Budo or Sport

A Picture is worth 1000 words...

 

Budo

 

 

Sport

 

 

Budo

 

 

Sport

 

 

Budo

 

 

Sport

 

 

 

 

Budo 

 

 

 

 

...shoulder pads? 

 

 

Budo

 

 

 

 

Shouty Gymnastics?

 

 

 

 

Budo

 

 

Sport

 

Budo

 

 

 

Glorified Violence

(So totally not Budo)



 

Thanks for reading.
Derm

Ͼ

The Nature of 'Rei'

Do you know what 'Rei' is?

We bow when Sensei yells "REI" and we're quite often told that it translates as the word 'Respect', but not quite, it's more than this.

Rei has meanings and reason that echo the complex culture that it came from. It's deeper than the modern martial attitude of "bow because we told you to".

There are reasons behind everything, yet the large majority of martial artists in the western world seem to just accept shallow pointless explanations for etiquette, respect, traditions and the nature of Rei in general.


In my post Gichin Funakoshi's Twenty Precept (Part 1) I talked about how people tend to confuse simple courtesy and respect. It's not the only place that the word 'respect' is misunderstood or misused.
Before understanding the nature of 'Rei', we should understand the nature of 'respect' and why they aren't exactly the same thing.

 

"Respect goes both ways"

I have seen martial arts instructors tell their student to "respect" them.

Firstly, if you have to tell people to 'respect' you, then it's a good chance they never will, and you don't understand the nature of respect.

In general, a group of people (or individuals) respect a person when they are worthy of that respect.
People will subconsciously decide if someone should be respected based on their first impression and their ongoing observations of them.
Everyone does this with everyone they know automatically.
You can't tell a person to respect you, it doesn't work that way.

It's because they either do or don't (and that's it!).

You can't change this by demanding it so.
The only way you can change whether a person respects you or not is with YOUR actions, by making yourself worthy of respect.

Being arrogant, incompetent, rude, selfish and/or act like you're above people, isn't worthy of respect, so people aren't going to respect you.

Never forget, "Respect goes both ways".

People won't respect someone who do not respect them.
If you find yourself thinking that you won't respect a particular person because they don't respect you, they're probably thinking the same thing.

If you're not courteous with them, you can't expect them to be courteous with you in spite of it... it goes around and around, both you and the other person with the same attitude of "I won't respect them if they don't respect me".

Many people, especially those in leadership positions (not just martial arts instructors but also managers, bosses, directors of clubs or organisations and/or social organisers), act like they are above the others in the group.
They expect their leadership position to automatically grant them the respect of all others. This is basically just ego & immaturity and it is the same mindset of the martial arts instructor that tells people to respect them.

People like this need to remember that the respect is the result of the subconscious reflection of them as a leader or person. Put simply, "Respect goes both ways", be a good and respectful person and people will respect you and/or your leadership.

 

'Showing' & 'Having' Respect

It's easy to confuse the term 'respect' with 'etiquette'.
Explaining the correct 'etiquette' to new students for when in the dojo is necessary so that they know how to 'show their respect'. Having correct 'etiquette' doesn't automatically mean having 'respect'.

'Etiquette' is just another way of saying 'Dojo Courtesy'. Just as in everyday life, for a true warrior 'courtesy' goes without saying. It should be automatic, constant and given to everyone. In the Dojo, 'etiquette' should be automatic, constant and given to everyone. This is not a coincidence, how we are taught to act in the Dojo should spill over into our daily lives.
 
In The Seven Virtues of Bushido I discussed the difference between having and showing respect. 'Etiquette' and 'courtesy' are just examples of 'showing' respect and doesn't prove that you actually have it on the inside.
True respect for another person is "a deep feeling of admiration and trust" and shouldn't be given away lightly.
As warriors, we should be smart enough to reserve our trust for those who truly deserve it.

If you naively give your admiration and trust away to anyone it will eventually be taken advantage of.

With this knowledge a warrior knows to make themselves worthy of respect by being honourable and trustworthy.
This is also the answer to the issue mentioned above of "I won't respect them if they don't respect me".
A mature warrior knows that if a person is rude or disrespectful, that it's that person's problem and not a licence to also be rude and disrespectful back to them. What others do or say doesn't determine what a true warrior does or says, and how they treat others.

As the old saying goes: "Don't let them bring you down to their level."

"REI!"

• When we bow to each other,
• when we say "hai",
• when we bow in and out of the dojo,
• when we say "onegaishimasu!",
• when we show care to not let our obi drag along the ground,
• when we bow at the start and finish of a Kata,
• when we do the formal bow in and out of the class,
• when we listen attentively even though we've heard it before,
• and when we say "arigatou gozaimasu" & "doitashimashite",

...these are all aspects of 'Rei', but the 'nature of Rei' isn't actions and fancy Japanese sayings, it comes from within us. It is in our mindset and attitude.


When we bow to a partner during training, we aren't just bowing to 'show respect'.

• While it's true we are saying that we respect that person,
• we're also saying that we trust them,
• we intend them no harm,
• we intend to learn what we can from them,
• and that we're grateful to have the opportunity to train with them!

We are told that 'Hai' is 'yes' in Japanese (which of course it is) but we seem to use it the same as the military "Yes Sir!", as a blind response to orders given.

• In reality it's meant to be an acknowledgement of what was said,
• Showing that your gratitude for the direction and guidance,
• Saying that you agree with what was said (If you don't agree, don't just say "hai", instead you should respectfully question it),
• and most of all, we say 'hai' to show we understand what was said! (If you don't understand, don't just say "hai", instead you should respectfully question it).

When we bow at the door of the dojo, we're not 'showing respect' to a large inanimate object. 

• We're acknowledging that the dojo is "the place of the way"- the place that we practice our art, learn to be the best we can be and understand the way,
• We're demonstrating our gratitude for having the place that gives us the opportunity to train,
• We're also demonstrating our gratitude that everything went well and we are better because of it.

When we say "onegaishimasu!", I think people assume it's just a fancy word what basically means to 'show respect' in general.
This page a good explanation of the definition of the term: Meaning of Onegai Shimasu 
Part of that page says:
"Onegai shimasu" is a hard phrase to directly translate to English. The second part "shimasu" is basically the verb "suru" which means "to do" conjugated into the present tense. "Onegai" comes from the verb "negau" which literally means "to pray to (something)" or "to wish for (something)." 
The basic connotation is the feeling of exchanging "good will" towards the "future" of the two meeting parties. Hence, it's sometimes kind of like saying "I'm hoping that our relationship holds good things in the future." 

So basically the idea of saying it at the start of the class (or to a partner or an object) is something like:

• I respect you (thing or other person)
• I'm grateful for what you can do for me,
• I hope things go well,
• Please look after me,
• We agree to look after each other.

When we care for our obi we aren't just 'showing respect' for some inanimate material that we wear around our waist sometimes. Also, we don't have a certain colour belt as a sign for others to respect us. The obi we wear (including the rank we are) is only for us, not for other people or their opinion, it shouldn't be a status symbol.

• Your obi is a sign of YOUR OWN progress, in not only ability but also maturity and dedication,
• In theory, you train with a particular instructor because you respect their knowledge and skill, we care for the obi given to us out of gratitude for that persons recognition of your knowledge and skill development,
• The obi you wear is an agreement between you and the one who gave it to you, never treat it lightly.

Kata is the soul at the core of Budo training. It has been said that we bow at the beginning and end of Kata to 'show respect' to many things, Sensei, past masters, the dojo, our flag, ourselves, an imaginary opponent, a judge or examiner, Japan/Okinawa or even the Kata itself. There are many different things that you could be 'showing respect' to. In reality there is a couple of simple reasons for bowing before and after a Kata:

• Kata is deadly serious and should be taken seriously, the time between the bows are 'Kata time' and you should be switched on and focused, just as in a real situation, working on building 'mushin',
• The first and last bows signify the start and end, anything in between is the Kata even if you're just standing in Heiko Dachi,
• We also bow out of gratitude for both being taught the kata and for the fact that the masters came up with it in the first place (the techniques in the Kata could save your life or the lives of people you love one day),

The formal bow in and out of the class can differ depending on the school but it generally consists of a few deep bows for the masters, the Sensei, everyone in the class even maybe the Shinto Kami. It's generally while the Sensei (or highest grade) calls 'Rei'. This process seems obvious but it's more than just 'showing respect'. While each bow is meant to be for different people (or things), the purpose of bowing is basically the same:

• "Shomen" - Generally at the front of the room, the wall of the dojo with picture/s of past master's, the kamidana (shrine) or club founder photo. We bow to this to show our gratitude for learning 'their art', to show our deference for their knowledge and our trust/respect for what we're learning,
• "Sensei" - Obviously bowing to the instructor. We bow to 'Sensei' show we're grateful for him/her taking the time to teach us and to demonstrate our trust/respect for what he/she has to teach,
• "Otagai" - Basically means 'everyone'. This bow has the same meaning as when we say "onegaishimasu", but is intended as thoughtfulness for everyone involved in the class.

When ANYONE is talking in the dojo (particularly the instructor or a master) we owe it to them, out of simple courtesy and thirst for knowledge, to listen attentively. Yes, the person out the front can tell when you're not listening.

If you tune out and stop listening, it's basically the same as telling the person speaking that their words or opinion isn't worth your time.

It's not only arrogant and rude, but ignorant! Even a beginner in their first class might say something that could enhance the most experienced mind.

If you understand 'Rei', you know to pay attention to everything that goes in during training (and in everyday life).



There are one or two common things with all of these formal expressions of 'Rei' through 'etiquette'... None of them are to blindly 'show respect', each and every thing we do during training has a reason and if you 'show respect' without consideration for those reasons, you're missing the point!

The other common thing with each of these is GRATITUDE!
To be grateful is the core of the 'Nature of Rei', all of the 'etiquette' and 'respect' is to teach you to be more grateful! Both in general and for specific things. 

'Gratitude'

'Arigatou gozaimasu' means 'Thank you' and "Doitashimashite" means 'You're welcome'.
In Japan the point and meaning of these terms is the same as in the Western world. 'Thank you' is what you say when you're grateful and 'You're welcome' acknowledges that gratitude. (It's not rocket surgery)


The Nature of Rei and having gratitude isn't just about saying thank you for something given to you or done for you, this is shallow and is only 'showing gratitude'... this can be imitated and quite often is.
Gratitude is the answer to many negative feeling and emotions.
If you are truly grateful in your heart, you'll find things like anger, resentment, jealousy, pride, fear, selfishness, impatience and insecurities fade away.


So, 'Rei' isn't acting a certain way (showing respect). It's not even being a certain way (having respect). It's more than just simple respect.


The Nature of Rei is (at it's heart) the deepest feeling of humble gratitude.

Comment below to share any thoughts or opinions you might have.  :)

Thanks for reading.
Derm

Ͼ

'Hidari Gomon' The Ryukyu Symbol

The 'Hidari Gomon' 左御紋 (meaning "Left-turning Honourable Crest") is an ancient symbol of the Ryukyu Kingdom. There are various interesting theories of how it came to represent Ryukyuan people.

The symbol is in no way unique to the Ryukyu islands, variations of it can be found all over the world, for example:

China

 

 

 

Japan

Tibet

Celtic Cultures

 

 

 

 

In Japan, this type of symbol is commonly used as family crests, called 'Kamon' 家紋 (meaning "Family Crest") .

Various Types of Japanese Kamon

The type of 'Kamon' that contain (or are made up by) the 'comma shape' are called the 'Tomoe' (巴).


Various Types of Tomoe

The Tomoe are defined by the number of commas in them, the Hidari-Gomon is a type of 'Mitsudomoe' 三つ巴紋 (literally meaning "Three Commas Crest")

 

There are several theories regarding how this symbol came to represent the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Ryukyuan people.

The following is the explanation of the symbol by Sensei Angi Uezu of Isshinryu Karate, given to Sensei Robert Slywa:

This symbol was made in the age of Ryukyuan dynasty. The exact age is not known. The meaning is: to call rain clouds, so that the rain may help the farmers. When the castle was surrounded and set fire by enemies, rain clouds came and it started to rain and extinguished the fire and helped the castle in the ancient time.
The meaning of this symbol is almost the same as Isshinryu MIZU-GAMI. The left turn is the correct symbol.



(Thanks Sensei Rob)  

The following story is one of the most common theories for the origin of the Hidari Gomon in Ryukyu.
I found this exact same story from several different sources, not giving credit to any single author, so I'm going to go with 'Author Unknown'

There is an Okinawan folktale in which Hidari Gomon represents loyalty, heroism, and altruism. It implies a past full of struggle and hardship, but also a willingness to face difficulties, no matter what the cost.

 

According to the story, the origin of the Hidari Gomon goes back to feudal Japan. Okinawa had been defeated and dominated by the lord of Kagoshima, who imposed conditions on the Ryukyuan people. He proclaimed that without exception that the people should go unarmed and that those who were found carrying weapons should be executed. Also, as a tribute of war, he proclaimed that Ryukyuans should submit an annual tax of rice to Kagoshima.

 

For many years, the Ryukyu people fulfilled those terms. At the time rice was plentiful and no one went armed because a way of fighting had been developed in Okinawa which did not require the use of weapons. We now know this as Karate. Karate was developed because the Ryukyuan King did not want his people to be defenceless and he began secretly sending members of his guard to China, where they learned various forms of bare-hand fighting. In karate, the weapon was the body of the fighter, so it did not conflict in any way with the ban imposed by the lord of Kagoshima.

 

Everything was fine until a great drought occurred in the Ryukyu Kingdom, which caused a shortage of rice throughout the islands. This cause extensive poverty and hunger and prevented the kingdom from being able to make the payment of rice to Kagoshima. Seeing the suffering of his people, the King decided to send a delegation to Kagoshima with a message reporting the sad situation of his people, asking to be allowed to forego the rice tax that year.

 

The King's envoy left the kingdom escorted by three unarmed guards and was received by the lord of Kagoshima, who was outraged by the audacity of the Ryukyuans. Not only did they not bring the rice, but they were requesting that he excuse their debt. He then ordered the messenger to be killed. One of the lord's samurai came at the envoy with his spear but the three unarmed Ryukyuan guards were able to easily defend against the attack. This surprised the Kagoshima Lord, who considered his samurai to be invincible warriors. As other samurai came to assist in the capture of the Ryukyuan guards, the envoy tried to reason with the lord, explaining further that the people in the Ryukyu Islands were starving, trying to make him understand the pain and suffering.

 

The lord ordered the immediate execution of the three guards by having them thrown into a huge caldron of boiling water used for extracting oils for fuel. While being boiled alive, they screamed out, pleading not for their own lives, but for those of the Ryukyuan people. This moved the Kagoshima lord and caused him to finally open his mind. When expressed solidarity with the Ryukyu, and not only accepted their excuses for not paying tribute but had his men carry a cargo of rice to the islands to ease the famine. In return for his generosity he requested that the masters of the art of Karate come to Kagoshima to teach his men the fighting techniques he had observed defeat his warrior. The value and courage of those three Ryukyuan warriors initiated a new period of relations between the two kingdoms and eventually led to the cooperation and friendship of both peoples.

 

Later, back in the Ryukyu Kingdom, the envoy described the death of three warriors to the King. The King, after hearing the story of the deaths of the guards, had the Hidari-Gomon drawn up to symbolize their heroic action. It is said to portray the three Ryukyu warriors spinning around in the boiling water, giving their lives for the greater good of the people. The symbol has since become the symbol of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a symbol which can now be found just about everywhere in Okinawa. Many Karate styles have also incorporated it into their own symbols. 

 

A theory given by Andreas Quast at Ryukyu Bugei is probably the most plausible:

 

There’s is an artifact pointing to King Shō Toku: Shō Toku, the last king of the 1st Shō Dynasty, was overthrown by King Shō En, 1st king of the 2nd Shō Dynasty.

Shō Toku‘s surviving retainers were buried in the “Tomb of the Hundred Anji”, located behind a hill in the village of Unten in Nakijin, northern Okinawa.
Upon a part of a wooden coffin discovered there, the oldest instance of the “mitsu domoe mon” was found, worked out in golden color. It’s called “hidari-gomon” (左御紋) in the case of Ryūkyū, meaning “left-turning honorable crest”. And this is the same (basically) as the Hachiman crest.

Maybe the story is not popular as it reminds people of the military state of affairs of Ryukyu at the time, something that became very unpopular in the second half of the 20th century.

There is also evidence that the 1st Sho dynasty was overthrown by the 2nd Sho dynasty, and there was no family relation whatsoever. It was a coup dètat.
So, here I photoshopped the said wooden coffin for you, so you can actually see it. It is a coffin of a retainer of Sho Toku, and the first instance showing the “clockwise revolving commas” crest:

Hidari-gomon, the coat-of-arms of the Royal Sho family of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Left bottom. the coffin. Right side: the peace of wood bearing the once golden crest. Left upper side: enlargement of the crest. The pictures are from a 1957 work by one of THE big famous Okinawan historians.

 

 

One last theory also from Andreas Quast, which I like (due to it's simplicity).

 

One theory – without any proof for it – is that the crest was made from the name Sho Hashi (尚巴志), with the Kanji 巴 found in his name is the same as in -domoe (comma).

 

As he unified the THREE kingdoms, there were three of these commas.

 

 

Irrespective of what the origins were, the Hidari Gomon has become synonymous with Okinawa and the Ryukyuan people.

 

 

 

 

Comment below to share any thoughts or opinions you might have.  :)

Thanks for reading.
Derm

Ͼ

 

 

 

Polishing of the Spirit in Budo

Being a Better Person

Depending on whom you ask and in what context, you could get many different answers when asking exactly what the 'spirit' is. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines the 'Spirit' as:

1. The non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul.

2. The prevailing or typical quality, mood, or attitude of a person, group, or period of time.

3. The real meaning or the intention behind something as opposed to its strict verbal interpretation.


In this post I'm not going into the religious ideals regarding the 'soul', this aspect of one's 'spirit' is something different from what we work on in Budo training.
 
Within the context of Budo, the 'spirit' is closest to the third definition given above, it's the intention behind something, the deep down foundation of a person’s constitution.

On the surface 'Character Development' and 'Polishing of the Spirit' seem to be similar, as they are both about learning the traits and virtues of a honourable warrior (and how to apply them).
The main difference between the two is where they are applied. The Character governs a person’s actions, decisions and how a person interacts with the world around them.

The 'Spirit' is who a person is on the inside; it's who a person is (not what they might appear to be).
It is the intentions behind the actions that no other person can see.

In my previous post on 'Character Development' it was discussed how it is important for a Budoka to have a moral code as a framework to improve and develop who they are.
For a Budoka, Bushido works well not only for the character but also for polishing the spirit.

Having a moral code isn't much good to you if you don't have the will power or courage to stick to it.
This is mental fortitude, another aspect of the 'spirit' (and by extension the 'character').

As Budoka we learn and develop mental fortitude primarily during training.

When training, sometimes it hurts and you're sore, tired and over it. When your whole body wants to give in and your legs feel like they will collapse under you. Mental fortitude is finding the strength to keep going, to keep pushing. This is how we work out how strong we really are.

It is through this that we develop the character and polish the spirit of a Budoka and build strong mental fortitude.

A key aspect of a Budoka’s spirit is a positive attitude.

True Budo training requires many years of practice and dedication. Throughout the years, there are times of great frustration and feelings of getting nowhere.
If a Budoka has a negative outlook, they are more likely to quit and give up.

The learning process is actually quite difficult (more difficult than people think) and to correct certain techniques takes time and patience.

Sometimes a Budoka will notice or be told about an incorrect technique many many times before they are able to fix it. The Budoka must always stay positive that they will fix the technique and improve; they can’t let the feeling of despair sink in with thoughts of “I’ll never get this right”.

Kaizen is a Japanese term used in business, loosely meaning ‘the need for unending constant improvement’.
Kaizen is also a key aspect of a Budoka’s spirit and is only possible with a positive mindset. The character traits required for a Kaizen spirit includes:





Kaizen

Positive Mindset

Determination

Focus

Meticulousness

Persistence

Being Thorough

Willpower

Dedication

Accuracy

Rationality

Tenacity

Perseverance

Desire of Delayed Gratification

Systematic approach to things


Not only are these part of Kaizen , but Kaizen strengthens these. The more focused you are on the continuous need for constant self-improvement; the stronger you will be with the above character traits.



This is my last post in a series of posts, outlining the different facets of Ryukyu Budo. The aim being to highlight the fact that there is more to Budo training than the Physical training of skills, this is only one of many complex aspects involved in Budo.

The facets of Budo (as I see them) include:

Character Development
Physical Skill
Physical Development
Knowledge Development
Knowledge Understanding
Martial Technique Practicality
Martial Understanding
Polishing of the Spirit


If we fail to actively work on improving one (or more) of the facets of Budo, the others will never be as strong as they could be, it will hinder our development and we will fall short of being the best that we can be!

True Budo is about improving one's self, physically and mentally.
It's about finding out who you are deep down on the inside and building on that to make yourself the best version of you that you can be.

Budo is a deeply personal journey that is only for you about you.
Everyone's journey is different, while we all seek basically the same goal...
"Many roads lead to the great path."

Comment below to share any thoughts or opinions you might have.  :)

 

Thanks for reading.
Derm

Ͼ