1987 Interview with Hatsumi Sensei (初見先生) at his home:
Hatsumi Sensei spoke about walking and how Takamatsu Sensei had 20 Spitz dogs that he would have attached to a belt around his waist and go for walks.
Hatsumi Sensei (The Way of the Ninja, 2004):
"Spend two hours a day walking with quick, small steps. Walking with small steps puts less strain on your heart. This also trains you for walking, as if on a cushion of air, not letting your centre of gravity rest on either leg."
This will be an online Introduction to Amatsu Tatara Hichibuku Goshinjutsu delivered via live-video feed by Peter King - Menkyo Kaiden and author of the 'Life Secrets of the Amatsu Tatara' .
4th & 5th April 2020 10:00 - 16:00 EST (USA)
There will be a maximum limit of 25 participants.
For further details please contact Christopher Carbonaro: ChristopherCarbonaro@gmail.com
Translated by Shawn Gray
"Everyone, let’s together cast away sorrow and attain happiness.
Everyone, happiness is life’s ultimate satisfaction.
Casting sorrow and discontent away and re-thinking is also happiness.
Anticipating and correcting one’s understanding of the ravages of calamity and
disease is also happiness.
Everyone, happiness is waiting there before your eyes.
Whether you grasp it or not determines your unhappiness or happiness.
Ask everyone, enquire of them, and find the guide to happiness."
"Grab the big toe by thumb, the forefinger and the middle finger. And whirl the big toe for 10 times. This stimulation heals the high pressure and the low pressure.
Also, giving appropriate stimulation to these three (parts of the) toe makes the liver and kidney strong .
Of course, to massage for all of the toes is also good for health."
This was from a magazine article 'Ninja Kenkō-hō Hi Sakusen Hichibuku Goshinjutsu' (忍者 健康法秘作戦 秘致武九護身術) - Ninja health method secret strategy) published circa 1972 (translated by Takeharu Nakadai).
"The Sekichū (The Spinal Column) movement of Hichibuku Goshinjutsu makes the blood circulation of the body to be better. And it recover from unbalance body condition and muscle tension.
Additionally, it makes better condition for stomach, then it is easy to recovering from tiredness."
This was from a magazine article 'Ninja Kenkō-hō Hi Sakusen Hichibuku Goshinjutsu' (忍者 健康法秘作戦 秘致武九護身術) - Ninja health method secret strategy) published circa 1972 (translated by Takeharu Nakadai).
From the Japanese language book 'Ima Ninja' (いま忍者 - Contemporary Ninja) by Hatsumi Sensei (1981).
"This is a health method anybody can do. I am sure that your parents would love to have it done.
Never do these recklessly
Do these calmly and slowly so that they feel good
It is important to do them in a way that fits the individual
The practitioner must clean his hands before practicing this on people
The patient must relax himself and leave his whole body to the practitioner."
"Many illnesses relate to irregularities of the spine. To adjust the spine the patient lies in the prone position while you gently tap up and down their back 100-150 times."
From the Japanese language book 'Ima Ninja' (いま忍者 - Contemporary Ninja) by Hatsumi Sensei (1981).
From the Japanese language book 'Ima Ninja' (いま忍者 - Contemporary Ninja) by Hatsumi Sensei (1981)
"…I think of food as medicine necessary to live.
Let me first say that if you live every day with the idea that, “food is natural medicine” one can maintain ones health without having to take any of the things that are sold as medicine today.
It’s best to reduce your intake of salt, sugar and things that have been through fire.
Part of this practice is to eat more greens than meat. …..
Likewise it felt natural not to eat animals with four legs as it has the effect of contaminating ones blood.
In this way a ninja avoided acidic foods.
Eating correctly is associated with nourishment, so one necessarily avoided the bad foods and food became natural medicine.
This is ninja food:
Miso,
Vegetables,
Brown rice,
Tofu,
Small fish,
Wild grass (野草),
No four legged animals."
Note: The character combination of 野草 (Yasō) translates as "wild grasses; field grass; wildflowers". The 'Kun' (Japanese as opposed to Chinese 'On' reading) for the second character 草 is (Kusa くさ), seems as though it could relate to grass, herb or possibly plants (and interestingly also Ninja)
Source: https://jisho.org/word/%E9%87%8E%E8%8D%89
From the 'Kukishinden Zensho' (九鬼神伝全書) by Agō Kiyohiko (吾郷 清彦), 1983. - Chapter 16 - Kukishin Kyū-hō (九鬼神灸法)
"The moxibustion whose objective is the adjustment of the antagonisms (antagonistic functions) of the sympathetic system and vagus nerve , promotes the adjustment of the motor functions of the muscles of the stomach and the endocrine functions of gastric glands and it accelerates the activity of tissue cells."
For this reason, the vital functions related on the stomach return to the normality and it can lead to self-cure of both hyperacidity and acid deficiency.
From a Japanese magazine article published circa 1972 and translated by Takeharu Nakadai.
"Do seiza and deep breathing for 3 times.
Then face to the right side and three times of deep breathing, also the left side do as well.
After that, stretch the legs and deep breathing. It is for keeping stable blood pressure and keeping strong heart. "
From the Shinshin no maki -Ge (神心 の巻 下 ) by Takamatsu Sensei, as reproduced in the 'Life Secrets of the Amatsu Tatara' book.
Although, obviously not dealing with Coronavirus. Takamatsu Sensei writes about influenza in general terms as follows::
"Influenza
The causes are: mental and physical tiredness, a weakening of nervous system due to the impurities of the blood and consequently the failure of the immune system. It creates later the conditions for the onset of germs of the influenza.
Pathology
The pathology may be found in the inflammation of respiratory organs, in particular in the inflammation of the nervous system of respiratory organs and in the exudative inflammation of the digestive system.
Symptoms constantly change in accord to the affected area. Generally, in most cases in which the damaged area is the respiratory apparatus, the symptoms start with an acute nasal catarrh, fever, pain in both eyes, headache, pain in the limbs, and they are accompanied by a strong weakening, and concerning the neurological aspect, headache and pain in the back region and in the hands and feet may occur, but in serious cases, meningitis and neurological disorders may also appear. In the event that the affected part is the gastrointestinal region, the symptoms start with an acute gastritis and they are accompanied by vertigo, vomit, pain in the epigastric region, fever, or by acute colitis, colicky pain, diarrhoea, and sometimes by jaundice."
Curative treatment - I have taken the liberty of paraphrasing and abreviating Takamatsu Sensei, but a full translation is included within the book.
Takamatsu Sensei goes on to describe how to correct the vertebral levels related to lung function, to keep the patient warm in room with good airflow, how to support their recovery with nutrition, herbal compresses and moxa. Also, to encourage the patient to drink, sweat and sleep in order to remain hydrated and to assist the body to fight off the virus.
Note - This is presented for reasons of historical interest and is in no way intended to replace properly qualified medical advice and treatment.
The picture (above) is 'Shinshin no maki -Ge' (神心 の巻 下 ) written by Hatsumi Sensei.
Takamatsu Sensei’s explanatory writings on the 'Nakatomi Tatara Hibumi' from the 'Kukishinden Zensho' (九鬼神伝全書) by Agō Kiyohiko (吾郷 清彦), 1983.
First of all it is very important to keep Fudoshin (an immovable spirit)
a) The practitioner should have a dignified behavior and posture and his clothes and clinic should be orderly.
b) The practitioner should be sober and do not chat around. He should further not judge people as good or bad.
c) Sometimes try to relax your patient’s feelings through a beautiful talk.
d) Try to make your patients understand that this is not a play. The patient has to take things seriously.
Takamatsu Sensei’s explanatory writings on the 'Nakatomi Tatara Hibumi' from the 'Kukishinden Zensho' (九鬼神伝全書) by Agō Kiyohiko (吾郷 清彦), 1983.
"Five hints (on treatment) are given:
1) While the practitioner gives a treatment, the patient should close his eyes.
2) When you give a treatment, first of all suggest to the patient that the pain will surely stop.
3) Spiritual treatment should take 5 minutes for normal, and 10 minutes for serious patients.
4) Speak in a confident way, so that your subconscious will truly influence the patient. Further, talk from your experience, because this will have a very strong effect.
5) In spiritual methods, the practitioner’s subconscious should give order to patient’s subconscious, making him feel that the pain is already gone."
This was from a magazine article (published circa 1972 and translated by Takeharu Nakadai).
" Sekichū (脊柱 - back pole) method.
And it is said that the base of the health is the harmony between mind and body. The element of the base is "stretching the backbone”.
In fact, the face looks down and curved the backbone when the status of sad. On the other hand, the backbone is straightened when it is glad.
It is said "That luck come to the gate of smile". Smiling straighten the backbone, then it become healthy. Naturally, luck comes. "Backbone" is also called as "Back pole", it is the centre pole of the body."
This was from a magazine article (published circa 1972 and translated by Takeharu Nakadai).
"It is based on the autonomic nervous system. It is a very cool, modern and scientific health method.
The autonomic nervous system can be divided two parts. If these two nerve "Sympathetic nerve" and "Parasympathetic nerve" lose balance, the internal organs will have trouble.
We can't do anything if the internal organs have trouble. "Hichibuku Goshinjutsu" explain about the relationship between backbone and the internal organs."
"Hichibuku Goshinjutsu doesn't use medicine or instruments of any sort.
It is a fantastic technique where the practitioner follows the movement of their mind and moves the patients whole body as they think best.
This improves their circulation and the cause of the disease is removed."
From the Japanese language book 'Ima Ninja' (いま忍者 - Contemporary Ninja) by Hatsumi Sensei (1981), but drawn from the Hichibuku Goshinjutsu Genri (秘致武九護身術原理) written by Takamatsu Sensei.
From the Shinshin no maki -Jō (神心 の巻 上 ) by Takamatsu Sensei, reproduced in the 'Life Secrets of the Amatsu Tatara' book.
"For that sake, I am thinking of nothing but absolutely warning against believing in a wrong religion with a mistaken blind devotion, and until the day I die to do further studies, and leave them behind for the sake of this world and for the sake of humanity.
I think that for this long road three (3) resources are necessary.
Photo above shows Takamatsu Sensei & Hatsumi Sensei performing 'Ketsu-in'.
From the Shinshin no maki -Jō (神心 の巻 上 ) by Takamatsu Sensei, as reproduced in the 'Life Secrets of the Amatsu Tatara' book.
"Affection between men and women is a pleasure unique to mankind, but making mistakes on that path transforms it into the greatest pain.
The country’s minister has a duty to rule the country and safeguard the nation, but lack of intelligence, selfish desire or personal concerns will throw the country out of order and bring suffering to the nation.
Also religion, if it is not a faith with a right heart in a sincere religion, becomes a means of putting generations of descendants at risk by losing one’s way in a wrong religion and destroying the body.
Therefore, regardless of whether it is good or bad, I think one should walk correctly in the middle of the road without inclining to one side."
Above photo shows Hatsumi Sensei with Takamatsu Sensei and his wife in Kashihara, Nara.