Bujinkan Denmark Kuki Taisho Dojo is one of a total of 15 so-called Bujinkan Dojos (clubs) in Denmark that train Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, also known as Ninjutsu. Kuki Taisho Dojo was founded as an association in 1992 by William Boesen, Michael Kofoed, and Michael Schjerling, who all still teach at the dojo, at our beautiful premises at Bernhard Bangs Allé 19, 2000 Frederiksberg.
Today, we are approximately 40 adult members, as well as many wonderful children and young people, who train in our “Rollinger”, “Kids”, “Warriors”, and “Shinobi” classes. We have a total of 13 teachers and 4 assistant teachers responsible for the daily training. In addition each year, we hold several seminars, where master teachers from both Denmark and abroad come and teach our students.
Although many today use the name Ninjutsu, the martial art that we train is actually called Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, or simply Bujinkan.
Bujinkan is a true warrior tradition, and the first schools can be traced 900 years back in history. Despite this, our techniques and training are adapted to the development of time and technology, so Bujinkan remains a relevant and extremely effective system for self-defence and protection on all levels.
The goal of martial arts training is to learn to protect and defend oneself and others. Therefore, the Bujinkan training emphasises not only physical but also mental training and spiritual training.
We use strikes, kicks, throws, grappling and weapons in our martial arts practice, but the focus lays primarily on developing the three fundamental elements that make a true warrior: Mind – Shin, Technique – Gi and Body – Tai.
The word Shin can be understood as Heart, Mind, Soul or Spirit – Shin is thus the mental part of Bujikan training. It stands for becoming a whole person that is in balance and has a pure heart. It is a great responsibility to learn the combat techniques we use, so it is also important to have the heart in the right place. Working on inner strength, patience, gratitude, and kindness of heart is therefore an important and natural part of your training.
A strong mind and a pure heart are the most important assets of a warrior. You can be very skilled technically and have a very strong physique, but if your mind is weak, you will ultimately be easier to defeat. Through training, your heart becomes purer, your mind becomes freer and calmer, and you become happier as the years go by and your training evolves. This is Bujinkan’s greatest gift.
In Bujinkan, you learn and experience that good technique is more important than physical strength or size. The technical part of our combat system is based on understanding distance as well as our own body positioning and structure. This enables you to control and dominate even the most aggressive and violent opponents by breaking down their structure and making them unable to fight.
In practice, this means that we always train and improve the basic techniques that our system is based on. We initially train slowly and focus on teaching our bodies and minds to understand and execute the techniques correctly.
Dr. MASAAKI HATSUMI
Your body is the tool the mind uses to execute your technique and is therefore an essential part of Bujinkan. The three elements are inseparable, and a true warrior must master all three.
We focus on posture, on how we walk, stand, sit and jump, as a prerequisite for good technique.
Through training, your body becomes healthier, stronger and more mobile. You will build resilience, endurance, and a higher tolerance for pain.
We train the body not only in the dojo but also by living a life focused on healthy eating, physical training, sleep, breathing exercises, yoga-like exercises, cold exposure, and other methods that help shape a healthy, strong, and robust body.
We see the Bujinkan community as an extended family of sorts. When you start training, you become a part of a community across borders and generations, covering the whole world. We all train according to the same principles, have the same Grandmaster (Soke Masaaki Hatsumi), and members from around the world regularly meet at international seminars, and have a strong international community online.
It is also very common for members from other countries to visit local dojos and train when they happen to be travelling for business or pleasure.
The dojo is also a sanctuary where we can put every day’s hardships aside, and meet other people – both as warriors and as human beings – in a shared space for training and development.
Bujinkan is a community with room for everyone. We help each other, give each other space, and take responsibility for ourselves and others both in and outside the dojo.
We look forward to supporting you in your training, no matter what level you wish to train at. Everyone is welcome!
These five fundamental principles, our grandmaster soke Masaaki Hatsumi received from his own grandmaster, should guide anyone who trains in Bujinkan. Hatsumi passed these principles on to Michael Schjerling on a scroll that hangs in the dojo.
The entire soul and essence of Bujinkan lies within these five principles, but it is up to each member to interpret the principles and find their own meaning and understanding.
1. Patience comes first. Know first of all that whatever hardship you may have to endure is but temporary.
2. Know that the path of man is justice. Always behave correctly.
3. Do not fall prey to avarice, indulgence, or egoism.
4. Think of sadness and worry as something natural and reach the enlightenment that they are gifts from the Gods. When you can see and feel this gift from the Gods you will actually see the miracle in this. Seek fudoshin no satori.
5. Never stray from the path of faith (the spirit) – kokoro no michi, nor that of budo; be ambitious in the ways of both pen and sword.
Bernhard Bangs Allé 19
2000 Frederiksberg
bujin@bujin.dk