Blog / Training in Japan with the Bujinkan: Shuriken in Front of the Cameras
Training in Japan with the Bujinkan: Shuriken in Front of the Cameras
Craig Guest · · 2 min read
Draft for review. Not published yet. Planned date: 22 January 2027. This page is hidden from Google and the rest of the site until it is approved.
Our chief instructor, Craig Guest, has made 20 trips to Japan to train in the Bujinkan. Training at the source lets students learn directly from Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi's senior teachers and bring that back home. Some trips also bring unexpected moments, like this one.
A surprise visit from the ABC
On a trip in about 2002, Craig was surprised to learn that the ABC's Foreign Correspondent programme would be filming at the dojo. The crew had planned a story on corruption in sumo but couldn't get anyone to talk. During their research they heard about Hatsumi Sensei and arranged an interview for some extra footage. They spent the day with Soke and were struck by how friendly and kind he was to everyone.
"Are there any Australians here today?"
By the time class started that night, the senior Japanese shihan had been called in to put on a demonstration for the cameras. Craig was watching, amazed, when an interpreter asked: "Are there any Australians here today?" There are always plenty of Australians training in Japan, but that night Craig was the only one. Soke waved him over: "Ah good, good, come come."
The idea was simple: a Japanese shihan would perform a technique, and Craig would copy it to represent his country. Nagase Sensei was thrown into a dive roll, leapt up with a double front stamp kick, dropped into a sideways roll with a kick and rolled away to safety. A perfect ten. Craig's version included a messy kick and an accidental kick to someone's groin, followed by an apology. Five out of ten, he reckons.
Round two: bo-shuriken
Next came bo-shuriken, throwing spikes about 13 cm long. Nagase Sensei gave an awe inspiring display: left hand, right hand, several at once, from rolls and turns, the result of years of dedicated practice. Then it was "Australia's turn." Craig had never thrown a shuriken in his life.
Nagase Sensei kindly gave him a 60 second lesson while the cameras were adjusted. Then, with ten shuriken, a hundred people watching, Soke, and a national TV crew, Craig threw at a tatami target about 12 feet away. The first stuck, and around four of the next nine. All things considered, he was pretty pleased.
What happened next
Back in Melbourne, the ABC called to say when the story would air. Craig enjoyed the programme, and was grateful they had edited him out of that section. For the next three months he practised for about an hour every day. Today Craig holds a licence in bo-shuriken, one of only two people in Australia to do so, and our dojo has its own indoor shuriken range.
Why training in Japan matters
Moments like this are why students travel: to learn first hand from senior teachers, train with students from around the world and bring new knowledge home. Some of the sword kata we train were learned in Japan. Read more about shuriken throwing at our dojo.
Learn from 20 trips' worth of experience
Train with an instructor who has trained in Japan 20 times. Book a $19.95 trial using the form below, or call 03 9495 1929. You are not under any obligation to join at the end of your trial.
