The Cultural Pecking Order of Japanese Martial Arts

There was an interesting post at The Budo Journeyman about how the Japanese themselves view their own native martial arts. An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here.

In his book about training in Shotokan karate in Japan, Richard Amos subverted the usual understanding of the ‘3 K’s’ of karate (Kihon, Kata and Kumite) and said that the Japanese public generally saw karate as a different ‘3 K’s’:

· Kitsui (きつい): Hard / Demanding / Exhausting.

· Kiken (危険): Dangerous.

· Kitanai (汚い): Dirty.

It looks like karate has an image problem.

Social understanding.

This just reinforced something I had heard earlier.

I was first introduced to this idea by my good friend Mike Cundy, a long-standing Kyudo (archery) practitioner, who had lived in Japan in the 1970’s (see my two-part interview with Mike. The Bow and the Brush. Part 1. - by Tim Shaw ).

He explained that there was a distinct social hierarchy in the image of martial arts in Japan. Put simply; you had Iaido and Kyudo at the top, and at the very bottom, the potentially thuggish karate guys. (I will dig into this a little later).

Why does the arts of sword drawing and archery sit at the top of the tree?

It’s simple. These two disciplines have the opposite of an image problem. Here’s a few of their positive points:

· Historical high-status association with an aristocratic Samurai past.

· High aesthetic value.

· Deep spiritual and intellectual credentials.

· Relatively high profile, despite its throwback historical connections.

· Likely to be engaged in by people in the higher socio-economic category.

· (Linked to the above) can include expensive kit.

Add to that, both disciplines involve zero contact. Unless you are incredibly clumsy, it is extremely unlikely you will have the embarrassing problem of having to appear before a high-level board meeting with a black eye.

These people give off the aura of having a cultured refinement, and, in a way, their arts are very performative and make a clear social statement.

The two arts are entirely devoid of any practical modern age fighting function. However, they have allowed a competitive factor to creep in, but judged on pure precision, control and form (notice, no creative interpretation, this is not Ice Dance). It is purely for the specialists. Casual viewers would just wonder what the heck was going on?

Koryu Budo

Over at Peter Boylan's excellent The Budo Bum substack, there was recently an article on his thoughts on training in Koryu Budo, old Budo; before the advent of Judo, Karatedo, Aikido, etc. An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here.

I practice Shinto Muso Ryu Jodo and Shinto Hatakage Ryu Iai Heiho. I also practice Kodokan Judo. Kodokan Judo was founded as Japan made the leap from a rural, agrarian, preindustrial society to an urban, mechanized, industrial powerhouse. The differences between practicing the old arts and the new(er) ones are remarkable.

Kodokan Judo was founded during an era of incredible transformation in Japan. The Tokugawa Shogunate had just been overthrown after some 266 years of peaceful rule and replaced with a constitutional monarchy. The founder of Kodokan Judo, Kano Jigoro Shihan, replaced the classical menkyo teaching licensing system with a series of dan (steps). Adapting European teaching pedagogies, he designed a system of teaching that could be used in public schools for mass education. Under his Kodokan Judo, you could go anywhere in the country and train without having to learn a local set of techniques and customs. Your rank was recognized all over the country.

Koryu budo, on the other hand, are not taught as competitive sports, or even as cultural practices for the general public. They are taught in the same way that traditional crafts are taught in Japan: slowly, carefully, from one teacher to one student. I can train judo under one teacher, and still freely go to train in many different dojos. That’s not the case in koryu. Even if there are many other dojos doing the same koryu in your area (highly unlikely), you are learning your teacher’s art; not a generalized, public set of skills, but a highly individualized art. If you go around to other dojo, you’re going to get lots of input that is different from your teacher’s, which could slow down, not speed up, the process of internalizing the lessons your teacher is giving you.

Koryu budo, like traditional crafts in Japan, are learned through imitation of the teacher, including rigorous thought by the student about why the teacher does particular things in a particular way. A good teacher will give students time to figure things out, and will emphasize particular lessons through their actions rather than their words. The teacher will lay things out where the student can see them. It’s up to the student to develop the observational skills to pick up the lessons when the teacher makes them visible.

Those observational skills aren’t easy if you don’t come from a culture where they are expected from birth. My learning growing up initially revolved around the teacher laying things out and showing us how to ask questions about the things we didn’t understand. Learning to ask questions was a big part of the education process. Observational skills were not a noticeable part of the process.

Koryu budo, on the other hand, are not taught as competitive sports, or even as cultural practices for the general public. They are taught in the same way that traditional crafts are taught in Japan: slowly, carefully, from one teacher to one student. I can train judo under one teacher, and still freely go to train in many different dojos. That’s not the case in koryu. Even if there are many other dojos doing the same koryu in your area (highly unlikely), you are learning your teacher’s art; not a generalized, public set of skills, but a highly individualized art. If you go around to other dojo, you’re going to get lots of input that is different from your teacher’s, which could slow down, not speed up, the process of internalizing the lessons your teacher is giving you.

Koryu budo, like traditional crafts in Japan, are learned through imitation of the teacher, including rigorous thought by the student about why the teacher does particular things in a particular way. A good teacher will give students time to figure things out, and will emphasize particular lessons through their actions rather than their words. The teacher will lay things out where the student can see them. It’s up to the student to develop the observational skills to pick up the lessons when the teacher makes them visible.

Those observational skills aren’t easy if you don’t come from a culture where they are expected from birth. My learning growing up initially revolved around the teacher laying things out and showing us how to ask questions about the things we didn’t understand. Learning to ask questions was a big part of the education process. Observational skills were not a noticeable part of the process.

Famous Students of Miyagi Chojun Sensei Video

 

Interesting video: