Hiden Budo & Bujutsu Magazine Nov 2026

Beyond Technique: The Transformative Power of Martial Arts Training

What lies beyond years of dedicated practice? This issue of Hiden explores the experiences that lead martial artists beyond their perceived limits—and the deeper meaning of gyo, disciplined practice that cultivates both body and mind.

From aikido and Kyokushin karate to mountain asceticism, yoga, and fire rituals, this month’s contributors examine how personal effort and sustained training can transform the practitioner.

Cover Feature: Self-Reliance and the Essence of Practice

• Tatsuru Uchida — Aikido Gaifukan: Reflections on the meaning of gyo.

• Chichibu Mandala Hut: The path from martial arts to Shugendo, Japan’s tradition of mountain ascetic practice.

• Shokei Matsui — Kyokushin Karate: What lies beyond austere training and the 100-man kumite?

• Junya Takagi — Institute of Motor Neuroscience: Goma fire rituals, changes in the brain, and the nature of transformative practice.

• Osamu Tatsumura — Tatsumura Yoga Institute: Oki Yoga and the practice of treating every day as training.

Opening Interview: Where Martial Arts and Dance Meet

Ryosuke Obata of Oryudo × Katsumi Sakakura of ORIENTARHYTHM

A conversation exploring the shared destination of martial arts and dance, and the common ground between combat and artistic movement.

Special Features and Series

• New Series: The Secrets of Aiki in the Horikawa Tradition
  Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu Koshinkai’s Tadashi Nomoto explores the many expressions of aiki and the principles behind them.

• Ninja and the Path
  Mie University professor Yuji Yamada presents the third “Road to Mie” lecture, examining ninja and the concept of the path.

• Cultivating Ki Through the Japanese Sword and Aikido
  Toshihiko Yayama introduces an approach to developing ki through sword practice and aikido.

• The Art of Responsibility: Japanese Calligraphic Signatures
  William Reed, 10th dan in calligraphy and 8th dan in aikido, examines kao—stylized personal signatures—and the responsibility they express.

• The Strength Developed Through Karate Kata
  Masao Kagawa, Chief Instructor of the Japan Karate Shoto Federation, explores how kata builds martial effectiveness.

• Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu and Classical Okinawan Karate
  Sokaku Ruro author Bin Konno discusses sword-fighting distance and the “hand that grasps the demon.”

• What Separates Jujutsu from Aikijujutsu?
  A special Tokyo seminar with Tenyo Ryu Jujutsu head instructor Masashi Kakimoto examines the differences between the two arts.

• Daito Ryu’s Yamamoto Kakuyoshi Lineage
  Featuring instructor Nagao Ittosai, this article explores the tradition passed down in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, through Takeda Sokaku’s final appointed teaching representative.

• New Series: Exploring the Roots of Goju Ryu
  Masaaki Koyama investigates the mysteries surrounding Kanryo Higaonna, beginning with the 1970s, before research into his life gained momentum.

• The Path to Natural Posture Through Budo
  Movement Therapy® practitioner Taiki Hasaka reflects on what martial arts teach us about shizentai, a natural and unforced way of standing and moving.

Regular Columns

• Learning Independently, Becoming Your Own Teacher — Tatsuichiro Moriya of Keishinkai.

• Exploring Jujutsu in the Late Edo and Meiji Periods — Jun Osano of the International Suigetsujuku Martial Arts Association.

• The Martial Path: Okinawa Kung Fu Chronicles — Tamotsu Miyahira of Tenkoken Chinese Martial Arts.

• How Martial Arts Science Can Transform Sports Performance — Hideo Takaoka of the Institute of Movement Science.

• The People Who Shaped Tate, Japanese Stage Combat — Kiyoshi Kon and Masahiro Wakisaka spotlight Takashi Taniguchi.

• A Martial Artist’s Walking Journal — Akira Hino.

• Japanese Sword Lecture: “The Sword and the Chrysanthemum” — Paul Martin.

• Hiden Journal — News and updates from the martial arts world.

Language: Japanese