Tag: budo

Kawaru: Are You Giving A Chance To Change?


This morning, I read a post by my friend Alexander Ivanov, a Wudang instructor from Sofia, Bulgaria. The following sentence made me think and enticed me to write about change.

“To blindly go where everyone walks is the same as ignoring a new experience for the familiar.”

In other words, following the same behaviour as others does not get you anywhere. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.” This is what it is about here.

Most adults follow the behavioural norms of Society. Often, it is because they see change as painful, stressful, and full of risks.

Change is a chance given to us through experimentation. Trying something new always gives a chance to evolve. Evolution is the result of experience. Change often benefits you and others; returning to your old ways is easy if it sometimes leads to a mistake. Change is what life is about. There is no risk in changing your conduct, only benefits.

Nature is everywhere in Japan. And the Japanese have studied the changes in nature for centuries. There are many ways to express change. Kawaru is one of them (2). It means either “change” or “to be transformed”. In Budō, this ability to change is “henka”, for which the standard translation is “variation.” In reality, henka is much more. (3)

Limiting “henka” to “variation” doesn’t cover the deep essence hidden within the concept of change. Sensei explained to me once that you add two kanji to write Henka: “hen” and “ka”. Both mean “change”. And “Hen” represents the beginning of change, whereas “Ka” is the end. (4)(5). Kawaru shows the end of change (ka). That means the transformation has been processed. You have been “changed”; it’s done. You are already behaving differently. The same day, Sensei also said that “henka” is the definition of in-yo, the Japanese version of yin-yang. (6)

And this is the key to understanding what change is. Javary explains that the first Chinese pictogram for “yin” is rain (雨) above sun (太陽). And “yang” is sun above rain. (7) 

Yin-yang is a symbol of change, nothing more. The original mix of sun and rain was to show the process of change occurring in nature. Looking at a mountain, the Chinese noticed that one side was dryer and brighter than the other. The mountain is yin-yang in essence. “Yin-yang is one,” said Mr Kasi, Dzogchen master of the Dalai Lama. “you cannot say yin AND yang, it has to be yin-yang. If you separate the terms it creates duality.” The mountain is yin-yang and one at the same time.

Change is a chance; it shows a progression and a potential evolution. Change exemplifies the unity of Nature. When you refuse to change, you refuse to evolve. You decide to stay where you are and behave like the other ones. You create duality and refuse unicity.

Hatsumi Sensei used to say in class that we have to create change in our lives. Change will do that for you. Change your attitude toward change today and begin to grow your chance tomorrow!

Be yourself; don’t always follow the others; accept change in your life and be happy

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1 This sentence comes from the Wudang Daoist Traditional Kungfu Academy facebook page. Alex apart from being a Wudang sifu, is also a 6th dan Karate instructor from Japan. We met in Dubai about ten years ago when he was living in Abu Dhabi. It was always a pleasure to share our common vision of martial arts. The forms might be different, the spirit stays the same. Like many Bujinkan teachers, he travels to Japan and China once a year to improve his knowledge of Budō and Wushu. I invited him once to train at Honbu. Follow him on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/alexander.ivanov.8169

2 変わる kawaru: to change; to be transformed; to be altered; to vary

3 変 hen: change (the beginning of)

4 変 ka ou 化 ka (the end of)

5 変化 henka: variation = in-yo or yin-yang: the dynamic of change

6 陰陽 inyō i.e. Yin-yang (in modern kanji). If yin is different today, you can still see the sun above the rain in the kanji for yang today. The right half of the kanji, after the beta⻏, shows the sun 日 above the rain 雨 = 陽.

7 Cyrille Javary: https://www.amazon.fr/Discours-tortue-D%C3%A9couvrir-chinoise-Yi-Jing/dp/2226131582 (only in French)

Jūjiro Or The Indirect Fight


jujiro application

In the Kukishin ryū, there is one central concept that many don’t know, and it is called “Jūjiro”. (1) With the pandemic, everyone experiences difficult times, and it seems that many of us should be reminded of some basic concepts. Jūjiro is one of them.

Bujinkan practitioners often do not understand or never heard of what is Jūjiro. 

Let me refresh your memories about the Kukishin Ryū. When you receive an attack, you must pivot at a 90-degree angle with the body, weapon or both. Staying in line with the opponent is the fastest way to lose a fight. Sport is different as you don’t die in it. If you are defeated in a championship, only your ego is killed, momentarily. 

Olympic fencers fight in line, Kendōka always remains in line. My Mandalorian friends would say, “That is not the way.” Lines are direct; therefore, they are never the best. Fencing and Kendō would get more exciting and realistic the day fencers and Kendōka are allowed to turn around each other. Because that is what you would do in a real encounter. But if sport can be a “way of life” for some, it is definitely not a real-life and death situation. Budō is not a sport, rather an ancient military system.

In Japan, Sensei teaches that Jūjiro is used in the Kukishin when possible. Jūjiro consists of moving perpendicular to the attack or using the weapons perpendicular to the target. You apply Jūjiro against a human or a weapon. If you test it in your next training, you will see how powerful it is. Jūjiro creates more freedom in your actions and opens up more possibilities for your taijutsu.

But there is more to this concept. When you think about the movements, you limit yourself to the physical world, and the material world is only the Omote. 

There is also an Ura aspect we can use in the mental world. And to explain this, I will need the support of my old friends Laozi and Sunzi.

In the art of war, Sunzi says that “In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack – the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of manoeuvres. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn, and it is like moving in a circle – you never come to an end. He adds that “the meeting takes place head-on, and the victory is obtained from an angle”. This direct vs indirect can be related to the cultural differences between the East and the West. In the East, indirect actions are always preferred to direct ones. That is why the Japanese never say “no” but always find a positive way to be negative. For example, when I asked a question to sensei, he would do one of two things: he would answer my question or say something like “step by step.” That was his way to say “no” without being negative (even though he is being negative). 

This Asian vision of life is beautifully explained in a book by Francois Jullien, a French sinologist. In one of his books titled “Detour and Access: Strategies of Meaning in China and Greece,” he gives a few examples of direct vs indirect action. (2) By not confronting Uke’s actions head-on, you can redirect his intent in other directions. We are tempted to confront the other in a verbal argument instead of accompanying his vision and tilting it. This is the art of negotiation. Nothing good comes from confrontation. This is the “no fight” attitude or “tatakainai.” (3)  

In the famous Taoteching, Laozi says, “don’t do anything and nothing will be left undone”, which you can understand as “when you oppose someone or something, your actions influence the outcome of the encounter. By not going head-on, you don’t create any unforeseen consequences. Direct confrontation is the opposite of the teaching of Tao. One day I had the chance to speak with the Dzogchen master of the Dalai Lama told me that “Opposing In and Yō is creating duality instead of unity, this is not the Madhyamaka.” (4) (5)

In battle, this is the direct approach that has to be avoided. Sunzi adds, “by rectitude, we make order reign, we use the troops at an angle. ”Both the direct and the indirect approaches are in use; the timing is different and should not be mixed. This no-confrontation defines Hatsumi Sensei’s Budō, and it is a very profound lesson for our lives. 

Avoiding direct opposition with others is the best way for negotiating. The Covid has dramatically changed the way we live. On the planet, many groups are fighting each other violently. This is the time of direct confrontation and thus of duality. Please consider going indirectly with the flow instead of rebelling uselessly. The way of Budō is a way of wisdom. Fight what you can change by yourself and what is beyond your possibilities. 

Ninpō Taijutsu teaches us the way of adaptation. 

So, constantly adapt to the situation, and use Jūjiro a little more at your dōjō and outside in real life. 

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1 Jūjiro 十字路, crossroads or intersection

2 https://www.amazon.com/Detour-Access-Strategies-Meaning-Greece/dp/1890951102/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1HD1R3XXBOZI1&dchild=1&keywords=francois+jullien&qid=1635441571&s=books&sprefix=francois++jullien%2Cstripbooks%2C287&sr=1-4

3 戦い無い, tatakainai: non existent fight, no fight

4 In-Yō is the Chinese for Yin-Yang

5 中觀見, Madhyamaka: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhyamaka