Genten
Kenji Ushiro shihan, Okinawan Shindo-ryu Karate, Osaka, Japan
Translated by Neville Nason
Budo Origins
Our consideration of "origins" in budo must be rooted unconditionally in the essence of martial technique, the purpose of which is to determine life or death in battle. Above and beyond this, our training should be guided by a deep understanding of the lives, thoughts, personalities, and spirit of the founders of the traditions we inherit.
Through the techniques that comprise our budo heritage, we have the opportunity, and at the same time the obligation, to seek answers to the same questions as did the founders. I believe that vitalizing this essence in the context of our life today embodies the meaning of budo origins.
At the same time, our keiko offers us the opportunity to transcend dualities and to develop the physical body in a context of absolutes. We are challenged to polish our spirit, and strive to unify the physical and spiritual in order to transcend our limitations.
Losing sight of this origin, and subsequently drifting away from the essence of our quest, leads inevitably to the decline - and ultimate extinction of the path. Sadly, by the time we notice the beginnings of such a decline, we may have already passed a point of no return. Budo, because it is an intangible cultural asset passed directly from teacher to student, is particularly susceptible to this fate.
Today, we can see an increasing "hollowing out" of the practice of martial arts. Whether the discipline allows competition or not, the trend is increasingly towards budo as a sports activity.
As a result, the repetition of technique, which provides the foundation of all budo, becomes more and more superficial, while vital aspects such as breath and ki energy become topics for study in word only.
The Essence of Bujutsu: Unification
Today's contemporary karate styles focus primarily on developing abilities in striking, kicking and sparring. Thus, although they share a common name, contemporary sports karate and bujutsu karate are entirely different endeavors.
Relative to striking, undisputed as a core skill in karate, we sometimes hear the term "to kill with one strike." The meaning of the words of course refers to an exceptionally effective offensive attack. However, the essential nature of such a strike differs dramatically between sports karate and bujutsu karate.
In sports karate, "kill with one strike" refers to delivering a powerful blow to an opponent. In contrast, in bujutsu karate, entering into the opponent - while at the same time removing the option for them to attack or defend - is our primary concern. Given this, the approach to training between the two is entirely different.
Because sports karate focuses on strikes and kicks, the mainstay of training involves work with punching bags or makiwara. In contrast, bujutsu karate - while this may appear to be a contradiction in terms - is concerned primarily with non-striking control. As such, physical training by punching a stationary target is not of primary concern. Certainly this kind of training can serve as a helpful means of measuring progress, normal keiko does not give great weight to it.
While striking blows involve the shock of a collision, non-strikes do not transmit any shock at all. In the latter, you find embodied the essence of unification that underlies true bujutsu karate.
This unification arises paradoxically from the power of a strong attack, or the potential of a strong impact. Unification or harmonization itself is not primary in this case. Rather, it is the absolute control of distance and timing that allows you to validate both yourself and your opponent. Kata practice in karate presents a particularly effective means to research these principles.
In the same way that you only truly appreciate the utility and enjoyment of riding a bicycle once you have mastered it, it is only when you are able to freely use the techniques contained within kata that you come to appreciate the profound nature of the kata themselves. However, unlike our bicycle analogy, because the kata are not purely physical constructs they are substantially more difficult to internalize.
If the kata themselves could be used "as is," their effectiveness would be unquestioned. However, as can be seen with most contemporary kata that have deviated from their origins in Okinawan schools, progressive transformation into a purely sports-oriented approach has rendered them less and less serviceable as martial technique. Consequently, whether or not kata can actually be used depends foremost on whether the teacher has been able to concretize the principles they embody. In other words, the teacher becomes the essence of the kata.
Just as the multiplication tables form the foundation of basic arithmetic, kata form the foundation of bujutsu and budo. Only through repeated practice of these foundational elements can we arrive at an understanding of their essence. In turn, it is only from that point that we can begin to explore concrete applications. At the same time, it is equally important in our daily lives to strive to embody the principles of unification that form the heart of true bujutsu.
Finally, even though we may have mastered specific techniques, true application remains an elusive goal. Therefore, it is critical to our progress to focus on the essence of technique. Only through mastery of this essence is it possible to transform technique into an appropriate response in a dynamic situation. Thus it is in this very sense that a return to essentials is so strongly called for.
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