For those unfamiliar with the White Bear he is the French Ninja Master the Japanese were making fun of in the video below.
Now "white bear" says...
"Hatsumi Sensei has announced a few modifications to the way we deal with the Honbu Dōjō. These changes concern the Dai Shihan in the first place, and their followers. They will the ones putting into place this new organisation. I have read a few comments criticising the number of newly promoted Dai Shihan.
Strangely, the critics come from those who don’t have the promotion yet. That is wrong! Whatever Sensei does, he has a reason for it. If you don’t know it, it is because you don’t see the big picture.
He also insisted that we DO NOT use the internet to communicate about it but to do it face to face. I wrote about it and still, I get personal messages on the internet from people asking to know more. What is wrong with them? Sensei said NO internet!"So my first question is why can't these secret plans for the Bujinkan be discussed openly or online. When we look at the next statement, we can see it is the same pattern of martial cult business practices.
"Next Sunday, there will be a Bujinkan gathering in Atago. We will celebrate the 50 years of the creation of the Bujinkan. Sensei might (or might not) explain his new vision at this occasion. Until then, be patient."
The Bujinkan has long used the prospect of learning "real ninja secrets" as a marketing gimmick. And it is clear from the advertisement of a seminar where Hatsumi "May" disclose his future plans to those in attendance to draw in business for that event...
Hatsumi has an established record of lying to Western students concerning historical Japanese documents and that was addressed and proven when I broke down the Bujinkan's "pre-internet forum" cult handbook by Kirkland Peterson, Mind of the Ninja.
In fact, Shiro Kuma even goes on to say that Hatsumi is Boss... Now, how does that explain the difference in ability in instructors? No standard of what training entails...
"I see all that I described above as a lack of respect for Sensei’s decisions. The Bujinkan is not a democracy, it belongs to Hatsumi Sōke and follows the Japanese ways. Hatsumi Sensei is our leader. He is your boss, and his decisions you have to respect them, even if you do not understand them.
Hatsumi Sensei is the Bujinkan. If you don’t agree with how he deals with his Bujinkan, then shut up and leave. There is nothing to argue. His words define what the Bujinkan is, and how it evolves. No one should discuss his choices."
The last bit above shows the Messiah image of Hatsumi in the Bujinkan. Martial arts and Ninjutsu in particular should involve a standard of training and a uniform set of skills for such training. Without such, there is a missing quality which results in the unanswered of what any "secrets of the style" are and when one learns such.
