One Uchi-deshi Story

Years ago I had accumulated thousands of martial arts magazine.  Reading them was a pastime. But the time came when I realized most of what they contained was of little value to me. I saved individual articles that had meaning to me (many of which I have posted on my blog). And literally tossed everything else into the trash.

 

But a few I saved as examples of meaningful magazines to me. Not for specific articles but as memories.

 

I was just reading an old issue of Aikido Journal (1995 – Vol 22, No 1) and it contained an interesting  “Interview with Kazuo Chiba) which described in great detail what it was like to be an Uchi-deshi of Usheiba Sensei.

 

From Wikipedia:

 

Uchi-deshi (内弟子, lit. "inside student") is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis. The system exists in kabuki, rakugo, shogi, igo, aikido, sumo, karate and other modern Japanese martial arts.

 

From all those magazines the words Uchi-deshi was at times shared, but little actual description of the context behind those words for the art/instructor being described.

 

Let me put that interview into my own words.

 

He became an Uchi-deshi for Usheiba Sensei about age 17.

 

The training was always very physical, even to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I took him about a year before he could safely withstand full power technique from Usheiba, when he could take the falls safely. They were always hard, and he had the brush burns and blood from those experiences.

 

The various Uchi-deshi literally took care of every need of Usheiba Sensei.  When he traveled they took care of all the details, many most mundane, such as preparing his meals, laying out his clothing, reading to him, carrying his necessary belongings and needed weaponry.  They helped him go to the bathroom 6-8 times a night, literally learning to anticipate his needs, and most often foregoing sleep until learning to anticipate when he needed them.  That skill was perhaps among the greatest skills they would learn.

 

The training was not in esoteric skill, their training was most often identical to what other students received.

 

But they were charged to attack him with full power at any moment they felt he was open to attack, day or night (even with bokens). And what they continually experienced was he had no opening, whatever, to make an attack work.

 

This skills of serious attack to find Usheiba Sensei met them immediately without hesitation is why their presentations look so polished and pretend. Every time he was moving as they moved, Usheiba anticipated each attack and entered them to conclude the attack. This is why they appear so polished and effortless. Usheiba was always able to insert himself flowing into the attack.

 

Kazuo remarked he was uchi-deshi for about 7 years. Later in life at times he felt he could insert himself into at attack as Usheiba Sensei did, but not so consistently.

 

I sounds to me that this was the skill that being an Uchi-Deshi imparted.

 

In fact it also seems that the Uchi-Deshi imparted to Usheiba Sensei the greatest gift, allowing him to remain polished at the top of his game at all times, instead of surrendering to the ravages of age. Of course that did exist, aging was not to be wished away.  But the Uchi-Deshi gave him a method to remain his skills, a price beyond rubies and diamonds.

 

As for what Uchi-Deshi experienced in other arts,  I can’t assume it was similar.