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BUDO AND THE PERFORMING ARTS
You have compared
Budo as martial art to Budo as dance. What do the martial arts and dance have
in common? Why are some people photogenic from any angle?
raditionally in Japan,
dance and the martial arts considered to be one. The character is written
differently, but pronunciation is same, budo. A master dancer or actor fills
the stage with Ki presence. He doesn't look at the audience, because he is
completely engaged in becoming the part. Totally involved in the role he
forgets his ordinary self, and the audience is captivated. You can only do
this if you unify mind and body. When you extend Ki you are photogenic from
any angle. It is the visual equivalent of having no opening to attack.
What is the
difference between sports and martial arts?
The Chinese Master Sun Tzu, who wrote the classic the Art of War, talked of
three kinds of winning. The inferior way is to win by fighting, while the
superior way is win without fighting. Many sports have gone down the path of
winning by fighting. They pay lip service to sportsmanship, yet inside they
believe that winning is more important than how you play the game. Some
martial arts are also practiced like sports without sportsmanship. The
superior way is to win without fighting. The real meaning of the character
for Bu is ''to stop the spear,'' to win hands down, without contest. As I
explained, this is the approach that we take in the Taigi Competition, and it
can also work in daily life. We must look at the fundamentals, and not
practice just for show.
Do you need to get
a high rank in Aikido in order to perform with Ki in other fields such as
music, the performing arts, or business? How should you practice so as to be
able to perform well under pressure?
Unifying mind and body works in theater and dance, and in all of the
performing arts. People have performance problems when they practice with a
careless attitude, and then expect to perform at their best. I once met a
master of the traditional Japanese flute, Hyakunosuke Fukuhara, who asked me
to teach him how to unify mind and body when doing a performance. I asked him
to hold the flute as if he were performing, and when I unexpectedly tested
him he fell right over. He asked to try again, and this time seriously put
himself in the frame of mind of the performer on stage, even though he had no
actual flute in his hands. This time he passed the test, and was a stable as
tree. He already knew how to unify mind and body, but could only do it when
he was serious about practice or performance. A real master is one who can do
this anytime. Your stage performance is really a reflection of your daily
practice. This is why I teach my students to treat a wooden sword as if it
were sharp real sword. If you practice this way, then even if your opponent
holds a real sword, you will be able to face it as calmly as if it were a
wooden sword.
BARRIERS
& OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARNING KI
Many people who
would like to come to Japan
and study Ki-Aikido or Kiatsu at headquarters simply cannot afford the time
and expense to take 2 years out of their career, move to Japan, and
learn the language. What alternatives do they have if there is no dojo
nearby?
There are many Ki Society dojos around the world. We are also developing a
home study course with video, whereby people can learn at home or with a
group of friends. They can then come to headquarters just twice a year for a
4-day seminar to check their progress. Though this approach may take more
time than an intensive residential study, we have found that for a serious
student the amount of time is not the most important element in progress.
Even before the days of video, I remember a group of 5 students who would get
together and train using my book as a guide. They would take turns, with one
person reading how to do the technique step-by-step, while the other 4 practiced
in two pairs. When I saw them I was surprised at how well they were doing it,
even without the benefit of a teacher! The most important thing is a strong
desire to learn, a good set of teaching materials, and an opportunity to have
a more senior person check your progress on some regular basis. Even under
less than ideal circumstances, it is possible to make more progress than
someone who is around it every day, but lacks the proper attitude to learn.
Some people in the
West resist doing Aikido or other martial arts training because they think it
might go against their religious beliefs. Aikido has been influenced by
Shinto as well as Buddhism. Does a person need to maintain any such beliefs
to practice Aikido?
Bowing is an oriental custom. It's original meaning is to show respect. We
are not worshiping idols or practicing a cult religion. We bow to the painted
character Ki in the front of the dojo simply because it represents our
respect for the universe. We then bow to the instructor and to each other for
the same reason. The symbol isn't important. You salute the flag to show
respect to God and country, and to your fellow man. It is not a limited form
of respect, which is reserved for one and not for another. The important
thing is to show respect for universal life in all its forms.
BRIDGING
THE GENERATION GAP
As you prepare
your son to carry on your work, what are the similarities and the differences
in the challenges he will face compared to what you faced at his age?
My son Shinichi has the advantage of being able to start by standing on my
shoulders. He doesn't have to figure it out from scratch, or piece it
together as I had to from this person or that. Another difference is that
when I was his age Japan
was at war. Nothing was handed to you. You had to fend for yourself. Nothing
could be obtained without effort, including in your training.
On the other hand
nothing was clearly explained, and there were many meaningless traces of
tradition to mislead you. In his generation everything has been handed to
them, with no need to struggle. However, if he has the same level of
motivation, it is possible for him to accomplish in 5 years what it took me
20 years to do, simply because the teaching has been refined to a high level.
There is much less need for trial-and-error, no need to pursue so many false
leads in training.
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INTERVIEW
with Master Koichi Tohei & Waka Sensei
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8 of 9
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