A glimpse of Japanese Martial Arts

[Fanfan]

I make this post in real humility, even if I have interest in Japanese culture and history, i mainly practice Chinese martial arts. But France has a special place with Japanese martial arts, since we had great master that came here to develop those arts, from Deshimaru that came here to develop zen to Tamura sensei that has been sent by Ueshiba o-sensei.
With 12 years of practice, i had the opportunity to develop friendship with great practicer and researcher in martial arts, and in France we have some researcher like Tokitsu that publish regularly their research. Since my accident I became friend with Leo Tamaki, that publish a lot of interview with the greatest martial artist, known to have rediscovered martial arts, and organize cursus in France with them.
I would like to apologize not to know terms in english.
What comes after, is only a point of view, that comes from my practice and research.

Martial Arts : what does it mean ?
Martial Arts have come to us thanks to some countries where middle age extended to XIX th century.
There are some fundamentals that we can find in those different martial arts : body perception, a body connected (use of spinal column)/ structure, a practice relaxed (that can be efficient at an advanced age), a modification of how we use our body, transmission (that is very important, since none transmission can be complete, some things have to be rediscovered by the student), health improvement (and perhaps unification of spirit-body)

In Japan, we can distinguish 3 ways :
Kakutogi : kakutogis is what we call usually today martial arts. But Kakutogi are just sport/show (competition, exhibition...)
In sport you have winner and loser, you have to seduce an audience, in martial arts you have people alive and dead.
Bujutsu : are methods of shinshin tanren, methods to build mental and body, Akuzawa talks about "building the frame", this was the way Bushi (japanese warrior) practiced in the past in order to destroy opponent quickly and effectively, without moral or technical limitation (except the ones of the person who use it)
Budo : are way created from Bujutsu in XIX and XXth century, a life of austerity, a way of life.
Bujutsu and Budo are martial arts.

There are a lot of debate about classification, for exemple is Aikido kakutogi today rather than the initial budo ?
My answer is the same for taiji quan as martial art
What is important is not so the discipline but the way you practice it. But if you practice even all your life an external way you'll probably develop nothing. In France Aikido is mostly became a kakutogi practice, but i do know very few people for who it is a budo

Transmission
Each school has his transmission, for Ueshiba like Shimizu sensei (the last uchi-deshi) explained us it was to be uke, to receive the technique from the master.
In Koryus (shinshin tanren) : this a personal practice conceived to develop structure and to develop a comprehension of the body, the practice with other people are just to verify what you have placed in your body.
the similitude is the three steps of transmission : Shu Ha Ri
Shu : the first step is the integration, when you look for the imitation of your master
Ha : the destructive step, where the student do his personal research, even in other ways than the first step, this is when the student appropriates what he first learnt.
Ri : The expression of the art of the student that became himself a master, he is not seraching to imitate or diferentiate from his master, he is just following his own way.

Japanese martial arts, Japanese you said ?
when you practice kakutogi, there are several aspects that should be source of interogation : mass teaching, choregraphic aspects, gymnastic and box similitudes, this is normal.

All of this started just after the Boshin war. Japan has to modernize quickly, in order to avoid what happened to China (unfair treaties). Meiji era starded, in 1873 samurai are losing their unique military status, this is the creation of the imperial army. The occidental ways are well perceived. The french methods have been highlighted thanks to instructor captain Jules Brunet (that inspired the Last Samurai)
The first army is developped on the european model (Napoleon between others), in the formation there is boxing and gymnastic (military school of Joinville Le Pont)
Anko Itosu at the end of XIX wants to introduce Karate in the teaching of primary schools in Okinawa. He will be helped by Kentsû Yabu, ex officer from imperial army, instructor.

Teaching is structured on french defense to 4 faces (that came from bayonet's military mass teaching), where you imagine to fight against invisible enemies, in several directions. This a mass teaching, where people are aligned. All movements are repeted at the order of an instructor. Katas are transformed with this method to fit for children, and hands open became fist (it was too hard for children to maintain open hand).

Note : the fist is something used by mammals, a way to dominate. Boxing is about domination, not martial arts.

The other major transformation, specific to japanese is the way people walk : Namba aruki (see http://usagiyojimbo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5068), that conduce to a nonsense to martial practice.
This walking, horizontal fall/aspiration, has several interests : contrary to our walking where you are pushing with your leg in the ground, this is an aspiration created by your center of gravity :
propulsion is limited, propulsion gives indications (one very important point in martial arts is not giving opponent any indication), speed, energy, body connected with this way of walking.


Japanese Martial Arts reinvented in XXIth century
Researchers are wondering why martial artist have reputation in the past to do things considered as unnatural, even in an advanced age, and why today all of this has disapperead. The XXth century has been the century of fight sport, but XXI will be the rebirth of martial arts.
4 Japaneses are considered to be such martial artists in our tiny martial world.
the most famous is Kono sensei, the greatest reseacher that there is, and a great martial artist. When after 20 years of studies he met Kuroda sensei, the last of a lineage of martial artist that came from XIII century, they both make a lot of progress and validate some Kono sensei's theories.
The 2 others are Hino sensei(Budo), and Akuzawa sensei(Bujutsu), that rediscovered japanese martial arts thanks to chinese ones (right now i am a bit tired to type, so i'll develop another time). Except Akuzawa they all practice the sword.
I practice with both and i felt and saw things that could not be believed if you wouldn't be there.
Kono and Kuroda have the most "traditional" practice that one can find. Moreover Kono is such a great master that he is able to improve corporal methods in other discipline (from soccer to nurse, like how get up someone heavier than you without any force)
Hino teaches both Budo and dance, and it is very instructive to practice with international level dancer, it has surprised more than one reknown kakutogi practicer...
What can occur: some can disappear, other will create an aspiration that will make you fall even without touching you, other are like clouds when you touch or strike them, other are like mountains in the same situation, last your brain and body will not able to handle information you receive from your opponent ("unnatural" things are happening)

Get the eye
You are probably not able to see what is really important
The fact is what is important is inner the body. Most of practicer today are working on body optimisation and techniques, not a modification of how to use the body. Truly if you don't have feel it with a true master, you won't be able to understand what happens. For exemple and to respond to another post, Akuzawa sensei has nothing in common with Aikido (or else eveything is Aikido). From the outside some exercices looks like, but what we search, and what we do has nothing in common. Akuzawa took control of my body when i catched him, i felf flow of energy in my body without him moving, and no modification of where i catched him. Akuzawa exploded a bo last year in a demonstration of fa jin. Just generating power in his tantien (hara) redirected in a bo.

Well, a last word about kakutogi. Russian Systema master told a Kyokushin master that he knows he would defeat some people in a boxing ring, the only problem is that he would be dead before arriving to the arena. It is just to remember the difference between a sport with rules, in a specific time and place, where you are looking for winner and loser, with martial arts. I don't remember if it is Kono or Kuroda, but they said the same things about modern iai. The main problem is that most practicant would have their hand cut off before the beginning of the fight.

Hopefully we are not living anymore in such era, but our time has his bunch of modern aggression. Bujutsu and Budo can be used to find balance in life, to have values, for health and sanity, even in the old days, to go through adversities of life with more serenity, to find peace and happiness.

[go]

Dear Readers,
Thank you very much Fanfan for your thought provoking post.
Lao Tze said Softness and tenderness is stronger than hardness and stiffness.
Softness and tenderness is Life, hardness and stiffness is Death.
My main teachers were Wabu Young and Bud Estes.
http://www.danzan.com/HTML/PEOPLE/estes.html
http://www.classicaltaichi.com/about-us.html
Best wishes to all!
go

[Fanfan]

Thank you Go for your comment. I hope we'll cross hand one of those days. I hope my post wasn't a too provoking one.

The relaxed way with the connected body are the main differences between sport and martial arts. It explains why you can improve with time in martial arts (even at 70 and more), and why in sports you decrease using muscular strenght (usually after 40years old).
Akuzawa sensei say the term soft is often misunderstood. Hino sensei say you only must use your "internal" muscles, Akuzawa is always relaxed, no tension, but his structure is very strong. So it is much more like strong inside, relaxed outside. To build a good structure explains why it improve health at avanced age. If you practice taji, koryu have some similitudes to some qi qong's aspects.