TRADITIONS

INTERVIEW

Interview with Grandmaster Tanemura Soke
by Peter Nunn (BBC journalist)
BBC Radio 5 Live 909-693 MW
5 December 1999 - La Spezia
4th Italy Tai-Kai

Ninpo is a total system, not only 1 part of martial art and not only physical techniques; all spiritual world and all technical world with physical world and I would say in fact everything is included.

Manners are most important throughout this martial art. In the world today, almost no manners are taught anymore. In the school no manners are taught, parents don't teach manners, kids don't listen to parents or others when manners are taught. Only in the Dojo, where true traditional martial arts are taught, true manners are taught. Next important thing is, good mannered persons can use good techniques without using for killing purpose. These true techniques are dangerous, so having a good heart is very important. A student will only use the techniques for self-defense purpose and for helping another person.

The true Ninja is never saying or showing that he is a Ninja. He is behaving as a usual person. Only in emergency times for the world he will come out and defense and create for peace, after peace disappear. So what I'm doing now is not being a Ninja, I'm a Ninpo martial artist. Now is emergency time for traditional Japanese martial art Ninpo.

So I have to create again and clean up what is the true traditional martial art as a part of the Japanese culture.

Sports martial art is good for health and Ki (energy) too. Traditional martial art is not so exciting because only pain and no title-matches and one must be very patient. It takes a long time before mastering everything. Most persons don't like this and have no patience until success-time will come. Of course this is very hard because one have to save lives and have to defend against assassins. Assassin is a killer-specialist, so how to defend against him without hard training?

Most important thing, keep going any way, even sports martial arts, doesn't matter. Keep going and you can understand what is your purpose/mission. If you can find out this, then you are a true martial artist and you can do service for society in the world. You are happy and can die with happiness.

My mission is spiritual together with martial arts. As a martial artist how to guide and introduce the spiritual world. This is my mission.