Kihon Happo: The Eight Basic Exercises
In trainings we hear the term "Kihon Happo" again and again. Many know that it refers to "basic exercises". But what exactly are these exercises, where do they come from, and why are they considered the foundation? In this article I will try to answer these questions.
What the name means
Kihon (基本) means foundation or basis. The term is used in all Japanese martial arts to refer to practicing the fundamentals: stances, movement, falls, strikes, locks, and throws. Happo (八法) means "eight methods". Together, the Kihon Happo are the eight basic exercises of Budo Taijutsu.
The eight exercises are divided into two groups:
Kosshi Kihon Sanpo (骨指基本三法): three forms of strikes and kicks. Kosshi (骨指) is made up of the characters for "bone" and "finger". It is also the name of Kosshijutsu, the fighting method of Gyokko-ryu, in which, according to tradition, warriors toughened their fingers and toes.
Torite Goho (in full: 捕手基本型五法): five techniques of locks and throws. Torite (捕手) means roughly "capturing hand".
Where they come from
According to Bujinkan tradition, the Kihon Happo originate in Gyokko-ryu Kosshijutsu. The website of the Swedish dojo Bujinkan Toryu explains that the three striking forms are taken from the basic kata of Kosshijutsu, and that the five Torite techniques are taken from the grappling and throwing kata of the same school.
Not everyone agrees. In a discussion among senior practitioners on the MartialTalk forum, some argued that only the three striking forms come from Gyokko-ryu, and that some of the locks also appear in Koto-ryu and Takagi Yoshin-ryu. One participant estimated that Hatsumi formalized the Kihon Happo as a fixed set only in the late 1970s or the 1980s. This is a forum discussion, not research, so I bring it as evidence of a debate rather than as a conclusion.
The content itself is not entirely fixed either. With different teachers and dojos, Muso-dori, Oni-kudaki, Hon-gyaku or Jigoku-dori sometimes appear in place of one of the Torite techniques. The differences concern almost only the Torite. In the Bujinkan it is also customary to perform the eight exercises in the spirit of different schools, so they serve as a foundation for learning all nine traditions.
Why "basic"
Hatsumi attaches great importance to the Kihon Happo. In issue no. 9 of Sanmyaku (Sanmyaku), the newsletter he published, he writes (paraphrased here from the English translation): "You cannot say you have understood the Kihon Happo unless you have connected these forms with the Happo Biken, the Bugei Juhappan and the Ninja Juhakkei." And later: "When the Kihon Happo gives birth to 10,000 ways, and the 10,000 ways become infinite, it becomes the root of the martial ways."
The three terms he mentions are much broader than eight exercises:
Happo Biken: "the hidden sword of the eight methods", the principles of working with weapons.
Bugei Juhappan: the eighteen fields of expertise of the samurai.
Ninja Juhakkei: the eighteen fields of expertise of the ninja.
In other words, the Kihon Happo is not a list of eight exercises to memorize. It is a foundation in the sense of a root: countless variations grow from it, empty-handed and with weapons.
Three and five: the ideas behind the two groups
In the same passage Hatsumi links each group to a broader idea. The link also rests on the numbers: the three striking forms are linked to two ideas of "three", and the five Torite techniques to the idea of "five". Hatsumi himself does not explain there exactly how they are connected. What follows is an explanation of the concepts and of the interpretation commonly given to them in the Bujinkan.
Three: Ten-Chi-Jin and Sanshin
Ten-Chi-Jin (天地人, heaven-earth-man) are the "three powers" of Chinese thought (San Cai, 三才). Man stands between heaven and earth and connects them. In the Bujinkan this is also the name of the basic curriculum, the Tenchijin Ryaku no Maki. In training it is common to link the three levels to the body: heaven to the hands, earth to the legs and man to the whole body.
Sanshin (三心) means "three hearts" or "three minds". "Heart" here means awareness or attitude. The three are interpreted in training in several ways. One is three times: before the attack, during it and after it. Another is three moments in every form: kamae (posture and attitude), ukemi (receiving the attack) and kaeshi (the response).
In my view, this is the link to the Kosshi Sanpo. The three striking forms are not just three techniques. Each of them trains the coordination of hands, legs and body, and the sequence of posture, receiving and response.
Five: the five elements
Hatsumi links the Torite Goho to Chi-Sui-Ka-Fu-Ku: earth, water, fire, wind and void. This is the Godai (五大), a Buddhist term. It differs from the Chinese theory of the five phases (wood, fire, earth, metal and water), which in Japanese is called Gogyo (五行).
Here lies the source of confusion. In the same passage Hatsumi uses the term Gogyo, but not in the sense of the Chinese theory. The character 行 (gyo) also means "practice", so Gogyo reads here as "five practices". For this reason the five forms that train the elements are called by two names: Sanshin no Kata or Gogyo no Kata. Each of them is named after a different element of the Godai.
This is how the elements are commonly explained in training, as qualities of movement and response. There is no single authoritative source for this, and the emphasis varies from teacher to teacher:
Earth (Chi): stability and a firm stance.
Water (Sui): retreating and flowing with the opponent's force.
Fire (Ka): a determined, fast entry.
Wind (Fu): light, evasive movement.
Void (Ku): adapting and acting without a fixed form.
According to this interpretation, the five Torite techniques are five ways to meet the opponent's force.
The moral dimension
Later in the same passage Hatsumi writes that the heart is Jin-Gi-Rei-Chi-Shin (仁義礼智信). These are the five constant virtues of Confucianism:
Jin (仁): benevolence and compassion, the wish to help others without expecting anything in return. It is the highest of them.
Gi (義): righteousness, doing what is right.
Rei (礼): propriety and respect for customs and duties.
Chi (智): wisdom, the ability to tell good from evil.
Shin (信): faithfulness and integrity, the match between what one says and what one does.
From all of these, he says, the harmony of the warrior's heart is formed. Here he refers to the phrase "Wa o motte tōtoshi to nasu" (和を以て貴しと為す). It opens the first article of the Seventeen-Article Constitution attributed to Prince Shotoku (604): "Harmony is to be valued, and contention avoided."
Hatsumi's conclusion is that the Kihon Happo is not only a technique of striking and control. It rests on a heart directed toward harmony, and so he calls it a gift from heaven. This fits what I wrote in the third part of the Budo series: above control stands the ultimate goal, peace.
In my view, the practical meaning is simple: the Kihon Happo teaches principles of distance, angle, timing and structure, not just forms. Whoever practices it over the years discovers these principles again and again in other techniques too.
The eight exercises
The descriptions here are shortened and show one common version. Every teacher has their own emphases, so it is best to learn the execution from your own teacher. Links to demonstration videos appear at the end of the article.
Kosshi Kihon Sanpo (each form is practiced on the right and left sides):
Ichimonji no Kata: from Ichimonji stance (一文字), with the front hand extended forward. When the opponent attacks, the front hand deflects the attack in a circular motion. Then you step in and strike with the edge of the hand (omote-shuto) to the side of the opponent's neck.
Ichimonji no Kata in training at Dojo Caracal Hicho no Kata: from Hicho stance (飛鳥, "flying bird"), on one leg. You deflect the attack, kick to the area below the sternum and strike with omote-shuto to the side of the neck.
Jumonji no Kata: from Jumonji stance (十文字), with the hands crossed in front of the body. When the opponent punches, you strike the attacking arm, continue with a thumb strike (boshi-ken) to the chest and withdraw with body movement (tai-sabaki). You repeat the sequence on the other side and end again in Jumonji.
Jumonji no Kata in training at Dojo Caracal
Torite Goho:
Omote Gyaku: outward wrist twist.
Omote Gyaku Ken-sabaki: outward wrist twist while evading a punch.
Ura Gyaku: inward wrist twist.
Musha Dori ("warrior capture"): a lock on the elbow and shoulder.
Ganseki Nage ("rock throw"): an elbow lock that ends in a throw.
Demonstration videos
The eight exercises in one sequence: Watch
Kosshi Kihon Sanpo: Watch
Ichimonji no Kamae, explained by Hatsumi: Watch
Omote Gyaku: Watch
Omote Gyaku Ken-sabaki, demonstrated by Hatsumi: Watch
Ura Gyaku: Watch
Musha Dori: Watch
Ganseki Nage: Watch
Variations: Muso-dori demonstrated by Noguchi (Watch), Oni-kudaki demonstrated by Noguchi (Watch), Hon-gyaku (Watch)
Sources
Masaaki Hatsumi, The Way of the Ninja: Secret Techniques, translated by Ben Jones, Kodansha International, 2004.
Masaaki Hatsumi, Unarmed Fighting Techniques of the Samurai, Kodansha.
Masaaki Hatsumi, Sanmyaku no. 9, in the English translation published on the website of Bujinkan Greece.
The Bujinkan Toryu dojo: Kosshijutsu.
The discussion Kihon Happo roots on the MartialTalk forum.
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Wuxing.
Jisho dictionary: 五大 (Godai).
The Seventeen-Article Constitution, from Asia for Educators: text of the constitution.
Encyclopedia.com: Shotoku Taishi.
Kuma (blog of a senior Bujinkan practitioner): Does 3 = 5?, on Sanshin and Gogyo.
EBSCO Research Starters: Ren (Confucianism), on the five constant virtues.
Wudang Academy: San Cai, on heaven-earth-man.
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