Bujinkan Rakunin Dojo (武神館 楽忍 道場), Harstad (Norway)

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About the Bujinkan Rakunin Dojo (武神館 楽忍 道場)

Let me start by saying, Welcome! to anyone reading this!

At the urging of several friends, I again became active in the Bujinkan in 2003 after a 10 year hiatus. I began teaching then, and continue to travel and train.  The Bujinkan Rakunin Dojo was given it's name by shihan Soraishi during my trip to Japan in December 2008. Because I am not yet a Shidoshi (Licensed teacher - 5th degree black belt or higher), the dojo lies under the authority of Shihan Ed "Papa-san" Martin (15th dan), under Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, the grandmaster of the Bujinkan.

The main instructor of the dojo is myself, Kris Quinn.  But in addition there are two student instructors under me - Tommy Robertsen, and Julia Levenets.  I often ask them to lead the class when my work schedule conflicts with training.  You can find out more information on the Class Information link at the top of the page.

But.. that's probably not the kind of information you're looking for on this page.

Most of the items we'll need are listed on the pricelist.  Obviously, some items are much more necessary then others.

 

Registering

If you're interested in training, the easiest way to start is to just show up at class!  Give us a call at +47 908 53354, and we can confirm class time and help you find the dojo.  Bring some comfortable clothing you don't mind getting dirty. 

 

What you're going to need

Soke Masaaki Hatsumi wearing a Shogun gi from www.fighter.noAfter you decide if you wish to continue training, you will need to do two things: register as a student with Hombu.  This is an annual membership of about 150Nkr.  The second thing you'll need is a gi.  This is the Japanese term for a martial arts training uniform.  The uniforms we use are black.

Why do we use these instead of street clothes?  The easiest answer to this is to avoid destroying your regular clothes!  Our art includes a lot of throws, rolls, grappling and sweating... normal clothing just doesn't stand up.  Personally, I also find that putting on my gi puts me in the right frame of mind for training.

As part of our uniform, we wear a form of Japanese shoe, called tabi.  There are outdoor and indoor versions.  The outdoor tabi has a rubber sole, while the indoor version does not. 

Why don't we just go barefoot like in Tae Kwon Do? Although most of our training is indoors, we will occasionally do some "field" work.  Tabi work very well for our needs, and are actually quite comfortable after you get used to them.  The provide a margin of safety for our feet during training both indoors and out.

Ok.. so why do I need leggings?  Because I said so! Seriously, you don't NEED leggings, but our martial art is NOT a sport.  We do not train to fight in a ring, with a judge.  The lovely sounding "snap" of your pants when you perform a kick has absolutely no place in the real world.  By binding down the pants, we reduce noise, as well as avoid having our pants get caught when we're trying to do a roll, kick or avoid some object.

Eventually, you will also need to acquire training weapons.  These include the 6ft (182cm) bo, 4ft (122cm) jo, 3ft (91.5cm) hanbo, shinai (bamboo training sword), bokken (wooden training sword), and various other implements.  I recommend getting the best quality training gear possible.  These items usually take a beating, and cheap one's tend to break.

bokken available from Shidoshi Dick Severance Hanbo shinai

The items we need for training are ordered through me from www.fighter.no or from www.gido.no.  For a really good (RECOMMENDED) bokken, check out Tombo Supplies.  It's expensive, but absolutely worth the investment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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