Notes from the Jinichi Kawakami Seminar

6/26/09
I am sharing some notes taken at the Jinichi Kawakami seminar last year by a nearby college student who attended the seminar. I hope everyone enjoys them as I did.

Intro of People by Dayn Derose: In order from Left to Right (Right to Left)

Meik Skoss (co-publisher of Koryu Books), Dr. Jeremy Sather (Univ. PA Head of Tokugawa Era and East Language Cultures [ELC]), Master Jinichi Kawakami (Head [Soke?] of Koka Banken Shinobiden), Mr. Master Sensei Yoshida Kiyamoto, Diane Skoss (Koryu Books), Prof. Mark (Drew Anthropology [Head?]), and Dr. Faravar (of Gichin Ryu)

Host: Dayn De Rose

After Introducing everyone (by Dayn), we were presented with a film to watch, with the translator translating dialogue to make the language barrier nonexistent. (Clips from this 1988 film can be found on youtube, the following is a description of the entire film in detail.)

The1988 film started by showing Body training (hitting chest with a board/bamboo)
It’s been 30 years since he started body training (at about 16 years of age?). He is known as the “Iron Man of Wakasa.” (Scene changes to mountainous landscape with a river) On the Kitagawa River is the small town of Kaminagacho. (Scene changes to Kawakami’s house) Here we see Jinichi Kawakami’s house, it’s been 20 years since (he’s been eating his diet [or living there]?). His breakfast consists of tofu & fried bean curd. He controls his food intake. He says he would eat fish but I rarely eat meat, the blood gets dull. (Scene changes to his father) His father is saying his son is very gentle in (many ways? in his manners?) he always has been.

At 6am, he wakes up and he leaves home at 7am and he goes to work. He trains even when driving, he trains his fists/knuckles by hitting an iron ball in his lap in the driver’s seat (between his legs). [Keep in mind this was in 1988] He works for an Electric Manufacturer in Suraga City. He’s an engineer, making electrical circuits for car parts (Scene shows him working an exposed open computer screen and programming parts for an automobile). The only time he shows that he is a ninja is during lunch. (scene shows him sitting down eating a hyourogan ball) He eats one Hyurogan ball (a Koka family recipe) for lunch. If you take just one, it can fill you up for the rest of the day. (Scene changes to him at his house, possibly at night, making the Hyourogan balls) The recipe is a trade secret, but some of the ingredients include Umaboshi (Umeboshi?) which is pickled plum, as well as Koi fish blood, and other things. It has to dry for 2-3 days and it keeps him awake because of the smell.

(scene changes to him training at night in a room) From 1-3am, he does Fist Training on an Iron Ball. He does this 500 times in one night. He’s been doing this since he was 15 years old, so for 22 years. The next scene shows him concentrating on a candle after conditioning his fists/hands. Also, it is done as a form of meditation (by candle?). So, he is doing mental focus training. The time he does this at has a special meaning (1am-3am), because meditating at this time brings you closer to get to (understanding?) the most ambiguous idea.

Every Sunday he goes to the temple to teach students from highschool. He has 100 students. (Scene Change) A Teacher in Highschool, who is the moderator of the club that Jinichi Kawakami created in highschool, talks about some of the things that the students do. One of these is carrying wood from mountains (down to the temple). (Scene changes to) The Okasa Gateway open to tourists and is home to a festival/celebration called Mizu Okuni (Water Ceremony) that occurs every March 2nd and holds a very important meaning and plays a very special part to the people of the surrounding area. The ceremony itself is said to have been held 1000 years ago. After that in Koka, Shinobi developed in the surrounding area into 53 ryu Branches.

(Scene change to Jinichi Kawakami) The first time he (Jinichi Kawakami) started was when he was 6 years old he met this old man. He was playing on this road. The old man looked like a monk. He drew a circle on the ground and taught how to throw a coin(s). He also was selling medicines. So this old man started teaching Jinichi Kawakami. He started teaching him even without the family’s knowledge. Now in ninjutsu, there were over 100 scrolls which were written/carried down to preserve the art. You had to know how to read them. Understanding the meaning of what was written down was passed by word of mouth, which was handed down by Banke (family).

It contains a lot of arts, such as explosives and medicines, and Higurashi (to kill everybody in room). Also, making someone sick and drying them up to death. Exactly what to do is a trade secret but it works. It is a science. There’s also no such thing as a single skill or discipline or art that comprises “oh this is ninjutsu.” It’s a living art with many things to learn. There isn’t one ninjutsu, there are many (to learn). Some of the kinds of clothes that ninja wore are karasan (a type of pants) and Sanju (top). This costume came from farming activities.

The scene changes to the outside, with students complaining how cold it is, entering a complex where the school is. Some of the places where Jinichi operates outside of are Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. They are having an entrance ceremony, these people are recognized as students as of this day. Jinichi Kawakami has a dream (idea) that once among the ninja families, were a tight-knit Family bonding and he wants to carry that on today.

Next, the scene changes to an Interview between Jinichi Kawakami and a news broadcaster. She asks him questions like what is ninjutsu made of, does hyorogan really work? He says yes it really does work. He goes on to say that back then he had only 100 students from Highschool, and now more college students and businessmen are starting to join. He holds classes in Koka City. The next question he asks him is what kinds of techniques are present in ninjutsu, for example bujutsu? He responds that bujutsu is just one small part. She asks is just one better? He says that it should be that all are important. He then goes to show her some of the things, such as tools and both concealed and visible weapons from the Edo period which include both straight-spiked and star-shaped shuriken, hairpins with concealed pins (for stabbing) (for women?), and also tekki (rings with small protruding spikes, usually one or more, on one side) used for scratching the (enemy’s) face.

He also then goes on to show some texts, like the Kimura family scroll, which show the Family tree, Koka-protected secrets, as well as Hidensho-secret arts that were recorded, such as medicines. He is studying all these books right now (some of them show things like the turtle). He says the goal (of the ninja) is to keep peace. It ends with the newsbroadcaster saying, “This is Koka Ninja, Jinichi Kawakami.”

After the film, the group took a short 5 minute break Before we started with the questions Mr. Kiyamoto wanted to say a few words on behalf of both himself and Master Jinichi Kawakami and he said: “I am very glad for this opportunity to present at Drew University. We thank you. We thank Dayn, we thank the people at Drew University, (those at the panel,) and all who made this possible. (We are very happy to be here)”


More notes on the seminar to come.