The fan, in the samurai of the old Japanese, is a complex topic with deep roots branched in esoteric practices, Shinto and imports from China, Onmyodo (a kind of Taoist divination) and obviously many esoteric Buddhist practices associated with the protection rituals that involve in particular Marishent (female) and subsequently protective) FoDomyoo (evil, protector of wiseness Wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of wisdom of SaggedomomdomdomdomodomdomdomdomdomdomodomdomdomdomDomdom Haveddom transcendent)
These rituals were used for various tools and this included objects, blades and ritual swords to cut energy and more. Initially it is an internal thing to discover you beyond the mind and the attachments that we identify in everyday life.
It is to get out of what is now called the network of default (DFM) mode in modern psychology and at least at the beginning it is an intense experience, as a liberating and enhancement, so difficult through the vulnerability that you feel at that moment. And therefore, these rituals are equipped with a series of energy protection phases, the creation of a safe space.
This is how it appears in Japan for 1000 years ago, which is called self -defense (Goshin Jutsu, self -defense, car -protection, not necessarily in physical and martial technique). The Japanese term of «self -defense» in relation to the techniques of personal protection / martial arts appears only in the civil world from 1920 to 1930 and in the context in which the signs of a growing nationalism and militarism were already heard. Until then it was a term with connotations of religious / esoteric, Buddhist / Shinto practice.
Returning to the old rituals, we find two aspects:
– one of the cleaning of external energy to create the right and safe picture for the internal processes in which we are vulnerable and without armor (to avoid from the martial terms)
– The internal cleaning that led to the «inner light» and «invisibility», that is, the destruction of that superficial ego that produces double perception, opposition, maintains the conflict.
Unfortunately, those who had not been started or who did not have the level of receipt of this information perceived the term «invisibility» and so many rituals from them were integrated into martial practices to make you invisible in front of the opponent and this is why these rituals become somehow popular among the ranks of the 19th century. (Therefore legends and beliefs that you could be invisible as a ninja 
)
Returning to the fan, two types of these objects were used
-Uchiwa Gunbai (軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 軍配団扇 «-Uchiwai Gunbai It was originally used to direct or disperse spirits. Esoteric symbols, mantra, complex formulas of energy protection were designed on the two faces.
Gunbai over time becomes a ritual object, but also practical on the battlefield, used by leaders to be able to communicate more easily, to give order, using various positions and faces of the fan. Takeda School has a legend in which the famous Takeda Shingen, stops setting off, a sword attack with such a slum, launched by its eternal Uesugi Kenshin rival (and is very attracted to esoteric practices).
– The second form of the ceremonial fan is that of the stick, like a closed fan. Since it was used in stronger movements, more Yang, sharp or whipped, in Chinese it was known as «well» (well 鞭). Only this I discovered this I understood even more deeply the context in which the techniques of Taiji simple called (單鞭 Dan Bian in Chinese) appeared – once again reference to these esoteric rituals this time of Taoist origin (as well as the practice of the 9 invocations / kuji of mud). At a certain point in these rituals, the place of the fan was taken from the empty hand which positioned in certain symbols / mudre)
What was somehow lost today is that the physical martial technique was only the last act of a comparison that was preparing in the smaller details, on an energy / thin level. Of course, in today’s art of war, these disinformation things, feeding of false information, etc. They are well known and nothing is truly a «sudden», «spontaneous» or «unexpected» conflict. There are opportunities created and used when necessary, by who you need. To be aware of them, take responsibility for our own lives, sit beyond the conflict, here is the pacifist essence of the art of scarcely translated and understood, being actually an art to dissolve the conflict and the double vision.
I owe largely to Machita Kenshinsa-Ancukan Sake, who has always shown me the subtle part of martial practices, the forms of protection of energy, especially in its quality and shingon priest.
Initially, Sensei tried to separate, like most, the technical practice of the esoteric one, especially since I came from outside Japan, therefore another cultural and spiritual space. Only I wanted everything I could and I felt that there was a lot of depth there. And so, at my first certification, I received besides Takeda Ryu and Enhin Itto Ryu and a wooden fan, made by Sensei in Youth. And I also benefited from some techniques applied with him precisely to the ceremony to assign the sows in the temple, to keep even better the importance of these moments and teachings. And they are really terribly those moments of my soul, I will look for them in my archive because it is worth shaking … it was the beginning of an extraordinary experience in which I really experienced how peace comes from the inside, on the double path of martial, somatic but also of internal practice, of the union of energy with the intention while reaching the vulnerable one). I was then in 2008. Since then I followed with Sensei that martial, somatic, correct and intense practice gradually offers access to internal practice, to spiritual archetypes that a warrior discovers in it. It is an evolution from the tumult, from insecurity, from external violence, with inner peace, the state of balance and the understanding of all this, for sure, feel good in the skin that is responsible for your path.
And by telling all this on the values of the energy practice to protect with the fan, beyond the pure martial form that I will approach on April 6, the seminar of self -defense with improvised weapons: the fan / card jutsu, I am thinking of structure these thin practices and in the future seminar of subtle protection / puree. ritual…
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