I came across this clip on youtube yesterday: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEbYl9s86Pw&feature=related"]YouTube[/ame] In it there is a fellow named Soke Bo Munthe. I did a search here on MAP and noticed that the Name Bo Munthe comes up here in there as a few people trained with him or went to a seminar...I just assumed he was a instructor...but this clip refers to him as "SOKE" so I was wondering if people could tell me a little about him and his school. Cheers Nick PS: Also [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFRhU1FMu6U&feature=related"]YouTube[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPlvBF5dxyU&feature=related"]YouTube[/ame]
Bo Munthe is one of the big pioneers... one of the first guys (if not the first?) to bring ninjutsu to Europe.
He's another one with delusions Nick, he was in the the Bujinkan for a long time, got the gold medal, left, then after writing Soke a letter asking if he can come back rejoined then left again, he's now a Soke doing his own thing!!
Without Takamatsu Kukishinden ryu would have ended after WW2. I would be eternally grateful to the person who saved my lineage.
I only remember him for the good he did Norm, Yes..he's doing his own thing but Let's remember the old man for all the good he did. This surely outweighs all his sulking. paul
Not to mention he was just the one that wrote it all down. Hell I could probably make my own densho with my notes too. Fact is, Takamatsu got a "gold medal" in kukishin ryu and decided they were doing it wrong and made his own organization. Oh the irony.
Edit: Never mind, this discussion won't lead anywhere. Just one question - is the text on the Kuki-website to be taken as fact or just one biased side of the story?
I guess "wrong" is the ... well... wrong, word to use. Doubt, according to Kukishinryu... This isn't a thread on him anyways, its about this "soke". He isn't doing anything different than Takamatsu, Tanemura soke, or anyone else and yet everyone rags on the poor guy. Hell anyone that leaves the arms of the beautiful bujinkan gets pooed on. Its ridiculous.
Tanemura sensei and Manaka and Hayes dont have t3h real ninpo, but hatsumi does. I wonder what the Kukishin ryu guys said about takamatsu when he left. "he doesnt have t3h real kuki".
lol, yeah I'm sure he knew what he was doing better than the soke of an unbroken lineage dating back 28 generations....
You're right, it very well could be biased. Regardless, he left and started his own organization and made himself soke, although kukishin ryu only regards kuki family members with a title of soke. But whatever.
And again, I am no where near an authority of either kukishin ryu or Takamatsu, i'm just saying that Bo shouldnt be looked at with disdain while we practice from the teachings of the "last true ninja" who did essentially the same thing.
It should be noted here, that often ryuha will have two lineages. One line for the Soke (which often stays in the family) and one line for the shihanke, which is usually the best person/practitioner to carry on the teachings. The Kashima Shin Ryu is a good example of this.
