Kata Unlimited

Volume 1, Issue 5 Kata Unlimited September 2003 What’s it All About Anyway? This month sees a slight departure from the karate heavy previous issues, so I hope all you karateka don’t lose interest. We’ve got the concluding part of Bernard Downey’s article on Jitte and more offer- Inside this issue: ings from Simon Keegan to keep you going. As you will have seen from last month’s issue, Japanese sword arts were featured and this month sees a return to that particular field, looking at art of Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu. This ancient art is regarded as the oldest Japanese Sword school and has only An interview 5 a very few active members world-wide. How surprised was I to find out that it was practiced at the dojo with Bill I go to for my Iai?! Burgar I said last month we’d be visiting Amanda Winstanley of Goju Ryu, but unfortunately we couldn’t ar- range a mutual date for a photo session, so maybe we can come back to that later on. The Samurai 7 School of One of the wonderful things about training in the martial arts I find, is the wonderful feeling that comes Battlefield at those times when a learning occurs. I’m not talking about the sort of learning where your teacher Arts - By shows you the maegeri for the first time particularly, but more the kind of “light bulb” experience that happens when mentally, someone just opened a door in your mind, that you didn’t even know was there! Steve Chris- After many years, I’m pleased to say that this keeps on happening. Its perhaps worth remembering this cole kind of experience for those times when you might ask yourself, “What on earth am I going training for? I’m going to sweat a great deal, it will be hard. I sometimes pull muscles and get injuries.” The learning The Kata 15 that comes, as something slips into place in your head; this technique, that idea, this feels right. These Heretic - By are the things which happen over a period of years. Simon Keegan A number of things I’ve read or heard people say this month, have provoked me to wonder about why on earth we do this. Looking from an outsiders point of view, each training session looks like a group of Kata - Form 17 sweaty people, seemingly bent on trying to kill one another for the whole session. In this day-and-age, & Function - by Bernard Downey Regular Features • Directory • Letters • Moksou Kata Unlimited Page 2 Editorial what earthly purpose does it all serve? The answer to this is mat- not straightforward and I would guess that there would be ter how old the art) for the sake of learning the skill and all as many answers as there are readers. So I only have my the learning that comes with it (as we discussed before). own answer, which I hope we can agree, is neither right nor The sports person is interested in gaining title, standing or wrong; it is merely my own answer. I believe the first con- some form of financial reward for their efforts. Those inter- sideration is the motive for training in the first place. What ested in personal development, self knowledge and mental thoughts and feelings brought you to the dojo door for the clarity will pursue a Zen based art, perhaps Kyudo or the first time? For me, it was the belief that with karate skills I like. But even this view is not straightforward, as there are would be able to stop feeling that I was a punch bag for crossovers in the motives for training in each “camp”. The everyone else's frustrations and anger. I wanted to feel traditionalist may train primarily for self defence, but em- equal to others, instead of inferior all the time. The next braces aspects of Zen and even some sport; and so on. consideration is perhaps, what do I feel like now? I think that I’ve largely overcome those feelings I had as a youth Another confusing factor is that many arts (karate, Iai, ai- and yet I continue to train as hard as ever (well as much as kido etc) have mixed in with them, the elements of a Zen my age allows anyway!). So what motivates me now? Is it religious belief structure, which the practitioner is not made that I enjoy the sweat, bruises and fatigue? Well, no not aware of when he or she joins and becomes indoctrinated really. Is it the fancy premises we train in with all the plush with ideology. Unless the new student is already familiar accessories. Er, most definitely not! So what is the point? with the concepts of Zen, they will continue on in their For me it has become part of my life, just as much as own- learning, along a path which is partly hidden. The revela- ing a car or going to the office. It partially defines some- tion comes, perhaps only several years down the road. This thing about me as a person. What was once a need has seems unhealthy to me, and is the reason why I decided not gradually changed to become a want. It has become in- to continue with a particular school of aikido. grained in me and I couldn’t imagine me not practicing my chosen arts. I have a thirst for learning and these activities So this latter comment is a warning (probably to the already constantly teach me. I am able to learn something new wise) that sometimes martial arts are not always what they every time I train. Sometimes it is just a small thing, less seem. To highlight the point, I bought a book some time often it’s the revelation! ago from Amazon (off the internet). I read the reviews and all the comments online about the book, and it looked for The point is that I have found an activity which feeds and all its worth, like an interesting book on bojutsu, called nourishes me in many ways both physically, psychologi- “Total Stick Fighting—Shintaido Bojutsu”. Never having cally and emotionally. It gives me purpose and direction as heard of the style before, I was none the wiser, until, that is, I constantly try to learn more. Yet I’m training and condi- I got the book in the post. I was dismayed to find that the tioning myself in fighting arts, which seems somewhat art is in fact a lightly disguised cult like art, which uses paradoxical to the notion of living a peaceful existence. I bojutsu and other arts as a means of studying Zen Buddism. don’t have room here to go into that one. I think you just I have nothing against Zen Buddism, before I get com- need to train for about ten years and you should have an ments, but I wanted to have a book about bojutsu, not Zen! idea by then as to how to approach that particular dilemma. Price $27, almost a total waste of my money. What other activities can give you all this? I’m sure that The martial arts “Way” is long, arduous and sometimes there can’t be many. But surely, the serious martial artist with forks in the path that lead to places you may never (and by “serious” I mean someone who dedicates them- have wished to go, had you known where they were leading selves to learning, as opposed to “gaining” or “acquiring”) in the first place. A waste of effort and leads to disappoint- will have at their disposal a good deal of personal development and frustration, not to mention the possibility of being ment. How much depends on many things. Master Funako- deceived. I’m glad to say that having taken one or two of shi is noted as championing the idea that karate is not just those paths myself, I feel a little wiser for the excursion. practiced in the dojo, but in every area of ones life. This idea follows the principle of the much misunderstood con- With all that going on, what about the original question, cept of “Dou” or “way of life”. Those of you who’ve read “Why on earth do we do this?” Here I ’ve just explored my Donn Draeger’s Budo & Bujutsu trilogy of books will be own thoughts about this and offer them, not as “the an- aware of his way of defining “jutsu” & “Dou”. Basically swer” but some possibilities. You might recognise some, any art created after the disbanding of the samurai class in you might not. But one thing’s for sure, we each have our 1876 is regarded as “Dou”, as there was no longer any need own journey. for individuals to learn arts for the purpose of war. But if you’ve trained in a fighting art for many years, even several hundered years ago, surely it becomes just as much part of one’s life then as it does today? After all , people As you get older, your muscles weaken, and you can no longer are people and we humans haven’t evolved one little bit in lift and pull. In the end there’s a limit to physical strength, no a couple of hundred years. So what does that do to the matter how you build it up. That’s why Ueshiba Sensei says that unlimited strength comes from breath power. In effect, it “jutsu vs.

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