Shortly after the publication of my book, Secret Weapons of Jujutsu,  someone told me about a Japanese book on jutte and Edo Period arresting  implements. I searched for a long time before finding a copy of the  out-of-print book, Jutte Torinawa Jiten, written by Yumio Nawa sensei and  headmaster of Masaki Ryu. It was obvious that we shared a similar interest,  so I wrote to the author in care of the publisher. I wasn't too surprised  when I received no answer, though, since Nawa sensei was over 90 years old. One day I was signing copies of my book at a swordshow and had the Japanese  book on my table. Sometimes people will approach me with questions about a
jutte they found and the book is a handy reference. My friend and fellow exhibitor was thumbing through the book when he mentioned that Nawa sensei  had listed his home address. I thought it was a long shot, but I decided to
try writing to him directly.

    A few weeks later, I received a very early morning call from two of his senior students. They told me that Nawa sensei had been very impressed with my letter and my work and wanted to communicate with me about the topic.
Although my own Japanese language skills are dubious at best, I assured  them that I had many friends who would help translate any of his letters. Suddenly I was overcome with long, detailed letters about jutte and other arresting implements. I found the answers to many questions I hadn't been able to answer before. Nawa sensei and I also discovered that we had many common questions that neither of our individual research attempts had resolved. Despite the language barriers, we enjoyed a series of very interesting discussions by letter.
 

Nawa sensei and Don Cunningham, March 2002

Masaaki Hatsumi (left) was a student of Nawa sensei (right) before starting with ninjutsu.

    I finally decided to visit Nawa sensei in Japan. The Meiji University's Criminology Museum was also hosting an exhibition of Nawa sensei's extensive collection. I had just enough airline frequent flyer miles to get one roundtrip ticket between October and April. My original plans to visit in October were dashed by the Sept. 11th attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. In addition, the technology recession also created new problems with my job as a telecommunications engineer. Unfortunately, I had to delay my trip. Soon the days were getting closer to the restrictions on my ticket. I was also worried about missing the exhibition which was due to close in April. Although it meant spending my birthday in Japan and away from friends and family, I decided to go for the first two weeks in March.

    As anyone who has visited will know, Tokyo can be very expensive. I was worried about my limited budget, so I asked my good friend and business partner in Japan, Kusunoki san, to arrange for housing. It turned out that
one of his company's employees is a part-time playwright and member of a small repretory theater group. They rent a large house on the north side of Tokyo which serves as their offices, rehearsal hall, and housing for many
of their actors. I ended up sleeping on the floor of their practice room. It was sort of like living in a fraternity house, what with all the young, struggling  actors coming and going at all hours. We managed to get along well and even
had a few impromptu drinking parties and shared cultural exchanges via dictionaries and lots of ad hoc diagrams.

    In addition to meeting with Nawa sensei and viewing the exhibition at Meiji University, I also took the opportunity to visit an number of other museums. From the National Japanese Police Department Museum to the
Fukagawa Edo Museum, I found my schedule fully packed. I also managed to spend a couple of days buried in the National Archives, searching for more details about Edo history. One of Nawa sensei's senior students, Mizutani san served as my guide for most of the trip. His lovely wife acted as translator by using a laptop and language software. Kusunoki san also took a lot of time out of his busy schedule to help with translating and for sightseeing.
The highlight of the trip was a day spent far away in the mountains near Nikko. We visited an Edo Period theme park built around an open television and movie set used for producing historical dramas. It was as if we had been transported back in time to the Tokugawa shogunate. There were lots of skits and costumed actors who demonstrated what it must have been like to live during that period in history. My only regret was that my trip had to be so short. I am currently  compiling my notes for the next book, but it only reminds me of the good
time I had and the new friends I made during my visit.
 

Picturesque sights	With mascot and guides
Jutte and hojojutsu - preparation for future books by Don Cunningham