Sensei's Corner
July 2024
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Nishiyama Sensei
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When Japanese instructors started coming to the west to teach Karate in the 1960’s, one difficulty they faced was dealing with inquisitive nature of students who asked numerous questions. In Japan, classes typically follow a regimented routine based mostly on repetition of techniques. The main role of the sensei is to oversee the entire class making sure that the training ran smoothly and properly. Students simply train having no interactions with the sensei. They are expected to copy what was shown, with no follow-up questions or discussions other than the spirited “Oss” when replying to sensei’s command.
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My teacher, Nishiyama Sensei was unusual in sense that he actually welcomed the challenge of explaining the technical details of body mechanics and philosophy associated with Traditional Karate. As long as the flow of the class was not interrupted, he would gladly answer and discuss various elements of techniques we were working on. On occasion, he would entertain the class with some famous Budo stories which would impart underlying philosophies of samurai culture.
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As a direct student of Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern day Karate, he was known as the master technician and the teachers’ teacher of Traditional Karate. Under his guidance, I learned that skill development was perpetual and the process to improve oneself never ends.
The pragmatism of his approach was unique, always designing and upgrading training methodology that was systematic, analytical and accountable, and it laid the foundation for my self-development. I am forever grateful for Nishiyama Sensei for giving me the tools to becoming an independent thinker and a practitioner.
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- Toru Shimoji
April 2024
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Most of us take for granted that the word “dojo” just means a place where we practice Karate. It is a Japanese word made up of two kanji characters, “doh” and “jyo”. The first kanji means the way, path, or road. The second one, a place or location. Combined together, it means a place of the way, or where we study the way. I like to take a closer look at the first kanji.
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Those familiar with Chinese philosophy/spirituality know the term Tao, pronounced “dao”, which is the Chinese equivalent of “doh”. This character is used in Japanese martial arts; for example: Aikido, the way of uniting the energy, Judo, the way of yielding, and Kendo, the way of the sword. Beyond martial arts, you have Japanese arts like Kado, the way of flower (flower arrangement); Shodo, the way of writing (calligraphy); and Chado, the way of tea (tea ceremony).
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Whenever this “doh” kanji is applied to a Japanese art form, the overall purpose of the quest is the development of the self; as in character development, personal evolution, and service to others. An active engagement in the arduous training leads the practitioner to face hardship and challenges that get more difficult with each passing rank. By design these obstacles are meant to dare the individuals to look deeper, further and beyond what is merely on the surface. Through continual reflection and contemplation, it can lead to insights that further propel the practitioner to strive for better understanding. It is a process that never ends.
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The point is to observe oneself in the midst of the struggle to realize that the state of perfection lies in knowing that the pursuit of perfection is in itself the perfect state.
I witness this in our dojo where students are pushed to their physical, mental and emotional limits. It is never forced, but gently encouraged to take a chance to experience the limit of oneself. Certainly not for the weak of heart, and there is no easy way out; unless, of course, you decide to quit.
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- Toru Shimoji
March 2024
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Beginner’s Mind
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There is a sense of excitement to learning Karate when you first start training. Everything is a new experience with so many things to learn and so many areas to improve. Your mind is completely absorbed in navigating new challenging body movements. Over time, however, you get to a certain level where you know how to execute the techniques and the humdrum attitude sets in. At this point, your growth can plateau since you view training as a monotonous repetition of ingrained patterns. It’s at this junction that you may start to find excuses to miss classes or even think about quitting. If this is the case, then how do you sustain motivation to continue with Karate?
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The title phrase came from a book written by a Zen Buddhist priest, Shunryu Suzuki called, “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”. It became popular with martial artists during the 80’s when I was coming up, since Zen philosophy and Japanese Budo are closely linked.
Beginner’s Mind means to view, experience or think of something with a fresh mindset, no matter how familiar or routine it may be to you. It is to be present at all times, seeing something clearly for what it is, now. It’s no longer about learning something new, but going deeper into what you are already know superficially. You erase preconception and avoid the trap of mundanity. So how do you actually do this?
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For example, a partner drill like “forearm touches” is easy to learn and get familiar with, and over time you can do this without much thought. Then the drill becomes a mere warm-up, like strolling in the park with your friend. So, instead of engaging in a conversation with your partner about the weather, sports or what you did over the weekend, you can instead go deep within yourself and perhaps ask: what happens when I move my shoulders in various positions, how does my breathing effect the hits, when do my hips engage during the cycle, are there different ways I can connect my feet to the floor, what is the practical application to this movement, and so on and so forth.
If the entire training is approached with this mindset, then each technique you perform becomes an experience new unto itself, regardless of familiarity. Presence, observation, and reflection naturally move you to fresh insights that offer the possibility to connect karate to other aspects of life. This is the essence of Budo.
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- Toru Shimoji