Shotokan and Kyokushin Karate

Below is a video which describes some of the differences between Shotokan and Kyokushin Karate.

 

 

Taichi Mantis Double Tiger Head Hook Swords

 

Below is a video of a Taichi Mantis hook sword form.

Yoshinkan Aikido Demonstration: Gozo Shioda, 1988

Below is a video of a demonstration performed by Gozo Shioda, the founder of Yoshinkan Aikido in 1988. Enjoy.

 

The Dao De Jing #80: Let There Be a Small Country with Few People

The Dao De Jing is not only one of the world's great classics, it is one of the foundations of Philosophical Daoism. A free online version of the Dao De Jing may be found here. Today we have #80: Let There be a Small Country with Few People.

Let there be a small country with few people,

Who, even having much machinery, don't use it.

Who take death seriously and don't wander far away.

Even though they have boats and carriages, they never ride in them.

Having armor and weapons, they never go to war.

Let them return to measurement by tying knots in rope.

 

Sweeten their food, give them nice clothes, a peaceful abode and a relaxed life.

Even though the next country can be seen and its doges and chickens can be heard,

 

The people will grow old and die without visiting each other's land.

 

 

Japanese Religions

Many Japanese practice both Shinto and Buddhism. Below is an excerpt from an article that appeared at Japanese History and Culture which explored the origin, differences and co-existance of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan.

The full post may be read here.

 

God (Kami)
 

When the English word God is translated into Japanese, it is generally represented by the kanji (Chinese character) 神 and pronounced kami. However, to avoid misunderstanding, it would be better to think of God, 神, and kami as three separate concepts.
 

“God” is the supreme being of monotheism and is customarily capitalized to indicate the unique nature of the deity and draw a distinction with the multiple gods of polytheism.
 

The written Japanese form, 神, is influenced by the Chinese meaning of the character. Common words in both languages using this character, such as 精神 (pronounced seishin in Japanese), meaning “spirit” or “mind,” and 神経 (shinkei), meaning “nerves,” are related to human mental qualities. Pronounced shen in Chinese, the character 神 carries some divine attributes, but they are of a decidedly low rank and far below those of the highest power in Chinese theology, termed 天 (tian) or 上帝 (shangdi) in Chinese.
 

Japan’s kami were traditionally thought of as anthropomorphized natural phenomena. They included the kami that appear in the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan), Japan’s ancient records of myth and history, kami that were worshiped in shrines, and everything possessing extraordinary qualities, including the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, the sea, large rocks and trees, and even some smaller plants, animals, and people. This is how they were defined by the eighteenth-century scholar of Japanese classics Motoori Norinaga. According to Motoori, anything that inspired awe and sensitivity to ephemeral beauty (aware) was a kami.
 

For Japanese people who believe this, their country is a rich natural landscape with kami to be found wherever they turn—in short a kami no kuni or “country of kami.” If this phrase is translated into English as “God’s country,” it can be misunderstood as a fanatically nationalistic expression, but this is not what the phrase actually means.

A Blended Faith
 

Japan’s traditional faith, based on worship of kami, is known as Shintō. There are no records to show what it was like in ancient times, and many details are unclear. We cannot even say if there was a set of beliefs and rituals sufficiently unified that we could call them Shintō. It is likely that the religion came into being as a blend of different elements, including the following:
 

*The nature worship of hunter-gatherers in the Jōmon period (ca. 15,000 BC–300 BC)
 

*The worship of clay figurines as symbols of crop fertility and the shamanism introduced from the Korean Peninsula in the Yayoi Period, when rice farming had taken hold (300 BC–250 AD)
 

*The bronze weapons and mirrors imported from China and used by chiefs in festivals and magic rituals
 

*The influence on rulers’ festival and funeral rituals from Chinese divination, astronomy, calendar studies, and thinking related to the legendary transcendental figures known as shinsen, or “divine immortals”
 

*The worship of family gods and the building of shrines by a range of local communities and groups
 

*The Japanese began to think of these elements together as Shintō after Buddhism spread to Japan and they compared the new religion with their traditional practices.

 

 

 

Early Mantis Fist Documentary

 

Below is a video which is part of an early video on Mantis kung fu. Enjoy.

Tong Bei Quan Documentary

 

Below is a short documentary on Tong Bei Quan. Enjoy.

Vintage Chen Pan Ling Shaolin Video

Below is a vintage video of the famous Chen Pan Ling performing a Shaolin form. The video was shot by Robert W. Smith during his stay in Taiwan.

Kyuzo Mifune's Contributions to Judo

After the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano, there is probably no brighter light in the history of Judo than Kyuzo Mifune. He looms as a giant in the history of Judo.

Below is a short documentary on master Mifune's inventions and contributions to the art of Judo. Enjoy.

Vintage Naginata Video

A vintage video of Katori Shinto Ryu Naginatajutsu from the 1950s.