The Bushi Dojo

During the last decade man, as a technological innovator, has accelerated his rate of learning and accomplishment at a rate beyond the imagination of the most visionary of Science’s founding fathers. This very intelligence has made man the strongest of Earth’s guests because man is able to utilize natural resources to his advantage and is the only creature to perfect the use of tools for his own needs. As he is the strongest so is man weak - - weak because of his vanity and selfishness. Shimabuku relates a story of an old Chinaman who was traveling through the countryside when a terrible storm broke loose. Upon seeking shelter in a nearby cave the old man found himself face to face with a tiger who had, himself, fled the elements and sought shelter in the cave. The old man, for he was wise with his many years, had no interest in anything but shelter and made no motion toward the tiger whatsoever. The tiger also bore no malice toward the old man and in this manner they shared the cave together. They both had something in common and were in harmony. So, “if a man’s heart is the same as the heaven and earth” he has no quarrel and therefore no need to fight.

The moon and sun are necessary to life itself. Without their energy and growth cycle, plants could not survive. And since animal life is directly dependent on plant life, then man himself could not exist without the moon and sun. A plant may bend in the wind, but it breaks then it dies. Animals must move or they will die for they must move to seek food and shelter. So it is with the blood - - it must move or we will die. If it is taken from us, we will die just like the broken plant. Without the moon and sun their effect on the environment, existence itself would be impossible. Without blood man could not exist thus “the blood circulating is like the mood and sun”.

The hard-soft or yin-yang principle is repetitive throughout Eastern thought. As to drinking one can sip (soft) or gulp (hard), with each having its purpose and offsetting the other. In Ka rate there are both hard and soft techniques. When blocking a blow it is possible to meet the attack head-on, force against force (hard) or deflect or parry the blow by you, dissipating its force as it goes (soft). Good self-defense techniques are often the result of turning both hard and soft movements to produce the desired results. Steve Armstrong, eighth dan Isshinryu instructor and source of the material for this article, recalls this principle in use in Okinawa. There is a peaceful little village called Yoshiharri whose beauty was well known. It was also off-limits to American servicemen stationed nearby. True to human nature the forbidden became the most desirable and it was only a matter of time until several Americans decided to visit the town - - off-limits or not. There were those in the village who wished the town to remain Okinawan at all costs. When the Americans tried to take over, a terrible fight ensued and an American army captain was killed. The Americans, who were not supposed to be there in the first place, became incensed at the captain’s death and a series of vicious encounters followed. Eventually armed guards were stationed around Yoshiharri to prevent trouble from starting again, the village, which had been quiet and peaceful (soft), found it necessary to become violent (hard) so that it could once again become quiet and peaceful.

This is one of the more obvious parts of the Code and its principle is one of the first taught to beginning students. If you are unbalanced then it takes a minimum effort by your opponent to upset you and you fall as though felled by a great weight. This principle is applicable in virtually all phases of everyday life. If a person is out of his depth in his job and achieves his position through a frail structure of weak qualifications, then he is in a state of unbalance and can be easily upset (replaced) by a person with strong qualifications.

In its self-defense reference this means being able to meet attackers from any direction. Most fighting stances utilize this principle by placing more weight on one foot than the other. If the body weight is split half and half between both feet then neither can move without upsetting balance. When most of the weight is on one foot then the other is free to move, attack or change stance. To master everyday living on must, in a similar manner, be able to handle problems of all types coming from a variety of sources. I am sure we all know someone who is such a specialist at one thing that he cannot cope with other types of challenges. To be ultimately successful, whether at living or self-defense, one must be aware of everything around him and be able to deftly change directions to face new problems as they arise.

It sounds so simple yet is so often neglected. In any strata of society, the people who get ahead are those who can spot opportunities and are not afraid to act on them. This concept is of utmost importance in self-defense situations where opportunities may come only in split-second packages. If a drunk in a bar says he is going to whip you and then reaches for a beer bottle, you know it is the time to move. By his own words he has already made it a self-defense situation and it is the fool who will wait for the beer bottle to start swinging before he moves to defend himself. Everyday examples of this principle are countless and can be as exciting as a recovered fumble in a football game or as routine as stepping into complete a job for the boss when another employee has let him down.

Literal application of this idea means developing agility in the use of peripheral vision. The next time you are going down the sidewalk try walking with your eyes ahead in a natural unfocused attitude. As this comes more easily to you, you will notice that movements and objects on either side are much more easily registered. This is applicable in human relations by trying to always consider the other man’s view of the situation. Most things in life, ideas included, take on new meaning when re-examined from another view-point.

This obviously ties in with point seven above. It is impossible to “see” another person’s point of view until you “hear” his reasons for thinking that way. This can be hard to do if you are involved in a discussion the outcome of which will have a direct effect on your life. The trick is to totally dispel your opinions from you mind and listen to the other man as if you were an impartial judge. If there is truth in his words then that truth will become obvious. It can never become obvious if your mind is obstructed by your own thoughts. The ability to hear in a 360 degree circle greatly increases the amount of information you take in and gives your mind more material to work with when you have to make decisions. The next time you are in a crowd of people listen carefully to conversation beside and behind you. With a little practice you will be surprised at how much more interesting life can be than by restricting yourself only to what is directly in front of you. With comprehension of these basic principles it is easier to relate them to life and, indeed, to each other. Is your car as big as heaven and earth? Do you look to see if a person’s manner is hard or soft? Are you always balanced when the opportunity to strike presents itself? Can you change directions while looking in only one direction? The purpose of this code and the philosophies of other styles is to elevate you, the student, from merely being able to perform given physical actions. Having the fastest side snap kick in your school is of little importance if you do not understand when to use it, and more important when not to use it. Increasing your perception of life around you will make you grow as an individual. Facing animosity in a person might trigger you to a mechanical execution of technique. How much better to understand and analyze the other man’s feelings and motives. Maybe you inadvertently insulted him or made him feel threatened and he reacted instinctively. If so, it would be tragic for you to permanently injure or maim him with some technique you just learned in class. In a case such as this it is your responsibility to only protect yourself until the matter is cleared up. The man with the martial arts background has the obligation to not use it frivolously. We must turn to the philosophies of our arts to give us insight into what it really means to me a master of karate. It is an endless quest. For those who are the real masters are still searching for even deeper truths.