Warrior Tradition of Wisdom

"Warriorship does not refer to making war on others. Aggression is the source of our problems, not the solution . . . Warriorship in this context is the tradition of human bravery, or the tradition of fearlessness. The North American Indians had such a tradition, and it also existed in South American Indian societies. The Japanese ideal of the samurai also represented a warrior tradition of wisdom, and there have been principles of enlightened warriorship in Western Christian societies as well . . .

"The key to warriorship and the first principle of Shambhala vision is not being afraid of who you are. Ultimately, that is the definition of bravery: not being afraid of yourself. Shambhala vision teaches that, in the face of the world's great problems, we can be heroic and kind at the same time."

-- Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, 1988.

This really gets to the heart of bushido: the goal of being steadfast and tender at the same time. Ueshiba Morihei described his martial art, aikido, as the actualization of love. In iaido, we talk about the "life-giving sword." These apparent contraditions get to the heart of what is interesting about warrior traditions - we are fighters who are trying to be good people and to live in accordance with universal principles.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Sources of Bushido

"A foremost teacher of swordsmanship, when he saw his pupil master the utmost of his art, told him, 'Beyond this my instruction must give way to Zen teaching.' 'Zen' is the Japanese equivalent for the Dhyana, which 'represents human effort to reach through meditation zones of thought beyond the range of verbal expression.' Its method is contemplation, and its purport, as far as I understand it, to be convinced of a principle that underlies all phenomena, and, if it can, of the Absolute itself, and thus to put oneself in harmony with this Absolute."

-- Bushido, Inazo Nitobe.
Cited at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12096/12096-8.txt

Bushido is on my list of eight essential budo books. This passage addresses one of the most important ideas in traditional martial arts training: that Zen concepts are a natural extension of physical training, and that sufficient practice and contemplation of these concepts can help to "put one . . . in harmony with [the] Absolute."

Fighting practice can bring you closer to perfection of character? Great!

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Great Waves

"In the early days of the Meiji era there lived a well-known wrestler called O-nami, Great Waves.

"O-nami was immensly strong and knew the art of wresting. In his private bouts he defeated even his teacher, but in public was so bashful that his own pupils threw him.

"O-nami felt he should go to a Zen master for help. Hakuju, a wandering teacher, was stopping in a little temple nearby, so O-nami went to see him and told him of his great trouble.

"'Great Waves is your name,' the teacher advised, 'so stay in this temple tonight. Imagine that you are those billows. You are no longer a wrestler who is afraid. You are those huge waves sweeping everything before them, swallowing all in their path. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land.'

"The teacher retired. O-nami sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves. He thought of many different things. Then gradualy he turned more and more to the feeling of waves. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. They swept away the flowers in their vases. Even the Buddha in the shrine was inundated. Before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an immense sea.

"In the morning the teacher found O-nami meditating, a faint smile on his face. He patted the wrestler's shoulder. 'Now nothing can disturb you,' he said. 'You are those waves. You will sweep everything before you.'

"The same day O-nami entered the wrestling contests and won. After that, no one in Japan was able to defeat him."

-- Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, edited by Paul Reps (Shambhala Pocket Editions). Cited at http://www.101zenstories.com.

Photo courtesy John B. Gage, Foreign Department, Kokusai Budoin, Tokyo

At first glance, this story might suggest that all we have to do is get our minds right and we can defeat anybody. But it is important to remember that O-nami had great fighting skills before he spent the night in the temple, and that his timid spirit was his only barrier.

There's a good reason we say "body, mind, spirit" in the martial arts and not "spirit, mind, body."

The first expression describes the proper order for training and development, while the second describes the origination of technique for those already well trained.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Direct Transmission and Daily Practice

"The practice of [iaido] requires a solemn spirit, extreme concentration, and skill. Every motion, such as the movements of the arms or legs and body, must correspond to the offensive motions of the opponent, and it is of utmost importance that a person follow the rules of discipline that have been carefully and thoroughly applied."

-- The late Yamaguchi Katsuo, Meijin 10th Dan, Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu Iaido. The full text of this explanation of iaido can be read here.

Photo of Yamaguchi Sensei courtesy of Bob Ward.


It's amazing how much the old teachers know, and how much they can say with a few words. Yamaguchi-Sensei followed a strict list of absolutes in his iaido, and expected his uchi deshi to do the same. A horizontal draw (nukitsuke), for example, had be done by drawing the butt of the sword toward the opponent's throat, adjusting the blade to a horizontal position, closing the fist and cocking the wrist, and only then finishing the cut by moving the arm across the front of the body. However long one had been practicing, the requirements were the same.

What was even more interesting, however, was his discussion of the internal aspects of direct transmission martial arts. Only with a solemn spirit and extreme concentration would the internal aspects reveal themselves. He maintained that a student had to understand and be able to perform the checkpoints before the flow of energy through his body would become apparent.

The expansion of the student's awareness of time, the ability to feel an opponent's attacking intent, the ability to regulate heartbeat, and other, even more fantastic aspects of internal swordsmanship are only available through meticulous daily practice of the traditional checkpoints, handed down from generations of teachers to generations of students. This is true whether one's art of choice be iaido, kyudo, karate, or judo.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Comparing the Way of the Carpenter to Strategy

"The comparison with carpentry is through the connection with houses . . . The carpenter uses a master plan of the building, and the Way of strategy is similar in that there is a plan of campaign. If you want to learn the craft of war, ponder over this book. The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread. You must practice constantly.

"Like the foreman carpenter, the commander must know natural rules, and the rules of the country, and the rules of houses. This is the Way of the foreman.

"The foreman carpenter must know the architectural theory of towers and temples, and the plans of palaces, and must employ men to raise up houses. The Way of the foreman carpenter is the same as the Way of the commander of a warrior house.

"In the contruction of houses, choice of woods is made. Straight un-knotted timber of good appearance is used for the revealed pillars, straight timber with small defects is used for the innter pillars. Timber of the finest appearance, even if a little weak, is used for the thresholds, lintels, doors, and sliding doors and so on. Good strong timber, though it be gnarled and knotted, can always be used discreetly in construction. Timber which is weak or knotted throughout should be used as scaffolding, and later for firewood.

"The foreman carpenter allots his men work according to their ability. Floor layers, makers of sliding doors, thresholds and lintels, ceilings and so on. Those of poor ability lay the floor joist, and those of lesser ability carve wedges and do such miscellaneous work. If the foreman knows and deploys his men well the finished work will be good.

"The foreman should take into account the abilities and limitations of his men, circulating among them and asking nothing unreasonable. He should know their morale and spirit, and encourage them when necessary. This is the same as the principle of strategy."

-- Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi. Cited at http://www.samurai.com/5rings.

Photograph courtesy of John B. Gage, Foreign Department, Kokusai Budoin, Tokyo.

This is the first passage that comes to mind when I think about the Book of Five Rings. It is such a succinct passage, but contains good advice about choosing equipment, dealing with people, strategy, and efficient use of energy.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

A swordsman in his declining years said . . .

A certain swordsman in his declining years said the following: In one's life there are levels in the pursuit of study. In the lowest level, a person studies but nothing comes of it, and he feels that both he and others are unskillful. At this point he is worthless. In the middle level he is still useless but is aware of his own insufficiencies and can also see the insufficiencies of others. In a higher level he has pride concerning his own ability, rejoices in praise from others, and laments the lack of ability in his fellows. This man has worth. In the highest level a man has the look of knowing nothing .

These are the levels in general;. But there is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all. This person is aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way and never thinks of himself as having finished. He truly knows his own insufficiencies and never in his whole life thinks that he has succeeded. He has no thoughts of pride but with self-abasement knows the Way to the end. It is said that Master Yagyu once remarked, "I do not know the way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself. ''

Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday, more skillful than today. This is never-ending.

-- From Hagakure, by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. Cited at users.tkk.fi/~renko/hag1.html.

Many traditional martial art systems divided their teachings into 3 levels: shoden, chuden, and okuden. Today, vestiges of those divisions remain, even where a system has been modernized. For example, even though Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido awards belt ranks, the techniques are taught in three tiers, respectively called shoden, chuden, and okuden. There is a loose correspondence between the ability levels and the states of mind that Yamamoto described in Hagakure.

There are also levels above okuden. When one has learned all the techniques of the system, while one's learning still involves improving subtle aspects of the techniques, most of the development is internal: relating to character improvement. At some point, with extensive time in practice and a little luck, one may reach the "one transcending level" referred to by Yamamoto. This is the real goal of the practice of any traditional martial art, be it aikido, iaido, jodo, jujutsu, judo, karate, kendo, or naginata-do.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his programs can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teaches iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan.

Five Lessons

The cook teaching Prince Wen Hui (Feb 15 blog) is one of my favorite Chuang Tzu stories. There are at least five lessons in the parable, all of which are applicable to martial arts training. The first is about character development through a physical art form. Wen Hui's cook learned to butcher cattle, starting out clumsy and eventually becoming fluent. As he got better at the physical components of his craft, his character deepened correspondingly. This wonderful combination is at the heart of all the traditional martial art forms. Whether you practice aikido, battojutsu, iaido, jujutsu, jodo, judo, karate, or naginata-do, the components are in place for significant internal development.

The second lesson is about how the tools of your trade reflect your ability level. The cook had gotten so good that he never needed to sharpen his cleaver; instead of hacking his way through the ox, his blade glided through almost on its own. Similarily, the better my students and I get at iaido, the less wear and tear there is on our blades.

The third lesson is about teaching by example. If the cook hadn't been so skilled at his craft, his words would have had less impact. The power of his example, paired with his words, was enough to catch the attention of the prince.

The fourth and fifth lessons are closely related. One is about the fact that status has nothing to do with one's ability to reach enlightenment, and the other is about beginner's mind. The lowly cook had devoted himself heart and soul to his craft and had become a buddha. Meanwhile, the exalted prince had been able to put aside his status and really pay attention to the intrinsic qualities of his cook, and had thereby learned an invaluable lesson.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his programs can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teaches iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan. Calligraphy by the late Yamaguchi Katsuo, Iaido Meijin 10th Dan: "Grasp the sacred jeweled sword."

The Cook is the Teacher

"Prince Wen Hui's cook was cutting up an ox ... The ox fell apart with a whisper. The bright cleaver murmured like a gentle wind. Rhythm! Timing! Like a sacred dance ...

"Prince Wen Hui: Good work! Your method is faultless!

"The cook: Method? What I follow is Tao beyond all methods!
When I first began to cut up oxen I would see before me the whole ox all in one mass. After three years I no longer saw this mass. I saw the distinctions. But now I see nothing with the eye. My whole being apprehends. My senses are idle. The spirit free to work without plan follows its own instinct guided by natural line, by the secret opening, the hidden space, my cleaver finds its own way...

"Then I withdraw the blade, I stand still and let the joy of the work sink in. I clean the blade and put it away.

"Prince Wen Hui: This is it! My cook has shown me how I ought to live my own life!"

Chuang Tzu. The Way of Chuang Tzu. Translator/Editor Thomas Merton. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1965, pp. 64-67. Cited at http://www.terebess.hu/english/merton.html

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his programs can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teaches iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan.