縛師伝 (Bakushi Den) — The DVD

 

Now available at the Kinbaku Shop

 

Bakushi Den (縛師伝) loosely translates to Bakushi Story (or Tale, or Legend) rather than Rigger Shack.

This DVD is produced, directed and cameo-ed by grandmaster Yukimura Haruki (雪村春樹). Watch Osada Steve (長田スティーブ) reaffirm his manhood by setting the tatami on fire with his smoking hot rope.

Attend one of the following events to get your very own DVD autographed by Shizuki Iroha (紫月いろは) and Osada Steve – while enjoying live suspension performances and intoxicating tatami burning:

Februray 14 (Sat), 7pm Studio SIX

February 14 (Sat), 11:45pm Tokyo Decadance

March 14 (Sat), 3pm Sun Shop  (blog: is here)

With help from the folks at “Japanese in 15 Seconds“, let’s take a closer look at the character den (伝). In its basic sense it conveys the meaning of propagation or transmission (of knowledge, information) and can be read as den (でん) or tsuta(e) (つたえ).

In combination with other kanji (漢字) and a more samurai-centric view of things we encounter words like hiden (秘伝, secret) as pertaining to hiden no waza (秘伝の技, secret techniques) that are usually passed on as kuden (口伝, oral instruction) to selected deshi (弟子, disciples) as to assure that they do not become known outside a ryū (流, school). The raison d’être being that a certain (martial) technique leaving a school would enable others to devise ways to defeat it. This is not to say that certain ryū will not include gaiden (外伝, techniques from other schools) in their curriculum.

Further, some koryū (古流, “old” budo schools predating 1886; as opposed to modern “sporty” Japanese martial arts) distinguish between shoden (初伝, entry transmission), chūden (中伝, middle transmission), and okuden (奥伝, inner transmission, secret teachings). No wonder then, that those hiden and okuden are somewhat densetsu (伝説, legendary) in nature due to the speculation afforded by those ignorant to the teachings.

Let’s hope one or the other reader will now embark on a journey to become a densetsu no nawashi (伝説の縄師, legendary nawashi). A career in rope often starts as a tetsudai (手伝い, helper, assistant), before you begin tying your first of ten thousand takatekote (高手小手). Suffice to say that only those TKs will count that didn’t cause nerve damage or other injuries. Should, for instance, TK number 7,834 go wrong, you will automatically make a name for yourself as ayashī densetsu (怪しい伝説, dubious legend) and needed to start all over.

Of course it would help if you had a shishō (師匠, master) who passes on his secrets to you (himitsu o tsutaemasu, 秘密を伝えます), so you won’t have to make them up on your own. Depending on how a ryū is organized, there may be a denshō (伝承, scroll) containing the essence of the teachings. Furthermore, if you showed utmost commitment and dedication you might even be treated as a true disciple and given a menkyo kaiden (免許皆伝) that would certify you as having fully received (and grasped) all the teachings of the ryū.

There is a gazillion other words containing den (伝). You can even find it in the name of the great Akechi Denki (明智伝鬼).