News summaries compiled and published by The Toryū Team from public sources · 19 October 2026, 09:13 CEST
2026-10-07 · bujinkan.se
On the weekend of 2–4 October, Bujinkan Norrköping hosted a seminar with Shawn Gray, a Canadian practitioner now living in New Zealand who spent more than 17 years in Japan studying under Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi and his closest students, often serving as interpreter and uke. Around 20 practitioners from Swedish dojos and from Finland trained the exercises and methods Shawn teaches his students in New Zealand. The weekend focused on fundamental ukemi, with and without weapons, and on how he trains Sanshin no kata and Kihon Happō. It was his 16th visit to Sweden; the last was Stockholm in 2016.
2026-10 · insideninjutsu.com
How do you know a technique really works? Speaking with Bujinkan Gokui Dōjō, Dai-Shihan Rob Renner says you have to test it against resistance. “There’s no correct way of doing kihon happo,” he argues; what matters is whether you can make it work. Students first learn positions and mechanics with a cooperative partner, then the partner begins to stiffen, withdraw or block the lock. The answer is not to add strikes or muscle when a technique fails, but to refine timing, positioning and body mechanics, while partners communicate so that joint-lock practice stays safe.
2026-10-01 · insideninjutsu.com
Inside Ninjutsu asks what comes next for the Bujinkan, with Hatsumi Sensei now in his nineties. In a video posted by Bujinkan Gokui Dōjō, Dai-Shihan Rob Renner, who began training in the early 1980s and has lived in Japan for over a decade, calls his years under Hatsumi and the senior instructors a “golden age”. Nagato, Noguchi, Oguri and Ishizuka were united through Hatsumi rather than close to one another; Oguri and Ishizuka have since passed away. Renner warns the art could split into “little teeny tiny empires” and says he is focusing on relationships and a wider network instead.
2026-09-28 · bujinkan.se
On 26–27 September the Swedish Bujinkan Federation held this year’s Sverigeläger in Nynäshamn, hosted by Bujinkan Nynäshamn with Magnus Minghetti as head instructor. More than 30 participants from around Sweden trained under the theme “Bujinkan in everyday life”. Saturday opened with the school techniques Kokū and Renyō, then became a workshop where groups worked through scenarios that put them in unfamiliar roles, sparking deep discussion. Robin Norrman of Bujinkan Dojo Malmö received the federation’s gold medal for many years as treasurer. On Sunday groups showed their own interpretations of school techniques. Ken Banh describes warmth, community and friendship.
2026-09-25 · bujinkan.se
Ken Banh interviews Gustavo Rodriguez of Bujinkan Bushin Dōjō in Västerhaninge after a weekend under Rob Renner in Barcelona. Renner has lived many years in Japan and regularly translated for senior Japanese Shihan. Rodriguez calls his teaching unique: deep Bujinkan and Japanese culture, plus an athletic background that breaks down principles Japanese instructors often take for granted, all in clear English. Takeaways include totoku—always ready for the next attack—and Renner’s depth on Sanshin and Kihon Happō. He stresses testing techniques on different partners as one of Bujinkan’s six treasures, and urges people who can to train with Renner at Honbu.
2026-09-25 · toryu.se
Toryū explains Taka no Mai (Hawk Dance), a TenChiJin Ryaku no Maki training form under Hira-ichimonji no kamae taught only by kuden. The side-to-side rock with arms out builds leg strength, balance, and hip and spine mobility in little space. The essay traces 鷹 (taka) versus falcon vocabulary and 舞 versus 踊り, then describes left/right weight shifts into strike kamae with Shikan-ken. Toryū also discusses tai shichibunme—working at about 70% so 30% remains in reserve—and recalls watching “Mr T” explore full reach at Daikomyosai 2009 in Ayase.
2026-09-18 · insideninjutsu.com
Inside Ninjutsu reports a simple partner drill from Bujinkan New York Dōjō that keeps training dynamic. One person applies an arm lock while the partner accepts the pressure, stays relaxed, and rolls out rather than fighting the lock with strength. As the roll finishes, the defender snatches the wrist and applies a counter lock. The sequence trains flexibility, ukemi, timing, and awareness in one flow, and shows how familiar locks and rolls can stay fresh without unnecessary resistance that risks injury.