武士に二言は無し
Bushi Ni nigon WA nashi!
Bushi Ni nigon WA nashi! Translation: For a Warrior there are not two words!
Once a warrior gives his word or says something he is going to do, he keeps his word.
So many times I have been told by someone that they were going to do something for me or going to give me something etc., but they did not keep their promise. I dislike that kind of attitude. I remember one of the first cultural shocks that I received when I first returned to the USA. Someone told me that they were going to call me later that evening. So I waited in anticipation, but I never received a call from them. Wow! I thought something had terribly gone wrong. That would have never happened in Japan. If you tell someone you are going to do something for them or for yourself etc., no matter how big or small, you must keep your word! It is as simple as that. If not, do not open your mouth about it. Also, in Japan people would feel sorry that they belabored your considerations and your feelings. Or the pride that they have for themselves not to be seen as that type of person that lacks in consideration and is lazy.
Later own I ran into that person who told me they were going to call me. I said, “What happened, you were suppose to call me the other night, is every thing alright?” This person said, “Oh I know, but something came up and I forgot all about it. Sorry.” If the person knows now that they were suppose to call you and they did not. Then why didn’t they call when they did remember? I guess when they remembered they felt like, oh well he will know. I think that is a very lazy and inconsiderate way to behave.
So many times I surprise my customers with this considerate attitude, it really helps my relation with them which keeps business rolling in. If I tell them I’ll be there at 9:00a.m, I’ll be there on time. If I tell them I can not or do not want the job, they appreciate my honesty and they know where they stand. No surprises.
As for code, if a warrior drew his sword and did not use it, he was punished. Therefore, before he pulled it out of his sheath he had to think very clearly and carefully when deciding what to do. He knew the rules.
As a trained man you must make an effort to train your word. There should not be excuses because of this, and I know I was going to but, blah, blah, blah. That is second words. Bushi Ni nigon WA nashi!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Kaho ?? (Fake Martial Arts and Artist)
Kaho 花法 KaHo is two Chinese characters that mean flower and method.
About KaHo
In times of continued peace martial arts become very far from what they were intended to be used for and become more for looks and sports. The ancestors of these martial arts called them Ka Ho, meaning flower methods.
Kaebara Ekiken was very knowledgeable and was the author of many books .One of the books he wrote was about the code for Bushi. Bushi is Japanese for warrior.
He said that if you were a master and intended to employee a samurai , there were 5 types of Bushi you should not employ.
1. The rich spoiled type who runs all around town playing and living it up
2. The kind which collects up beautiful swords and things for their looks and not for really using.
3. The kind who are too old and weak
4. Talking too big and lying about their experiences but actually have not done anything.
5. Has lots of knowledge and interesting to talk too but just lack courage
Another author said ,People who just want to get the compliments from other people distort their technique to get praise like a Kabuki actors trying to get applause from the audience. But their technique looks so obviously in effective.Kabuki is Japanese for Theater.
Takeda Shingen’s warrior BaBa Miyoshi no Mori Nobusa said , “This technique and that technique is o.k but, the most important thing is to just have the attitude to just go to the battle field chase and knock them down and just cut their heads off.That is what he said and that is what he did.Takeda Shingen was a land owner and was very famous for his many war victories.
At the end of the Edo period 1603-1658 a famous swordsman, Gyozo Hirayama,said swordery is for killing enemies so you must make your enemy feel like you really want to kill them. They must feel your deep desire to kill them.
He also said when you dodge the enemies attack and just let it go it is not very useful exercise.
In China at the end of the Ming Dynasty 1368-1616 they talked about Ka Ho.
They were two types of martial arts Outside and Inside.
The outside is mainly attacking by jumping up high and kicking or just striking with your limbs. More active than being passive. And when being in this mode your are more likely to be injured because you expose your vital points when kicking. Also your ability to hit the target is not as good when you are closer to the target.
The inside is more for protecting your self when being attacked , the counter is more effective and accurate because you are closer when the attacker exposes his vitals when he is attacking you.
Shaolin martial art s looks very beautiful , but it is too big and open, so it is easy to attack their vitals. That is why inside martial arts is better than outside.
Chin Pan ling was born 1892 -1967. He studied Shaolin Kung Fu from his father . While he was studying at a university he met a guy there who had studied Hsing-I for only 6 months when they faught Chen Pan ling was hit only one time and lost. He realized how in effective Shaolin was and so he started learning inside martial arts and in the end became the head of the martial arts federation in China. After the revolution he exiled to Tapai Taiwan and started his martial art federation there.
About Japanese swords, It was said to be the soul of the Samurai. Up until the 16th century swords were not so extravagant they worked well in the field but were not so special. Around the 17th century the focus on the weapon was on its beatification of the sword valued for it's beauty, but actually they bent easily and were not so effective. So at the end of the Edo period a famous sword maker, Masahire collected what was called meito best swords and purposely broke them with a hammer to show how weak they were made.He told the warriors that the main purpose for the sword was it should not break, and could stay sharp and how well they cut, not how they look. So there was even KaHo going on with swords.
My teacher once asked Japanese actors who played swordsmen in the movies and so on if thy were real masters but they said no. When the Chinese actors of Kungfu movies were asked if theymasters they all said yes.He thought that they were not lying but just they thought they really new martial arts ,In other words they thought Kaho was real martial arts.
My sensei studied Kageyama ryu kenjutsu from Miyazaki unshu. After studying with him receiving credentials from him he told me not to show martial arts to anyone without his permission. Especially before you even master anything you will become influenced by the audience you will become louder and bigger etc And the art that you learned will become something else and so will you.
About KaHo
In times of continued peace martial arts become very far from what they were intended to be used for and become more for looks and sports. The ancestors of these martial arts called them Ka Ho, meaning flower methods.
Kaebara Ekiken was very knowledgeable and was the author of many books .One of the books he wrote was about the code for Bushi. Bushi is Japanese for warrior.
He said that if you were a master and intended to employee a samurai , there were 5 types of Bushi you should not employ.
1. The rich spoiled type who runs all around town playing and living it up
2. The kind which collects up beautiful swords and things for their looks and not for really using.
3. The kind who are too old and weak
4. Talking too big and lying about their experiences but actually have not done anything.
5. Has lots of knowledge and interesting to talk too but just lack courage
Another author said ,People who just want to get the compliments from other people distort their technique to get praise like a Kabuki actors trying to get applause from the audience. But their technique looks so obviously in effective.Kabuki is Japanese for Theater.
Takeda Shingen’s warrior BaBa Miyoshi no Mori Nobusa said , “This technique and that technique is o.k but, the most important thing is to just have the attitude to just go to the battle field chase and knock them down and just cut their heads off.That is what he said and that is what he did.Takeda Shingen was a land owner and was very famous for his many war victories.
At the end of the Edo period 1603-1658 a famous swordsman, Gyozo Hirayama,said swordery is for killing enemies so you must make your enemy feel like you really want to kill them. They must feel your deep desire to kill them.
He also said when you dodge the enemies attack and just let it go it is not very useful exercise.
In China at the end of the Ming Dynasty 1368-1616 they talked about Ka Ho.
They were two types of martial arts Outside and Inside.
The outside is mainly attacking by jumping up high and kicking or just striking with your limbs. More active than being passive. And when being in this mode your are more likely to be injured because you expose your vital points when kicking. Also your ability to hit the target is not as good when you are closer to the target.
The inside is more for protecting your self when being attacked , the counter is more effective and accurate because you are closer when the attacker exposes his vitals when he is attacking you.
Shaolin martial art s looks very beautiful , but it is too big and open, so it is easy to attack their vitals. That is why inside martial arts is better than outside.
Chin Pan ling was born 1892 -1967. He studied Shaolin Kung Fu from his father . While he was studying at a university he met a guy there who had studied Hsing-I for only 6 months when they faught Chen Pan ling was hit only one time and lost. He realized how in effective Shaolin was and so he started learning inside martial arts and in the end became the head of the martial arts federation in China. After the revolution he exiled to Tapai Taiwan and started his martial art federation there.
About Japanese swords, It was said to be the soul of the Samurai. Up until the 16th century swords were not so extravagant they worked well in the field but were not so special. Around the 17th century the focus on the weapon was on its beatification of the sword valued for it's beauty, but actually they bent easily and were not so effective. So at the end of the Edo period a famous sword maker, Masahire collected what was called meito best swords and purposely broke them with a hammer to show how weak they were made.He told the warriors that the main purpose for the sword was it should not break, and could stay sharp and how well they cut, not how they look. So there was even KaHo going on with swords.
My teacher once asked Japanese actors who played swordsmen in the movies and so on if thy were real masters but they said no. When the Chinese actors of Kungfu movies were asked if theymasters they all said yes.He thought that they were not lying but just they thought they really new martial arts ,In other words they thought Kaho was real martial arts.
My sensei studied Kageyama ryu kenjutsu from Miyazaki unshu. After studying with him receiving credentials from him he told me not to show martial arts to anyone without his permission. Especially before you even master anything you will become influenced by the audience you will become louder and bigger etc And the art that you learned will become something else and so will you.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
How to visit a Dojo
After the very last class of the year, the Dojo will be cleaned to get ready for the next year.
One day after class , my teacher Sato sensei asked me to come and help clean up the Dojo with some of the other students from the other classes. So I did.
We all showed up early that Sunday morning and began cleaning up. Some of us dusted . some wiped and some swept, we each had a job .
My job was getting the Cob webs off the wall and around some the plaques and awards and things. I had not been a student very long and had never been to a Dojo year end cleaning , so I was not sure about this type of custom.
As I began dusting , I finally came to a place in the Dojo that we always faced when we bowed in.
It is called a Kami Dana. I did not know much about the Kami Dana at that time , but shortly I was going to learn how important it was to one of my seniors, his name was Tamura san.
The Kami Dana had a long wall scroll with the words Amatarasu no Okami written on it. There were also a couple of white vases on each side of the scroll with sasaki leaves in them.
In the front middle of the scroll there were two white bottles with lids on top. To each far end of the dana there were to Shi Shi, one on each side. Also some candle holders were there towards the front center.
As I took the broom to the Kami Dana and began swiping the scroll upper top for cob webs, my senior Tamura san, suddenly approached and grabbed the broom from my hand and said strongly,
"What the hell are you doing, wiping this precious scroll with this nasty broom? You should have more respect for this Kami Dana! Well, I was shocked that things suddenly went sour. Wow, I did not see that coming. Until now I had never been scolded by my Senior and I really did not understand why , but I knew he felt something about this Kami dana so I quickly I bowed very deeply and apologized . I said Sumimasen, Shitsurei shimashita Gomennasai.
After the scolding , we all started cleaning the floor. Then we rinsed out our rags and hung them up to dry and stowed our brooms and things. We were finish.
Suddenly, Sato sensei came into the room he had case of beer.Sensei said he had been saving the case that I had given him last summer for his summer gift. I remembered. That is right I did give him a case. I never expected to see that case again. What pleasant surprise! It is a custom to give your boss, teacher, or some other respected person at least two gifts a year. One in the Summer (Chugen)and one in the winter (Seibo).So we all had a couple of beers and talked. Afterwards we walked together to the train station and then went our separate ways.
So how do you visit a Dojo? Well please understand that the Dojo is not just a gym, it is more than that.
After you train at a Dojo you will become more appreciative of all the things it will do for you. Therefore you will gain genuine respect for it.
In the beginning , when you first visit a Dojo it will not mean much too you, but to others in the class this Dojo is a sacred placed. It will matter to them how you conduct your self in their house of respect. So visit respectfully.
Also, respect their teacher, he is the one who leads them on their journey. Be careful how you talk to him.
At first like I said this will seem all superficial to you, but it will not be to them. The Dai La LAma said,
do not forget the three R's, respect yourself, respect others , and be responsible for all your actions. This is a good rule to follow not only in visiting a Dojo ,but through your whole life
It is good to know what you want to study and who the person is that you want to study from before you go.
Do not go there and waste their time asking things that you can Google for.I have had many people call me and ask how much is it? what do you teach? etc . Before I was a student , I saw something I liked, I asked my office staff what it was, I found out where the school was located, I went there and discussed the terms , I joined.
When I met my second teacher, I called his office, I asked the reception/his wife if he taught how to use Taichi, she said yes, I found out what times, I went , I joined.
So in the first case I saw Taichi, it looked cool, I wanted to learn it. In the second case, I wanted to learn how to use Taichi, he taught how,I joined.
If you have trained some where else before, then it is a good thing to bring the teacher of the new school some small gift like a bottle of sake , or box of cookies,etc.. This will show that you had a good teacher before and will gain respect for your former school. It is always good to make a good impression for you and your former school
What ever you do do not show up late for a visit. If you call a teacher and ask to come visit and do not show up, then that is totally disrespectful. Coming late is also disrespectful.
Oh yea , one last thing. Do not come and start telling the teacher all about what you know. He is going to find out when you start training. You can bet your life own it .
Have a nice visit.
One day after class , my teacher Sato sensei asked me to come and help clean up the Dojo with some of the other students from the other classes. So I did.
We all showed up early that Sunday morning and began cleaning up. Some of us dusted . some wiped and some swept, we each had a job .
My job was getting the Cob webs off the wall and around some the plaques and awards and things. I had not been a student very long and had never been to a Dojo year end cleaning , so I was not sure about this type of custom.
As I began dusting , I finally came to a place in the Dojo that we always faced when we bowed in.
It is called a Kami Dana. I did not know much about the Kami Dana at that time , but shortly I was going to learn how important it was to one of my seniors, his name was Tamura san.
The Kami Dana had a long wall scroll with the words Amatarasu no Okami written on it. There were also a couple of white vases on each side of the scroll with sasaki leaves in them.
In the front middle of the scroll there were two white bottles with lids on top. To each far end of the dana there were to Shi Shi, one on each side. Also some candle holders were there towards the front center.
As I took the broom to the Kami Dana and began swiping the scroll upper top for cob webs, my senior Tamura san, suddenly approached and grabbed the broom from my hand and said strongly,
"What the hell are you doing, wiping this precious scroll with this nasty broom? You should have more respect for this Kami Dana! Well, I was shocked that things suddenly went sour. Wow, I did not see that coming. Until now I had never been scolded by my Senior and I really did not understand why , but I knew he felt something about this Kami dana so I quickly I bowed very deeply and apologized . I said Sumimasen, Shitsurei shimashita Gomennasai.
After the scolding , we all started cleaning the floor. Then we rinsed out our rags and hung them up to dry and stowed our brooms and things. We were finish.
Suddenly, Sato sensei came into the room he had case of beer.Sensei said he had been saving the case that I had given him last summer for his summer gift. I remembered. That is right I did give him a case. I never expected to see that case again. What pleasant surprise! It is a custom to give your boss, teacher, or some other respected person at least two gifts a year. One in the Summer (Chugen)and one in the winter (Seibo).So we all had a couple of beers and talked. Afterwards we walked together to the train station and then went our separate ways.
So how do you visit a Dojo? Well please understand that the Dojo is not just a gym, it is more than that.
After you train at a Dojo you will become more appreciative of all the things it will do for you. Therefore you will gain genuine respect for it.
In the beginning , when you first visit a Dojo it will not mean much too you, but to others in the class this Dojo is a sacred placed. It will matter to them how you conduct your self in their house of respect. So visit respectfully.
Also, respect their teacher, he is the one who leads them on their journey. Be careful how you talk to him.
At first like I said this will seem all superficial to you, but it will not be to them. The Dai La LAma said,
do not forget the three R's, respect yourself, respect others , and be responsible for all your actions. This is a good rule to follow not only in visiting a Dojo ,but through your whole life
It is good to know what you want to study and who the person is that you want to study from before you go.
Do not go there and waste their time asking things that you can Google for.I have had many people call me and ask how much is it? what do you teach? etc . Before I was a student , I saw something I liked, I asked my office staff what it was, I found out where the school was located, I went there and discussed the terms , I joined.
When I met my second teacher, I called his office, I asked the reception/his wife if he taught how to use Taichi, she said yes, I found out what times, I went , I joined.
So in the first case I saw Taichi, it looked cool, I wanted to learn it. In the second case, I wanted to learn how to use Taichi, he taught how,I joined.
If you have trained some where else before, then it is a good thing to bring the teacher of the new school some small gift like a bottle of sake , or box of cookies,etc.. This will show that you had a good teacher before and will gain respect for your former school. It is always good to make a good impression for you and your former school
What ever you do do not show up late for a visit. If you call a teacher and ask to come visit and do not show up, then that is totally disrespectful. Coming late is also disrespectful.
Oh yea , one last thing. Do not come and start telling the teacher all about what you know. He is going to find out when you start training. You can bet your life own it .
Have a nice visit.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Is your martial arts training working for you?
One of the reasons that I keep teaching martial arts is because of all of the benefits that I have received from my training. What benefits?Well the most apparent would be self defense and health.
Lets take a look at self defense. Are you sure that you can handle yourself?This one is a must. You have to be very honest with your self and your self defense tools and be sure that it really will work for you. Test it and make sure. You would not want to hunt bear with a rifle that did not work, right? I do not want to waste my time learning something that does not work well.Nor do I want to teach something that does not work well. This is martial art pride.
Lets look at health. How do you feel about these so called martial art instructors that look obese and out of shape , and yet they have no shame in sporting that worn out black belt! Good gosh!
That should be a dead give away that their Martial arts training is not working for them. Say what? That is right ! What happened to all this discipline they told you about. You see,the ability to use your discipline is one of the biggest benefits of martial arts training. Conquering yourself and not giving in to your superficial wants and desires is what happens when you apply your martial art training. How? Well the same way that you had been trying to achieve executing the most effective throw until you could do it . That's how! Willing it to happen until you could make it happen.
The focus that it takes, attention, the dedication, coordination, perseverance and week after week you were at the Dojo applying all of that. This mindfulness is a direct by product of all that hard work. So the same way that you approach your techniques is the same way you should approach all of the things that you are involved with. Especially your health. It is the source of everything you are!
It is a shame to see students that have been in a dojo for a while and are very good at technique, but do not apply their skill in other areas in their lives. Your discipline is your strength, especially as your body gets old and can no longer do good technique. When you get older is when you must rely the most on your martial art training. Focus, patience, perseverance, attitude, etc. You are going to need those skills. So take a look at your training and be honest, is it working for you?
Lets take a look at self defense. Are you sure that you can handle yourself?This one is a must. You have to be very honest with your self and your self defense tools and be sure that it really will work for you. Test it and make sure. You would not want to hunt bear with a rifle that did not work, right? I do not want to waste my time learning something that does not work well.Nor do I want to teach something that does not work well. This is martial art pride.
Lets look at health. How do you feel about these so called martial art instructors that look obese and out of shape , and yet they have no shame in sporting that worn out black belt! Good gosh!
That should be a dead give away that their Martial arts training is not working for them. Say what? That is right ! What happened to all this discipline they told you about. You see,the ability to use your discipline is one of the biggest benefits of martial arts training. Conquering yourself and not giving in to your superficial wants and desires is what happens when you apply your martial art training. How? Well the same way that you had been trying to achieve executing the most effective throw until you could do it . That's how! Willing it to happen until you could make it happen.
The focus that it takes, attention, the dedication, coordination, perseverance and week after week you were at the Dojo applying all of that. This mindfulness is a direct by product of all that hard work. So the same way that you approach your techniques is the same way you should approach all of the things that you are involved with. Especially your health. It is the source of everything you are!
It is a shame to see students that have been in a dojo for a while and are very good at technique, but do not apply their skill in other areas in their lives. Your discipline is your strength, especially as your body gets old and can no longer do good technique. When you get older is when you must rely the most on your martial art training. Focus, patience, perseverance, attitude, etc. You are going to need those skills. So take a look at your training and be honest, is it working for you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)