In days gone by students were required for there grading, to not only show physical ability but also demonstrate and understanding of  Karate-Do its history and pholosopy. This was my 5th Dan written section of my grading it was later translated into Japanese and given to Saito Sensei's Master.

 

 

Karate - Past, Present and Future

(Evolution through to Extinction)

 

By John Dalmedo

                        4th Dan. Renshi

 

I have been influenced over the past twenty-six years of my training by many great Masters and leaders in Karate and the martial arts. These people have not only demonstrated great technique but have captured the essence of Karate, they not only taught Karate but most of all - lived it. Many of them have long since died or simply retired, but I will always have great respect and admiration for these instructors as they had an overwhelming influence on my early years of training and guided me to the person I am today.

 

 

 

 

  

Through centuries of social unrest in Asia, personal hardship, and political upheaval, Karate evolved from a basic form of exercise to a fighting art. Throughout this evolution period there was always an underlying influence and emphasis on all facets of an exponent's life, this has become known as "the Way" or in Japanese - "do".

 

Prompted by better communication, and the gradual break down of isolated communities brought about by the affordability to travel to such areas as the Far East, the primitive art of Karate saw its basic styles being adopted by societies in all corners of the western world. Whilst some aspects of Karate were maintained by the adopting countries, "the Art" was not embraced in its entirety due to cultural and physical differences. What transpired was a radical shift in the emphasis of Karate from a way of life to a sport.

 

With the popularisation of this competitive Karate as a sport, the formation of less reputable and "free style" schools were made easier as the demand was not for hard training regime exercised by those with great patience, but rather for instant gratification through the grading system along with a basic level of fitness that could see the student through short bouts of fighting as is required for the tournament circuit. It is students of this form of "free style Karate", Karate with no discipline, no tradition and no style, that is setting the competitive sport on its new path. This is a path of total devotion to the tournament, where the only success in Karate is achievement by the individual who wins the fight and gains the prize.

 

Freestyle or sport Karate thus in effect disassociates itself from the traditions of mutual respect, humility and disciplines of this centuries old art. What do the true masters of martial arts think when they see their "Art" and "way of life" turned into a money making novelty, with unqualified black belts some as young as twelve, wearing multi-coloured striped uniforms, with badges covering every inch of free space and attempting to teach two hundred students that can't kick higher than their knees?

 

This is the direction Karate is heading - the Past - gave us a reason for hard training and tradition, the Present - gives us the reason why we should respect traditional ways and the Future - asks the question, where is Karate heading and why are we loosing traditional ways?

 

“Karate requires you to make a strenuous effort night and day, before you achieve understanding. Strong Spirit and Will Power, so that we can overcome our own interests.

 

It is very important to exercise every day, not to be come bored, not to give into anguish

 

Essentially the purpose of Karate was to protect ourselves, But now through Karate we are not only training our bodies, but our minds.

 

Therefore, “The Way” is not to attack another, but to restrain yourself, we should not do harm to others. Accordingly, your emphasis should not be on skills, but on training your mind. If you are impatient, you can not expect improvement in your skill

 

If you become arrogant and over - confident in your skills, you should not be involved in the study of Karate. The major teachings of Karate are to achieve confidence in yourself, to be polite, maintain peace and tranquillity of mind. You should pay tribute to your parents, ancestors and master. You should also be in harmony with your friends.

 

You must keep them in mind and not become arrogant and over - confident. It is extremely important to keep and show reverence to your master, otherwise, even if you are great at Karate, you will follow the path of extreme, your desire for understanding can never be attained.

 

If you stop learning Karate, spontaneously you are forced to do that. You have to know it is a long way to polish your skill, train your spirit and keep tranquillity of mind; to get rid of our own interests and do what is the right thing.

 

After you become aware of these, you will know the greatness of gods. For you to achieve this you must discard your own interest and then you will understand The Way".

 

by Master Gogen Yamaguchi

 

 

 

The Past:

A Way of Life.

 

For as long as humanity has existed, there has been a need for the fighting arts to protect against a variety of predators. In early times fighting arts were simply a method of survival in a hostile and unforgiving environment. Later they were developed as a method of warfare, initially between competing tribes, then between entire nations. The more developed and systemised these martial arts became, the more effective they were on the battlefield. Generally, the older the civilisation and culture, the more refined and successful they were in battle. For hundreds of years China was the most powerful military force in what we now know as Asia. It extended conduits of influence to most parts of the region as this can be seen in the fighting systems of countries we know as Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Burma and Malaysia. It was rare for these countries to adapt Chinese ways in their totality; rather, they would mostly assimilate those elements which appropriately fitted their innate culture.

 

Karate as we know it today did not evolve in a simple manner. It is a combination and systemisation of many movements and techniques each of which has a different background. Just as the English language has been influenced by Latin, German, French and a sprinkle of many others, so to has Karate been influenced by the old arts of Kempo, Okinawa-te and Chinese boxing. The history of Karate can be taken back to India, approximately two thousand years before the Christian era. India was the birthplace of a barehanded martial art called, in Sanskrit, Vajramushhti. Evidence seems to indicate that it was commonly practiced by the Kshatriya, which were the warrior class of that time, and which could be compared to the Japanese Samurai and the Medieval Knights of Europe. It is said that the third child of King Sugandha of southern India was a member of the Kshatriya of Warrior Caste. After a few years of instruction he felt the need to seek out other teachings and eventually found himself in a small but dynamic Buddhist province south of Madras. He received his religious training from the Dhyana of Master Prajnatara and under the master's guidance; the boy grew into a wise man and advanced in the way of the Dhyana or Buddhist practice, and was given the name Bodhidharman. After his master died, Bodhidharman travelled to China, where he taught Buddhism. His life was centred on the Shoaling Temple and monastery located in Hunan Province. Tradition states that upon seeing the emaciated condition of the monks, Bodhidharman instructed them in physical exercise, to condition their bodies as well as their minds. The exercise was called, "Eighteen hands of Lo-Han". This exercise included physical training and breathing exercises developed from yoga techniques. Eventually the monks began to study the patterns of animals and to perform exercises that resembled their way of fighting; this became known as Chuan-Fa "The Art of the Fist". It is important to note that the motives of practice were as an art form and for physical conditioning. Later it was developed into a self-defence form as a deterrent to bandits raiding the monastery for the purpose of stealing food and anything of value. The reputation of the Shoaling "Fighting" Monks spread and as a result many came to study this new fighting art and discipline along with Buddhism.

 

Chuan-Fa was introduced to the Okinawa’s through the Ryukyu Islands by the Chinese in the fourteenth century; it was introduced as an art of self-defence, under the name of 'Tode' or 'Te'. This style of fighting was quite rough and was restricted to a selected few, however further refinement came with the influence of other martial arts brought by nobles and trade merchants to the island. Tode continued to develop over the years, primarily in three Okinawa cities; Shuri, Naha and Tomari. Each of these towns were a centre to a different sect of society; kings and nobles, merchants and business people and farmers and fishermen, respectively. Different forms of self-defence developed within each city and subsequently became known as Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te. Collectively they were called Okinawa-te or Tode, meaning 'Chinese hands'. Shuri-te was a defensive art that was heavily influenced by the hard techniques of Chuan-Fa, the origins of which were largely external to Okinawa.  Naha-te was also a defensive art that was influenced by the soft techniques of Chuan-Fa. The art included breathing control and "ki" - "the power from within". It was characterised by a more defensive attitude with grappling, throws and locking techniques. Tamari-te was a mixture of the above influenced by both hard and soft techniques.

 

When Japan invaded the island of Okinawa in the early seventeenth century, the Japanese confiscated all weapons and outlawed the practice of fighting; this only drove the practice of fighting underground, as the local people needed skills to defend themselves from armed attackers. This was an important event in the history of Karate as it eventually led to the introduction of Kendo, the Japanese feudal art of swordsmanship developed by the Samurai. Kendo itself did not have a major influence on Karate other than to suppress the Okinawa’s, but the major factor was the introduction of “Bushido” – the way of the warrior. The Bushido involved the development of the mental skill and fortitude required to defeat an opponent through confidence and fearless application of his physical art. Feelings or emotions had no part in the life of the Bushi, or Samurai. Over the next 300 years, the incorporation of a fighting system with the principles of Bushido broadly developed the art known as Okinawa-te.

 

Karate was to undergo an important transition during the late 1800's. In 1853, western navies forcefully open Japan to foreign influences. Between 1865 and 1867 there was a successful revolt against the Tohugawa shogunate led by disaffected Samurai, and the Emperor Meiji was installed as the new ruler. The country was modernised, with some parliamentary institutions established along western lines, and the Samurai class abolished. In 1868 following the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese actually encouraged the practice of Okinawa-te, and introduced the arts of Aiki-jitsu and Kendo to Okinawa in order to improve the physical condition of their conscripts. It was time to evolve away from its secretive past and move into a new phase of public interest and contribution to society. It was perceived that Karate had much to offer to a rapidly changing society during the upheaval created by the Meiji Period of reforms. In fact, the public's interest in Karate was aroused by several key events during this new phase of development. The Chinese character used to write Tode could also be pronounced kara thus the name Te was replaced with Kara te-jutsu or "Chinese hand art" by the Okinawan masters. This was later changed to Karate-do by Gichin Funakoshi known as the founder of modern Karate, who adopted an alternate meaning for the Chinese character for kara - meaning empty. From this point on the term Karate came to mean 'empty hand'. The do in Karate-do meant the "way" or "path", and is indicative of the discipline and philosophy of Karate with moral and spiritual connotations.

 

The commissioner of public schools, Shintaro Ogawa, strongly recommended in a report to the Japanese Ministry of Education that the physical education programs of normal schools and the First Public High School of Okinawa Prefecture include Karate as part of their training. This recommendation was accepted and initiated by these schools in 1902. Gichin Funakoshi, gave the first public demonstration of this art in Japan in 1917 at the Butoku-den in Kyoto. This, and subsequent demonstrations, greatly impressed many Japanese, including Crown-Prince Hirohito, who was very enthusiastic about the art. In 1922 Dr. Jigoro Kano, founder of the Japanese art of Judo, invited Funakoshi to demonstrate the techniques of Karate at the famous Kodan Dojo and to remain in Japan to teach. This sponsorship was instrumental in establishing a base for the Karate in Japan. As an Okinawan "peasant art', would have been scorned by the Japanese without the backing of so formidable martial arts master. Gradually the teaching of Funakoshi developed strongly; he introduced a set curium with formalised kata and techniques in order to keep the development of Karate at a high standard.

 

Some years later, Captain Yashiro visited Okinawa and saw a Karate demonstration by Funakoshi's primary school pupils; he was so impressed that he issued orders for his crew to learn Karate with Funakoshi. In 1912, the Imperial Navy's First Fleet, under the command of Admiral Dewa also visited Okinawa and twelve members of the crew stayed to study Karate under Funakoshi instruction. Captain Yashiro and Admiral Dewa were thus responsible for the first military exposure to Karate and brought favourable word of this new martial art back to Japan. During the years 1914 and 1915, a group of instructors including Funakoshi gave many demonstrations throughout Okinawa and Japan. It was due to the tireless efforts of this group that Karate became well known to the Japanese and Okinawan public.

 

As Karate became popular, Funakoshi further developed his formulation of Karate instruction into three fundamental categories of practice: Kihon, Kata, and Kumite. In fact the practice was rather new and aroused great enthusiasm among the young university students. Competition between university Karate clubs helped fuel the interest in kumite and the popularity of Karate. In Japan, the universities became fertile grounds for Karate study due to the fact that Karate represented a wonderful blend of physical and mental challenge, combined with a sense of tradition and history. The university groups helped transform Karate from a mysterious, arcane art to a scientific martial art. Several famous Sumo wrestlers helped promote Karate's popularity by clearly recognising it as a noteworthy and potent fighting discipline. During several periods where Funakoshi was not able to use floor space at the university, the great Kendo instructor H. Nakayama offered Funakoshi the use of his Dojo, this again added creditability to Karate and in 1935, supporters eventually gathered sufficient funds to construct the first Karate Dojo in Japan, it was officially opened in 1936 and named the Shotokan. Funakoshi felt the pull of Japan and found a nation fertile with eagerness for a martial art with the depth of challenge that Karate represented, he subconsciously realised that Karate, when seen as a well-rounded and highly challenging form of exercise and health maintenance, would greatly expand its public appeal and value.

 

By the end of the nineteenth century Shuri-te and Tomari-te were subsumed under the name Shorin Ryu, which during the years has developed into several slightly different styles. Many Karate masters contributed to these styles but the two considered the fathers of modern Karate were Master Anko Itosu of Shuri-te and Master Kanryo Higashionna of Naha-te. Master Itosu introduced and taught Karate as a regular course in the physical education programs of Hana normal and junior high schools. Master Higashionna did the same in the police schools and other junior high schools in Naha. In this manner, they carried Karate from the fighting methods of the past to its modern stature as a martial art.

 

In 1929, delegates assembled in Kyoto for a national martial arts convention. Master Higashionna asked Chojun Miyagi, his most respected student, to represent him. Master Miyagi, however, was also unable to attend so he, in turn, appointed one of his pupils, Mr. Shinsato, as his replacement. Martial artists from schools with impressive names flooded the convention. Mr. Shinsato, though, had no ready reply when asked the name of his style. Admitting his style had no formal name would damage the reputation of Naha-te and lower him to mere amateur status in the eyes of his fellow martial artists. Having no choice at all, then, Mr. Shinsato groped for an impromptu name and dubbed his style, Hanko-ryu (half-hard style). When Mr. Hinsato returned to Miyagi, he told him of the hastily chosen name. Miyagi finding this name quite reasonable and developed it further into 'hard and soft', quoted from the Chinese Eight Poems of the Fists: "Everything in the universe is breathing hard and soft", and so Naha-te formally took the name of Goju-Ryu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight Poems of the Fists

 

The mind is one with heaven and earth

The circulatory rhythm of the body is similar to the cycle of the sun and moon.

The way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness.

Act in accordance with time and change.

Techniques will occur in the absence of conscious thought.

The feet must advance and retreat, separate and meet.

The ears listen well in all directions

The eyes do not miss even the slightest.

 

 

The philosophy of Goju applies to society and Karate alike. Only hardness or only softness creates an inability to deal effectively with the fluctuations of life. An example of this is common courtesy; its use can soften an otherwise hard transaction. In Karate too, hardness and softness combine in successful techniques. When preparing to block, the body is soft and inhaling. When attacking or punching, it becomes hard and exhaling. This existence of both hard and soft characterises the Goju style of Karate.

 

A traditional training class began promptly with the senior students calling the beginning of the class by ordering everyone to line up. The students form one line quickly and stand at attention. At this time one of the senior students is given the privilege off reciting the virtues, which everyone must repeat. In the Goju style these are: -

 

"We the students of Goju do aspire to these virtues"

 

We are proud to study the spirit of Goju.

We shall practice being courteous.

We shall be quick to seize opportunities.

We shall always practice patience.

We shall always keep the fighting spirit of Karate.

 

 

Everyone would be silent awaiting the command to kneel "Seiza". Once the command was given everyone would kneel in order of grade, highest to lowest, and the command was given to close eyes "Mokuso". At this point there were a few minutes of meditation to remove all thoughts of the day’s activities and to focus on karate training. After the meditation everyone opens their eyes "Mukso Yama" and bows, to the master, senior instructors and each other. These bows are a mark of respect, to the school, the people teaching them and to fellow students. Next is the command to stand and everyone will get up in order of grade, highest to lowest, the senior students leading the class in warm up exercises, which generally lasted 20 to 30 minutes. Once the warm-up exercises were completed the senior student would instruct everyone to line up and stand to attention, then the senior student would end the warm up session by having everyone bow and release the class into the hands of the instructor. The instructor usually lectured the class on topics such as history, philosophy and outlined the evening's class. Once the opening ritual and lectures were complete, students would move into the realms of learning actual techniques. These were divided into two major and two minor categories. The two major categories were Kata and Kumite whilst the two minor ones were Kihon and Ido.  Kihon and Ido taught the students basics ie. stances, blocks and punches. Kata taught the students to move and flow and combine techniques, Kumite was the practice of fighting with control, combining all that the student had learnt, however students did not fight until they could demonstrate control and an understanding of the techniques they were using. Always great emphasis was placed on the basics, because from the basics advanced techniques developed. Karate has always placed little emphasis on the over development of the body e.g. large muscles, but has primarily focused on the perfection of the character.

 

The Dojo (place of training) was a sacred area, treated with great respect, in many cases it was the master’s home. It was not merely a gym or training centre but a religious sanctuary where students came to concentrate whole-heartedly in the pursuit of the perfection of the spirit. The Dojo consisted of rules and etiquette that were based on the Japanese culture and religion. Traditionally all students wore white Gi's (training uniforms), this served to remind the participants from master to first day beginner of the virtues of humility and that essentially all people are created equally.

 

 

 

Five Secrets of the Japanese Goju Ryu

 

Move quickly.

 

Sound, clam mind.

 

Be light in body.

 

Have a clever mind.

 

Master the basics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dojo etiquette required all students: -

 

Remove shoes upon entering the Dojo, as shoes are never worn on the training floor.

The Dojo must always be kept clean, all rubbish is to be removed promptly, and clothing should be neatly placed along the walls.

No smoking in the Dojo any time.

Bow upon entering and leaving the Dojo, this is to show respect for the facilities used in the practice of Karate.

Never refer to an instructor by name while in the Dojo, always use the term "Sensei".

There should be no talking between students while class is in session, questions may be asked at an appropriate time.

At no time will horseplay be tolerated, Karate is a discipline of both mind and body, and as such demands full concentration and serious effort on the part of the student, horseplay can only lead to loss of knowledge and possible injury to oneself or one's partner.

Good hygiene should be followed, Uniforms are to be kept clean and in good repair, fingers / toenails should be kept short to prevent injury while training and hands and feet should be clean.

Jewellery should not be worn while training, watches, rings, earrings, necklaces, etc, often get in the way and can cause otherwise avoidable injuries.

As a safety precaution, chewing gum is not allowed in class.

 

Goju Students first developed proper breathing methods, basic body strength and mental power through the Katas Sanchin and Tensho. These Katas are unique to Karate, as it does not exist in any other Japanese martial arts form. The concept of Sanchin was first known as "standing Zen" as it was based on movement and actions as opposed to "Sitting Zen" which is based on stillness. Zen monks in China's Shoaling Temple and swordsmen in early Japan used "standing Zen" to help discipline, control and strengthen their physical and mental energies. Eventually, this "standing Zen" system of focusing energy on attaining a "stage of enlightenment" was developed into a method of martial arts training known as Sanchin. Although every Japanese martial art style has its own individual characteristic, their origins can be traced to one source, therefore, it might be said that Sanchin was performed by all past Karate styles. Sanchin was part of the physical education curriculum of some Okinawan schools practicing the Shorin style of Karate. However, because Sanchin was not suitable, medically speaking, for youth at the crucial age of incipient manhood, it was eliminated from the education curriculum and consequently many developing styles did not continue to practice this Kata.

 

 

 

 

 

"The Marvellous Cat"

 

Once upon a time there was a Master of combat called Shoken. A big rat plagued his house. It ran about even in broad daylight. One-day Shoken shut the room door and gave the household cat an opportunity to catch the rat. But the rat flew at the cat’s face and gave it such a sharp bite that it ran off screeching. Evidently the creature couldn’t be got rid of so easily. So the master of the house collected together a number of cats that had won a fair reputation in the neighbourhood and let them into the room. The rat hunched itself up in a corner. As soon as a cat approached it, it bit the cat and scared it off.

 

The rat looked so nasty that none of the cats dared to take it on a second time. That put Shoken into a perfect rage. He went after the rat himself, determined to kill it. But the wily beast escaped every blow and feint from the experienced Master; he just couldn’t wear it down. In his attempts to do so, he split doors, shojis, karakamis, and so forth. But the rat flashed through the air like lightning, jumped up at his face, and bit the Master. At last, running with sweat, he called out to his servants: “They say that six to seven cho from here there is the toughest and cleverest cat in the world. Bring it here!

 

The servant brought the cat. It didn’t look so very different from the other cats. It didn’t look particularly sharp or bright. So Shoken didn’t expect anything special from it. But he thought he would try it all the same, so he opened the door and let it into the room. The cat entered very softly and slowly as if it was expecting nothing out of the ordinary. But the rat recoiled and stayed motionless. So the cat approached it slowly and deliberately and carried it out in its mouth.

 

That evening the defeated cats met in Shoken’s house, respectfully accorded the old cat the place of honour paid it homage and said humbly: “We are all supposed to be highly efficient. We have all practiced and sharpened our claws in order to defeat all kinds of rats, and even weasels and otters. We had never suspected that there could be a rat as strong as that one. But tell us, what art did you use to vanquish it so easily? Do not keep your art a secret. Let us into the mystery.” The old cat laughed and said: “You young cats are indeed efficient. But you don’t know the right way to go about things. And so when something unexpected happens, you’re unsuccessful. But first tell me how you have practiced.”

 

A black cat came out to the front and said: “I come from a line of celebrated rat catchers. I too decided to become one. I can jump over screens two meters high; I can force myself through a tiny hole that only rats can negotiate. From the time I was a kitten I have practiced all the acrobatic arts. Even when I wake up and I still haven’t quite come to, and I see a rat scampering across the balcony, I get it straightway. But that rat today was stronger and I suffered the most frightful defeat that I have ever experienced in my whole life. I have been put to shame.”

 

Then the old cat said: “What you have practiced is only technique (shosa-sheer physical skill). But your spirit is preoccupied with the question: ‘How am I going to win?’ And that problem is still consuming you when you reach the target. When the ancient Masters taught ‘technique', they did so in order to show their pupils a ‘means of the way’ (michisuyi). Their technique was simple yet contained the highest truth. But posterity has been preoccupied with technique and technique alone. In that way much has been discovered according to the rule: if you do this or that, then this will happen. But what does happen? No more than dexterity-skill pure and simple. The traditional way has been abandoned; much ingenuity has been applied to an exhaustive pitting of technique against technique, until we have indeed reached the point of exhaustion. We can go no further. That always happens when people think of technique and success and put no more than ingenuity into play. Ingenuity-cleverness is however a function of the spirit, if it is not based on the Way and aims at perfect skill, then it falls victim to error and what has been achieved lost. Think about this and practice from now on in the right spirit.”

 

At that a big tabby-cat came forward and said: “In the art of fighting it is a matter of the spirit, and it must always be so. Therefore I have always practiced strength of spirit (ki wo neru). As far as I am concerned, my spirit always seems as hard as steel and free and charged with the presence of the Spirit that fills heaven and earth (Mencius). As soon as I can see an enemy, he is already vanquished; no sooner do I see him than he is thrall to that mighty Spirit and I have already won the battle in advance! I do so quite instinctively, as the situation demands. I move according the feel of my opponent; I take the rat from the right or the left as I wish and I anticipate my adversary’s every move. I never worry about technique as such. It happens of its own accord. If a rat runs across the balcony, I have only to stare at it for it to fall into my clutches. But the rat of which we are speaking comes without shape or form and goes without leaving any trace. What does that mean? I cannot say.”

 

Then the old cat remarked: "What you have been concerned with is, of course, the effect of that great Power that fills heaven and earth. But what you have actually achieved is only a mental power and not that good power which serves the name of Good. The very fact that you are conscious of the power with which you intend to conquer prevents your victory. Your ego is in question. But what if your adversary’s ego is stronger than your own? When you try to overcome the enemy with the superior force of your own power, he pits his own power against yours. Do you imagine that you alone can be as strong and that all others must be weak? The real question is how to behave when there is something that in spite of all one’s willing one cannot defeat with the superior weight of one’s own power. What you experience as “free and tempered” and “filling heaven and earth” within you is not the great Power itself (ki no sho) but only its reflection in you. It is your own spirit, and therefore but a shadow of the Great Spirit. It appears to be the great power, but in reality is something quite different. The spirit of which Mencius speaks is strong because great understanding permanently illumines it. But your spirit obtains its power only under certain conditions. Your power and that of which Mencius speaks have different origins. They are as different from one another as the eternal flow of a river, for instance the Yangtse Kiang is from a sudden downpour one night. But what is the spirit that one should rely on when faced with an enemy who cannot be conquered with any mere restricted mental power (kisei)?  That is the real question!  There is a proverb that says: A rat in the trap will even bite the cat. The enemy is in the jaws of death he has no resources to depend on. He forgets his life; he forgets all need; he forgets himself; he is beyond victory and defeat. And thus his will tempered like steel. How could one conquer him with a spiritual power which one scribes to oneself alone?”

 

Then an aging grey cat came slowly forward and said: “Yes, it is indeed as you say. Mental power whatever its strength has a form (katachi) in itself. But whatever has form, however small it may be, can be grasped. Therefore I have for a long time trained my soul (kokoro, the power of the heart). I do not practice the power which overcomes others spiritually (sei), like the second cat. And I do not hit out around me (like the first cat). I reconcile myself with my opponent, get on to equal terms with him, and do not oppose him in any way. If the other is stronger than I am, then I will simply acknowledge that, and so to speak give into his will. My art is rather to gather the flying pebbles in a loose cloth. A rat tries to attack me may be as strong as you like, but it will find nothing to fly against, nothing to get to grips with. But today’s rat simply didn’t respond to my trick. It came and went as mysteriously as God Himself. I have never encountered one like it”.

 

Then the old cat said: “What you call propitiation does not arise from being, from the Greatness of Nature. It is an artificial, botched-up reconciliation - a mere artifice. Your conscious intention is to elude the adversary’s spirit of attack. But because you are thinking about it, however fleetingly, he realises what your plan is. If you try to conciliate him, with a spirit thus composed, then your spirit (in so far as it concentrates on the attack) will be confused, mixed up, and your sharpness of perception and action will be considerably reduced. Whatever you do with fully conscious intent restricts the original pulsation of the Greatness of Nature as it takes effect from the depths of Mystery:  it upsets the flow of your spontaneous movement. How then are you to put a miraculous power into practice? Only when you think of nothing, and do nothing, and in your movement surrender yourself to the pulsation of Being (shizen no ka), will you have lost all tangible form, and be so that nothing on earth can act as a counter-form; then there is no enemy left to resist you.

 

“I do not believe that everything that you have practiced is pointless. Everything can be a means of the Way. Technique and Tao can be one and the same, and then the Great Spirit, the “governing Spirit”, is already incorporated in you and is revealed in the action of your body. The power of the Great Spirit (ki) serves the human person (ishi). He who has free access to (ki) can encounter everything within infinite freedom and in the right way. If his spirit is reconciled, it will not shatter ever on gold or rock, and need exert no special power in battle. Only one thing is necessary: that no trace of egotism of I-consciousness comes into play, lest everything should be lost. If you think about all that, however fleetingly, then all will be artificial. It will not arise from Being, from the original pulsation the body of the Way (do-tai). Then the adversary will not submit to you but resist in his own behalf. What sort of a way or art is to be used? Only when you are in that disposition which is free of all conscious of self, when you act without acting, without intention and stratagem, in unison with the Greatness of Nature, are you on the right Way. Abandon all intent, practice purposelessness and let it happen simply out of Being. This way is unending, inexhaustible.” And the old cat added something astounding: “You must not believe that what I have told you today is the highest of things. Not long ago a certain tomcat was living in the next village to me. He slept the whole daylong. No trace of anything resembling spiritual power was to be observed in him. He just lay there like a lump of wood. No one had ever seen him catch a rat. But wherever he was, there wasn’t a rat to be seen! And wherever he popped up or laid himself down, no rat ever appeared. One day I looked up and asked what that meant. He did not answer me. I asked him another three times. He was silent. But that doesn’t mean that he didn’t want to reply. Instead he clearly didn’t know what he should say. But that is how it is: “ He who knows says nothing, and he who says it knows it not”. The cat had forgotten about himself and everything round about him. He had become “nothing”. He had reached the highest level of purposelessness. We can say that he had found the way of divine knighthood, which is to vanquish without killing. I am still a long way behind him”.

 

Shoken heard all this as if in a dream, came by, greeted the old cat and said: “For a long time now I have been practicing the art of fighting, but I have not yet reached the end. I have absorbed your insights and I think that I have understood the true meaning of my way, but I ask you earnestly to tell me something more about your craft”.

 

The old cat replied; “How is that possible? I am only an animal and the rat is my food. How should I know about human affairs? All I know is this:  the meaning of the art of combat is not merely a matter of vanquishing one’s opponent. It is rather an art by which at a given time one enters into the great clarity of the primal light of death and life (Seishi WO akiraki Ni suru). In the midst of all his technical practice a true Samurai should always practice the spiritual acquisition of that clarity of mind. For that purpose however he must plumb before all else the teaching of the ground of being of life and death (Shi no RI). But only he acquires great clarity of mind that is free from everything which could lead him off that way (hen kyoku). When Being and encounter with Being (shin ki) are left undisturbed, to themselves, free from the ego and from all things, then whenever it is appropriate it can declare it’s presence complete freedom. But if your heart even fleetingly attaches itself to something, then being itself is attached and is turned into something arrested in itself. But if it becomes something arrested in itself, then there is something there that resists the I that is in itself. Then two entities face one another and fight one another for dominance. If that happens then the miraculous functions of being, even though used to all change, are restricted, the jaws of death gape close, and that clarity of perception proper to Being is lost. How then is it possible to meet the adversary in the right frame and peacefully contemplate “victory and defeat”? Even if you win, you win no more than blind victory that has nothing to do with the spirit of the true art of combat.”

 

“Being free from all things does not of course mean an empty void. Being as such has no nature in itself. In and for itself it is beyond all form. It stores up nothing in itself. But if one grasps and remembers even fleetingly what it is and how fragile it is, the great Power will cling to it and it will contain the equilibrium of forces that flows from the Source. But if being is even slightly subject to or imprisoned by something, it is no longer able to move freely and cannot pour forth in all its fullness. If the equilibrium that emanates from Being is disturbed, if its power is at all apparent it quickly overflows; but without power its balance is inadequate. Where it overflows, too much power breaks out and there is no holding it back. Where it is inadequate, the active spirit is weakened and wanting is never sufficient for the situation it is called on.

 

What I call freedom of things means only that if one does not lay up stores; one has nothing to rely on. Without secure provision there is no position to take up and nothing objective to have recourse to. There is neither an I nor an anti-I. When something comes along, one meets it as it were unawares, without any impact. In the I-Ching (the Book of Changes), it is written “Without thinking, without action, without movement; quite still. Only thus can one proclaim the nature and law of things from within, quite unconsciously, and at last become one with heaven and earth. Whoever practices and understands the art of combat in that sense is close to the truth of the Way”.

 

When Shoken heard this, he asked: “What does that mean, that neither a subject nor an object, neither an nor an anti-I is there”?

 

The cat answered: “If and because an I is there, there is an enemy there. If we do not present ourselves as an I, then there is no opponent there. What we call opponent, adversary, enemy, is merely another name for what means opposition or counterpart. In so far as things maintain a form, they also presuppose a counter-form. But wherever something is present as a something, it has a specific form. If my being is not constituted as a specific form, then there is no counter-form there.

 

When there is no counterpart, no opposition, there is nothing which can come forth to oppose me. But that means that neither an I nor an anti-I is there. If one wholly abandons self and thus becomes free, from the foundations upwards and from everything, then one will be in harmony with the world and one with all things in the great universal oneness. Even when the enemy’s form is extinguished one remains unconscious of it. That does not mean that one is wholly oblivious of it, but that one does not dwell on it, and the spirit continues free from all attachment and even in its actions responds simply and freely from the centre of being. If the spirit is no longer by possessed by anything and is free from all obsessions, then the world, just as it is wholly our world and one with us. That means that henceforth one apprehends it beyond good and evil, beyond sympathy or antipathy. One is no longer caught up in anything in the world. All oppositions which present themselves to us, profit and loss, good and evil, joy and suffering, have their origin us. Therefore in the whole spread of heaven and earth nothing is so worthy of discernment as our own being.

 

“An ancient poet said: “A speck dust in one’s eye and even the three worlds are still too narrow”. If nothing matters to us any longer and is no longer of consequence to us, then the smallest bed is too wide for us. “In other words, if a speck of dust enters our eye, the eye will not open; for we can see clearly only if there is nothing within, but now the dust has penetrated to obstruct the vision within. Similarly with being that shines forth as light and illumination, and is essentially free of everything that is “something”. When however something does present itself, the very presentation destroys its essence. Another writer put it this way: “If one is surrounded by foes, by a hundred thousand enemies, one’s form is so to speak pulverised. But my being, my nature, is mine and remains my own, however strong my enemy may be. No adversary can penetrate my being my self”. Confucius said: “You cannot steal the being of even a simple man”. But if the spirit is confused, then being will turn against us.

 

“That is all that I can tell. Now return to yourselves and know yourselves.  A master can only teach his pupil the lesson and try to justify it. But “I myself” have to realise the truth and take it as my own. That is called self-appropriation (jitoku). It is transferred from heart to heart (ishin denshin). It is a bestowal by extraordinary means, beyond instruction and erudition (kyogai betsuden) that does not mean that the Master’s teaching is to be contradicted. All it means is that even a Master cannot pass on the truth itself. That is not only true of Zen.

 

From the spiritual exercises of the ancients on the art of forming the soul right up to the arts proper, self appropriation is always the essence of the matter, and it is always transmitted from heart to heart, apart from tradition, from all teachings which are handed down. The meaning of all “teaching” is only to show what everyone possesses in himself without already knowing it, and then to make him aware of it. There is no secret that the master can “hand over” to the pupil. Teaching is easy. Listening is easy. But it is difficult to become aware of what one has in one’s self, to mark it out and really to take possession of it. That is known as looking into one’s own being. It is self-perception, the self-perception of being (ken-sei, kensho). If that happens to us then we have Satori. It is the great awakening out of the dream of errors. Awakening, looking into one’s own being, perception of the self one really is - they are all one and the same thing”.

By Zen Master To Tenzaa Chuya

The story "The Marvellous Cat" has been handed down from Master to Master as a form of instruction since the beginning of the seventeen century. This style of passing down history and traditional has been embedded in Japanese culture for many thousands of years. Today these formalities and traditions are slowly being dispensed with by modern instructors with little regard for the history of their art, but with the view to modernise martial arts and make it more "user friendly" in today’s students. The story highlights the true essence of training, that is, student’s needs to take a "holistic view" of training and not just concentrate in one specific area, for example free fighting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Present:

A Way of Life V's Economic Viability and Social Reality.

 

Most “Westerners” are woefully unqualified to analyse and transmit the nature and essence of Japanese Karate-do to others. It is important to remember that an art which originates in one culture can only be transmitted to another in a limited form by the originators. To adapt to a receiving culture the art must first be modified to suit the lifestyle of that culture; the art will never reach and significantly influence the lives of the people change and adaptation. Failing this the highest level an art can reach is one of curiosity.

 

Today most instructors are professionals, their soul task being to develop and transmit their knowledge of karate. It is their livelihood and so must be regarded as a business in order to survive economically.  The students in western countries treat the art in a different manner to their predecessors. Each of us has a life to live, a job to perform. We look on Karate not as the basis of our lives, but an adjunct, a release from worries and tensions of the world, a challenge to replace the incentive lost in a dull job or as a means of self-defence. A rundown of a training schedule in a Japanese book of Karate offered two hours a day, six days a week. Most students in Western countries would train at most only half of this time therefore, there is no way we can hope to develop anything of the mind, the true strength and the dedication that was the basis of the formulation of this art

 

Today, we live in a strange society, a violent atmosphere, where technology supplies us with many effective methods of disposing of enemies, but fortunately we are usually not permitted to take advantage of these. No matter how peace-minded we may claim to be we would all like to think we can handle ourselves in a violent situation. However, there is something more about Karate that intrigues challenges and mystifies us. The students wouldn’t last a couple of months in training if it were not for other aspects of Karate that interests them. This is because Karate is more than just fighting, more than being an effective bash-artist; it is a complete mental and physical discipline. Whether this training is to be put to use in an actual fighting situation is of secondary importance. Karate is an art worth studying for the sake of the art itself, the product of which is a calm, organised mind than can through a variety of perfected physical movements have the capability of countering any physical threat. It's unfortunate that the average person's idea of Karate is a brick breaking, high flying, muscle man with limited intelligence that studied the art in a monastery high in the Himalayas with the purpose of being sent here to save the world.

 

The body of techniques and forms which has come to be known as Japanese martial arts (budo) is unique among man’s organised physical activities, in that most practitioners claim the physical sport is only a very small part of the overall discipline. Indeed, many martial arts such as Iadio, Tai Chi, Chi Kung and Aikido have no sporting aspects at all. In most sports the rule is the sport. Without official rules, there would be no hockey, no baseball etc; we refer to such sports as “pure” sports because they are complete within themselves. They have no significant application to any sphere of existence larger than themselves. For the most part, however, physical training in Karate consists of formalised methods for logically studying and practicing natural, necessary body movements; “natural” in that the movements are derived from intuitive response to surprise attack, and “necessary” in that the movements were borne of the survival instinct. Any martial arts with sporting rules would not continue to function well with the elimination of rules, however, any traditional martial arts that bears direct application to the large sphere of life including personality and mental stability will continue to develop and grow.

 

We say the Goju Karate is pure budo because it conforms, in spirit and essence, to the traditional precepts of budo – “the way which promotes peace or to stop conflict”.  The philosophy of budo is opposed to armed conflict. In karate we strive to develop enough power to control any dangerous situation and thereby promote peace. Far more power is required to control a situation than simply to win a fight. This is similar to the “deterrent theory” of international politics, i.e. let the enemy know you have tremendous power, and he will be less likely to attack you. In budo, however, we do not menace or threaten the opponent, but simply control the situation on whatever level it develops. In this way, the opponent will get the idea quickly, and the cause of peace will be advanced. With these principles in mind, the informed practitioner will not view karate as a sport.

 

In Karate, the spirit of actual fighting can be referred to in terms of "fire". There is nothing to fear from a fire that is contained and controlled. Without fuel, it will soon burn itself out. The goal of the karateka under attack is to contain and control the attacker. It is rarely necessary to destroy him. We call Karate an art because it presupposes unique abilities in each human being, but does not encourage the development of the abilities for the purpose of competition with others. True Karate seeks to maximise strengths and weaknesses for the benefit off the individual alone. There is no game to win or important match to loose. There is only the individual striving to bring their being into concert with the laws of nature and into harmony with the ebb and flow of humanity. Yoga – the search for physical and mental control and fulfilment has great applications to karate.  Gogen Yamaguchi believed that the fundamentals of yoga and budo were the same, especially in the beginning and final stages, "if one practices yoga steadfastly, or practices budo steadfastly, the destination reached will be the same".

 

Basically, we may view Karate on two levels: technique (physical) and art (spiritual). The difference between technique and art may be thought of as the difference between a technical illustrator and a great artist. The illustrator is a technician who knows and performs the techniques necessary to produce a product. But the artist is one whose spirit and inner feeling guides their hands and allows them to create a great work of art. While most of us hold that only a select few possess this mysterious “inner force” or Ki it is the premise of Karate that everyone possesses it and simply needs guidance and discipline to recognise and use it. Ki can best be described as “energy” the every living being possesses to some degree. The difficulty in describing ki to one who does not feel it is very much like trying to describe the odour of an onion. No attempt at description is adequate. The only way one can truly know the odour of an onion is to smell it, and the only way to know what Ki is, is to experience it. In spite of the inadequacies of language to describe Ki, it exists as surly as the odour of an onion. When we say that karate is a thing of the spirit, we mean spirit to be Ki, with all of its attendant psychological attributes.

 

Today people in virtually every industrialised society are participating vigorously in various forms of physical fitness activities. Large corporations are investing millions of dollars in the development of health and fitness facilities and products, and while increased concerns for physical fitness is good for both the individual and society in general, it could be, through Karate training that the health, physical fitness and mental stability of an individual can be achieved. The Karate view is that any physical fitness is better than none, but the best physical fitness is that which arises from the natural, instinctive processes which people inherit but have forgotten how to use. Such fitness comes from re-awakening and sharpening the natural impulse for survival. When survival is the key element, the matter of sport becomes inconsequential. Thus, whilst modern philosophies may evolve from sports and the desire for fitness, it is better for sport and fitness to evolve from an underlying philosophy. In Karate this philosophy is called bushido and develops the whole person, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially. When sport becomes the main thrust of training, with emphasis on winning and losing, the essence of bushido - modesty and humility are destroyed. This can be seen with many "freestyle" schools that shoot up over night, advertise "you a black belt in six months" and selling Karate memberships door to door.

 

The purpose of Karate is to teach us to live fearlessly – not by memory, but in the present- without attachment to anything but life itself. Without illusion or attachment, we can live life like the Cherry Blossom: living brilliantly and filling a purpose, then letting go of life all at once when the purpose is fulfilled. This is called isagi-yoku: to let go of life when the time is right, without fear or regret or second thought. The fundamental methods of Karate are active whilst the fundamental methods of Zen are passive. Masutatsu Oyama (1967) once said "The Zen state of selflessness is the same condition of disregard for selfish thoughts and concerns for personal welfare that the artist experiences in the heart of creation. The man who wants to walk the way of Karate cannot afford to neglect Zen and spiritual training in Zen. The process of enlightenment usually occurs over a long period of time, which involves meditation, self-deprivation, and daily guidance from the master. In the Dojo the training is always active. The students are often told to “move without thinking’ and to “clear the mind”. But these instructions are always given during physical activities, and are complemented by continuous emphasis on timing. There are three basic strategies of timing. The first is called sen, which means seizing the initiative or simply attacking. The second strategy is called sen-no-sen, which means waiting for the opponent’s initiative and then responding. This is the strategy of blocking an attack and counter-attacking. The third go-no-sen, means that one counters the opponent’s initiative before it physically occurs. In Karate we strive for go-no-sen, so that we may counter-attack the opponent between the time his mind makes a decision to attack and his body actually moves to attack. In self-defence, go-no-sen enables us to perceive the attack before it occurs, and thus never be surprised. When we know an attack is imminent, we can usually escape without fighting. While the concept of go-no-sen may sound mysterious, it really is something anyone can learn through proper training of the mind, body and spirit. The essence of go-no-sen lies in sensitivity to other people and, again using the analogy of the Cherry Blossom, “letting go” of attachment, in this case the attachment being thinking itself. Thinking causes tension, and tension causes slow responses. Karate is sometimes known as “moving Zen” as the basic philosophy of Zen is the breaking of attachments to all things including thinking. Karate also consists of moving freely through intuition, with a clear mind unattached to fear, tension and anxiety.

 

Zen and Buddhism call this clear, intuitive state of mind Satori, or enlightenment. Satori may be achieved in many ways, through meditation, devotion to arts such as tea ceremony, flower arranging and paper folding. Enlightenment in karate may be reached through strong techniques that “take advantage of our perceptions” by counter-attacking when necessary. Karate techniques are for that once-in-a-lifetime when no escape is possible, it is that one attack from which there is no escape that we train with utter commitment and perform our techniques with totality – one hundred per cent effort of body and mind. After years of training, we find that Karate is a circle. What we strive for in the beginning, we return to after achieving the ultimate (go-no-sen), and the circle repeats. The cyclical nature of Karate training is called shu-ha-ri. “Shi” means learning from tradition, “ha” means breaking the bonds of tradition and "ri" means transcendence. While most of us remain in the “shu” stage for a lifetime, a few go on to complete mastery or physical techniques, break way and try their own ideas, and ultimately transcend into the realm of a completely new technique or art. Many masters when formalising Karate and Katas found, as others will, that what lies beyond “ri” is “shu”: the original challenge of how to make a stronger stance, a stronger punch, a better person. Thus the secret to enlightenment is not in the shiny new black belt of the Shodan but in the worn and tattered black belt of the master, the belt which is gradually returning to white, fulfilling the circle. 

 

It is correct to assume that if one spends a great deal of time at an activity designed to improve character, one will experience changes in personality, “the ultimate aim of Karate-do lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants” by Gichin Funakoshi. This along with the principles of the Dojo, - to seek perfection of character; to be sincere and honest; to show strong spirit in all undertakings; to practice courtesy, humility and to control bad temper, has come to be universally recognised as the essence of Karate philosophy. But knowing just the essence of a thing does not imply total understanding. Indeed, in this case, like so many others, “a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing”. It is important to develop a deeper understanding into the meaning of character development as defined by bushido philosophy.

 

The meditations of two past masters speak most clearly on the subject of Karate and personality. Dr. Jigoro Kano (1860-1934), the founder of Judo and Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), the “Sword Saint” of Japan placed great emphasis on the ability of men to benefit from the philosophy of budo in general, without limiting oneself to any particular art. Kano in his last years, distilled his thoughts on the value of budo into three basic principles, Jiko no kansei – “to strive for perfection of character”, Jita Kyoei – “Mutual welfare and benefit” and Seiryoko zenyo – “Maximum efficiency with minimum effort”. For Kano, budo was the basis of everything, but he recognised that each individual, even a great technical master, must consciously seek to make budo work, or would gain nothing but physical strength. The foundation of this philosophy is that strength in one area, such as becoming a Karate instructor, gives confidence and leads to success in other areas, but only if we consciously seek success in those areas. "If we do not consciously seek to apply the principle of Karate-do to our daily lives, we will not change at all. A foolish braggart who attains the rank of Shodan is still, first and foremost, a foolish braggart, unless he consciously seeks to improve his character and personality through his training".

 

The first principle Kano described as Jiko no kansei - striving for perfection in every area of life as if you were in the Dojo. If something seems beyond your intelligence, approach it as you would a kata that you don’t understand; break it down into pieces and methodically go over each piece again and again, until you master it completely. Seek guidance and help as necessary, but don’t give up. When you face a problem requiring good judgment, approach it as you would an opponent who is about to strike. Try to catch the “feel” of the situation with your intuition, and then follow through boldly. Poor judgment is usually the result of thinking too much about consequences. When we dwell on the possible consequences, we are dwelling on matters beyond our experiences, and we know that what is beyond our experiences we tend to fear and avoid. The budo way is to make the best possible decision now and complete the action without future thought. The second principle, Jita kyoe relates to the matter of compassion. This principle is no different to treating people as you would like them to treat you. What is important to bear in mind is that compassion proceeds from a position of strength, and its virtue lies in mutual welfare and benefit of those involved. Senior instructors are expected to fight with compassion against juniors. But this is more than just moving lightly; it is a matter of both people benefiting from the exchange. The instructor benefits from consciously recognising that what he is doing reflects every day life and from consciously studying the nature of compassion and by teaching. Compassion always comes from a position of inner strength, but it is not true compassion if built on physical strength alone. In Karate, we must strive not to be haughty or condescending, but always to place ourselves in the position of a student, knowing little and seeking a great deal. In this way, we can develop our personality traits on the foundation of inner strength and true character, regardless of our position or physical strength. It is important to note that a person who is truly strong and sincerely compassionate will be treated the same by people outside the Dojo, who know nothing of his position in Karate. Kano’s most often quoted principle Seiryoku zenryo, suggests that in any physical activity it is best not to waste energy – to use only the energy and motion necessary to complete the task. The importance of relaxing and instantly summoning the necessary energy to block and strike cannot be over-emphasised.  Excess tension or thinking causes slow responses, resulting in inefficient techniques. This principle applies equally to daily life where decisions must be made regularly. Indecision, worry, confusion, frustration and guilt account for ninety per cent of the energy and effort most people put into life decisions, however, none of these factors will change the net result once the decision is made.

 

Miyamoto Musashi constantly rejected riches and comforts, his humility was such that he spent the last two years of his life in a cave called ”Reigendo”. There he wrote the Go rin no sho, the Book of Five Rings. Go rin according to Buddhist tradition; relates to the five parts of the human body, head, left and right elbow and left and right knee. These in turn correspond to the Buddhist Go dai, the five elements of the cosmos; ground, water, fire, wind and void. Accordingly, Musashi divided his text into five sections, each dealing with a separate cosmological element. He prefaces the entire work with three major precepts Firstly; the essence of all budo is Kokoro, which means "mind." Kokoro is comprised of and encompasses the heart, soul, mind and feelings of an individual, and is reflected in the individual's manners and demeanour. Thus when we say "Mizu no kokoro”, we mean that the whole essence of the mind, heart, soul spirit and feeling should be clear and reflective, like the surface of a pond, and see the whole environment like the moon, which shines down equally on everything before it. The second precept is that the strategy of budo must permeate our every action, both in the Dojo and out, so that we may achieve “Bunbu itchi”  pen and sword in accord". The firmness and steady spirit we gain in budo must be exhibited in everything else. Musashi tells us that "the Way" is in all things, and we cannot attain the way if we remain ignorant. This further implies that there is no truth or understanding in the karateka who concentrates in physical techniques only. The purpose of budo is to develop the whole person. The third, and all compassing, point is the ultimate goal of 'learning with no teacher".

 

While we need a Sensei to guide us, we must ultimately learn and understand by ourselves. No teacher can teach us how to feel, or how to have good judgment, or how to be moral, or how to be just. He can only guide us and give us exercises, physical and mental, to help us find our true nature. Zen philosophy says that we will find and recognise our true nature when we can see our "original face", the face we had before we were born and even before our parents were born. This implies that the vital life force is pure energy, and can be neither created nor destroyed. To see one's original face, one must look deeply inside himself and backward and beyond his birth. In so doing, one finds that he fits nicely with the rest of the cosmos and that his emotions, desires and actions are illusions ingrained in him since he was born. Musashi says that when we can see everything in a broad scope and understand how everything relates to everything else, then and only then can we find the Way.

 

Musashi spoke of nine broad principles to live and if we mastered these we would be able to defeat ten men with our spirit, these principles are:

 

Do not think dishonestly.

 

The way is in training.

 

Become acquainted with every art.

 

Know the way of all professions.

 

Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters.

 

Develop intuitive judgment and understanding for everything.

 

Perceive those things that cannot be seen.

 

Pay attention even to trifles.

 

Do nothing which is of no use.

 

Musashi believed the key to budo is the pursuit of these principles along with pursuit of excellence in technique these were his "Eight Aspects of Training".

 

 

Eight Aspects of Training

(if any are missing, training is not complete)

 

Philosophy

Supplementary Training

Breathing

Kata

Bunkai

Kakie

Kumite

History and Tradition

Musashi felt that if any of these eight aspects were missing then a student full training would not be accomplished. He related this to telling stories, if parts of a story were missing then how could you understand the full meaning? he sometimes would use a second analogy of the missing pieces in a puzzle, if the pieces in a puzzle are missing then how can the puzzle ever be completed and if not complete what use is it? These aspects have set a precedent for modern training. If any one of these aspects are missing, then what becomes of the student and the school that is teaching them? Will they roam from school to school trying to interpret their style of training or will they simply give up believing that training is purely a physical contact sport with no direction or guidance?

 

“Karate requires you to make a strenuous effort night and day, before you achieve understanding.

 

Strong Spirit and Will Power, so that we can overcome our own interests.

 

It is very important to exercise every day, not to be come bored, not to give into anguish

 

Essentially the purpose of karate was to protect ourselves, But now through karate we are not only training our bodies, but our minds. Therefore, The Way is not to attack another, but to restrain yourself, we should not do harm to others.

 

Accordingly, your emphasis should not be on skills, but on training your mind. If you are impatient, you can not expect improvement in your skill

 

If you become arrogant and over- confident in your skills, you should not be involved in the study of karate.

 

The major teachings of karate are to achieve confidence in yourself , to be polite, maintain peace and tranquillity of mind. You should pay tribute to your parents, ancestors and master. You should also be in harmony with your friends.

 

You must keep them in mind and not become arrogant and over- confident. It is extremely important to keep and show reverence to your master, otherwise, even if you are great at karate, you will follow the path of extreme, your desire for understanding can never be attained.

 

If you stop learning karate, spontaneously you are forced to do that .

 

You have to know it is a long way to polish your skill, train your spirit and keep tranquillity of mind; to get rid of our own interests and do what is the right thing.

 

After you become aware of these, you will know the greatness of gods

 

For you to achieve this you must discard your own interest and then you will understand The Way”.

 

 

by Master Gogen Yamaguchi

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Future:

A Pure Sport.

 

We have already moved into an era where the important traditions of Karate and budo have been transformed into forms of commercial sporting activities. Within these activities students no longer train in Karate for the ultimate purpose of enlightenment and the harmony of body and spirit. Rather they only train for an ultimate prize the trophy.

 

When Karate was brought to the United States in approximately 1957, it was considered a unique and effective form of self-defence. In those days it was usually practiced by servicemen returning from the Far East, where they often spent many months learning the Art. As the techniques improved and became more effective, participants began to search out new training methods. This was a direct result of a lack of qualified instructors at that time and a misinterpretation of Karate-do. The servicemen were using Karate and martial arts in general as a means of physical defence with little regard of the spiritual and mental aspects. The servicemen searched for better and deadlier techniques and ways to test their new skills. The search led to free-style or free fighting among practitioners, with or without protective armour. Gradually free-style fighting became a recognised method of testing one's ability and improving techniques. With competitions came rules, injuries and limitations of techniques being developed to minimise injury and damage to competitors seeking not personal benefits (Seiryoko Zenyo) but the prize, the trophy and adulation. Eventually many of these practitioners became instructors and opened their own schools, with their own style of fighting and interpretation of techniques. These instructors quickly learned that although the average laymen might be interested in becoming involved in the martial arts, they were not at all excited about hard contact. The average man on the street liked to talk about what he could do without actually going through all the work that would enable him to 'do' what he said he could. In an attempt to keep students the instructors came up with ideas to meet the students half way, eventually 'non contact' tournaments were designed to enable students with newly developed abilities to demonstrate their abilities without getting hurt. The difficulty here was that students never actually knew if their techniques really worked as non-contact meant they had to 'pull punches' and techniques were limited to certain body areas. There has been little improvement over the initial tournament layout, however we are now moving into a new era with new challenges, and spectators are demanding a more professional attitude with a higher level of fighting ability. This new era 'full contact fighting with no rules’ is a direct attempt to murder for the sake of increasing box-office takings.  If there are no fatalities in this full contact fighting, then maybe Karate is not as deadly and effective as some believe. More likely, it might be suggested that the fighters are not as skilled enough to be potent. The fact is that Karate technique, when properly executed.

 

 

The future of Karate is emerging as big sport, big money, a commercially drive sport, like basketball, with no tradition and values. This can be seen happening in United States and slowly infiltrating to Australia. There are many styles today "selling" what Karate door to door, with instructors that are nothing more than semi skilled fighters caught up in corporate selling techniques. These people generally have limited experience in the Karate and budo and by no means could call themselves "instructors". However it is refreshing to see that there are still Karate and other martial arts masters who teach the ethics of humility, mutual respect and honour in the way that distinguishes a martial art from an organised brawl.

 

Gogen Yamaguchi once said; “There is Karate, and there is sports Karate. These two things are vastly different. True Karate is concerned with Budo and this is very important. Character development along with spiritual enrichment are a part of the budo path, as are mental and physical skills. In sports there are rules and limitations. It is easy to make decisions about winners and losers when applying such rules. In reality however a budoka experiences no such rules or limitations. Wining a competition has nothing to do with Karate, it has no meaning. The biggest problem for the future of Karate is to decide which path people will travel, the path of the sport or the path of true Karate, the path of budo.  We must look to the future; people must understand what is really important. I am not interested in the sports Karate at all. Sport deals with rules, competitiveness, ego and limitations. Budo deals with none of these things. As a budoka, once can go deeper and deeper, one must spend his whole life for the understanding of this, sometimes one must die for this. Winning or losing in a competition means absolutely nothing, in budo, this has no bearing. In budo, there is no limitation to our development and understanding. In budo, we look for those things that are not visible; through 'shugyo' everything is possible".

 

Martial arts have been continuously changing, moulded by cultural diversification and circumstances. The combination of various styles within sports Karate is often called "freestyle" martial arts. Since their inception as measures to protect our lives and property, martial arts have been in a constant state of flux. They have been developed continually through trial and error in combat situations, have been forced to assume different guises as a result or political change and have borrowed heavily from each other. However, many current and emerging freestyle martial art school have dispensed with ethical standards, formalities and etiquette required of traditional schools. Freestyle schools are often geared towards competition on the expanding martial arts tournament scene. Previously, competitions were staged by controlling bodies and within the rules of the martial arts specific to that body.  There was very little crossover competition between organisations and styles because of the particular skill requirements of those martial arts and the different codes involved.

 

Today we have a new form of fighting called "Shoot wrestling", "Ring shoot-fighting", 'Ultimate Fighting", "Extreme Fighting" and "No-rules fighting". Some experienced fighters and writers in the "traditional martial arts" have hailed this new, hybrid fight form as the best thing to hit their sport since Bruce Lee. Others remain suspicious and regard this form of fighting as just a way of making money out of a commercial form. It is basically a combination of various martial arts with wrestling and 'street fighting' all thrown into one complete mess. The result is a spectacle of cruelty, gore and blood with maiming or even death. In the United States, Extreme Fighting takes place in an octagonal ring fenced off from the crowd by a chain-link fence, known as "the cage". Bouts tend to be held in the more backwoods states, as Extreme Fighting has been outlawed in most parts of the US. Trained fighting men routinely battle, with occasionally tragic results. Extreme Fighting promoters don't bother trying to make their product look respectable, others than to claim that all fighters must be trained in a martial art and be a recognised black belt. Eye-gouging, biting and groin kicks are not allowed. These are the only rules. The promoters do not want to make Extreme Fighting appear controlled as the target audiences are generally considered by the promoters as "knuckleheads".  One of the many US Internet websites promises: "Ultimate fighting isn't like anything you've ever seen before. It's a no-holds-barred fight to the finish. Men from every fighting style brought together in the octagon and beat each other senseless - just like the three stooges, except bloodier! Critics in the US have described it as "dumb, disgusting and depraved". The Washington post called it "an animalistic piece of sub-human behaviour, more akin to cockfighting than a human sport". Yet the fight regularly attracts an audience of 250,000 on cable television, and each subscriber pays $25.00 or more to watch.  Unfortunately people are keen to watch this and are now regarding it as a proper sport, people are now being taught this style of fighting as self-defence.

 

Karate and martial arts has evolved over thousands of year and will continue to change as instructors interpret techniques and modify classes to suit the demand of students. The fact is that the essence of training is slowly being lost. There are many students today that simply do not know the origins of their style and are totally unaware of the mental discipline involved with training; they are under the assumption that Karate is purely a physical sport. Many of these new breed of schools do not practice Kata as they feel it’s a waste of time, unrealistic and is not practical in a fighting situation. Quite a number of schools are chasing the monetary side of training by promoting “Kids Karate", where children as young as seven "play" Karate, usually these children “play” for a few months and cease training when Karate is no longer seen in their eyes as a “play thing”. However, occasionally a few children do progress through and become Black Belts at the old age of twelve or thirteen which therefore reflects the lack of standards and mental discipline required in that particular style. These young Black Belts as well as adults reaching the same level feel that once they reach their Black Belt rank their training is complete, after all, what else is there after Black Belt?

 

 

Fortunately there are still schools that teach traditional ways and core values, these schools can be traced back to their origin and have a recognised graded Grand Master as the schools official head. These traditional schools are slowly demonising, perhaps it is "the way" to change, but to what extent remains in the quality of instruction, handed down from master to student and the dedication of the students to follow "the Way".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

References:

 

Australian Fighting Arts: Vol 17 No2, Vol 17 No3.

 

Bishop.M., Okinawa Karate.

 

Blitz Australian Martial Arts Magazine: Vol 12  No11, Vol 13 No3, Vol 13 No4.

 

British Toaist Society. Introduction to Taoism.

 

Chuza.I.T., The Marvellous Cat.

 

Delza. K., Tai chi Chuan

 

Funakoshi, G., Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text.

 

Funakoshi, G., Karate-Do: My Way of Life.

 

Haines, B., Karate: History and Tradition.

 

Hassell. R.G., The Karate Experience-A way of Life.

 

Hichey. P., Karate – Techniques and Tactics.

 

Mattson, G., The Way of Karate.

 

Musashi, M., A Book of Five Rings.

 

Morgan. R., Impact Martial Arts Training and Techniques.

 

Nakayama, M., Dynamic Karate.

 

Newman. J., Bushido: The Way of the Warrior.

 

Nishiyama, H., Karate: The Art of Empty Hand Fighting.

 

Okazaki, T., Textbook of Modern Karate.

 

Oyama. M., Kyokinshin Karate.

 

Quinn, C., Budo Karate of Mas Oyama.

 

Random, M., The Martial Arts.

 

Rielly, R., The History of American Karate.

 

Salvatore. R, Martial Arts: In pursuit of the Art.

 

Smith.W., The Way of the Warrior – The Paradox of the Martial Arts.

 

Sosai. O., The Budo Spirit.

 

Toguchi. S., Zen and Sanchin.

 

Tohei. K., Ki in Daily Life.

 

Turnbull, S., The Book of the Samurai.

 

Urban. P., The Karate Dojo.

 

Yamaguchi. G., My Life Story.

 

Websites:

http://www.karate.org/history/

                                               

webcom/willow/history.html

                       

gojuryu.net/