Kempo-Jutsu & Wakyo Geido Ryu Jujitsu, holds various ranks in those arts.

Tim has been training in Ninpo for the last 9 years, 6 years under the direct guidance of his teacher Kyoshi Troy Wideman who introduced Genbukan Ninpo & Kokusai Jujutsu Renmei to Canada. Under Troys tutelage Tim has traveled with his teacher twice to Japan to train under Genbukan Grandmaster Shoto Tanemura and has been given the honour to teach Genbukan Ninpo arts in the Golden Horseshoe.

Tim's outlook for the future is to continue studying with Kyoshi Troy Wideman, and to build a solid foundation for the Genbukan in the Golden Horseshoe building a better life for himself and all who encounter this special martial art.

[shaheediyan]

Personally, I am not a fan of the Japanese arts, to many formalities, ranks, belts, hierachies (like mini-cults), secrecy and ridiculous expectation in terms of how long a student needs to train before he is given 'secrets'. Plus many kata forms are irrelevant in modern day fighting.

Ninjitsu are exceptions, as it is an assasins skill, not an art form/sport.

Combat Aikido is cool also (as opposed to the new, more popular sports/arts version.

Don't really know much about Ninpo, it may have some overlap with Ninjitsu, best to go and check the teacher out, as his attitude/knowledge/skill/interpretation and teaching ability is equally (if not more) important to the actual system it self.

You need to explore and test systems in order to learn 'what works'. As long as you stay 'independant' and don't get drawn into the closed cult culture that many schools operate, you will be able to intelligently discriminate and see everything for what it is.

Best of luck.

[Drunken Master]

Thanks for the reply and you are right about the "secrets" thing. I asked about the difference between Dr Hatsumi's bujiken and its difference to genbukan and i was told that Tanemura and Dr Hatsumi were students of the same master, and was a dispute mainly because Dr hatsumi taught "foreigners" differently or like you said didn't share the "secrets" ( though this is only the gembukan side of the story)

overall it was a pretty much a small, quite dojo and he was only teaching about 5 students. It was very traditional and meditated for a few mins before and after training, the training itself was pretty good to.

I think i will have a look at a few different arts before i choose to attend one regularly.

[shaheediyan]

If its the same art, then it should be pretty cool, although after reading Dr Hatsumis early books (and seeing early vids) compared to what he teaches now, I am convinced he has adopted bits from other systems and made innovations (which is fine and to be expected).

The class you attended actually sounds great. In a Khalsa class, class is opened and closed with an Ardaas, so that seems to be their equivalent, not a bad thing. Same as NITNEM, the shakti is kept in check (i.e. Bir Bani in the middle).

I much prefer smaller classes/one to one teaching, as this is how it was done in most traditions worldwide in the old days. Big classes are frankly just annoying - on a number of different levels.