Happy New Year 2014, Feliz Ano Novo, 明けましておめでとう

Me in 1984 at the Scranton Boys Club

2013 Ends, 2014Begins. Time flows on,  As our lives move through this moment and as is customary, let us think on the last year,

First, my disabilities remain, I still am classified as having  Paraneoplastic Neuromyopathy & Neuropathy. Still no clue to the cause or the treatment. I am weaker, loss of balance, difficulty with fine motor control and speaking, to the point I am often incomprehensible. I virtually cannot write and even typing is a chore requiting much spell check. After a fall that broke 3 ribs I now employ a walker when I walk outdoors or when I am driven to go shopping.  I no longer drive and am much housebound.

I still walk often except in rain or snow. About 5 or 6 miles a week. I still practice kata, it took a year to figure out how to do tai chi (my lack of balance makes it very difficult) but I found a way finally. I still am involved assisting Mike and Young teaching the young and I still train the adults. Martially speaking I am involved with things.

It’s interesting that Karate is easiest to do, abet with some changes too. I am currently working with Tikko to keep as much martial potential as I can.  I guess its safe to say my karate isn’t exactly empty hand.

As you are undoubtedly aware I continue my efforts on my blog. The context behind my study remains much more material than is in class. I am committed to saving so students in my lineage don’t have to start anew but have it here if the need arises. It consists of much of our shared art (except for those portions which are transmitted separately and privately),  history so it is not lost, and my ongoing  Martial researches. As there are no secrets (except those I choose not to share) I have freely done so openly. Most interesting the rest of the world finds it interesting with so far 75,000 views from around the world (Blogger tracks this in great detail I find).

I have also continues my fan fiction in the Destroyer novels universe. I’ve written about 15 novels at this point.

Along with much time to look into martial studies that interest me, I am also learning much about being disabled. What it means in how I conduct my life. How others react to me. How communicating with others is difficult. One learns to cope as everyone is disabled in one sense. Life continues.

My hope for 2014 is that things are better for all. I will continue to train and learn more about my arts and those of others. Oh and World Peace might not be a bad idea either.

You will find I don’t worry about what others do. I have much more that is interesting in my students learning and my researches. Why dwell on the negative, it all seems to resolve itself in the end.

Sayings of Motobu Choki

In 1978, an essay entitled “Collection of Sayings by Motobu Choki” was published in Japanese. This essay is based upon the oral teachings of Motobu Choki to his students, and was overseen by one direct student of Motobu, namely Marukawa Kenji. Let us now take a look at these “oral transmissions.”

1. Everything is natural, and changing.

2. Kamae is in the heart, not a physical manifestation.

3. One must develop the ability to read how much striking power any person has in one glance.

4. One does not have to take care to block every single attack by an opponent with weak striking power.

5. One must develop the ability to deflect an attack even from behind.

6. In a real confrontation, more than anything else one should strike to the face first, as this is the most effective.

7. Kicks are not all that effective in a real confrontation.

8.”Karate IS Sente” (Here, sente means the initiative, or the first move. c.f. Karate ni Sente Nashi – there is no first move in karate).

9. The position of the legs and hips in Naifuanchin no Kata is the basics of karate.

10. Twisting to the left or right from the Naifuanchin stance will give you the stance used in a real confrontation. Twisting ones way of thinking about Naifuanchin left and right, the various meanings in each movement of the kata will also become clear.

11. One must always try and block the attack at its source (i.e. block not the attacking hand, but deeper on the arm).

12. The blocking hand must be able to become the attacking hand in an instant. Blocking with one hand and then countering with the other is not true bujutsu. Real bujutsu presses forward and blocks and counters in the same motion.

13. One cannot use continuous attacks against true karate. That is because the blocks of true karate make it impossible for the opponent to launch a second attack.

14. I still do not yet know the best way to punch the makiwara. (note: this statement was made when Choki was over 60!!!)

15. It’s interesting, but when I just think about performing a kata, when I’m seated, I break a sweat.

16. When punching to the face, one must thrust as if punching through to the back of the head.

17. When fighting a boxer, it is better to go with his flow, and take up a rhythm with both of your hands.

18. It is necessary to drink alcohol and pursue other fun human activities. The art (i.e. karate) of someone who is too serious has no “flavour.”

19. It is OK to take two steps forward or back in the same kamae, but over three steps, one must change the position (facing) of their guard.

20. When I fought the foreign boxer in Kyoto, he was taller than me so I jumped up and punched him in the face. This is effective against people who are taller than you.

21. I started having real fights at Tsuji when I was young, and fought over 100 of them, but I was never hit in the face.

22. When I was 4, I was made to go to a school, but I hated studying, so I often skipped class and played somewhere with my friends.

23. When I was still in Okinawa, Kano Jigoro of the Kodokan visited and asked to talk with me, and through a friend we went to a certain restaurant. Mr. Kano talked about a lot of things, but about karate, he asked me what I would do if my punch missed. I answered that I would immediately follow with an elbow strike from that motion. After that, he became very quiet and asked nothing more about karate.

24. There are no stances such as neko-ashi, zenkutsu or kokutsu in my karate. Neko-ashi is a form of “floating foot” which is considered very bad in bujutsu. If one receives a body strike, one will be thrown off balance. Zenkutsu and kokutsu are unnatural, and prevent free leg movement. The stance in my karate, whether in kata or kumite, is like Naifuanchin, with the knees slightly bent, and the footwork is free. When defending or attacking, I tighten the knees and drop the hips, but I do not put my weight on either front or back foot, rather keeping it evenly distributed.

25. When blocking kicks, one must block as if trying to break the opponent’s shin.

26. When I came to Tokyo, there was another Okinawan who was teaching karate there quite actively. When in Okinawa I hadn’t even heard his name. Upon the guidance of another Okinawan, I went to the place he was teaching youngsters, where he was running his mouth, bragging. Upon seeing this, I grabbed his hand, took up the position of “kake-kumite” and said “What will you do?” He was hesitant, and I thought to punch him would be too much, so I threw him with “kote-gaeshi” at which he fell to the ground with a thud. He got up, his face red, and said “once more” so we took up the position of kake-kumite again. And again I threw him with kote-gaeshi. He did not relent and asked for another bout, so he was thrown the same way for a third time.

Translation  By Joe Swift (thanks Joe-San)_

Isshin and Zanshin from Trevor Leggett’s “Zen and the Ways”

Isshin and Zanshin    from Trevor Leggett’s “Zen and the Ways”

Page 156

Isshin (one-heart) means to throw oneself wholly into the action without any other thought at all.  Zanshin (remaining-heart) means some awareness still remaining. Some of the texts (victor note – of the Way) give both, some of them do not mention zanshin at all, and some of them mention it but say that the heading ‘zanshin’ means that there must be no zanshin.

With a spear, isshin is to commit one’s body wholly to the thrust; in a judo throw, it means to throw one’s body and heart at the opponent. If the action is technically defective, or the opponent more skilful, it will miss; then one is generally in an unfavorable position. On the other hand, the more impetuosity and immediacy and completeness of the movement may have so upset him that he cannot utilize his momentary advantage.

Still, in theory might it not be better to take into account possible failure, and keep something back in order to be able to adapt it/ But then, the one-heart will be broken into two: one saying ‘everything into the throw’ and the other ‘what if it fails?’  The latter is called a fox-doubt, and it infects the physical movement, to cause hesitation.

Similarly, if the attack is successful, must  new isshin be formed to deal with a new opponent?

The schools which speak of zanshin take it as an awareness which is wide and unmoving, and which contains the isshin. The immediate awareness is thrown into the action, and yet something remains, unconscious? conscious?, which can handle a failure or even a success. This is zanshin. It must not be consciously aimed at, as that would split the ‘one-heart’.

In a sense the one-heart is the ji or particular technique, and the remaining-heart is the ir or universal principle which manifests in particular situations but is not exhausted in them.

Isshin is the unity of the wave, zanshin is the unity of the water. Isshin defeats an opponent at a tme and place, by a technique. Zanshin is awareness of the whole process of defeating opponents, and wider than that, defeating them with minimum harm to them, and wider than that, for a good purpose and wider than that…

In this verse, zanshin is referred to as ‘water holding the moon’.

Jorge Luis Borges Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius

A work of Philosophical Fiction, the short story by Jorge Luis Borges ,the Argentine author,” Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius”  (originally written in Spansh) has a lot to suggest how karate terminology may have moved from Japan to Okinawa.  This is a difficult read but this is something to  think about.

http://interglacial.com/~sburke/pub/Borges_-_Tlon,_Uqbar,_Orbis_Tertius.html

This is a work of speculative fiction

Chin Woo Tan Tuie Springing Legs

Mee No Jiffa Kata

 

 

Mee No Jiffa Kata