Tuesday, September 6, 2022

The Art of War (Heihō)

 

The Art of War (Heihō)

2022-09-06  

Written and translated by Motobu Naoki

 

* The original article was written in August 2016

 

This story was told to me by a relative of mine in Okinawa, the late Motobu Tomokatsu.

 

Once, Motobu Chōki was ambushed and attacked at a amusement quarter in Tsuji Town. It was probably someone who had lost to Motobu Chōki in a real fight. Perhaps thinking he could not win alone, he called his friends to attack Motobu Chōki with more than one person.

 

In those days, Tsuji was a labyrinth of narrow streets with high stone walls surrounding buildings.






 

(Photo: Tsuji before World War II)

 

Where is Sārū?

He's not over here. Is he over there?

 

The enemies were desperate, as if they knew they could not let Sārū escape. Splitting up, they frantically searched the labyrinthine amusement quarters.

 

Well, what was Motobu Chōki doing? In fact, he was still hiding in Tsuji. He was still hiding in the shadows, watching the situation. And when he saw that the enemies had scattered into pieces, he emerged from the shadows and defeated them one by one. Thus, he succeeded in escaping the predicament without difficulty.

 

What is the lesson of this episode? It is that karate is heihō (兵法, the art of war). Heihō means martial arts as we know it today, but its other major meaning is "military science." Another similar phrase is found in Motobu Chōki's own words: "Battle is a strategy."

 

In the above case, Motobu Chōki first intentionally ran away, dispersing the enemy's forces and creating a situation in which he could defeat them one by one.

 

In the original karate as a martial art, a fight is not decided simply by the difference in physique, strength, or the number of opponents. This episode shows us that even if you are inferior to your opponent, there are ways to win through strategy and tactics.

 

The original karate as a martial art is not "modern karate" as a sporting competition regulated by rules. In sport karate, there is only one opponent, but in karate as a martial art, the opponent is not always one person.

 

Motobu Chōki is often thought of as a karate practitioner who was all about power, but he was also skilled in using his wisdom in this way. Incidentally, the official name of Motobu-ryu is Nihon Denryū Heihō Motobu Kenpo (Japan Traditional Tactics Motobu Kenpō) , which includes the word "heihō."

(Interview with Motobu Tomokatsu, November 18, 2010 )

 

https://ameblo.jp/motoburyu/entry-12762923393.html

No comments: