The Lone Ranger
01-07-2007, 06:40 AM
Japanese Martial Arts Styles: The Old and the New
There are a seemingly-bewildering number of different martial arts styles. If you're looking at the various Japanese styles though, you may notice a peculiar thing: the names of almost all of them end either in "do" or "jutsu." This is because there are two basic categories of Japanese martial arts.
To understand why the Japanese martial arts are divided into two basic categories -- "koryu budo" and "gendai budo" -- you must go back to the time of the Meiji Restoration. It's all but impossible to overestimate the effect that the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had upon Japanese society. In a single generation, Japan went from a feudalistic society to a modern, industrialized state. In an attempt to emulate the obvious successes of the industrialized Western powers, Emperor Meiji ordered the abolition of the samurai class and initiated a more or less deliberate campaign to eradicate "traditional" Japanese culture (seen as "inefficient" and "outdated" compared to Western European/American culture), so that it could be replaced by more "modern" Western notions.
To say the least, not all Japanese were pleased by these changes, but it was widely recognized that there wasn't much practical use for hand-to-hand fighting techniques in an age when battles were fought with guns and artillery, rather than swords. Still, many Japanese resented the devaluation of their own cultural and philosophical traditions, and revolted against the attempts to eradicate those traditions in the name of "modernization." So, many of the traditional martial arts styles were re-worked and taught to students not as practical fighting techniques, but as a means of preserving traditional Japanese culture and values. Students were encouraged to study these new martial arts styles in order to keep alive the philosophical beliefs that had shaped Japan's samurai warriors, and as means of self-improvement.
The older martial arts styles that predated the Meiji Restoration are generally known as koryu budo, which roughly translates as "old school martial arts." These styles were/are taught as actual combat techniques. Martial arts styles that postdate the Meiji Restoration are generally known as gendai budo ("modern martial arts").
As a rule, you can easily tell the orientation of a given martial arts style by its name. The names of koryu bodu almost always end in "jutsu" or "jitsu," which roughly translates as "art." The names of gendai budo almost always end in "do," which means "way." So, kenjutsu ("sword art"), for instance, is about learning how to fight with a sword, while kendo ("way of the sword") is about learning self-discipline through mastery of the "sword." Similarly, jujutsu ("gentle art" -- an ironic name if there ever was one) is a style of unarmed combat in which one learns to employ techniques that will dislocate joints and break bones. Judo ("the gentle way"), by contrast, is taught as a sport, not a combat style, even though it's derived from jujutsu.
[B]The Evolution of the Sword Arts
Kenjutsu dates back a thousand years or more. There were many different schools of kenjutsu throughout Japanese history, but each of them had the objective of teaching the aspiring warrior how to use the Japanese sword efficiently in combat. Each of these schools faced a common problem though: how do you teach students to use a lethal weapon without killing them in the process? Students sometimes sparred with wooden swords called bokken, but even with the bokken, students often suffered debilitating injuries or were even killed during training.
http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/kendo2/kenjutsu.jpg
One solution was to train students how to cut and thrust with the sword by having them strike water-soaked rolled mats and bamboo poles. This had the advantage of teaching students how to hold and manipulate the sword, but it was poor training for the reality of combat. After all, a bamboo pole doesn't fight back. So, kenjutsu students generally spent a great deal of time learning various kata.
A kata is a formalized set of movements used in martial arts training. In theory, each particular kata represents a pattern of attack and defense against one or more imaginary opponents. (Some kata must be performed with a partner, but the point is that they're formalized and rigidly executed, so you know exactly what your partner will do.) In theory, the purpose of learning any particular kata is to safely learn self-defense/attack moves that would be useful in combat. According to legend, the use of kata as a training method began with a drunken karate-do master who was thrown out of his village for his antisocial behavior. Forced to live in isolation on a small island and wishing to keep in practice, he developed a series of ritualized movements in which he "fought" against imaginary opponents. In time, students sought him out, and he taught them these "kata" (in exchange for smuggled-in alcohol) so that they could practice when they didn't have real opponents to spar with.
Critics pointed out that it could be dangerous to rely too much on the memorization of various kata as a means of learning how to fight live opponents. For one thing, each kata is unvarying by design, so it tends to produce stereotyped responses. Sure, it's great if your opponent behaves as you expect him to, but what if he doesn't? The reliance upon kata, it was argued, produced students who could not deal with unexpected moves on their opponents' parts.
With the introduction of the shinai and early versions of the bogu in the eighteenth century, students of kenjutsu could finally practice against real opponents without fear of serious injury. Some traditionalists disapproved of these innovations however, on the grounds that the shinai wasn't balanced like a real sword, nor as heavy, and so practice with a shinai wouldn't properly prepare students for the reality of combat. Proponents of the use of the shinai and bogu countered that sparring with live opponents was a far more effective way to teach students to fight than cutting up mats and bamboo poles, and practicing against imaginary opponents. To distinguish this newer style of sword training from the older style, it was given the name of "kendo". So, the split between kenjutsu and kendo actually occurred well before the Meiji Restoration, but both were considered real fighting styles at the time. After the Restoration, kendo was reformulated as a sport, rather than an actual combat style, and so became the martial art we know and love today.
Iaijutsu ("the art of drawing") is the art of drawing the Japanese longsword (katana), cutting down your opponent, flipping blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana -- all in one fluid motion. The emphasis is on drawing the sword and attacking as quickly as possible -- in getting your attacker before he gets you. Practitioners learn to draw the sword and attack from a variety of positions -- formal combat stances, everyday standing positions, or even while sitting. In iaijutsu and iaido, you are trained to sit with your legs folded under you, so that you can spring up instantly in order to deal with an attack from any quarter. (This is true of kendo and some styles of karate-do as well.) The idea was that a samurai should always be alert, and should be prepared to deal with an attack at all times.
http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/kendo2/seiza.jpg
This sitting style is called "seiza" ("proper sitting"), by the way, and it seems unnatural to most people when they're first learning it. It can be quite painful after a few minutes' time, in fact. But you get used to it, and I've been studying kendo and Kyokushinkai karate long-enough now that this seems to me the most natural way to sit. When I sit on the ground or the floor, I normally sit in seiza, and people sometimes comment that I "sit funny."
Iaijutsu goes back at least as far as the 15th century, and perhaps much further. Since the entire point of iaijutsu is to learn how to draw a sword and attack in the same motion, students practice with bokken and/or katana, not with shinai. As such, there is simply no way to safely practice iaijutsu with a partner. So, iaijutsu consists more or less entirely of kata exercises. Modern iaido actually differs very little from traditional iaijutsu, except in its philosophy. Where iaijutsu is about learning to draw the sword in order to deal with attackers, iaido is about learning to draw the sword as a means of instilling self-discipline.
[B]The Mindset of the Kenshi
The term "kenshi" can be translated as "sword master," but it's generally used to refer to any student of the sword arts. I mentioned in my previous article that -- in my opinion -- most martial artists can be assigned to one or more of four categories: philosophers, pragmatists, fighters, and lovers of power. In my experience, the great majority of kenshi study the sword arts from a philosophical perspective. That is, I think that most of the people who study kendo, iaido, or even kenjutsu (there are a few left) do so because they look upon their chosen art as a means of learning the philosophy of self-improvement through self-discipline.
Some kenshi are pragmatists, in the sense that they value the martial art(s) in question as excellent exercise. Certainly, there's truth to this. We once had an 85-year-old kendo master visit our dojo. He insisted that kendo was the best exercise program he had ever encountered. I was in no position to argue the point, because after two hours of hard practice with him, every member of our dojo was lying on the floor gasping for breath (and I mean that quite literally!) while he was bouncing around and asking, "Who's next?". It would have been less humiliating if he'd at least had the courtesy to have broken a decent sweat!
In this day and age, few people study the use of the sword because they believe they'll ever have to fight for their lives with one. I suppose there may be an exception or two out there, but there surely can't be many.
A lot of kendo-ka enjoy sparring, and so the love of fighting can be a motivation for learning kendo. I doubt very much that it's an incentive to learn kenjutsu or iaido, however, since neither bamboo poles nor imaginary opponents put up much of a fight.
If there's anyone who studies the sword arts out of a love of power, I have yet to meet this person. It's not like learning to use a sword will allow you to intimidate and control others, after all. I suppose there might be some prestige to be gained from mastering any discipline, so I'm not ruling out the love of power as a motivation. Still, it seems to me a ridiculous amount of work for a very meager reward.
[B]The History and Development of Karate-do
The true origins of karate-do (or simply "karate") are lost to history. That much is for certain. Still, according to tradition, the development of karate began over a thousand years ago, and perhaps as early as the 5th century B.C.E., when an Indian Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma (known as "Daruma" in Japan) traveled to China to teach Zen Buddhism. He also introduced a set of exercises that were designed to strengthen the mind and body. Bodhidharma's teachings -- both philosophical and physical -- later became the basis for most of the Chinese martial arts, or so it is claimed. By 500 C.E., physical training coupled with Bodhidharma's philosophical principles was being taught in Shaolin temples, and formed the basis of the fighting style known as kung-fu.
Whether or not Bodhidharma actually existed, karate appears to have originated in China, from the same traditions that gave rise to kung-fu and other Chinese martial arts. Little is known about karate's early history until it appeared in Okinawa, however.
Okinawa was united under a common ruler in 1429, and in order to quell strife between the rival kingdoms, a decree was passed forbidding the possession of all weapons. For some 200 years, Okinawa was a fairly peaceful place, but in 1609, Okinawa was conquered by the rulers of the Satsuma Domain of the Japanese island of Kyushu. (The Okinawans, unsurprisingly, were unable to mount much of a defense against the invaders.) The Japanese conquerors continued to enforce the ban against ownership of weapons.
Okinawa had long been a crossroads of trade between the various regions of southeastern Asia, and so Chinese philosophies -- and fighting styles -- had long been studied in Okinawa by the time of the Japanese conquest. Since they were forbidden to use weapons, the Okinawans began to practice the art of unarmed combat in earnest after the Japanese conquest. The fighting style they developed was called "karate," meaning "empty hand." (An alternate translation is "Chinese hand," reflecting the ultimately Chinese origin of the fighting style.)
In any event, from the time of the Japanese conquest until the 18th century, the Okinawans practiced and refined karate in secret. Much of the training was done at night, to avoid detection, and so the practitioners trained in their sleeping garments. Supposedly, this is the origin of the modern karate uniform, the "gi."
Though it was developed as a practical fighting style, and was sometimes referred to as "karate-jutsu" by early practitioners, the influence of Buddhist philosophy was an important part of karate training at least as far back as the 17th century. The Okinawan scholar Teijunsoku, born in 1663, wrote a poem in which he claimed:
No matter how you may excel in the art of te [karate]
And in your scholastic endeavors,
Nothing is more important than your behavior
And your humanity as observed in daily life.
In other words, from its very beginnings in ancient China, karate was viewed as being as much a philosophical exercise as a fighting style. Of course, the Okinawans had a very good reason to refine it as a fighting style, given that they were an occupied nation.
By the 18th century, karate-do was being openly taught in Okinawa. It was some time before karate spread to Japan, however. The Japanese tended to regard Okinawa as a "backwards" place, and there was considerable prejudice against anything Okinawan on the Japanese mainland. By the early 1920s, though, there had been a handful of public demonstrations of karate given on the Japanese mainland, and no less a personage than the Crown-Prince Hirohito displayed an interest in the art. In 1922, the revered martial artist Jano Kano (founder of judo) invited the karate master Gishin Funakoshi to come to Japan to demonstrate and teach karate. With the backing of such influential admirers as Hirohito and Kano, karate was rapidly accepted by Japanese society, despite its "peasant" origins. As such, Funakoshi is widely considered to be the "father of modern karate-do."
[B]Masutatsu Oyama and the Origin of Kyokushinkai Karate
Masutatsu Oyama was born in 1923, in southern Korea. At the age of 9, he first began to study the martial arts, taking up the Chinese Kempo style known as "Eighteen Hands." In 1938, he traveled to Japan, where he took up judo and boxing. He then took up the study of karate with no less a teacher than Gishin Funakoshi himself. Oyama proved an unusually dedicated and adept student, and by the age of 20 he had reached the level of 4th Dan (4th-degree black belt).
http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/kendo2/masoyama.jpg
Masutatsu Oyama
Oyama entered the Japanese Imperial Army, where he continued to study judo, quickly rising to the level of 4th Dan. After Japan's defeat in World War II, Oyama began studying karate with the Korean master So Nei Chu. Master So impressed upon Oyama the inseparability of martial arts training and the philosophical fundamentals of Buddhism. By this time, Oyama had apparently grown disillusioned with the way that most styles of karate were being taught. He was particularly unimpressed with so-called "point sparring."
In point sparring, karate-ka don't actually strike each other. Instead, they learn to stop their kicks and punches just before the moment of impact. Practitioners spar for points, and a referee awards the points based upon whether the kick or punch would have caused damage had it actually been landed. Oyama objected to this point sparring because, in his opinion, it was pointless and even foolish to learn a "fighting" style that doesn't involve any actual fighting. How is someone to learn how to defend himself against attack if he never actually learns to throw or receive punches and kicks?
In 1946, Oyama began to train himself rigorously, hoping to develop a "perfect" fighting style, and in 1947, he won the All Japan Karate Championship. Over the next few years, he studied numerous martial arts styles, incorporating some of their techniques into his own style. He also traveled to America, where he challenged boxers and wrestlers, never losing a match.
In 1950, Mas Oyama fought the first of his famous battles with bulls. Altogether, Oyama fought 52 bulls, killing three of them instantly, and knocking the horns off 49 of them with "knife-hand" blows. In 1953, he opened his first dojo, in Tokyo. He invited students from various styles to come and study with him, and he continued to refine his technique based upon what he learned from sparring with students from different martial arts styles.
In 1964, Oyama named the style that he had developed Kyokushinkai karate. "Kyokushinkai" literally translates as "The Society of Ultimate Truth." every martial arts style bills itself as the "best" or the "ultimate" style, and/or the "way to Truth"? I sometimes suspect so.]
Kyokushin karate bills itself as "the world's strongest karate," and is characterized by the fact that practitioners actually hit each other when they spar, with the full intention of knocking each other down. The philosophy is that if you wish to learn how to fight, then you must do so by fighting. Unlike most other forms of karate, Kyokushin incorporates grabs and throws, and doesn't rely upon punches and kicks only. The only protection that fighters wear is mouth guards and groin protectors, and I can tell you from personal experience that it hurts when someone punches or kicks you full-force. On the other hand, you toughen up over time, and an experienced karate-ka will scarcely notice blows that would leave a novice in debilitating pain.
[B]The One Hundred Man Kumite
To test himself, Oyama once fought a total of 300 opponents -- 100 opponents a day for three days. Supposedly, he was willing to continue for a fourth day, but no one was willing to face him. Oyama introduced this feat as the "ultimate test" in Kyokushin karate. To complete this test, known as the "Hyaku Nin Kumite" or "One Hundred Man Sparring," a karate-ka must face 100 opponents in full knockdown fighting, with each bout lasting two minutes. The karate-ka must clearly win at least 50% of the fights, and if he is knocked down for more than five seconds, he loses the kumite, even if he's on his 100th fight. To date, fewer than a dozen people have managed the feat.
On July 4th, 2004, Naomi Wood made history by becoming the first woman to attempt and complete the Hyaku Nin Kumite. At her insistence, each of her opponents was male, and had the ranking of black belt. (She fought 1.5-minute rounds instead of 2-minute rounds, however.) She fought continuously for some three hours (as soon as one opponent's time was up, the next opponent stepped into the ring immediately), except for a three-minute break after fight number 50 to go to the bathroom and to change into a fresh gi.
Am I ever going to attempt the Hyaku Nin Kumite? Not on your life!
[B]The Kyokushin Philosophy
The basic philosophy behind Kyokushin karate is that strength of body and character come from continual challenge and through hard work. Like many other martial arts styles, the idea is that through rigorous training one learns self-discipline, which can be applied to self-improvement in other areas of one's life. Unlike kendo, say, Kyokushin attempts to teach students a potentially-useful fighting style, so self-defense is a major component of training in a typical Kyokushin dojo.
Even so, if all you care about is learning self-defense, I wouldn't recommend taking up Kyokushin or any other style of karate. Take up Krav Maga or just enroll in a good self-defense course instead. Kyokushin places a very strong emphasis on learning how to fight efficiently, but that's not the same thing as learning effective self-defense. In the time that it would take you to become really good at self-defense from the study of karate (or any other traditional martial art style), you could probably have taken a dozen self-defense courses.
http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/kendo2/kanku.jpg
The symbol of Kyokushin karate is the "kanku". The points are said to represent "the ultimate." The wide sections represent power. The center represents infinity, implying depth, and the circle enclosing the kanku represents continuity.
Despite its seemingly-brutal nature, Kyokushin is firmly rooted in the notion that one should treat others with courtesy and respect, and that real fighting (as opposed to sparring) is something that should be avoided whenever possible. As such, the Dojo Oath for Kyokushin karate is as follows:
We will train our hearts and bodies, for a firm, unshaken spirit.
We will pursue the true meaning of the Martial Way, so that in time our senses may be alert.
With true vigor, we will seek to cultivate a spirit of self-denial.
We will observe the rules of courtesy, respect our superiors, and refrain from violence.
We will follow our spiritual path, and never forget the true virtue of humility.
We will look upwards to wisdom and strength, not seeking other desires.
All our lives, through the discipline of Karate, we will seek to fulfill the true meaning of the Kyokushin Way.
[B]What Kinds of Martial Artists are Kyokushin Karate-ka?
As is probably pretty obvious, I count myself as one of the "philosophers" when I consider my own approach to the martial arts. My impression is that while philosophers are common in the sword arts, they're not so common in karate. Sure, Kyokushin has that neat philosophy of self-improvement through self-discipline, but I don't encounter a lot of people who really seem to be trying to live up to that ideal in the dojo. There are exceptions, of course, but my impression is that most people who're studying karate aren't doing so with the goal of becoming "better people."
A lot of the karate-ka I know are "pragmatists." Of course, I'm one myself. Pragmatists study karate because they think it's good exercise (it certainly is), and/or because they think it's a good way to learn self-defense. (That's a more debatable point, I think.)
A great many of the karate-ka I know are "fighters." Even I have to admit that it really gets the blood (and adrenaline) flowing to get into a knock-down fight with somebody. And I don't even like to fight. I'm not an aggressive person by nature, and I definitely don't enjoy fighting for its own sake -- especially not in karate. At least in kendo, we're smart enough to wear armour!
Still, an awful lot of people really seem to enjoy fighting for its own sake. Some of them use it as a means of letting off steam. Some of them look at it as a way to challenge themselves. Some just enjoy a good fight for reasons all their own, I suppose.
Are there karate-ka who love the sense of power it gives them? Oh yes. I've encountered more than a few people who swagger about, just as proud as can be of their prowess, and practically begging for somebody to give them an excuse to demonstrate it. Well, it takes all kinds, I suppose. A lot of these people would receive a very nasty surprise indeed if they were ever to challenge a good street fighter who didn't "play by the rules." It might be good for them to learn a little more humility.
In summation, the point that I really think should be stressed is that the "true purpose" of martial arts training -- certainly when it comes to training in the gendai budo -- is self-improvement. There is no clear distinction between the philosophy and the practice of the martial arts. At least, there shouldn't be. But outside of Japan and China, students of the martial arts often focus more on the techniques and less (if at all) on the philosophy. This is something that many traditional martial artists regard with outright disgust.
An acquaintance of mine once opined that it's nonsensical to view training in how to fight as a means of self-improvement. She was missing the point, though. The purpose isn't to learn how to fight (though that can be a useful skill), but in learning self-discipline and self-respect. I'll leave Sosai Oyama with the final words on the subject:
Karate, properly viewed, is a way of perfecting character.
Subjecting yourself to vigorous training is more for the sake of forging a resolute spirit that can vanquish the self than it is for developing a strong body.
One must try every day to expand one's limits.
Courtesy should be apparent in all our actions and words and in all aspects of daily life. But by courtesy, I do not mean rigid, cold formality. Courtesy in the truest sense is selfless concern for the welfare and physical and mental comfort of the other person.
Aspirations must be pure and free of selfishness. Arising from the depths of the soul, aspirations are spiritual demands penetrating all of a human life and making it possible for a person to die for their sake. A person without aspirations is like a ship without a rudder or a horse without a bridle. Aspirations give consistent order to life.
The most significant life is the one lived on the basis of a personal sense of justice and the desire to see justice realized everywhere.
There are a seemingly-bewildering number of different martial arts styles. If you're looking at the various Japanese styles though, you may notice a peculiar thing: the names of almost all of them end either in "do" or "jutsu." This is because there are two basic categories of Japanese martial arts.
To understand why the Japanese martial arts are divided into two basic categories -- "koryu budo" and "gendai budo" -- you must go back to the time of the Meiji Restoration. It's all but impossible to overestimate the effect that the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had upon Japanese society. In a single generation, Japan went from a feudalistic society to a modern, industrialized state. In an attempt to emulate the obvious successes of the industrialized Western powers, Emperor Meiji ordered the abolition of the samurai class and initiated a more or less deliberate campaign to eradicate "traditional" Japanese culture (seen as "inefficient" and "outdated" compared to Western European/American culture), so that it could be replaced by more "modern" Western notions.
To say the least, not all Japanese were pleased by these changes, but it was widely recognized that there wasn't much practical use for hand-to-hand fighting techniques in an age when battles were fought with guns and artillery, rather than swords. Still, many Japanese resented the devaluation of their own cultural and philosophical traditions, and revolted against the attempts to eradicate those traditions in the name of "modernization." So, many of the traditional martial arts styles were re-worked and taught to students not as practical fighting techniques, but as a means of preserving traditional Japanese culture and values. Students were encouraged to study these new martial arts styles in order to keep alive the philosophical beliefs that had shaped Japan's samurai warriors, and as means of self-improvement.
The older martial arts styles that predated the Meiji Restoration are generally known as koryu budo, which roughly translates as "old school martial arts." These styles were/are taught as actual combat techniques. Martial arts styles that postdate the Meiji Restoration are generally known as gendai budo ("modern martial arts").
As a rule, you can easily tell the orientation of a given martial arts style by its name. The names of koryu bodu almost always end in "jutsu" or "jitsu," which roughly translates as "art." The names of gendai budo almost always end in "do," which means "way." So, kenjutsu ("sword art"), for instance, is about learning how to fight with a sword, while kendo ("way of the sword") is about learning self-discipline through mastery of the "sword." Similarly, jujutsu ("gentle art" -- an ironic name if there ever was one) is a style of unarmed combat in which one learns to employ techniques that will dislocate joints and break bones. Judo ("the gentle way"), by contrast, is taught as a sport, not a combat style, even though it's derived from jujutsu.
[B]The Evolution of the Sword Arts
Kenjutsu dates back a thousand years or more. There were many different schools of kenjutsu throughout Japanese history, but each of them had the objective of teaching the aspiring warrior how to use the Japanese sword efficiently in combat. Each of these schools faced a common problem though: how do you teach students to use a lethal weapon without killing them in the process? Students sometimes sparred with wooden swords called bokken, but even with the bokken, students often suffered debilitating injuries or were even killed during training.
http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/kendo2/kenjutsu.jpg
One solution was to train students how to cut and thrust with the sword by having them strike water-soaked rolled mats and bamboo poles. This had the advantage of teaching students how to hold and manipulate the sword, but it was poor training for the reality of combat. After all, a bamboo pole doesn't fight back. So, kenjutsu students generally spent a great deal of time learning various kata.
A kata is a formalized set of movements used in martial arts training. In theory, each particular kata represents a pattern of attack and defense against one or more imaginary opponents. (Some kata must be performed with a partner, but the point is that they're formalized and rigidly executed, so you know exactly what your partner will do.) In theory, the purpose of learning any particular kata is to safely learn self-defense/attack moves that would be useful in combat. According to legend, the use of kata as a training method began with a drunken karate-do master who was thrown out of his village for his antisocial behavior. Forced to live in isolation on a small island and wishing to keep in practice, he developed a series of ritualized movements in which he "fought" against imaginary opponents. In time, students sought him out, and he taught them these "kata" (in exchange for smuggled-in alcohol) so that they could practice when they didn't have real opponents to spar with.
Critics pointed out that it could be dangerous to rely too much on the memorization of various kata as a means of learning how to fight live opponents. For one thing, each kata is unvarying by design, so it tends to produce stereotyped responses. Sure, it's great if your opponent behaves as you expect him to, but what if he doesn't? The reliance upon kata, it was argued, produced students who could not deal with unexpected moves on their opponents' parts.
With the introduction of the shinai and early versions of the bogu in the eighteenth century, students of kenjutsu could finally practice against real opponents without fear of serious injury. Some traditionalists disapproved of these innovations however, on the grounds that the shinai wasn't balanced like a real sword, nor as heavy, and so practice with a shinai wouldn't properly prepare students for the reality of combat. Proponents of the use of the shinai and bogu countered that sparring with live opponents was a far more effective way to teach students to fight than cutting up mats and bamboo poles, and practicing against imaginary opponents. To distinguish this newer style of sword training from the older style, it was given the name of "kendo". So, the split between kenjutsu and kendo actually occurred well before the Meiji Restoration, but both were considered real fighting styles at the time. After the Restoration, kendo was reformulated as a sport, rather than an actual combat style, and so became the martial art we know and love today.
Iaijutsu ("the art of drawing") is the art of drawing the Japanese longsword (katana), cutting down your opponent, flipping blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana -- all in one fluid motion. The emphasis is on drawing the sword and attacking as quickly as possible -- in getting your attacker before he gets you. Practitioners learn to draw the sword and attack from a variety of positions -- formal combat stances, everyday standing positions, or even while sitting. In iaijutsu and iaido, you are trained to sit with your legs folded under you, so that you can spring up instantly in order to deal with an attack from any quarter. (This is true of kendo and some styles of karate-do as well.) The idea was that a samurai should always be alert, and should be prepared to deal with an attack at all times.
http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/kendo2/seiza.jpg
This sitting style is called "seiza" ("proper sitting"), by the way, and it seems unnatural to most people when they're first learning it. It can be quite painful after a few minutes' time, in fact. But you get used to it, and I've been studying kendo and Kyokushinkai karate long-enough now that this seems to me the most natural way to sit. When I sit on the ground or the floor, I normally sit in seiza, and people sometimes comment that I "sit funny."
Iaijutsu goes back at least as far as the 15th century, and perhaps much further. Since the entire point of iaijutsu is to learn how to draw a sword and attack in the same motion, students practice with bokken and/or katana, not with shinai. As such, there is simply no way to safely practice iaijutsu with a partner. So, iaijutsu consists more or less entirely of kata exercises. Modern iaido actually differs very little from traditional iaijutsu, except in its philosophy. Where iaijutsu is about learning to draw the sword in order to deal with attackers, iaido is about learning to draw the sword as a means of instilling self-discipline.
[B]The Mindset of the Kenshi
The term "kenshi" can be translated as "sword master," but it's generally used to refer to any student of the sword arts. I mentioned in my previous article that -- in my opinion -- most martial artists can be assigned to one or more of four categories: philosophers, pragmatists, fighters, and lovers of power. In my experience, the great majority of kenshi study the sword arts from a philosophical perspective. That is, I think that most of the people who study kendo, iaido, or even kenjutsu (there are a few left) do so because they look upon their chosen art as a means of learning the philosophy of self-improvement through self-discipline.
Some kenshi are pragmatists, in the sense that they value the martial art(s) in question as excellent exercise. Certainly, there's truth to this. We once had an 85-year-old kendo master visit our dojo. He insisted that kendo was the best exercise program he had ever encountered. I was in no position to argue the point, because after two hours of hard practice with him, every member of our dojo was lying on the floor gasping for breath (and I mean that quite literally!) while he was bouncing around and asking, "Who's next?". It would have been less humiliating if he'd at least had the courtesy to have broken a decent sweat!
In this day and age, few people study the use of the sword because they believe they'll ever have to fight for their lives with one. I suppose there may be an exception or two out there, but there surely can't be many.
A lot of kendo-ka enjoy sparring, and so the love of fighting can be a motivation for learning kendo. I doubt very much that it's an incentive to learn kenjutsu or iaido, however, since neither bamboo poles nor imaginary opponents put up much of a fight.
If there's anyone who studies the sword arts out of a love of power, I have yet to meet this person. It's not like learning to use a sword will allow you to intimidate and control others, after all. I suppose there might be some prestige to be gained from mastering any discipline, so I'm not ruling out the love of power as a motivation. Still, it seems to me a ridiculous amount of work for a very meager reward.
[B]The History and Development of Karate-do
The true origins of karate-do (or simply "karate") are lost to history. That much is for certain. Still, according to tradition, the development of karate began over a thousand years ago, and perhaps as early as the 5th century B.C.E., when an Indian Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma (known as "Daruma" in Japan) traveled to China to teach Zen Buddhism. He also introduced a set of exercises that were designed to strengthen the mind and body. Bodhidharma's teachings -- both philosophical and physical -- later became the basis for most of the Chinese martial arts, or so it is claimed. By 500 C.E., physical training coupled with Bodhidharma's philosophical principles was being taught in Shaolin temples, and formed the basis of the fighting style known as kung-fu.
Whether or not Bodhidharma actually existed, karate appears to have originated in China, from the same traditions that gave rise to kung-fu and other Chinese martial arts. Little is known about karate's early history until it appeared in Okinawa, however.
Okinawa was united under a common ruler in 1429, and in order to quell strife between the rival kingdoms, a decree was passed forbidding the possession of all weapons. For some 200 years, Okinawa was a fairly peaceful place, but in 1609, Okinawa was conquered by the rulers of the Satsuma Domain of the Japanese island of Kyushu. (The Okinawans, unsurprisingly, were unable to mount much of a defense against the invaders.) The Japanese conquerors continued to enforce the ban against ownership of weapons.
Okinawa had long been a crossroads of trade between the various regions of southeastern Asia, and so Chinese philosophies -- and fighting styles -- had long been studied in Okinawa by the time of the Japanese conquest. Since they were forbidden to use weapons, the Okinawans began to practice the art of unarmed combat in earnest after the Japanese conquest. The fighting style they developed was called "karate," meaning "empty hand." (An alternate translation is "Chinese hand," reflecting the ultimately Chinese origin of the fighting style.)
In any event, from the time of the Japanese conquest until the 18th century, the Okinawans practiced and refined karate in secret. Much of the training was done at night, to avoid detection, and so the practitioners trained in their sleeping garments. Supposedly, this is the origin of the modern karate uniform, the "gi."
Though it was developed as a practical fighting style, and was sometimes referred to as "karate-jutsu" by early practitioners, the influence of Buddhist philosophy was an important part of karate training at least as far back as the 17th century. The Okinawan scholar Teijunsoku, born in 1663, wrote a poem in which he claimed:
No matter how you may excel in the art of te [karate]
And in your scholastic endeavors,
Nothing is more important than your behavior
And your humanity as observed in daily life.
In other words, from its very beginnings in ancient China, karate was viewed as being as much a philosophical exercise as a fighting style. Of course, the Okinawans had a very good reason to refine it as a fighting style, given that they were an occupied nation.
By the 18th century, karate-do was being openly taught in Okinawa. It was some time before karate spread to Japan, however. The Japanese tended to regard Okinawa as a "backwards" place, and there was considerable prejudice against anything Okinawan on the Japanese mainland. By the early 1920s, though, there had been a handful of public demonstrations of karate given on the Japanese mainland, and no less a personage than the Crown-Prince Hirohito displayed an interest in the art. In 1922, the revered martial artist Jano Kano (founder of judo) invited the karate master Gishin Funakoshi to come to Japan to demonstrate and teach karate. With the backing of such influential admirers as Hirohito and Kano, karate was rapidly accepted by Japanese society, despite its "peasant" origins. As such, Funakoshi is widely considered to be the "father of modern karate-do."
[B]Masutatsu Oyama and the Origin of Kyokushinkai Karate
Masutatsu Oyama was born in 1923, in southern Korea. At the age of 9, he first began to study the martial arts, taking up the Chinese Kempo style known as "Eighteen Hands." In 1938, he traveled to Japan, where he took up judo and boxing. He then took up the study of karate with no less a teacher than Gishin Funakoshi himself. Oyama proved an unusually dedicated and adept student, and by the age of 20 he had reached the level of 4th Dan (4th-degree black belt).
http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/kendo2/masoyama.jpg
Masutatsu Oyama
Oyama entered the Japanese Imperial Army, where he continued to study judo, quickly rising to the level of 4th Dan. After Japan's defeat in World War II, Oyama began studying karate with the Korean master So Nei Chu. Master So impressed upon Oyama the inseparability of martial arts training and the philosophical fundamentals of Buddhism. By this time, Oyama had apparently grown disillusioned with the way that most styles of karate were being taught. He was particularly unimpressed with so-called "point sparring."
In point sparring, karate-ka don't actually strike each other. Instead, they learn to stop their kicks and punches just before the moment of impact. Practitioners spar for points, and a referee awards the points based upon whether the kick or punch would have caused damage had it actually been landed. Oyama objected to this point sparring because, in his opinion, it was pointless and even foolish to learn a "fighting" style that doesn't involve any actual fighting. How is someone to learn how to defend himself against attack if he never actually learns to throw or receive punches and kicks?
In 1946, Oyama began to train himself rigorously, hoping to develop a "perfect" fighting style, and in 1947, he won the All Japan Karate Championship. Over the next few years, he studied numerous martial arts styles, incorporating some of their techniques into his own style. He also traveled to America, where he challenged boxers and wrestlers, never losing a match.
In 1950, Mas Oyama fought the first of his famous battles with bulls. Altogether, Oyama fought 52 bulls, killing three of them instantly, and knocking the horns off 49 of them with "knife-hand" blows. In 1953, he opened his first dojo, in Tokyo. He invited students from various styles to come and study with him, and he continued to refine his technique based upon what he learned from sparring with students from different martial arts styles.
In 1964, Oyama named the style that he had developed Kyokushinkai karate. "Kyokushinkai" literally translates as "The Society of Ultimate Truth." every martial arts style bills itself as the "best" or the "ultimate" style, and/or the "way to Truth"? I sometimes suspect so.]
Kyokushin karate bills itself as "the world's strongest karate," and is characterized by the fact that practitioners actually hit each other when they spar, with the full intention of knocking each other down. The philosophy is that if you wish to learn how to fight, then you must do so by fighting. Unlike most other forms of karate, Kyokushin incorporates grabs and throws, and doesn't rely upon punches and kicks only. The only protection that fighters wear is mouth guards and groin protectors, and I can tell you from personal experience that it hurts when someone punches or kicks you full-force. On the other hand, you toughen up over time, and an experienced karate-ka will scarcely notice blows that would leave a novice in debilitating pain.
[B]The One Hundred Man Kumite
To test himself, Oyama once fought a total of 300 opponents -- 100 opponents a day for three days. Supposedly, he was willing to continue for a fourth day, but no one was willing to face him. Oyama introduced this feat as the "ultimate test" in Kyokushin karate. To complete this test, known as the "Hyaku Nin Kumite" or "One Hundred Man Sparring," a karate-ka must face 100 opponents in full knockdown fighting, with each bout lasting two minutes. The karate-ka must clearly win at least 50% of the fights, and if he is knocked down for more than five seconds, he loses the kumite, even if he's on his 100th fight. To date, fewer than a dozen people have managed the feat.
On July 4th, 2004, Naomi Wood made history by becoming the first woman to attempt and complete the Hyaku Nin Kumite. At her insistence, each of her opponents was male, and had the ranking of black belt. (She fought 1.5-minute rounds instead of 2-minute rounds, however.) She fought continuously for some three hours (as soon as one opponent's time was up, the next opponent stepped into the ring immediately), except for a three-minute break after fight number 50 to go to the bathroom and to change into a fresh gi.
Am I ever going to attempt the Hyaku Nin Kumite? Not on your life!
[B]The Kyokushin Philosophy
The basic philosophy behind Kyokushin karate is that strength of body and character come from continual challenge and through hard work. Like many other martial arts styles, the idea is that through rigorous training one learns self-discipline, which can be applied to self-improvement in other areas of one's life. Unlike kendo, say, Kyokushin attempts to teach students a potentially-useful fighting style, so self-defense is a major component of training in a typical Kyokushin dojo.
Even so, if all you care about is learning self-defense, I wouldn't recommend taking up Kyokushin or any other style of karate. Take up Krav Maga or just enroll in a good self-defense course instead. Kyokushin places a very strong emphasis on learning how to fight efficiently, but that's not the same thing as learning effective self-defense. In the time that it would take you to become really good at self-defense from the study of karate (or any other traditional martial art style), you could probably have taken a dozen self-defense courses.
http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/kendo2/kanku.jpg
The symbol of Kyokushin karate is the "kanku". The points are said to represent "the ultimate." The wide sections represent power. The center represents infinity, implying depth, and the circle enclosing the kanku represents continuity.
Despite its seemingly-brutal nature, Kyokushin is firmly rooted in the notion that one should treat others with courtesy and respect, and that real fighting (as opposed to sparring) is something that should be avoided whenever possible. As such, the Dojo Oath for Kyokushin karate is as follows:
We will train our hearts and bodies, for a firm, unshaken spirit.
We will pursue the true meaning of the Martial Way, so that in time our senses may be alert.
With true vigor, we will seek to cultivate a spirit of self-denial.
We will observe the rules of courtesy, respect our superiors, and refrain from violence.
We will follow our spiritual path, and never forget the true virtue of humility.
We will look upwards to wisdom and strength, not seeking other desires.
All our lives, through the discipline of Karate, we will seek to fulfill the true meaning of the Kyokushin Way.
[B]What Kinds of Martial Artists are Kyokushin Karate-ka?
As is probably pretty obvious, I count myself as one of the "philosophers" when I consider my own approach to the martial arts. My impression is that while philosophers are common in the sword arts, they're not so common in karate. Sure, Kyokushin has that neat philosophy of self-improvement through self-discipline, but I don't encounter a lot of people who really seem to be trying to live up to that ideal in the dojo. There are exceptions, of course, but my impression is that most people who're studying karate aren't doing so with the goal of becoming "better people."
A lot of the karate-ka I know are "pragmatists." Of course, I'm one myself. Pragmatists study karate because they think it's good exercise (it certainly is), and/or because they think it's a good way to learn self-defense. (That's a more debatable point, I think.)
A great many of the karate-ka I know are "fighters." Even I have to admit that it really gets the blood (and adrenaline) flowing to get into a knock-down fight with somebody. And I don't even like to fight. I'm not an aggressive person by nature, and I definitely don't enjoy fighting for its own sake -- especially not in karate. At least in kendo, we're smart enough to wear armour!
Still, an awful lot of people really seem to enjoy fighting for its own sake. Some of them use it as a means of letting off steam. Some of them look at it as a way to challenge themselves. Some just enjoy a good fight for reasons all their own, I suppose.
Are there karate-ka who love the sense of power it gives them? Oh yes. I've encountered more than a few people who swagger about, just as proud as can be of their prowess, and practically begging for somebody to give them an excuse to demonstrate it. Well, it takes all kinds, I suppose. A lot of these people would receive a very nasty surprise indeed if they were ever to challenge a good street fighter who didn't "play by the rules." It might be good for them to learn a little more humility.
In summation, the point that I really think should be stressed is that the "true purpose" of martial arts training -- certainly when it comes to training in the gendai budo -- is self-improvement. There is no clear distinction between the philosophy and the practice of the martial arts. At least, there shouldn't be. But outside of Japan and China, students of the martial arts often focus more on the techniques and less (if at all) on the philosophy. This is something that many traditional martial artists regard with outright disgust.
An acquaintance of mine once opined that it's nonsensical to view training in how to fight as a means of self-improvement. She was missing the point, though. The purpose isn't to learn how to fight (though that can be a useful skill), but in learning self-discipline and self-respect. I'll leave Sosai Oyama with the final words on the subject:
Karate, properly viewed, is a way of perfecting character.
Subjecting yourself to vigorous training is more for the sake of forging a resolute spirit that can vanquish the self than it is for developing a strong body.
One must try every day to expand one's limits.
Courtesy should be apparent in all our actions and words and in all aspects of daily life. But by courtesy, I do not mean rigid, cold formality. Courtesy in the truest sense is selfless concern for the welfare and physical and mental comfort of the other person.
Aspirations must be pure and free of selfishness. Arising from the depths of the soul, aspirations are spiritual demands penetrating all of a human life and making it possible for a person to die for their sake. A person without aspirations is like a ship without a rudder or a horse without a bridle. Aspirations give consistent order to life.
The most significant life is the one lived on the basis of a personal sense of justice and the desire to see justice realized everywhere.