Dear Buyu and friends,

“Recently it has been suggested that I hold a teachers license in ‘Amatsu Medicine’ (Menkyo Kaiden) which is NOT correct.

I must bring this to your attention to clarify these issues and properly address this matter as I have great respect for Soke Masaaki Hatsumi and the Amatsu teachings.

It seems that many people are confused about what Amatsu is and who should be teaching it. Let’s start with the Menkyo Kaiden Requirements.

MENKYO KAIDEN REQUIREMENTS

First, you must know that Menkyo Kaiden (master teacher) level can only be given by Soke Hatsumi and up to this moment he has only granted this to 4 people who are doctors by profession. They are Christopher Roworth, Dennis Bartram, Billy Doolan and Peter King –all of whom  are senior Bujinkan judan. Of course I would love to be added to this list and it requires many, many years of study, teaching and practice from one of these 4 gentlemen. After that Soke would require that you be a fully licensed practicing doctor and again to be trained by one of these gentlemen before he will even think of granting this level, if at all. Each of these teachers have different learning requirements and levels to their Amatsu practitioner trainings.

Such as:  

·  Shoden (student practitioner)
·  Chuden (intermediate practitioner)
·  Okuden (advanced practitioner)

·  Menkyo (assistant teacher)

·  Menkyo Kaiden (master teacher) Only Given by Soke Hatsumi.

Personally I have been deeply studying the Amatsu history, medicinal theory, treatment therapies, and herbal remedies mostly with Dr. Chris Roworth who holds a Menkyo Kaiden from Soke Hatsumi. After much study over the years I have received 3 menkyo (license) completion certificates from Dr. Roworth early last year (I still have much to learn as this is really a lifetime of study).

A Menkyo certificate is much different from Menkyo Kaiden, which can only be granted by Soke Hatsumi. I understand that for many people the terms can be confusing. For example, your Kyu or Dan grade is a Menkyo certificate but that does not make you a Judan, unless it says so on the certificate.

AMATSU STUDY

Several years ago at Soke’s house I had the rare privilege of viewing over 50 books on the Amatsu Tatara Hichibuku Goshinjutsu teachings. Soke Hatsumi was gracious enough to let me hold and look through a notebook that Takamatsu Sensei personally wrote on herbs. Holding these teachings in my own hands was like holding a new baby and was truly magical for me and this somehow changed me inside.

I have been studying, practicing and teaching both the physical and inner healing arts for over 30 years in seminars, at the dojo and in private client sessions. I have qualified at various levels in many, many healing modalities. And since that day at Soke’s house I have been consumed with learning and using the Amatsu healing therapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. My  mentor in my Amatsu study is Dr. Chris Roworth (Menkyo Kaiden) who I have known for over 20 years, for many years as a friend and Bujinkan Budo brother.

Over the last few years Chris and I have been working on a self healing practice book and dvd project together that we called, for lack of a better term, Amatsu Self Treatment (working title) because it was based on the Amatsu healing practices that a qualified Amatsu practitioner would do on a patient. However, with our practice you do it on yourself instead of having it done to you. I personally feel that a self treatment, restorative system for the Bujinkan (and others) would be a very valuable asset.

When I went to Japan in the mid 1980’s I would do advanced Junan Taiso with Soke before and sometimes after training. Yet this is no longer done these days. I loved doing it so much, as it kept me healthy, that I made it  the first thing that people learn in 9^th kyu study with me and I put this basic Junan Taiso practice on my first 9^th kyu learning dvd. If you cannot take care of your body then how can you train?

Self Healing – Self Treatment Teaching at the Tai Kai

And now, 20+ years later I am ready to share an advanced method of those teachings with whoever wants to learn them. What Chris and I worked on together is an advanced Junan Taiso practice that includes striking and pressing energy release points, immune system activation, strategic self massage, organ massage and balancing, yogic style stretching, cranial flows and a better understanding of your body as it relates to taijutsu and better living.

To avoid any confusion I have renamed the above described advanced Junan Taiso Self Healing – Self Treatment sessions I will be teaching at my upcoming March Tai Kai it will be called the Bushindo Self-Rejuvenation System. Becuase someone questioned if I was teaching people to do Amatsu on other people at this event I am letting you know that I AM NOT! I am sharing a method of personal rejuvenation and healing that is based on all that I have learned and have now made into a daily self practice that I use personally.

If you would like to know more about Amatsu Medicine or to receive Amatsu treatments please visit www.amatsuryoho.com or contact one of these qualified Amatsu doctors.

I hope that this clears up any confusion.

See you on the mat, avodart

Richard Van Donk, Shidoshi