Neat Tricks

Eric Shahan, a martial arts practitioner who specializes in translating classic Japanese texts into English has translated a treatise on acquiring supernatural powers in a new book, Twelve Rules Of The Sword, that was passed down verbally from a 17th century samurai school. Among other things, the rules for prevailing in combat involves saying two prayers and writing Sanskrit characters on your palms. Could be a tad time consuming when the heat is on. But supposedly the book also discusses some practical strategies for combat, similar to those found in The Book Of Five Rings, which deals more with the psychology of fighting than physical techniques. Training, attitude and situational awareness, while paramount in the martial arts, are far from magical concepts.

In Okinawan karate, performing the kata Sanchin over and over is supposed to develop otherworldly stamina and strength. The ancient form, of Chinese origin, is akin to a dynamic-tension routine that was hawked in comic books by bodybuilder Charles Atlas in past decades. It's a slow motion punch-and-block sequence that mimics pushing and pulling a heavy weight with isometric contractions and forced breathing. Entire books have been written on the single topic of Sanchin. The kata is a staple in many schools of karate, especially Goju-ryu. Its founder, Chojun Miyagi, made his students perform Sanchin many times each day, with the idea that it would transform them mentally, physically, and spiritually. Miyagi himself was built like a bull and purportedly could perform superhuman feats. In one public demonstration in 1924, he...

[T]hrust his hand into a bunch of bamboos and pulled out one from the center. He stuck his hand into a slab of meat and tore off chunks. He put white chalk on the bottom of his feet, jumped up, and kicked the ceiling — leaving his foot-prints on the ceiling for all to see. Spectators hit him with long bo (staffs) with no effect. He tore off the bark of a tree (with his fingers). And with his big toe he punctured a hole in a kerosene can...He did many more feats which had to be believed.*

These types of feats today are rare. Most modern demos involve crowd-pleasers like self defense moves and board breaking. Gymnastic feats like tricking or parkour (the latter which is derived from military obstacle course training) flood the internet. Most recently we have the Bottle Cap Challenge, originally uploaded by Farabi Davletchin, a champion taekwondo fighter from Kazakhstan. The trick involves setting up a bottle of some beverage roughly chest high, and executing a variant of a spinning hook kick which grazes the pre-loosened bottle cap, spinning it off the top while leaving the remaining bottle untouched.

Everyone seems to be getting in on the action with their own clips, including famous martial arts actor Jason Statham (see above). Pretty impressive for a guy over fifty. If Chuck Norris were a bit younger he would have a go at this.^† Hell, maybe I'll give it a shot. Still, Miyagi would probably outdo everyone with his barefoot hole-in-the-kerosene can move. Then again, Miyagi also said at the conclusion of his demo, "Karate is a total commitment. I have not done anything that someone else cannot do, or, for that matter, you. There is no halfway measure. Either you do it or you don't. Nothing is impossible."

Indeed. There is no magic.


* Richard Kim 1974. The Weaponless Warriors. Ohara Publications. (Originally written by journalist Tojuda Anshu.)
† Want to feel old? Norris will be eighty next year. Can you believe it?

Bushido: A Graphic Novel

The seminal work, Bushido: The Soul of Japan, first published in 1900 in English, introduced Americans to the history and culture of the samurai and paved the way for similar works on feudal Japanese warrior ethos to be released to the West. The author, Inazo Nitobe, was a Japanese academic¹ who traveled widely, spoke English, and wrote extensively on a number of subjects for both scholars and laypeople. Bushido² was actually written in the States where it was well received, though in Japan it did not receive praise until 1985 when Nitobe's likeness was put on Japanese currency. Though coming from a samurai lineage, I could not find any sources to indicate Nitobe himself was a practitioner of martial arts.

I recently picked up an updated version of this work, Bushido: The Soul of The Samurai, written as a graphic novel, i.e., a comic-strip format,³ but don't let that dissuade you, this is a creative tour de force. Published in 2016, this new illustrated softcover begins with a brief bio of Nitobe, then delves into the Seven Virtues of Bushido, each getting treatment in their own section:

1. Rectitude
2. Courage
3. Benevolence
4. Politeness
5. Veracity
6. Honor
7. Loyalty

Subsequent parts of the book deal with aspects of the sword, training, and self-control, each accompanied by tasteful artwork. Mind you, this is an adaptation of the original. At any rate, this graphic novel format is well done and worth checking out.



1. Nitobe's accomplishments are dizzying. He held doctorate degrees in economics and law, and positions in numerous world organizations such as The League of Nations, just to scratch the surface. Little wonder he had no time for martial arts training. Despite his academic achievements, he felt insight and wisdom were more important to develop than intellect.
2. "The way of warriors."
3. The new author, Sean Michael Wilson, has done graphic novel adaptations on other Japanese classics, such as Hagakure, The Book of Five Rings, and The 47 Ronin.

3D Martial Arts (And An Old Tale)

Here's a visually dazzling site that includes a catalog of some Japanese budo (martial ways), ceremonies, calligraphy and stage performance arts. While the computer graphics and 3D renderings are impressive, the descriptions, interviews and demos provided are comprehensive and well done. Of the non-martial-art themes featured it was the art of the Tea Ceremony — Sado (also called Chadō) — that caught my attention. Tea Ceremony has a long history in Japan which was influenced in part by Zen; Zen also influenced the development of Japanese martial arts. This inspired the fable of The Samurai and The Tea Master:

A tea master came into the service of a nobleman named Lord Yamagouchi. He poured and prepared tea for his master gracefully and with perfection. Lord Yamagouchi was so pleased he presented his esteemed tea master with the robes and rank of a samurai, which was quite an honor. Occasionally, the lord took his tea master with him on trips.

On one excursion, the tea master found himself in a precarious situation while out and about by himself. After turning a corner, he was confronted by a samurai. Appalled, the samurai questioned why the tea master wore the robes of a bushi (warrior). The tea master explained that his lord presented him with the outfit and rank.

Outraged, the samurai then challenged the tea master to a duel to test if he was worthy of this accolade. The tea master, being who he was, could not reject such a challenge. He agreed to the duel, which was to take place the next day. Terrified, the tea master quickly enlisted the help of a local swordsman to teach him the art of combat. But the tea master was no warrior and a crash course in swordfighting proved to be futile. Having an idea, the sword teacher simply asked his charge to do what he knew best — to prepare him some tea. The tea master kneeled in seiza and cleared his mind. With the dignity, grace and calm required of any master he prepared the tea.

"That's it!" exclaimed the sword sensei. "What do you mean?" replied the tea master.

"You don't need to learn anything from me. When you meet your adversary tomorrow just pretend you're preparing tea. Your state of mind when you perform the tea ceremony is all that is required. Just hold your sword like you hold your chashaku (tea scoop)." The tea master could not comprehend how his respectful ceremony would prepare him for a fight to the death, but with no other recourse he took his teacher's advice and prepared for the showdown.

The following morning when he met his opponent, the tea master performed exactly as his sword teacher had instructed. The samurai had expected to see a quivering wreck of nerves, but instead his eyes fell upon a quietly confident, unshaken opponent. In fact, he thought that this was an entirely different person than the one he encountered the day before! So awed was he by the man before him that he bowed respectfully, asked for forgiveness, and retreated from battle without once raising his sword.

Heaven and Hell

There was once a powerful samurai warrior in Japan, he was a leader of men and very faithful to his country. He would think nothing of giving his own life if it meant helping his emperor or country.

This warrior was used to battle and he had killed many men and so he was beginning to wonder if there was a heaven and a hell and if so how could he get to heaven and stay clear of hell.

He was concerned that he may not be allowed into heaven due to the fact that he had killed so many men this lifetime.

He had heard of the famous Zen master Hakuin and was told he could show him how to get to heaven. He decided to go and meet him and traveled long and far to find him.

After many days of gruesome travel over mountains and rough terrain he finally found the master. The warrior was doubtful when he met master Hakuin, he looked just like a simple peasant and the warrior really wondered if this simple man could authentically answer his question.

After all this travel it would be pointless to go back without asking the question and so the strong warrior asked Hakuin if indeed there was a heaven and a hell, and if so how could he get to heaven and avoid hell?

Master Hakuin being a very wise man, answered the question in a way the warrior would never forget.

Master Hakuin replied, "Who are you?" to which the warrior replied, "I am the chief samurai warrior of Japan and I work directly with the emperor. I am the leader of all samurai in Japan."

Hakuin laughed and said, "You a warrior? You are nothing but talk. You could not save yourself, never mind our emperor. Don't waste my time. Go!

At this the warrior was deeply offended and was immediately angry, he drew his sword ready to kill this peasant man in front of him, but just before he made the strike, Hakuin shouted. "Stop!" and continued, "This is hell." The warrior stopped and put his sword back in its sheath and Hakuin smiled as he said "And this is heaven."

The samurai got the message; the master had shown him how his anger was his own hell and his alert consciousness was his own heaven.

He realized that heaven and hell exist within us, it is always a choice as to how we respond to life.

The Art of Fighting Without Fighting

Somebody recently asked me which are the best techniques to use in a "real street fight." Are grappling moves superior to striking methods? Should punches be favored over kicks? I advised him to give equal regard to all things -- in training. That the best strategy in any fight is really not to fight. Later, I was reminded of a tale from medieval Japan about a samurai, Tsukahara Bokuden, a story I first encountered in the works of Donn Draeger. A modern version of this tale appears in this great scene from Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon. Lee's character is threatened on a boat en route to a martial arts tournament by another competitor.

What follows is a lesson in the ultimate martial-art "technique":

Never Bring A Gun To A Swordfight

Patterson's post on gun violence includes an image of a street sign proclaiming that "Real Men Use Fists" with a slash through a revolver that made me think of firearm use by samurai during feudal Japan. When relative peace finally emerged during the Tokugawa period (1603 - 1868) firearm use had come to be seen as ignoble. Maybe "real men" of this time didn't like to use guns, but the Way of The Sword was held in high regard. Budo culture now took root and swordfighting schools flourished. Kenjutsu skills were honed not primarily for combat, but as a means to develop character and inner self-control. Two major treatises were written during this period: The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, and The Life-Giving Sword by Yagyu Munenori, both of which delve into philosophy, psychology, and combat strategy (heiho) while giving little regard to any technical explanations.

Swords presumably cannot inflict the mass harm that a sidearm can, let alone an assault rifle. This didn't stop Sokaku Takeda from downing a group of Japanese laborers with his sword following a verbal altercation in the late nineteenth century. After he was acquitted, Takeda wised up and focused his efforts on the weaponless art of aikijujutsu.

In Western lore, the sword was the weapon of choice for the duel before pistols became fashionable. A pre-presidential Abraham Lincoln was challenged to a saber fight that he deftly wiggled out of*. A younger Lincoln, however, did manage to compete in a number of no-holds barred grappling matches^†, none of which ever resulted in a falality.

A while back I saw a review on a book describing actual swordfighting techniques called Street Sword: Practical Use of the Long Blade for Self-Defense. I haven't read it, nor do I plan to. For now, I'll just stick to hand-to-hand combat. Somehow I feel safer that way.



* Steven Pinker 2011. The Better Angels Of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined. The Penguin Group.
^† Glenn J. Morris, Ph.D. 1998. Martial Arts Madness. North Atlantic Books.

Something a Little Different

Recently I watched a rather unique movie that, although could be best described as a crime-drama, has distinct martial arts undertones. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) is an artfully done film with an improbable theme: a professional assassin (Ghost Dog) who is the retainer of a Mafiosa who saved his life years earlier. Forest Whitaker plays the title character with aplomb, adhering to a samurai code laid out in Hagakure, a philosophical tome written in the eighteenth century that features anecdotes on Japanese warriorship and feudal etiquette, among other interesting topics. Ghost Dog recites from Hagakure throughout the story during critical impasses, but the book also offers some lessons that definitely falls outside the realm of martial arts in the normal sense. Here are a few snippets:

• When embarking on a long journey it is best to keep lice out of one's underwear.

• If you arrive home to find your wife committing adultery, kill the adulterer and make it look like he was a burglar. Then divorce your wife.

• Even if one's head were to be completely cut off, he should be able to do one more action with certainty.

If philosophy is your thing and you're looking for something a little different I recommend both a reading of Hagakure and a viewing of Ghost Dog to fulfill your martial arts needs for enlightenment and entertainment.

Self Restraint

At 4'11" and barely one hundred pounds, Sokaku Takeda was indeed a small man, even by Asian standards. Seeing him walk through the crowded streets of Tokyo carrying his kenjutsu (swordfighting) gear made for a strange sight in 1882 - after all, it was a time of peace and progress in Japan - a nation poised to take its place with the rest of the modern world. Passersby shot odd glances as the tiny warrior strode past when a group of construction workers took notice. "Hey, look at the little swordfighter - a bit old-fashioned for kenjutsu these days, eh pal?" Takeda's abrupt reply of "keep your mouth shut" angered the workers. When one of them attempted to grab him by the lapel, his sword was inadvertently dislodged from its scabbard, slicing the chest of the antagonist. The cut was superficial, but it was deep enough to cause blood to drench the worker's torso, making the situation appear grave. Armed with picks and shovels, the other workers rushed the sword wielding Takeda in an effort to subdue him, but each man who came near him was instantly cut down. Finally, Takeda could no longer hold off the relentless attack of over twenty workers. By the time police arrived on horseback, a large crowd had encircled the grisly spectacle as Takeda was sprawled out on the ground unconscious, still clutching his prized sword. What began as an act of public taunting ended in a showdown that took the lives of a dozen men.

Although Takeda was eventually acquited of charges brought against him by the workers' families, he was still regarded as the heavy in the attack because he was armed with a conventional weapon. But if you examine the details of this unfortunate event, you'll find that Takeda neither started the verbal nor physical aspects of the assault that led to a massacre.

At one time, samurai had the legal right to execute anyone they deemed as disrespectful (kirisute gomen) before the tenets of Bushido became more strictly codified. Today, restraint and self control are as much a part of the warrior's way as they are of common sense and decency. Sometimes, the best technique to be found in the martial arts is to simply keep quiet and walk away.

Duel

The cultivation of ethics was considered of paramount importance to the bushi - the classical warrior. Being ethical is closely related with possessing wisdom, hence the archetypal image of the enlightened master. One aspect of ethics has to do with honor. Maintaining one's honor, unfortunately, is quite often misconstrued with defending the ego. When a person's pride (or worse, reputation) is damaged, revenge is sought; wisdom is then nowhere to be found. Historically, a way to exact revenge that was socially acceptable, was to challenge the so-called antagonist to a duel. If somebody, particularly an established enemy, disgraced or humiliated you in some way (whether real or imagined), you had a legal opportunity to commit murder. Abraham Lincoln, during his formitive years in politics, made some disparaging remarks about a rival in a newspaper. When he was challenged to a swordfight by his insulted party, he recanted his offensive statement. Lincoln, however, was no stranger to brutal encounters. In his younger days, he competed in no-holds-barred wrestling contests for purses.

Musashi engaged in sixty duels during his long life. His chosen lifestyle and reputation as a warrior kept him looking over his shoulder for most of his years. Musashi would quite often arrive late for a schedueled match to unnerve his opponent (a humorous version of this strategy appears in Woody Allen's War and Peace). Incredibly, some of his later battles were won using only a bokken (wooden practice sword). Kata, unlike the dueling concept, was developed with multiple assailants in mind. The average kata lasts one to three minutes. The average duel (regardless of choice of weapons) was over in seconds. Duelists always thought they were completely justified and right. Dignity became more important than the sacredness of life. The title of a famous poem comes to mind: Death Be Not Proud.

Legends

Tradition is a word that is often associated with the martial arts, namely its past. Time has a strange way of embellishing the truth. Some of the early progenitors of martial arts have been attributed with almost demigod-like magical powers. Stories that include the ability to shuto through a tree trunk, or disappear in a flash of light are obviously absurd, but did serve a function. In his book, Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters, Shoshin Nagamine writes, "In general, these stories are positive and serve to teach important lessons." It was the inspiration derived from these legends that was supposed to motivate the practitioner to great heights.

The perception of martial arts when it first arrived in the West was that it could transform mere mortals into invincible fighting machines. In part, we can thank the movie industry for that. The rest has to do with the human invention of myths. Carl Jung said the need to create legends and heroes - archetypes as he called them, is innate in everyone. But reality can assert itself in sobering ways. The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 is the classic example. This was an attempt by, among others, renowned Chinese chuan fa masters of the time to overthrow the government. The insane notion was that the supernatural/martial prowess of these men could somehow prevail over bullets. The Japanese samurai also rejected use of the firearm, because it was so "graceless" to use. Legends tend to outlive the heroes, despite the latter's noble intentions.

The Art of Strategy

A famous legend in martial arts lore tells of Tsukahara Bokuden, a medieval Japanese kenshi. One day while traveling on a commuter boat packed with people, Bokuden was abruptly challenged by another swordfighter who was boasting of his prodigious fighting skill. To avoid engaging in some deadly contest in the presence and proximity of innocent civilians, it was mutually decided that they would set sail to a small island nearby to settle things. Allowing his challenger to alight the shore of the island first, Bokuden, remaining aboard, quickly navigated the vessel away, leaving his unsuspecting antagonist stranded. "This is how we defeat the enemy in my system of fighting!" exclaimed Bokuden.

This amusing anecdote (a version of it appears in Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon), illustates how a potential threat can be thwarted by using some ingenuity. Deception and artifice can still be used even if combat is inevitable. Musashi, in his later years, would feign feebleness and senility in order to draw a younger stalwart into striking range. Heiho - strategy, not physical skills, signified the true measure and spirit of the classical warrior.

Rules of Conduct for The Warrior: East and West

Etiquette and formal behavior are usually not regarded as traits associated with fighting, especially today. Politeness, sincerity of heart, self-control, self-sacrifice, and most importantly, honor, are all central to the standard of excellence a warrior should seek to attain within himself. The key word here is within.

Although Bushido - literally "Way of The Warrior", was the title of a famous work composed by Inazo Nitobe in 1905, its conception dates back to thirteenth century Japan. Bushido was a system of rules and customs that warriors, or more specifically, samurai, were supposed to follow. The code is strikingly similar to a concept to emerge in Europe at about the same time. Chivalry, practiced by medieval knights, encompassed a set of virtues nearly identical to Bushido. It was Chivalry that transformed the unruly knight into a new paradigm for the age - the gentle man, whereas in the East, the samurai began to exercise newly found restraint, poise and social decency. Bushido and Chivalry both provided a much needed civilizing effect on the warrior class.

The Psychology of Fighting, Part III

Once a fighting technique is thoroughly learned through sincere, diligent training, it is "forgotten" or disregarded on the conscious level. Later, when we spar, all our hard work pays off; there are no "accidents" and we fight spontaneously, automatically. As I see it, most students don't experiment enough with their sparring, relying on just a few moves. In contrast, kata, the ultimate expression of an art, forces us to utilize a depth and variety of moves that we would probably never come close to using in regular sparring. Kata, unlike kumite, allows us to train with no inhibitions, at full power and speed at any age. In time, the trainee will come to realize the only way to infuse true passion into his or her chosen art will be through stilling the mind. Kata practice is one way of accomplishing this, but is there something else we can do to hasten the process further still?

According to martial arts historian, Donn Draeger, samurai who lived during Japan's Feudal period practiced the art of mokuso - meditation to give them confidence in battle. Meditation is largely misunderstood in our culture, but it is simply the practice of the discipline of removing unwanted mind-chatter. Sitting still with eyes closed, focusing on normal breathing and becoming aware of our thoughts is a radical undertaking that can have tremendous ramifications on our psyche. Meditation has roots not only in the East, but also in Native American, Australian-Aboriginal and African cultures, and certain Orthodox Christian and Kabbalic (Jewish) faiths. Meditation, the art of invoking present moment awareness, is a tool that is capable of sharpening focus, and bringing about detached resolution - attributes for the martial artist, but also something that can be life-transforming.