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Old style’, modern meaning: An ethnographic exploration of the value of a traditional martial art in contemporary Japan.
- 1. ‘Old style’, modern meaning: An ethnographic exploration of the value of a traditional martial art in contemporary Japan. Anna Seabourne, University of Manchester European Association of Japanese Studies University of Ljubljana, 26 – 30 August 2014
- 2. 古流‘old style’ koryū bujutsu • Recognised as koryū by other koryū • Pre-Meiji Restoration • Secretive • Few members • Lineage • System is passed from teacher to student • Traditional training methods • Do not compete • Formal curriculum of techniques
- 3. Few members
- 4. Lineage
- 5. kata geiko
- 6. Curriculum
- 7. makimono
- 8. • Founded in 1532 • Comprehensive system • Known for kogusoku and bo • Forerunner of Judo
- 9. Does it have meaning? [I have learnt…] the importance of doing and being myself. (Fujiwara, 20s, student, F) [It] has become a part of me, and if I don’t train, I get frustrated. It’s like eating. (Maeda, 50s, senior management, M) It’s part of life, like breathing. (Ishida, 50s, banker, M)
- 10. Spiral curriculum - kihon 形 kata forms 基本 kihon basics 演武 embu performance 口伝 kuden oral teachings dōjō head assistant teacher beginner
- 11. kihon
- 12. Spiral curriculum - kata 形 kata forms 基本 kihon basics 演武 embu performance 口伝 kuden oral teachings dōjō head assistant teacher beginner
- 13. kata
- 14. Spiral curriculum - embu 形 kata forms 基本 kihon basics 演武 embu performance 口伝 kuden oral teachings dōjō head assistant teacher beginner
- 15. enbu enbu
- 16. Spiral curriculum - kuden 形 kata forms 基本 kihon basics 演武 embu performance 口伝 kuden oral teachings dōjō head assistant teacher beginner
- 17. kuden
- 18. Calendar - brief
- 19. Understanding the body Individual • Exercise • Basic movement • ‘body work’ through kata • Posture, balance, coordination • Awareness of own aging • Ukemi Other people • Understanding how people move • Reading posture • Awareness of aging as process • Physical contact Environment • Ability to deal with different conditions • Weapons, space • Enbu as a test
- 20. Perhaps the most important thing is communication through the body. Waza and kata are living things. They can not just be taught by words. This is a wonderful thing. (Ishida, 40s, banker, M)
- 21. Understanding the mind, kokoro Individual • ‘Being myself’ • Overcoming adversity • Self-worth • Learning to think, learning to learn Other people • Communication skills • Teacher-student relationship Environment • Awareness • Strategy • Management
- 22. In terms of life, jinsei, it’s more than doing work, it’s the “know ‘Know how”, how’ things I’ve learnt from Kancho, from senpai. …hikidashi, I have my own drawer in which I keep various things, to which I have added. For example, when it comes being put on the spot to sing, doing enbu, it [prepares you] for giving a speech. Being able to rely on this at any point. The five ways of learning, seven ways of teaching narai no gokajō, is very useful. It’s about how to relate to humans, how to enjoy things, to do things straight away. It has been extremely useful and has taught me lots of things. (Uetake, late 40s, civil servant, M)
- 23. Five principles of learning 1. gratitude for being taught 2. prompt action 3. devising your purpose 4. comparison with other things 5. teaching
- 24. Work
- 25. Tachi-machi
- 26. So what?
- 27. Thank you... anna.seabourne@postgrad.manchester.a c.uk School of Arts, Languages @lucubrat http://lucubrat.wordpress.com School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
Editor's Notes
- My research explores the classical martial system of Takenouchi-ryū Bitchūden as a form of education and character development. Students devote years to this intensely mentally demanding and potentially dangerous physical combative art. The main focus is on what practitioners learn; the impact it has on their lives, identities and conceptions of self; and how koryū bujutsu1 relate to life, leisure and education in Japan Fundamentally, I aim is to discover how and why the practice of TRB affects the lives of its members. My talk is in two parts, looking at the koryu practices[old style] and then the meaning it has for members of one dojo.
- The term koryu bujutsu (古流武術）literally translates as 'old style’ martial techniques. Definitions are contested, however, recognised as koryū by other koryū (CONTRAST TO GENDAI) Pre-Meiji Restoration [formal definition] OTHER CHARACTERISTICS, Secretive NEXT! and is used to refer to the classical martial traditions of Japan established before the modern era. Friday has identified over 700 koryu 1997) and the Japan Kobudo Association lists 78 extant member koryu (though there are more). However, despite the prevalence of martial arts in popular culture, film and television, most (if not all) koryu are unfamiliar to people outside the koryu world, even in Japan.
- Few members
- Lineage - System is passed from teacher to student A further feature is the prevalence of lineages. For someone to say they are a member of xx ryu, they should be able to state who their teacher is, their teacher’s teacher and so on back to the founding of the ryu. Many ryuha are passed down through a family line, such as xxx or xxx.
- Traditional training methods, kata geiko Do not compete
- Curriculum Makimono Formal curriculum of techniques
- Illustration of kata Makimono Ties together, history, lineage, formal kata, training methods Leads to intro to TRB
- 竹内流備中伝 MENKYO KAIDEN system: Background info on TRB: Oldest documented style ME Methodology – CUT THIS? Access: member since 1996, permission from Kancho Approach Participant observation Semi-structured interviews Summer 2012, Autumn 2013, Spring 2014 Preliminary findings
- Does it have meaning? …leads to t’the system’? How?
- Spiral curriculum - kihon Dojo – second home, place to grow up Milestones – promotion Dan grades = for the individual Menkyo system = in relation to others
- Kihon, dojo interior
- KATA Pair training system (with third member)
- KATA As a container for knowledge Makimono Names Taught in sequence Sempai = O, kohai = ∆ roles As a developmental tool at different stages of learning A spiral curriculum “Learning to learn”
- enbu Milestones – promotion
- enbu Public or ceremonial performance of kata “Assessment” of kata learning Like a presentation - testing of ideas under pressure!
- Dojo – second home, place to grow up Milestones – promotion Dan grades = for the individual Menkyo system = in relation to others Pair training system (with third member)
- Kuden Introduce Kancho
- Calendar – brief 21 interviews * Events observed as participant observer.
- Understanding the body Body as first step, linked to using mind/intelligence Learning how to move/control own body, Ukemi – safety ‘When he took up soccer, the youngsters would ask him why he didn’t fall down when he was kicked, he realised it was because of his budô experience, he’d learnt how to use his body well, even though he was an ojisan, old guy. = Kumatani Change from strength to skill to overcome aging, aging body. Body work – following the form and also acknowledged by participants as important in other areas, but the idea of karado o tsukeru through repeated practice, hanpaku renshu Life force/ki Weapons, space, eg Kumatani = it’s more than using just the body, moving beyond the body, improvisation (picked up lighter) Enbu = Byakugoji, snow, using water to make bo slip, Carpenter, use of tools
- What have you learnt? Very long pause… Perhaps the most important thing is communication through the body. = Ishida, moving on to communication
- Dojo as a place to be oneself, voluntary, place to explore who they are Adversity:, perseverance, frustration at not being able to do the techniques Self-worth: grading Think: Fujiwara, ‘think for yourself’ ‘Kimi ha do omou?’ Kumatani Communication skills: being able to talk in front of others, preparation, kokoro gamae, Teacher student: Awareness: Kyoto student ‘what would I do?’ Strategy Management – Hayashi, restaurant, new recruits, Maeda (work as a dojo, place for making people), Kumatani: training employees
- KNOW HOW In terms of life, jinsei, it’s more than doing work, it’s the “know how”, things I’ve learnt from Kancho, from senpai. …hikidashi, I have my own drawer in which I keep various things, to which I have added. For example, when it comes being put on the spot to sing, doing enbu, it [prepares you] for giving a speech. Being able to rely on this at any point. The five ways of learning, seven ways of teaching narai no gokajō, is very useful. It’s about how to relate to humans, how to enjoy things, to do things straight away. It has been extremely useful and has taught me lots of things. (Uetake, late 40s, civil servant, M) [Picture shows rolled tatami coverings being recycled into targets for tameshigiri, test cutting]
- FIVE PRINCIPLES: Written by Kancho, 1976, Doshisha club journal, widely circulated since, also on the dojo wall. Hayashi, 40s, restaurant manager “For example, when I became a manager, at different stages I was managing ten, thirty, then a hundred people, each has a different requirement, therefore I had to think about how to view them, how to manage them and do my own work. When I started, there were not many seniors [at the dojo], only really Sugahara. Therefore, in your twenties, you have to think about what you can do in your thirties, and in your thirties, what you will be able to do in your forties. Physical power and the situation changes. So make that a benchmark, watch those in their forties and think about your own keiko. What you can do at each stage is very important. The ….principles of learning and teaching are very good theories. Now I am a manager, I have to educate a lot of part time staff, I have used these a lot. I have made my own version and give it out. I also say that this is how I learnt. Where Kancho used keiko, I substituted ‘service’.”
- WORK “I’ve worked with taxes, so have had to deal with yakuza, Mafia types, but I’m not frightened of those kind of people. I know that if someone is angry, not to get frightened, it gives you confidence, I’ve not been in fear for my life, but have been under pressure. senryaku teki strategically, tactically, it’s a way of thinking. If you are against strong people, for example in my work I sometimes have to go to seize taxes, people hide the money and I have to work out how to find it. I have used tactics which came from my studies in budō. It’s not very clean work. So [TRB] is not in front, but it’s there behind things.“ (Uetake, late 40s, civil servant, M)
- TACHI-MACHI (Kumatani, 50s, Engineer, M) Whatever the occurrence, it’s good to know alternative actions. This is heiho, strategy. For example, BEFORE there is a big accident, look at the ura, find the way out. There was someone who had an accident and tried to get compensation, but we stopped it from the start, before anything could happen. If you step back and look but then are ready to make a move, so that you can react quickly.
- (Ishida, 40s, Banker, M) “Differences between other budô, why do TRB? Not just because it’s old, but because it works. This is a big reason. You can attempt to put the skills on paper, but it can be done in front of your eyes. This is a big difference. Can you copy it? It’s is alive if you can do this. If you can’t do it, then you’re not able to give back. You can’t take it to the grave. “ [RECONSTRUCTION - LIKE ISE SHRINE?] Kancho and grading: a small tree becomes a large tree. Kancho is doing the same with people. [ISHIDA] Not‘just a hobby’, for exercise or a form of historical reenactment; influences their daily existence, including work and relationships with others. Long-term participants see it as an integral aspect of their lives, an important source of well-being and intrinsic to how they deal with the challenges of life in contemporary Japan. Wider: ‘kata’, ‘musha shugyo’ ethos and values permeate Japanese society, going to ‘the source’ (one of)