Blog: 2026 Japan Training Trip
From September 24 to October 4, 2026, six senior members of the Dayton Bujinkan Dojo visited Japan for training and sightseeing. The group primarily attended classes led by Nagato Sensei, Noguchi Sensei, and Paul Masse at the Bujinkan Hombu or in Asaka Dai. More photos from the trip are available at https://www.daytonbujinkan.com/photo-gallery-ii/2026japantrip.
(The following post is a condensed version of Jeff’s full, detailed trip summary.)
About eight classes and 15 hours of training were attended over the course of ten days.
This year, Japan has been inundated with rain from multiple typhoons moving through the Pacific Ocean. Japan had 37 consecutive days of rain before our arrival. The temperature averaged in the 70’s, and by the end of the trip, the group enjoyed blue skies and dry weather.
Tuesday morning (September 29th ), many of us were woken up at 4:45 AM by a 4.9 earthquake. Although only a 3.0 in Kashiwa, it was strong enough to shake the hotel room with a sudden boom and rumble for 3o seconds.
The construction of the new Bujinkan Administration Office and Museum remains on schedule. Based on the construction schedule, the office may be completed by the end of 2026. The rest of the building will be done in late spring 2027, with a possible grand opening event tentatively held in May 2027.
Nagato Sensei’s classes averaged 40+ people. Sensei’s classes stressed two primary points: go slow and keep it simple. By “going slow”, it allows time for exploration, checking for proper distance control, and wild variations of hands and foot positions while maintaining safety. “Keep it simple” was said multiple times, including reminding his class participants to stop making things complex or adding unnecessary movement. “It’s simple. You should be able to do it.”
Noguchi Sensei was very excited about heading to Argentina for his next Tai Kai in less than three weeks. Christian Petroccello (Bujinkan Daishihan and Koto Ryu Menkyo Kaiden holder) is hosting the event and expects more than 200 participants to attend. It is the first time Noguchi Sensei will be visiting the southern hemisphere.
Noguchi Sensei is also very excited to visit Dayton in March 2027 as part of his US Tai Kai hosted by Sean Askew and held at the Dayton Bujijnkan Dojo.
During one of Noguchi Sensei’s classes, he reminded us not to step on a teacher’s shadow. “It hurts!” Noguchi Sensei’s classes focused on Shinden Fudo Ryu Dakentaijutsu Ten no Kata. and Chi no Kata of the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki. He reminded everyone in class (many of whom were Shidoshi or Shihan) that instructors must teach the fundamentals properly “so these things [his henka] can be done.”
The group trained with Paul Masse on Friday afternoon. Paul primarily focused on exploring muto dori and hanbojutsu techniques. He mentioned that his recent proces has been to spend two months at a time on an idea shared by Hatsumi Soke in years’ past and “playing with it” in class. Paul is exceptional at kyojitsu and disruptive taijutsu, changing the pace and timing of a technique so that the opponent can’t easily grasp his intent.
During one of Nagato Sensei’s classes at the Bujinkan Hombu, the class was visited by Kobayashi-san. Kobayashi-san was an original student of Hatsumi Soke in the 1960s and early 1970s.
During a discussion, it was shared that some people have the misunderstanding that fundamentals never change. This is the wrong approach. Instead, we should aspire to mature our fundamental movements based on what we have practiced in the past (through repetition and mat time).
For the third and final year, the theme of the Japan trip was Yutori (ゆとり, spaciousness, leeway, “elbow room”). This focus allowed us to enjoy the training and activities without being impacted by differences in schedules or changes in training.
