Public Relations Ninjas

Breaking news:

Last ninja: 'Be able to kill your students'

"The teachings of Grand Master Masaaki Hatsumi echo through my head as he entreats me to attack a blackbelted disciple with a practice sword. 'Always be able to kill your students,' he says."

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/14434176.htm
http://p45.news.re2.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060426/ap_on_re_as/japan_the_last_ninja_lh1

I just love the headline. I also always wonder how one gets these kind of PR puff pieces. I guess the Bujinkan is large enough and well known enough to be able to attract attention. As such pieces go, it's pretty well written and doesn't distort too many facts.

It's also really interesting that they wrote up a description of the 5th dan test; it's my understanding that this test is a really big deal so I would have thought all the details would be more secret. "Twice the staff cracks on White's head before he slumps out of the way on his third try — enough to satisfy the master."

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Respecting Live Swords

I’ve been thinking a lot about live swords today…that is, sharp Japanese katana…razor sharp.

In the past, I've seen heard a number of arguments on training with live swords, also known as shinken. Generally, a small number of folks think live blades are important for training, while the majority of practitioners think that such a position is irresponsible and insane.

We use live swords in our school.

Generally, we use them for solo practice, especially iai (sword drawing) forms. We almost always use bokken (wooden swords) for drills with a partner. Although, on very rare occasions, we do use real swords for such drills among the more experienced students--in which case we all move very, very carefully.

And that is the key to the argument in favor of live blades: it forces you to be aware and to treat the weapon with respect. If you are training to fight with a sword, you need to practice with a sword, and know how it behaves and what it can do.

Put crudely--arrogantly--'if you play with toys you will learn to use them as toys.'

It has been said that where kendo is about improving yourself, kenjutsu is about killing. We students of kenjtsu are learning first to avoid death and second to kill. No matter how anachronistic the art, or how graceful we try to make it, in the end we need to be honest with ourselves. This is an art of life and death. In every moment of our practice, we must be serious and mindful.

We practice with live swords so that we will not be harmed by them--yet another paradox of the traditional martial arts.


From the other point of view, the argument against live swords is simple. It's dangerous. Stupidly dangerous. It is irresponsible to place students at risk, and there is enormous liability if they get hurt. Most Japanese sword arts do not let students anywhere near a live blade for many years, if at all.

Of course, kendo is almost defined by its safety equipment (bamboo swords and armor), so one would not expect them to use live blades. Indeed, they take the opposite approach of developing life-and-death mindfulness by being safe enough that kendoka can spar at full speed with full intention.

Most iaido practitioners use an unsharpened iaito instead of a live sword for safety reasons. Although, I often wonder (with pure speculation) if the switch in many styles away from shinken had less to do with safety than with post-WWII restrictions on swords and martial arts. Advanced practitioners will often use shinken, but only after years of practice.

Now, I’m not trying to claim that practicing with a dangerous weapon is superior to other types of training. It is easy to let juvenile machismo lead one down that path. Not everybody practices swords arts for the same reason, not everybody is the same kind of student.

I, for one, am a lifelong klutz.

One can mull all these arguments, but in the end, I practice with a real sword because my teacher tells me that is how I should practice and because that is how he learned. Sometimes it feels terrifying--the first time I swung a live naginata, fear and awareness coursed through me. Sometimes it feels like stupidity. Sometimes it just feels like everyday life. And that, perhaps, is the worst reaction.

In fact, on this particular day I'm not feeling very good about the way I train and the mindfulness behind it. I have stopped fearing my sword. I have become too comfortable in my practice. I have stopped respecting the fact that my sword is a tool of mortal peril.


Thus, yesterday, while practicing a quick-draw I had not tried in months, I stabbed myself in the hand.

The cut was deep--deep enough that I'm lucky no tendons were severed.

I was trying to remember the subtleties of the draw while not paying attention to performing them. I was supposed to stab the imaginary opponent behind me, but I didn't keep my left hand down, so it met the sword's tip at full speed.

In the end, it has all turned out okay. I've got a bunch of stitches and need to keep my hand on light duty for a week or two. All that will remain is an angry scar and embarrassing questions about how I got it.


But for today, I'm thinking hard about swords--what they mean to me and why I practice.

I'm know that next time I pick up my sword it will be with a sense of fear: not respect, but fear of the dog that bit me. Once the fear fades, I hope that a mature respect will return in its place. I hope that for the future I will stay focused and mindful. I hope that every time I pick up my sword, I will stare at the scar on my hand and remember--remember that martial arts is the struggle of life and death--and I'm my own enemy.

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Cardboard Tube Samurai

Penny Arcade is an online comic strip that normally sticks with jokes about video games, random vulgarity, or characters stabbing each other in the eye.

Every once in a while, however, they put "Gabe" in a period setting, give him a cardboard tube as a sword and have him kill evil henchmen. Today the "Cardboard Samurai" here.

Some past comics:

March 2003, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

July 2003

January 2004

July 2004, Part 2

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Martial Arts Ads - 1985

I always thought the whole point of being a ninja was the fact nobody knew you were a ninja. I mean, telling people you’re a ninja kind of takes away that element of surprise.

I do think it would be cool to learn the power of Invisibility though.

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How To Make A Shuriken

I thought this was kind of fun, though I wish the instructions were more readable. I, for one, have a hard time following illustrations. But I did manage to make one that didn’t fall apart right away.

PDF File

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My Japanese Art Collection: Doshin

A few months ago I purchased the below print from an E-bay auction. I bought it solely because the print depicts doshin (police officers), even though the seller had no information regarding who the artist was, when it was printed, or the story it relates to.

So far I know this much; there is no artist signature or publishers seal anywhere on the print, not even a watermark. It also appears that this print was part of a bound book, since there are holes along one side of it. The print also lacks a certain attention to detail, making me believe it is fairly modern piece of work.

Other than that I have not been able to find anything else. Hopefully, someone out there who sees this will be able to tell me more. Any help will be appreciated.

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Looking Back – Don Angier Seminar 1994

With the upcoming Yanagi Ryu seminar on April 29th/April 30th 2006, I find myself reminiscing about the first time I met Mr. Angier.

That day was April 16th 1994. It was a day that would change a lot of things for me, especially in regards to how I teach, and the direction I would take my school from that period on. You could say it was a turning point in my martial-arts career.

When my teacher left to return to Japan in 1989, he left a void. I no longer had a teacher, nor was I sure what to call what I had been doing for all those years. My teacher had no name, no style label, for what he taught.

All I knew was that it was Japanese, and that we used swords, spears, naginata, various other polearms, jutte, tessen, tanto, jo, and lots of empty-hand techniques that focused on vital point strikes and joint locking techniques. I also knew from his stories that this was not karate or aikido, two arts he had little respect for.

I also knew it was related to the Samurai, (low ranking samurai) though my teacher always downplayed that connection.

The problem for me was that in 1989 there were few if any Japanese-style martial arts being taught in the San Francisco Bay Area other than judo, aikido, kendo, and jujutsu. If there was an iaido school, I wasn’t aware of it. And although I heard rumors of a school that taught naginata, I could never find it. (Remember the Internet wasn’t what it is today in 1989.)

So there I was without a teacher or a clue what to look for. My search began.

For the next two years I investigated numerous schools throughout my area. I tried karate schools, aikido schools, kenpo schools, various styles of jujutsu, and a few Chinese systems.

I approached each with an open mind, but I knew what I was looking for, and didn’t want to settle for anything less. The longest I lasted in any of the schools was four months. Long enough to form a legitimate opinion whether the school was what I was looking for, and could meet my expectations.

To say that after a few years I became discouraged is in an understatement. Not just because I couldn’t find another teacher like my old one, but also because all these schools taught so differently. The training was nowhere near what I was used to.

In many schools no contact was ever made between students when doing techniques. In others all we did was sparring. Then there were schools where the uke would fall before you ever even did anything, and worse yet the uke couldn’t even attack realistically.

Then of course there were those styles (mainly the Chinese ones) where everything was so foreign to what I had done all my martial-arts life. They were interesting, and gave me a new perspective on how the body can be used, but they still weren’t what I was searching for.

Lastly, few if any (except the Chinese ones) did weaponry, besides the staff and various assorted Okinawan weaponry. Few, if any, had ever heard of, or knew how to use the jutte, yari or tessen. And don’t even get me started on what I thought of the sword work many of these schools passed off as traditional.

After searching for a school for several years my mind started to play tricks on me. No one taught the way my teacher had, nor did anyone teach the things he taught.

Sure, the aikido and jujutsu schools taught similar things. But there were still some major differences between the execution of the techniques, and the intention behind what they taught. Some were too sporty, others to spiritual. In many cases they just simply lacked realism.

There was the additional fact that in several of these schools my abilities were better than the instructors. I’m not saying these instructors didn’t have things to offer, or that my skills were superior, but it was clear I had more experience and many more hours of training than many of these guys who were now teaching me. That was very frustrating.

Yes, I know that when you start at a new school, you are suppose to start with an “empty cup” and a willingness to learn their way. But doing things you know are simply wrong, and you can prove are wrong within a few seconds is hard to do. It went against everything I had been trained to do. Keeping my mouth shut, and going with the flow, especially when something is wrong is not my strong point. Ask anyone who knows me.

Of course I tried to be a good boy, and do what I was told, but the more I relinquished my old ways the more I started to dislike the martial arts. There was even a point I almost stopped completely.

I’m very sad to say this, and I apologize to my teacher forever feeling this way, but I actually reached a point where I started to question what I had learned in the past. I started to think I had wasted my time, and what I learned wasn’t real. After all, everyone else did things so differently. How could they all be wrong?

Fortunately, these doubts were all about to change.

Now, I have no idea how I obtained the seminar flier for Don Angier’s seminar in Concord, California, and I can’t remember why I decided to attend it. At that point in my life I had never heard of Mr. Angier, or Yanagi Ryu.

I arrived on the morning of April 16th having no idea what to expect. All I knew was that Mr. Angier was the inheritor of a traditional Japanese system of martial arts, and that according to the flier his knowledge of the history, rituals, and secret teachings of traditional Japanese martial arts was “unparalleled in or out of Japan.”

Interesting enough billing to make me go, but I had still had reservations about whether anyone could live up to such hype. Of course I went in hoping for the best.

I’ll never forget my first impression of Mr. Angier as he greeted me coming out of the changing room. He was short, stocky, and walked with a limp. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and looked less like a martial artists than just about anyone I had ever met, though I learned early in my life never to judge a book by its cover.

While outward appearances rarely have anything to do with skill, what I remember most was that Mr. Angier was also very friendly and unassuming--another trait that immediately separated him from many instructors I had met at seminars, or in schools with well known head instructors.

The truth was that while Mr. Angier was the guest instructor, and people had come to see him, he still made it a point to greet everyone, and in my case to learn a little about my background.

Like I said, I didn’t know Mr. Angier or his history, so I’m sure he must have found my story of how I got involved in the martial arts quite amusing. After all, there are several parallels to our stories. Of course he didn’t say anything at the time, and I wouldn’t discover these commonalities until years later.

Now I’m not saying that my teacher and Mr. Angier have the same abilities--technically or in their methodology of teaching--or even do the exact same style of martial art. That wouldn’t be true. However, watching Mr. Angier that day I couldn’t help but think of my teacher, and the fact I had finally found someone who did things that were so closely related.

After all these years of searching I had finally found someone who could put a name to what I had learned, and remove all doubts about what my teacher had taught me. What I learned from my teacher was real, and there were others practicing the same things. I wasn’t wrong and my teacher wasn’t wrong--we were just different than the other schools in my area.

It would be an understatement to say I learned a lot during the two days of training with Mr. I learned years' worth of information, some of which I’m still working on today. However, the techniques he taught were just the icing on the cake for me.

The real value to me was all the concepts, ideas, and scientific principles Mr. Angier shared so openly and freely. Many of which I knew already, but he managed to put into a different context. Or should I say, reminded me of things I hadn’t explored in a long time, or had taken for granted.

Another important thing Mr. Angier did for me that weekend was renewing my desire to further investigate my art. He reminded me to value what my teacher had taught, and put aside my self-imposed desire to find a new school and start over.

Basically, he instilled in me a belief that I should practice and explore what I had already been exposed to, as well as search for the intricacies within the techniques I already knew.

Lastly and most importantly of them all Mr. Angier instilled the ideal to “be true to my art and myself.” This is something I had clearly wandered away from trying to cater to so many other people, and their opinions.

My first seminar with Mr. Angier was a major steeping stone towards the direction I now take when practicing and teaching others. It had such an impact on me I’ve made it a point to train with Mr. Angier whenever he is in my area. I’ve also made it a point to encourage all of my students to attend.

I never go to Mr. Angier’s seminars to learn techniques, and with some of the techniques he teaches I have a strong belief he has no real intention of anyone actually learning them. I think his goal is deeper, and his true intentions are to get martial art practitioners to “think” differently about what they do, how they do it, and why things have to be done a certain way. I truly think his goal is to inspire those who attend to search for the science behind techniques, and why things work so they can grow as martial artists and reach a level thy didn’t think possible beforehand.

So if I don’t go to Don Angier seminars for the techniques, why do I go? I go to a Don Angier seminar to be reminded of my past training, and to have my objectives as a martial artists renewed and invigorated. I go there for the explanations on how techniques work, and the martial science he shares. I go there to explore things I never thought of before, or to have theories of mine confirmed or contradicted.

I even go there to be “yelled” at when Mr. Angier corrects me over and over again for not being relaxed enough, or for using too much power. And yes, he corrects me a lot.

Most importantly of all, I go there to educate myself, mentally and physically--mostly mentally--so I can be the best martial artist I can be. The best teacher I can be.

I may never have Mr. Angier’s skill, or possess his knowledge about samurai history and traditions, but each year he pushes me to better than the year before. For that, and for helping me see the value of what my teacher gave to me, I am forever grateful.

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Martial Art Stamp Collecting

Now here is a hobby I never even thought of. Not the stamp collecting part, I used to do that as a kid, but specifically collecting stamps related to the martial arts. What a neat way to combine two interests.

Like I said, this idea never crossed my mind until I came across several websites written by individuals engaged in this activity. Several of these sites, are very informative, and clearly set up to be a reference source for collectors. Not only do they list what’s available by category and/or country, many of these sites also have numerous scans of the stamps themselves.

After spending some time looking over these sites I was amazed how many stamps depicting martial arts are available.

Sure most of the martial art stamps are related to the art of Judo, because of its relation to the Olympics, but I was able to find stamps that depict almost every martial art out there.

There are also stamps that depict famous martial artists; Olympians, famous movie characters and actors.

My favorite of all though are the ones that depict Disney characters doing martial arts, many of which I actually have in my stamp collection. (Though I collected stamps of the world when I was young, I only collect stamps with Disney characters on them now.)

Of course of all the 100’s of martial arts stamps I was able to view on the Internet I do have a favorite. That stamp is:

While I don’t think I’ll take up this hobby, I may consider it one day when I get bored of Disney related stamps. In the mean time however I would like to obtain one of the Samurai Duck stamps if I can find one. So if you have one for trade/sale let me know. My Donald Duck memorabilia collection can’t be complete without it.

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From Bad To Worse

Yesterday I reviewed a book titled, “ Learn Martial Arts In Eight Weeks,” by Michael de Pasquale, Jr. Basically I ripped the book apart, because of the title, and the fact the way the text was written it truly appears the author felt the material presented could actually be learned from a book, and that it would only take eight weeks. At least there was no disclaimer to suggest otherwise.

Today I found something that is a lot worse, and even more disturbing. It is clearly the next evolution of the claims made by books such as the one above.

The below is a copy of the actual ad as found on the Internet: www.ashidakim.com/dojopress/catalogbk7.html. CAVEAT EMPTOR!

MUGEI-MUMEI no Jitsu
THE 21st Century Martial Art

ANYONE CAN BE A BLACK BELT
No contracts or expensive classes
INSTANT KUNG FU
No boring forms or impossible exercises
OVERCOME ANY ATTACKER
Without physical Contact
BREAK BRICKS WITH YOUR BARE HANDS
No practice required
KILL AND RESTORE TO LIFE
The Power of Life and Death
GO BEYOND MERE TECHNIQUE
And learn the nature of Warriorship
Arranged in the traditional manner of Self Instruction, those who read this book even once will possess the knowledge and therefore the power, equal to that of any Black Belt 1st Degree in any recognized system of martial arts known to man. That rank and the Official DOJO Certificate confirming it are conferred upon the purchase of this text. The actual level of skill of the individual is a matter of personal choice and practice.
It has been said that, "Mugei-Mumei no Jitsu is better than Kung Fu, badder than Karate, softer than Tai Chi, gentler than Judo, and deadlier than Dim Mak." But, it is not WE who have said this.
BLACK BELT CERTIFICATE and
FREE DOJO MEMBERSHIP ID CARD
included with purchase
5 1/2 x 8 1/2, softcover;
retail $ 19.95 USD
Pay With PayPal

Copyright © 1998 Dojo Press, Inc.
All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form. SM112476


Now before I get on my soap box and start ranting, let me state that I have never read this book, nor do I have any first hand information on the art of Mugei-Mumei no Jitsu. Though my understanding is that it is a martial art developed by the infamous Ashida Kim, need more be said?

However, this essay is not about the book, the style, or the reputation of Ashida Kim. It’s about the claims this ad makes, and the certification it offers.

If you’re interested in reading a review of this book by someone who actually has a copy, you can read Phil Elmore’s essay titled “Mugei Mumei no Jitsu A book Review,” at http://www.themartialist.com/pecom/mugei.htm. It’s pretty amusing.

In a nutshell his review is basically what I thought the material would be; an opinion I made based solely on the above ad.

First of all, I don’t think I need to make comments about the claims this ad makes in regards to being better than other styles. That’s marketing, and if you're foolish enough to believe that, too bad for you. You and this book were made for each other.

Secondly, as for the claims such as, “overcome any attacker without physical contact,” and “kill and restore to life, the power of life and death” I’m not even sure what in the hell these things mean.

How do you overcome an attacker without making physical contact? Does this mean you run away? Don’t tell me this book teaches some mystical “chi” enhanced powers where the practitioner can extend his energy through the air. Or maybe this book teaches some Jedi Knight mind skills; “Luke, use the force.”

Or maybe you don’t make physical contact because as you attempt to use any of the information within this book the attacker knocks you out, or kills you. At this point the attacker is so “overcome” by what just happed they run away.

As for the lines, “kill and restore life, the power of life and death,” my only comment is, did Dr. Frankenstein write this book. Don’t the dead normally stay dead, except in zombie movies? Does this book teach voodoo? Or does this book teach you to kill your attacker, and then so you don’t feel guilty and remorseful methods of bringing them back to life?

Honestly I have absolutely no idea what this line means. This claim alone should be a red flag for anyone considering buying this book.

Lastly, in regards to the claim that “one only needs to read this information once and then will posses the same power and knowledge as a first degree black belt,” that’s just absurd. (editor's note: That depends whom you buy the black belt from)

Maybe, just maybe, some small amount of knowledge a black belt acquires can be achieved, but I can’t imagine how one gains “power,” unless the author is referring to the old adage, “knowledge is power,” which I don’t think is the author’s intentions.

Of course except for making money selling this nonsense, I have no idea what his real intentions are.

Putting all the authors claims aside, my biggest problem with this ad, and others like this one, is that a “Black Belt” certificate is sent along with the book. This not only degrades the entire black belt system, but also undermines the ethics and respectability of all martial arts.

It is unscrupulous practices such as this that hurt all of us, who actually worked our butts off to obtain acknowledgement and certification in the martial art we choose to practice. It undermines the very credibility of all of us who teach, and try to make a living propagating the martial arts.

While a book like “Learn Martial Arts In Eight Weeks” is bad enough on its own, sending a certificate to validate proficiency backing up such a claim is a thousand times worse.

Fortunately, most people will have the common sense to see this ad for what it is, however there are plenty of people who will not.

And then there are those unscrupulous enough to profit further once they have this material in their possession. These are the types of individuals who will use the accompanying certificate to validate themselves as teachers and open a martial art school. That’s not only scary; it’s extremely dangerous to those who get fooled into studying at such a school, and there will be people who do.

The sad fact is most novice students don’t know one martial art from another, nor how to judge who is qualified to teach them. Most beginners make their decision where to study based mainly on location and the teacher’s credentials.

Unfortunately, while these beginners may exam the credentials hung on a wall, they have no real clue how to evaluate them, or any way of knowing if they have any merit. For the most part, people just accept things at face value.

Sure, some of these novices who train at less reputable schools may get a clue early on and leave, but there will be others who will study hard and, heaven forbid, further propagate what they have learned.

Deep down I know there is nothing that can be done to stop these sorts of advertisements, and that my ranting on a “blog” won’t change things. I’m also aware this is not the first of these types of ads ever offered. I’ve seen others, some of which were even worse, though this one definitely ranks in the top five.

(To date the “Gracie jujitsu” home study instructor’s course complete with certificate, license to teach, and window decal, holds that honor. It was advertised in Black Belt magazine several years ago. Unfortunately, I don’t remember which Gracie offered this product.)

Hopefully if enough people speak out about this topic the message will get out there. After all, as martial artists, especially those of us who teach, it is our obligation to safeguard our fellow martial artists and those that may one day join us on the path.


(Editor's note: I'd just like to point out the irony that similar arguments have been used by message board denizens saying that Yachigusa-Ryu's lack of credentials harms their arts. I'll presume you can understand the difference. It's a complex world out there.)

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Kendo Article

Korea - The Black Ships of Kendo
The Internationalisation of Kendo and the Olympic Problem
by Alexander Bennett, 1/23/2004

http://www.kendo-world.com/articles/web/korea/index.php


This is a long, but interesting article on kendo. It is nominally about the influence of Korean kumdo practitioners and their desire to get kendo in the Olympics. However, it is really more of a meditation on the nature and evolution of kendo—the struggle between art and sport.

I'm fascinated with the history of kendo, and the contradictions that it tries to keep at bay. It began as a training tool for traditional swordsmanship, which became popular in the pre-modern age as teachers feared their students were lacking in spirit. But this one-time tool has now become its own art; the degradation of Western fencing shows what can happen when sparring is separated from real swordplay. Kendo is right to fear becoming a sport. Fencing has lost something that kendo still has.

Yet, "correct kendo" is in many ways self-defeating. Evolution is inevitable and conservatives often grasp at an imagined past. If one holds too tightly to the soul of budo, will the body be lost?

Technique without spirit leaves one left constrained by the boundaries of one's training. Spirit without technique allows one to die beautifully.

"I have trained in dojo which concentrate entirely on ‘correct kendo’. Every strike is big, straight and powerful. These exponents are, for the most part, completely oblivious to finer techniques such as well-timed debana-kote as they roll through like bulldozers."
(from Part III of the article)

Balance in all things.

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Quote on Perfection

“They say that nobody is perfect.
Then they tell you practice makes perfect.
I wish they'd make up their minds.”
Winston Churchill

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Book Review: Learn the Martial Arts in Eight Weeks

Title: Learn the Martial Arts in Eight Weeks By: Michael de Pasquale Jr. Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc. ISBN: 0-671-47469-3 Date: 1983 Out of Print

From the back cover:
“It’s a tough world out there --- be prepared!
Fitness and self-defense are yours in just eight weeks when you follow this unique martial arts program. Michael de Pasquale, Jr., founder and Executive Director of the Federation of United Martial Artists, combines for the first time, judo, karate, and ju-jitsu into one quick eight-week training plan.
An ideal book for anyone who wants to feel safer, stronger, and better prepared to cope with increased street crime and recognizes the need for self-protection, it is also a perfect way to shape up and feel fit.”

When I see a title such as this one, and read the above, two things immediately come to mind.

The first thing is that I hope the book won’t be too expensive, since I know I’m going to want to add it to my martial arts book collection. After all, I love collecting books that make such claims, as well as many of the older texts written in the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s by American martial art “pioneers.” In this case the book only cost $6.00, a bargain for a book that is out of print.

The second thing that immediately comes to mind--as I blurted out to the gentleman next to me who was also checking out the various new and used martial art books—is why have I wasted thirty plus years of my life learning the martial arts when I could have bought this book in the eighties and learned everything I needed to know in eight weeks?

For a moment, the man gave me a blank look. Then what I said registered. He smiled and we both broke out in laughter. The funniest thing was that this man had trained with the author’s father when he was a teenager, and personally knew Michael de Pasquale Jr. I guess this a small world after all.

Of course at that moment I was relieved that I hadn’t said anything more about what I really thought, but I get the impression he basically felt the same. He even stated something to the effect that if Michael de Pasquale Jr. could write such a book, why did he have to spend so many years at their school. Never passing an opportunity to be sarcastic, I retorted, because you didn’t buy the book.

After a few more minutes of banter about a few other silly titles we went our separate ways. I never even got the guys name.

Now that he is long gone, I’m free to express what I really think.

First of all, I have a real problem, and a true loathing for books like these because of the claims they make. I’m sorry to say this, but there are plenty of foolish people who would actually believe they can learn martial arts in eight weeks if they follow a program like this.

They actually believe they can learn martial arts from a book.

NO ONE, yes, I said NO ONE can learn martial arts from just reading a book, or for that matter from just watching a video. It’s not possible.

They can pretend to learn, but the only people they are fooling are themselves. Although I’m sure plenty of their friends will believe they’ve accomplished something. Such is life.

Learning martial arts requires first-hand training from a qualified instructor. There is just no other way a person can be exposed to the proper body mechanics, tactical information, or any of the other numerous intricacies that comprise the martial arts.

The most a book or a video can accomplish is to aid or augment one's knowledge--knowledge based on martial art techniques they already have some familiarity with.

Of course most books with titles like this have a disclaimer somewhere within the text that states nothing can substitute actual training with a qualified instructor. What really irked me about this particular text was it didn’t.

In fact the forward, written by Al Weiss, a 5th Dan in Combat Karate, states the following:
“It has been argued that one can’t become a skilled fighter by reading a book. I agree with that argument. But it isn’t necessary to be a skilled fighter to survive the average street confrontation. Confidence, awareness, and a few effective basic techniques, learned from a book and practiced until they become second nature, could help you subdue or discourage an assailant. Of course, the book has to be written by one who has the necessary knowledge, experience, and dedication – someone like Mike de Pasquale Jr.”

What?!!!!!!!!!

Okay, Mr. Weiss agrees one can’t become a skilled fighter from reading a book. We agree there.

He is also right about the fact you don’t have to be a skilled fighter to survive a confrontation on the street. Lots of little old ladies, elderly men, men, women, and children survive confrontations on the street daily.

Now I don’t know what “confrontation” he is referring to since that can mean anything from being verbally accosted, to robbery, to murder.

Common sense dictates one should just walk away from verbal confrontations, so this book and Mr. Weiss’s comments most likely don’t apply.

In most robberies people survive because they cooperate with the attacker and give them what they want; money, jewelry, keys to the car, etc. No possession is worth dying for. Short of saving your life, violence should be the last thing you resort to when you’re being robbed. That’s the standard “police spiel” on the matter, and I’m sticking to it.

In the case of assault, battery, rape, or other violent attack one must do what they feel is right, when and if the opportunity presents itself.

However, this book does not teach practical street related self-defense for those situations. There are no eye gouges, biting, pulling hair, nor even a suggestion you should scream for “help.”

No this book teaches basics blocks/strikes, kata (three of them), judo throws (14 of them) and some jujutsu kata mainly focusing on wrist techniques, arm bars, and basic karate/jujutsu style self-defense sequences.

There is also a section on defense against multiple opponents, which I won’t even comment on. Okay, one comment: learning to fight one person is hard enough, thinking you can take on a multiple number of attackers, especially if all you’ve ever studied is from a book, is ludicrous.

Lastly, Mr. Weiss clearly states techniques must be practice until they become second nature. I think everyone will agree it takes longer than eight weeks to accomplish this, unless all you do for eight weeks is practice only one thing. Clearly, this book depicts more than one technique.

This book is broken up into eight chapters, each chapter being what I assume the author is trying to tell the reader is a weeks worth of study.

The first chapter, called “Week 1,” covers exercises to develop the body and prepare it for learning the martial art techniques in the next chapters. So far so good.

Week two and three cover basic movements such as strikes, kicks, blocks, stances, and break-falls.

If this book is really intended to teach the reader how to deal with street style confrontations, as Mr. Weiss asserts, it is beyond my comprehension why break falls are covered. I guess it’s for those individuals who get knocked down.

In my opinion this section could have been used for many more important things.

Week 4 covers kata, and three kata are depicted. They are the basic karate style kata you would see practiced at any karate school. Nothing special.

The problem with this section is that while the kata are depicted well enough, there is no explanation at all as to what the movements are for. It basically just shows the reader a series of movements, and you’re left on your own to figure out what you’re doing. That makes this information basically useless.

In my opinion this is one of the weakest parts of the book.

Week 5 covers 14 judo throws, throws like ogoshi, osoto gari, tomoenage, uchimata, yoko wakari, taiotoshi, harai goshi, and uke otoshi.

Now I know for a fact, having done judo in collage, that this is more than a weeks worth of study. I also know for a fact this is information one cannot learn from a book.

While the pictures are clear, and the descriptions adequate, it is impossible to learn throwing techniques without someone demonstrating the various body shifts, drops, pulls/pushes, and other dynamics it takes to properly execute one.

Throwing techniques are definitely something that one has to observe others do first, and then attempt under a watchful eye. They are complex. In order to learn them, and have the possibility to actually execute them on a non-cooperative person, one must constantly practice them in front of a qualified instructor who can critiqued form, and make corrections.

Week 6 and 7 covers jujutsu kata, which is how the author titles the self-defense portion of the book. To me many of these forms look more like karate than jujutsu.

Techniques range from defenses for empty-hand attacks to those against an armed opponent, (knife and club).

The techniques themselves are basic, photographed well, and decently explained. For the most part I have nothing bad to say about them. They are what the author says they are, BASIC.

My only comment is that they are not the down and dirty techniques one needs to learn in order to defend one’s life. They are just too formal, to stylized, and lack realism--realism as it relates to realistic street combat.

The last chapter, Week 8, covers techniques against multiple attackers.

I’ve already stated my opinion in regards to the worthiness of this material, and how much success I think one would have if they ever attempted these techniques in the real world. All I can say is whoever attempts these techniques in a real life or death situation had better have good medical/life insurance.

My favorite of all the multiple defenses portrayed is the final three-man attack. In this sequence a single female takes on three men, one armed with a knife, and another one armed with a club. She looks like she is in a lot of trouble.

Of course, she is successful. But if you follow the sequential photos, they only attack her one at a time, not as a group. What’s worse is that she actually looks like she turns her back on one attacker, (the one with the knife), while focusing on another.



This sequence alone breaks so many rules of self-defense, in addition to depicting an unrealistic attack scenario. I wonder what the author was thinking.

If you think I’m ripping apart this book, you are right. Not because of its content, but because of how it was marketed. If this had been intended for a martial artist as a supplement to their training I may have even recommended it, but only for beginners.

However, I can’t recommend it as it is. The title is misleading, and the techniques are not the type one should use to defend themselves in a street fight.

I don’t know Michael de Pasquale Jr., nor have I ever met him, or seen the man in action. All I know about him is what I’ve read, and heard from others. From everything I’ve heard he is a nice guy, and a very talented martial artist, who truly believes in victim's rights (anti crime/drug work).

Given everything I’ve ever heard/read about Michael de Pasquale Jr., and his reputation I find it extremely hard to believe that he would have ever written a book like this.

Or more clearly stated would write a book with a title like this, and no disclaimer that a book is never a substitute for training at an actual martial art school.

Maybe there is a good reason this book is out of print.


Michael de Pasquale, Jr. is the son of Michael de Pasquale Sr., Grandmaster of the Yoshitsune Waza style of Ju-Jitsu. Michael de Pasquale Jr. began his of study of the martial arts when he was five years old, and presently holds the coveted rank of Ni Dai Soke (Heir to the rank of Grandmaster).
During his career in the martial arts Michael de Pasquale Jr. has accomplished numerous achievements such as:
- Named “Martial Arts Star of the Year” by Official Karate Magazine 1977.
- Creator of the largest martial arts Internet site: Martial Arts Worldwide Network (www.mawn.net).
- Developed his own self-defense style, De Pasquale Combat Ju-Jitsu.
- Publisher/Editor of “Karate International Magazine.”
- Founder of “Federation of United Martial Artists” (FUMA)- crusade against crime and drugs.
- President of the “International Federation of Ju Jitsuans” (I.F.O.J.J.).
- Completed and certified by the FBI Instructors’ program.

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Cartoon

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Quotes on Science

“Science is the systematic classification of experience.”
George Henry Lewes (1817-1878)

“Science is nothing but developed perception, interpreted intent, common sense rounded out and minutely articulated.”
George Santayana (1863-1952) “The Life of Reason”

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The Science Of Techniques - Part V: Principles and Analysis

In Part 4 of “The Science of Techniques I explained part of the process of dissecting a technique into its scientific parts. For that example I used the Gogli Tendon Reflex. However, understanding the Golgi tendon is just one example of the type of information my students are required to know. That I teach routinely. That I think all instructors, especially those with high black belt ranks or fancy titles should know. Unfortunately many don't, which is a problem with many martial arts styles practiced/propagated today.

Besides learning such anatomical information, all of my students are required to understand the underlying principles that make techniques work. To aid them we work off a list of principles, instead of a list of techniques. Unlike many schools where people learn blocks and strikes my students learn concepts such as angle of deflection and linear force. The movements may be similar, but the goal, the mindset I’m trying to instill, is very different.

So far I think there are about seventy of these principles listed, and while some may sound repetitive they are not. Of course, some are more important than others, and in some cases some of them haven’t even been fully examined. Their potential is still to be discovered.

Further more, though a specific technique may be used to illustrate a principle, one must be aware that there are always numerous other principles being applied at the same time, or in direct succession. No principle stands on its own, though some have a greater emphasis on the overall outcome.

Now please don’t think I believe these principles are unique to the style of martial arts I teach. They are not. Most styles use these principles to describe what they do, though they may be expressed differently, if they are ever verbally expressed at all.

The fact is, over the years I’ve substituted terminology as I’ve discovered better ways of describing these concepts. These changes are courtesy of many other instructors, who teach a variety of styles. Styles such as Kempo, Daito Ryu, Yanagi Ryu, Cabales Serrada Escrima, and Northern Shaolin Chuan to name a few.

Basically, I’ve taken archaic abstract terms and made them clearer for a 21st century audience. I did this for myself, as well as my students.

It’s not that I have any issues with the way some of these terms were described in the past, many are very artistic with profound metaphysical and spiritual meaning. However, these terms were based on the medical, scientific, and spiritual nomenclature of their time. Those times are past.

Changing terms is sort of a tradition though. After all, my teacher described many of these principles in a manner that suited him, in a context he was familiar with. I’ve just learned to do the same, in a context that’s comfortable for my students and me.



Japanese karate-ka have a term called "bunkai," which literally means analysis. They use this term when discussing kata (forms), or more specifically the examination of techniques within their various kata.

The study of the bunkai in any given form can be obvious or elusive depending on the technique in question, as well as the moves preceding and following it. I believe the terms such as toridai and himitsu apply here, since these terms refer to techniques not readily seen to the casual observer, or techniques which are hidden within techniques.

In addition what level a person has at comprhending bunkai is based on experience, as well as trail and error. It takes a lot of work and many years of research. Sometimes a lifetime.

While not every martial artist does karate-style kata, we all do techniques. A technique being nothing more than a prearranged series of offensive and defense movements, designed to simulate an authentic type of altercation. Which, by the way, happens to be the definition of kata.

Because we martial artists all do techniques we can all benefit from analyzing, and I mean serious in-depth analyzing, the meanings of the things we do.

Yes, you got it, we can all benefit from learning the science behind the techniques. The reason why things work. Then and only then can we call ourselves martial artists. Then and only then do we learn the diiference between what works in a classroom and what works in the real world.

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The Science Of Techniques - Part IV: The Golgi Tendon Organ

Since I have spent the last few parts of, “The Science of Techniques,” discussing how important it is to know the science which makes techniques work, I thought I would now give an example of what I’ve been discussing.

For this example I will try to make the following information as basic as possible, with as few medical terms as needed. Keep in mind this is just a basic breakdown of this particular technique.

The best basic example I can think of to illustrate how one dissects a technique into the scientific principles that make it work is the Golgi Tendon Reflex (aka Inverse Myotatic Reflex).

This is a very useful one to know, and one utilized by almost every martial art system in the world.


The Martial Technique:

For this example we will use a basic Aikido form called Ikkajo Osae Ichi. In this technique the defender applies downward pressure just above the elbow joint, and the attacker collapses to the ground.


In order to apply this technique correctly one must utilize The Golgi Tendon Reflex as well as other physiological techniques.


Anatomy of the Arm:

Your arm is basically comprised of bones, muscle, tendons, arteries and veins, and nerves.


Knowing the anatomy of the arm is important since your arm is designed to move only in certain directions. In addition knowing the anatomy of the arm allows a martial art practitioner to know where there are weaknesses in the anatomy, and the best ways to use them to their fullest advantage.

For example, as it applies to this technique, the elbow joint can bend inwards towards the body, but not in the opposite direction. Turning the arm so the wrist faces upward elongates the limb, and prevents the elbow from being able to articulate as easily as it normally can.


How your arm moves normally:

Muscles are attached to bone on opposite sides of a joint, such that one will cause extension of a limb, its opposite flexion. For a monosynaptic reflex to occur, the opposing muscle of the limb must simultaneously be relaxed. This is accomplished via a three-neuron relay, which inhibits the opposing muscles (the flexors) so that extension of the limb may occur.

The monosynaptic stretch reflex is the only spinal reflex known that involves only one synapse, (the junction across which a nerve impulse passes from an axon terminal to a neuron, a muscle cell, or a gland cell.)


The Golgi Organ:

The Golgi Tendon Organ (also called neurotendinous spindle) is a proprioceptive sensory receptor that is located at the insertion of skeletal muscle fibers into the tendons of skeletal muscle.

Their function is to act as sort of a monitoring device to keep track of tension within the muscle tissue. As a polysynaptic fiber, the golgis are deigned to inhibit the original contracting muscle and facilitate antagonistic muscles. Or in other words, it serves as a servomechanism, which uses feedback to correct a performance of a mechanism.

That’s a fancy way of saying that when the Golgi tendon feels too much tension it causes the limb to go limp, in order to prevent an injury such as ripped muscles, damaged tendons, or injured bones.

So, in the above martial technique, when too much pressure is applied to the arm, and tension reaches a certain level, the Golgi tendon “relaxes.” Since the arm bar is being held, the only way the body can “reflex” is by going down towards the ground, making the attacker fall downward.


Reflex Action:

I’m not going to get into the various types of reflex actions; that could fill a book. But it is important to understand the working process of the reflex actions utilized in this technique.

Step one in this process is the sensation of pain, or in this case a sensation of tension in the arm.

The Golgi Tendon senses a change in pressures and fires off signals to the spinal cord and brain. To keep things simple let's say your brain is the “conscience” thinking part of the equation, while the spinal cord is the “basic instinct” element.

Now from your body's perspective, your arm is about to be damaged and an immediate response is required. There is no time to “think.” Any counter-measure taken to prevent injury must be done as soon as possible. Do you pull, push, jump, fall, scream, etc to be effective?

In this case, the speedier of the two reactions comes from your spinal cord where the reaction is based on instinct. In this defense sequence, pressure is being applied downwards, so the body seeking the path of least resistance (as instinct dictates) moves further downwards away from the perceived attack.

There is no “conscious” thought used during this response, and the subject's brain hasn’t responded yet: neither to confirm his reaction nor to give him an alternate course of action.

In this example, the subject's response is solely based on a “perceived” threat. It is perceived because in actuality there is often not enough force being applied to actually injure the limb, especially in practice.

If the attacker could some how wait for a response from the brain, chances are that instead of falling downward, the attacker would launch a counter offensive. Clearly the technique would be neutralized, or much less effective.

This means the defender must fool the attacker’s body into believing more is happening than is actually happening, thus utilizing a natural physical response to gain an advantage. This natural response, when properly stimulated, cannot be prevented. It is unavoidable even if the attacker is aware of what is going to happen, such as in the case of practicing the technique over and over again in a classroom.

Of course in order to do this technique properly one must know how to “stretch” the Golgi Tendon, and stimulate it to the point of reaction. This takes practice.

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The Science Of Techniques - Part III: Depending on Knowledge

When I’m discussing martial techniques and their development, refinement, and propagation I’m talking about techniques that were used to wage war. Life protection skills, not techniques used for recreation, enlightenment or competitive sport.

Like the Samurai, the European Knight, and the Sumerian--as well as warriors such as the Spartans, the Aztec, the Sioux Indians, and the Zulu Warriors--I have no time to waste, or a desire to practice fluff.

I must know I can count on my techniques, and I must know how and why they work.

It’s like learning to fire a gun at the police academy. They don’t just hand you a gun and have you fire at a target. Before you make your first shot, they teach you how a gun works, the different calibers, how to examine and take them apart, how to aim, and more. After you learn how a gun works, and the theory on how to use it, then they let you shoot it. You learn the science of firearms.

For me, knowing how and why my martial art techniques work, affords me the mindset to have faith in them, complete faith. That’s important to me because I’m relying on them to safeguard my life. If I doubt they work I won’t use them, or might hesitate at a critical moment.

Sure, when I demonstrate a technique in class I try to display a certain aesthetic quality in what I do, but not at the expense of practicality. For me that’s the “art” part of “martial arts.” However, I would rather practice something like gouging an eye, a technique I can count on in the real world, then attempt to ever do a jump spin kick.

When placed in a situation where I have to use my skills, I must know that if I strike a particular target on the body there will be a specific reaction, which can lead to another predictable follow up target. I must know that if I grab a limb and torque a joint in a certain direction, the rest of the body will move in a predictable response. I must know cause and effect. Anything less can cost me my life.

There will be no time to think and process information during the altercation. I must react instinctively. I must rely on my training, so my training has to be based on realism. It has to be based on science, and I have to truly believe that the science is valid.

The time for determining this validity is during practice, and can only be done by thoroughly investigating each and every movement, dissecting the intricacies, and repeating the techniques over and over to see if the results are the same. That’s the scientific process for any experiment.

Martial art techniques, especially those limited to unarmed fighting methods, are nothing more than a composite of numerous sciences, sciences such as physiology, physics, anatomy, psychology, etc. Understand the science, and you understand why the technique works. Why the body reacts the way it does to various stimuli.

The human body is no more than a very evolved machine. It’s designed to move in certain ways, and not in others. It has its strengths, and its weaknesses: weaknesses that if known and used properly can be exploited to their full potential.

The body is also designed with built in safeguards, which if manipulated properly can make one’s opponent move involuntarily, greatly reducing the force it takes to be effective.

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The Science Of Techniques - Part II: Different but the Same

There is very little difference between real military based martial styles. The only difference really is the approach each style takes to transmitting their information and what their focus (weaponry, kicking, punching, grappling, etc.) is. For most authentic forms of military arts we all get to the same point of the training pyramid, we just get there from different directions.

Truth be known, the individual practitioner actually has more to do with the success of a fighting system, than the actual system. Sorry, I’m sure you didn’t want to hear that. However, I will concede the fact that some systems prepare people better than others.

For example, Musashi was a great swordsman, undefeated in over 60 duels. However none of his students ever achieved the fame he did, using only what he taught them. Musashi, the man, was a great fencer, and most likely developed some wonderful fighting techniques. However his techniques were suited to meet his needs, his physical prowess, and his mental outlook on the ways things had to be done in order to be successful. What he did worked for him, and not necessarily for anyone else, past or present.

In addition, Musashi did not fixate on only one method or style of fighting while developing his style of swordsmanship. He took advantage of learning from anyone he thought had something to offer him. He was willing to see what others were doing, examine if they had anything of value for him to assimilate, and maybe most importantly of all was willing to travel as far as it took to search this information out. He clearly researched his craft.

I think we call this "cross training" today, but it isn’t a modern innovation after all.

How martial artists train, how they seek out and comprehend information given to them or discovered on their own, their natural ability, and their resolve, are all factors that contribute to the success they will have within their particular martial form.

In other words, two people studying the same system, for the same amount of time, with the same amount of effort, might not both become equally good.

Further more, even if the style they practice is considered as the "ultimate" style, there is no guarantee either of these two individuals will be unbeatable. There is no certainty that either of them will be the "ultimate" warrior.

In a real fight, there are just too many variables to consider to truly believe any one person, any one style, can be the best. In a real fight, sometimes luck is more important than skill.

An interesting article I came across a couple of years ago was titled, "The Medieval Knight vs. The Feudal Japanese Warrior," written by J. Clements the director of ARMA (The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts) http://www.thearma.org/essays/knightvs.htm.

In this article Mr. Clements asks the question; what would happen if a European Knight fought a Japanese Samurai? It’s an interesting question that can surely be debated to death. Depending on ones stance--something normally based ones affiliation to a specific martial art the--answer is simple. If I practice Japanese arts, I say the Samurai would win. If I practice European martial arts (yes they had them), I think the Knight wins.

However, the answer is not so simple. Both the Knight and the Samurai were warriors. Both spent their lives training to fight. Both had battle experience.

If you placed 20 Knights on a battlefield and had them face 20 Samurai, I’m positive there would be casualties on both sides. One group might ultimately win the battle, but that does not mean they would ultimately win the war.

Mouri Shinsuke (left) attacks Imagawa Yoshimoto from the Tale of Heike. 12th century	15th Century fechtbuch “Gladiatora”
The armor and weaponry may be different, but in both these pictures a spear-wielding attacker is countered in basically the same manner. In both prints the spear is evaded and grabbed and the defender is about to counter strike.

Surely how the Knight and the Samurai trained for battle was determined by their needs, and based on their knowledge of warfare in their geographic location. Of course there were also technological differences, but that can be said for both sides. However, to say one group was better than the other is fatuous.

The honest truth is, there is a limited number of ways the body can be used as a weapon and we humans can injure/kill each other. Evidence supports the assertion that by the dawn of civilization most of the fighting skills we practice as martial artists today were already known. In fact, it is safe to state that all the fighting skills we practice today, (except for firearms and explosives) were already being utilized as far back as 5000BC by the soldiers of Sumer (an ancient civilization located around the Lower Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in what is now modern day Iraq). This was a long time before Japan was Japan or the nations of Europe existed.

Of course methodologies varied from country to country, changed over the centuries, and adapted to the advent of new and better weaponry. However, the basics (roots)--the science--of hand-to-hand combat have remained the same.

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The Science Of Techniques - Part I

If you’re easily offended I suggest you skip this “blog” entry. This essay is only intended for those who can face facts, and can understand there are major differences between training in a martial art school and fighting for your life in the real world. Or maybe more relative to my topic, people who have an understanding of what it takes to go from techniques that work in a classroom to those applicable in the real world.

I don’t care how “realistically” you think you train, how hardcore you are, or how many competitions you have won. Until you’ve been in a life and death confrontation, you have no clue how well you can defend yourself. You have no idea whether you have the physical and/or psychological toughness to react, counter, and survive.

That goes triple for an armed attack.

I don’t mean this as an insult, and I’m no different than anyone else. I, however, have the guts to admit it. I also have the first hand experience to state that during a life and death confrontation your physical and mental outlook is extremely different than you can or will ever experience in training.

And now for the bombshell.

It is estimated that 80% of all martial art techniques one learns, in any school, any style, are ineffective. They just won’t work. Whether that’s due to the technique being too intricate, to Hollywood, or just plain bad science makes no difference. The fact is, all martial art practitioners spend a lot of our lives practicing things we will never use, nor should use.

What makes things even worse is the fact that what might work great for me, may not work great for you.

Now before you start writing me e-mails, or posting my opinion on the various martial art discussion sites along with your ridicule let me explain.

Calm down, sit back, and listen. Listen with an open mind.

The truth is that techniques are nothing but illustrations of scientific principles.
It’s the scientific principles the martial artist needs to learn. Should learn. However, for most martial arts practitioners they will never discover this, or explore it once they hear about it.

Most practitioners are satisfied being carbon copy clones of their instructors. Unfortunately, just mimicking one’s instructor does not make one a martial artist, nor does it really help one understand the underlying intricacies of a given fighting method.

The desire to study the intricacies within techniques is what differentiated the master of yesteryear, to most martial artists today. It was their desire to study the sciences within techniques that helped form the martial arts, refine the "martial arts, and create the techniques we practice. These scientific intricacies are the foundation, behind all techniques (the roots), and the explanations why thee fighting skills work so well, the genius of their creation.

The truth is if you only learn a technique then that’s all you have, a technique. Learn the principles that make the technique work and you can come up with numerous variations that may be more effective for you, or help you apply what you know more easily with better results.

Of course this means doing your homework, and making a major effort to delve beyond basic explanations. It also means forgoing esoteric and metaphysical beliefs, as well as historical biases.

Most of all it means learning to ask the tough question; “Why.” Of course asking why is meaningless if you are willing to settle for an answer that doesn’t make sense or fully explain what you’re doing.

No style, at least in regards to authentic military based fighting systems, is better than any other. THERE ARE NO SECRETS! The only secrets that exist are ones you haven’t been told yet, or you’re too lazy to research and discover on your own. The information is out there you just need to look for it.

There is also no truth to the claims about discovering new and improved methods of fighting such as the ones you read about in almost every issue of “Black Belt Magazine.” These discoveries may be “new” to the people who write the articles, but they are old news to many old timers.

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Cartoon on the Science of Techniques

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The Gym

“True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body;
the two are united.”
Alexander von Humboldt

Okay, so body and mind are united. I got it! Deep down I know that’s a fact, but even being fully aware that going to the gym is in my best interest, I still find it hard to motivate myself to go: especially in the last year or so.

It wasn’t always like that though. There was a time I loved going to he gym, and spent hours there each and every day. I may not have the body of a muscle builder to prove it, but I spent hours and hours working hard, trying my best to maintain a certain level of fitness, and of course fighting the never-ending battle of the bulge.

Believe it or not there was a time I could bench over 300 pounds, run mile after mile on the treadmill without effort, and had the demeanor where I would scoff at the petty stacks of weights attached to most muscle building machines. However those days are gone. Long gone.

I don’t know what happened, or exactly when my love affair with the gym started to dwindle, but methodically over time I’ve found it easier and easier to make excuses why I didn’t need to go rather than remembering and reinforcing the positive nurturing benefits I received from actually going.

Don’t misunderstand me, it’s not that I don’t ever go to the gym any more it’s just I don’t go as often as I should. Especially with my weight issue, my injuries, and the fact I have really high cholesterol levels. These are all factors which should clearly make working out an essential part of my life, especially if I want to continue living life with some degree of quality--or just continue living period.

In my defense, it’s not just a case of being lazy. Once I’m at the gym I work out with intensity. I don’t go there to socialize, or make friends, though I will admit I have stopped to watch some of the more attractive women as they workout.

It’s sort of a joke, but I found the best way to run on the treadmill was to always pick a treadmill closest to the cutest girl and pretend I was running with her. That not only served as a distraction from the mind numbing drudgery of running on a stationary machine, it also helped me maintain a certain pace. I always tend to run too fast on my own.

Of course now that I’m married I never look at other women (my wife reads this “blog”…), so those days are over, and I’ve had to learn to pace myself.

Okay you can all stop laughing now.


The first gym I ever went to was called “The Sports Palace,” a name that definitely conjures up a certain perception this place couldn’t live up to. It was clearly no palace.

The equipment, what there was of it, was antiquated, the place reeked of old sweat, and if they had a heater it was never turned on. It was clearly the type of place you see in a Hollywood movie; run-down, impoverished, and poorly lit. Don’t even get me started on the condition of the locker room or showers.

However, it was a place for the “serious” body builder. No frills, no thrills, just lots of free weights, and enough testosterone to fuel a high level of machismo.

Plus they had a super heavy bag I could punch to my hearts content.

For all its shortcomings the Sport Place was the kind of gym that saw its share of professionals. There were not only professional body builders, but off-season football players, and professional wrestlers.

As a kid I watched Saturday morning wrestling, and the first time I saw a group of these guys at the gym I was semi-star struck. Of course I was even more amazed that the likes of Pat Paterson and Ray Stevens were working out with their archenemies. Enemies they had vowed to beat to a pulp any time, anyplace just a few days ago.

And people say wrestling isn’t fake.

Another thing I learned from watching these wrestlers was they are tough, very big, and very strong. Anyone who says they are not athletes has no idea what they are talking about.

More importantly to me, especially at the time, was that besides their athletic prowess I endeavored to emulate, they were also some very nice guys. Though I was a kid (13) they treated me with respect. Even “The Baron,” who while being a notorious bad guy on TV and a character I always hated, never hesitated or became annoyed when I asked him for instruction on how to do a particular exercise.

The thing I appreciated the most about going to the Sports Palace, was the level of experience people had there. Since I was just starting out, their knowledge was invaluable, and because of these men I never picked up a lot of the bad habits I now see when I do go to the gym.

Unfortunately, the Sports Palace closed when I was about 15, and I only spent a couple of years there. In the end the Sports Palace just couldn’t compete with the likes of “Gold’s Gym” or “24 Hour Fitness.”

I don’t even remember the name of the next gym I tried. Like the Sports Palace it was tiny, poorly equipped, and poorly maintained. However, it was the best gym I’ve ever gone to.

Unlike most gyms where you have to pay extra for a personal trainer this gym offered the service for free. In fact you couldn’t work out there without seeing a trainer at least once a week. It also offered free massages once a month, though I was too young for that service.

I figure I saved thousands of dollars going to this place because of that one feature alone, and I know I benefited from having someone there to train me. This was especially so with the trainer I picked since he wouldn’t take no for an answer, and wouldn’t let me take any shortcuts.

Sometimes with is training, I felt as if I had joined the military. But it taught me that the body is capable of doing a lot more than it wants to and that in order to get results you have to push yourself beyond your limits, or what you perceive are your limits. (Sort of the same things you learn if you do martial arts.)

Another cool thing about this gym was that is was located next to the local F.B.I. building, and a lot of agents worked out there, as well as federal prosecutors and local government employees.

Sometimes I think people don’t realize that others can hear their conversations, because some of the things these F.B.I. guys discussed most likely wasn’t intended for the public to hear. Though for someone like me who wanted to be police officer it sounded oh so exciting.

I should note that I had wanted to be a police officer since I was five years old. However, after listening to these guys and their stories I did consider applying for a job with the F.B.I. for a long time. At least I did until I discovered that their job is actually 80% paper work. No thanks!

Like the Sports Palace, this gym was also forced to close due to competition. I wonder what ever happened to Yaroslav (my trainer).

Come to think of it, and looking back, it was funny how many of the personal trainers at this gym were of Russian decent. Could it have meant,….Nah! I’m sure it was just a coincidence.

The next gym I trained at was located on my college campus. Like the previous gyms, it wasn’t great,,but they had the basics.

By this point in time, I already had a few years of experience, and basically knew what I needed to do to meet my fitness objectives.

However, college would be the fist time in my life I actually trained for a competitive sport: judo.

It would also be a point in my life that that exercising would turn out to be very frustrating. Not because of the work involved, I enjoyed the exercise, but because of the lack of perceived results.

While this hard to explain in a few paragraphs I will try.

When I entered the Judo program I started with two other guys. One guy was a short Chinese guy named Ken. The other guy was a medium built Latin guy named Pablo. Then of course there was me a 190-pound lanky Caucasian.

When we started our training we were all given individual programs for cardio, calisthenics, and for the weight room. While some of the exercises were different, essentially the workouts were the same.

Now I know for a fact we all followed our workout programs. I also know we were all overachievers, and did even more exercise than required by the coaching staff. However, it was clear we didn’t experience the same results.

In the first year Ken gut huge, and started to look like the poster boy for a body building competition. His results were amazing: eight-pack abs, bulging biceps, and a massive chest. Even his legs grew in size, no easy feat considering how hard putting mass on legs is to accomplish.

And this was done without the aid or steroids, an all too common practice during that time, and definitely something we all had ample access to.

As for Pablo he also had outstanding results, though nowhere in compassion to Ken. Cleary Pablo had a six-pack, his pectorals had grown considerably, and he was in better physical shape. I think the term is “sculpted.”

Then there was me. Poor me. I didn’t have a six-pack, and the rest of me barely looked as if I had done any exercise at all during the year. Sure I was stronger, quicker, and had lots of stamina, but outwardly you couldn’t see any changes.

Trust me, I was scrutinized by the coaching staff, and almost labeled as a slacker. That label wouldn’t stick with since the coaches saw me train daily, and knew I was trying my best. The fact is, I normally pushed myself more than the others, just because I wasn’t getting the same results.

Now I know a lot of these results has to do with genetics, but it’s very disconcerting. It’s really enough to make one want to throw in the towel and give up. However that’s not my personality.

Needless to say I tried for years to get that stupid six-pack and “sculpted” look. I worked and I worked and I worked, but it never happened. Now after all these years I just don’t care.

Of course given my current state of physical fitness and workout regime, six-pack abs are not in my future.

After college, my gym days ended--not because I didn’t want to go, but because I started a career as a police officer. That meant the graveyard shift. A shift that left me in a constant state of fatigue. A shift I worked for almost 11 years straight.

Then came the kids, and so on and so on.

While I did find time to exercise during these years, it was nowhere near the level I once had done. As a result my body changed. Since I failed to maintain a certain standard of fitness I’m sure these changes were one of the reasons that led to my injury at work. And that injury that led to almost two years of total inactivity.

After two years of being inactive, I once again hit the gym with a passion. I had to for the sake of my own mental health and self-esteem. I was up to almost 300 pounds, divorced, and angry at the world. Angry at myself.

The gym was my only outlet. There I could workout the frustrations and uncertainty that was now my life. It was the place I could focus on something other than what was going on in the other aspects of my life, most of which I wasn’t happy with. It was the clam in the storm so to speak.

To be honest if it hadn’t been for the gym I don’t know where I would be at this point in my life.

Today I’m a member of “24 Fitness.” I joined this gym for two reasons; it was close to my house, and they have a lap pool. I also joined right after they built the place so I got a fantastic deal. Now, my sons, my wife, my mother, and I are all members, and I think we pay less in total, than a single person would pay if they joined today.

“24 Fitness” is not what I consider a “real” gym, but they have everything one needs to get the job done. Certainly, they have more equipment than any other gym I went to previously.--if one goes there to work out.

There are definitely enough people there who have different agendas. However, my gym isn’t as bad as some located in the East Bay, which are notorious for being “pick up clubs.”

Of course, I can’t remember the last time I ever saw a professional body builder at my gym, or a professional athlete, or even a wrestler. Not saying it couldn’t or hasn’t happened, I’ve just never seen it. My guess is that guess is that these guys go to Gold’s, which in my area has more of a reputation for the serious athlete.

Then again, when I’m there I now I mainly focus on what I’m doing. I may spend two hours working out, but none of that time is wasted. Who’s around me, what they’re talking about, or what they are or are not doing isn’t my business. I’m there for me. It’s my time.

As selfish as this may sound I truly dislike going to the gym with someone else. That’s because I always tend to end up being the coach, instead of doing my regular routine. Or I end up doing bits and pieces, which in my opinion, is just a waste of time for me.

Like I said, when I go to the gym it’s for me. It’s my time to focus on myself, to better myself. I like pushing myself, and I like the feeling of accomplishment I get when I’ve lifted a little more than the day before, ran just a bit longer or faster, or taken time off my mile swim.

I don’t exercise to put on muscle mass, (at least not any more), to pump my muscles up so I can flex them in the mirror, or to see a change on the weight scale. Those are not my goals.

When I go to the gym, it’s to move my body, in ways that energize me mentally and physically. I go there to strengthen joints that have been injured, abused and worn. I go there to increase my heart rate in order to improve my overall endurance. I go there so that I don’t feel as guilty about the food choices I make.

Going to the gym may be a pain, but dieting is pure Hell. After all, if God hadn’t meant for us to eat cheesecake he wouldn’t have created it.

So with all that said, why do I still have such a hard time motivating myself to go to the gym now-a-days.

I wish I knew.

Maybe part of the reason is that after all these years I’m just a little burned out, though like I said once I’m there I truly enjoy myself. I remember all the reasons why my time spent at the gym had meaning. How it healed me. How it still relaxes me.

Maybe its because my body no longer works like it used to, and I haven’t come to terms with the fact that I can no longer be as athletic as I was when I was twenty. I can no longer lift the stack, bench 300 pounds, or run without feeling the effort in my shins and knees. What once was fun is now work.

Maybe my outlook on my life is a lot better, and I don’t need the release the gym once afforded me. In other words I’m a lot less stressed than I used to be. I’ve learned to relax in other ways. Things I used to stress about are no longer an issue, or just a bad memory buried deep inside my psyche.

Maybe its just boredom.

Whatever the reason is, or reasons are, none of them are good ones.

In the future is there a chance I’ll return and renew my love affair with the gym? Surely the answer is yes. After all, I’ve slumped before and returned with a vengeance.

Will it be tomorrow, most likely not, though one never knows?

The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility, and pushing their luck! ~Author Unknown

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Quote of the Beach

To myself I am only a child playing on the beach,
while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.

Isaac Newton

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Training is a “Beach”

I’ve been told that some people would be interested in learning more about the way I was taught the martial arts, and my experiences over the years visiting other schools and trying other styles. For those people who share this interest, here goes one story.

I would say that over fifty percent of my training, especially in my teen years, was spent at the beach.

Now for those of you who do not live in the San Francisco Bay Area, this may sound lovely, but its not. Our beaches are cold, and the water is freezing. There are only a few days each year that people go there to actually sun themselves, and even fewer days when people actually frolic in the water--except for little kids and dogs, which the temperature of the freezing water never seems to bother.

Fishermen, dog walkers, diehard romantics, and joggers who are able to withstand the fog, heavy mist, and unceasing winds, as well as the surfers who wear protective wetsuits are mainly the people you will find populating our local beaches on any given day.

Of course if the freezing temperatures aren’t enough to keep one away, there are always the deadly undertows, and the occasional shark attack to consider.

Oh did I happen fail to mention the sewage pipe that empties into the ocean not more than a few hundred yards out from shore? Yes the stuff expelled is “treated,” but it’s a nasty thought, and one that’s hard to overcome, especially when that unidentified brownish sticky foam washes ashore.

Clearly our local beaches are not paradise, but for some reason my teacher had affection for them, and even in his eighties never missed his daily walk along the shore. For him, the beach was the place he could contemplate his life, as well as find the inner peace to meditate without distraction.

It was also the place he elected to use as a training ground, since he felt the sand was a safer place to take falls than the concrete in his garage. I thank him for this, since this one of the few “safety” precautions he actually took when training his son and I. After all, he didn’t seem to have any apprehensions about us swinging live blades (swords, spears, or knives) at each other.

Training at the beach could take place in the morning or after school. After school wasn’t so bad, but mornings could be terrible: not just because it was even colder, but also because there was no time to shower and get cleaned up before going to school. That meant one had to spend the day full of sand, sometimes in wet clothes, and with that salty feeling on your skin. Yuck!

To say I trained on the beach, in the sand, is only half the story. I spent almost as much time in and under the water. Freezing water that made our limbs go numb, and drained our energy.

If that wasn’t bad enough, there were many times that while I was in the water I had to wear weighted vests, leggings or backpacks that were meant to simulate samurai armor. These could weigh sixty pounds or more, and once you fell down were not buoyant. Actually they made you sink like a rock.

Of course the whole lesson was how to swim with the extra weight, and how to control one’s breathing. I think at one point I could hold my breath for over four minutes, though that was not the objective, just a bonus--a life saving bonus, especially when you had to wait for assistance while lying helpless face down under the water.

If swimming with wannabe simulated armor wasn’t hard enough, there were many times one had to hold a weapon in his hands. A weapon one wasn’t allowed to let slip under the surface of the water.

I believe the term for these swimming arts is called suieijutsu, which basically translates to combative water skills. However the more exact name for these techniques may be oyogijutsu (refers to swimming in armor) and/or katchu gozen oyogi (refers to swimming in heavy armor).

For example:
“Kobori ryu was used in the province of Higo, and specialized in methods of crossing rapid streams. The "Tosui" aspect of Kobori ryu involves a circular leg movement technique that allows the proponent to tread water while keeping their upper body above water (while wearing armor). This enabled the Higo bushi, if necessary, to fight with swords, fire arrows (termed tachi oyogi shageki), and fire muskets while positioned in or while crossing a river. Kobori ryu is sometimes referred to as Katchu Gozen Oyogi, or, swimming in armor while in the presence of highly ranked officials or nobility, because it was this tradition that was selected to demonstrate suijutsu to certain officials based upon its established reputation as a refined and graceful art.”
By Nathan Scott – “Kobori Ryu Tosuijutsu”


Now before the e-mails come pouring in, I fully realize this is a very rare martial art, and I don’t claim to know it. I certainly don’t teach it, and I haven’t practiced any of it since my early twenties.

I also won’t make any claims concerning the skill level of my teacher in regards to these techniques, since he didn’t own any Japanese armor he could swim in, and I haven’t ever seen a demonstration perform by someone known to be knowledgeable in the art.

In other words I have nothing to compare what my teacher did or taught, to those techniques developed and passed on in schools such as Iwakura Ryu (specialized in combat while swimming), Kankai Ryu (specialized in swimming in the open sea), Shinden Ryu (specialized in long distance swimming), or Suifu Ryu (specialized in techniques designed to cross swift running streams) all schools reputed to have preserved samurai swimming traditions.

However, with my disclaimer stated, my teacher weighed about 100 pounds, and would use almost 60 - 75 pounds of weight to demonstrate what he wanted us to do. He made it look easy. Its not!

In addition, he was still practicing his various swimming techniques in his seventies. I have a hard enough time swimming a mile three times a week nowadays, and I’m only in my forties. And I do my laps in a heated pool, without wearing weights.

For those of you still yearning to send me e-mails on this topic, I’m will fully concede that there are most likely major differences between what I learned and what the schools listed above teach. Once again I don’t claim any affiliation or technical knowledge related to the above listed schools.

One major difference I can think of immediately is that weighted vests, backpacks, and leggings, can’t compared to a suit of traditional samurai armor. First the weight distribution of a suit of armor is different. Secondly to say one knows how to swim in armor, one must have at some point actually swam in armor. Something I have never done.

Nonetheless, given our financial resources at the time weighted vests and other weighted materials was the best we could do.

Naturally swimming techniques were just a small part of what we practiced. A lot more time was spent practicing various projections. This was done in the dry sand, the wet sand, and in the water.

Falling in the water is a strange feeling, but rarely hurts. It’s actually harder to do the projection than take the projection. Stability is really affected. In many ways being thrown in the water is fun, and often practicing there would end up being more of a game than actual training--much to the chagrin of my teacher I’m sure.

Falling in dry sand means sand gets everywhere, but unless you take a bad fall there is enough cushion to normally keep you from getting hurt. Stability is a little better than in the water, but there are times you tend to lose your footing. Of course learning to maintain your posture and balance in terrain that is not level or firm is part of the lesson. After all, you can’t always choose where you might have to defend yourself.

The worst of the three is taking falls on wet sand. Falling on wet sand is great when things go well, however it will cut you like a knife when you fall wrong. I mean it will literally split you open. I know this from first-hand experience. The good news though is that due to the danger, you learn to do things properly very quickly.

Stability is of course is still an issue in the wet sand, but the cool thing is that once a projection is over you can see exactly how one would be damaged if the projection had been done for real. Just picture the outline imbedded in the sand, and you can see how the neck is torque, or how the base of the spine makes contact with the ground. It’s actually very interesting, and a great learning tool.

Several years ago I hosted a beach training day, for those students who were interested in seeing how I was trained. Okay it was an excuse to have a barbeque. Sue me.

However, we did actually train and I did demonstrate several projections in the wet sand. Projections one can’t practice in the dojo, at least not safely.

All the projections I demonstrated were specifically designed to snap the attacker’s neck, and when examining the outline in the wet sand it was clear exactly how the head and shoulder hit the ground. If my uke (person who receives the technique) hadn’t sunk into the wet sand as he did on impact he clearly would have needed an ambulance or a hearse. To my uke’s credit, all he needed in the end were a few Advil and a thorough neck massage.

Our day of training at the beach surely brought back a lot of memories for me. Some good, some bad, and several that were extremely painful.

While I definitely suffer from “selective” memory syndrome, one thing I can remember the most is how we would always attract spectators.

The funniest group was a bus full of Japanese tourists who must have spent a half an hour or more watching us practice and taking pictures of us doing various techniques. I would love to know what they thought about us that day, and what they told their friends when they showed them the pictures back in Japan.

Then of course there were always the younger children who would always have mixed reactions. Some would just stare in awe, but there certainly were others who couldn’t get past the fact we guys were wearing what appeared to be skirts (hakama). Of all the questions kids will ask, and they always had a lot of them, I think our clothing was always on the top of their list.

Of course practicing outside in front of the public has its share of problems. The main one being that it leaves one open for confrontations and challenges, and we had our share of those also. Unfortunately not just from vagrants who were either drunk or just in a fighting mood, but sometimes from young adults who trained in other martial art styles and thought what we were doing wasn’t “real” or effective.

In most cases these people were ignored, or we just moved to another part of the beach. However, there were a few times I witnessed my teacher in action. In those cases it was a matter of blink and you’ll miss it, but he never lost, never was hurt, and he never seriously hurt anyone else. He just made his point that we were to be left alone, and that it was time to take your attitude somewhere else.

Okay, he may have seriously injured some egos. After all, losing a fight to frail man in his 70’s has to screw with you mind, and your manhood. I know from my own experience that when I was in my late teens it frustrated the hell out of me how easily he could beat me. I came close to winning on a few occasions, but it seemed just as victory was mine, it was snatched away from me. Of course giving your opponent a false sense of victory, or a perceived point of attack is part of the aiki arts.

To be honest, seeing someone who preaches never to fight really fighting screws with your mind. However, it does teach one that sometimes violence can’t be avoided no matter how much you try. It also teaches you that you don’t have to beat the crap out of someone to prove you’re the better man, and make your point clear.

For the most part spectators where polite, and just inquisitive about what we were doing and where the art was from. I know my teacher hated the distraction, but he tolerated their intrusions with patience he never afforded us. I guess he realized we were in a public place, and that these occurrences were part of being in public.

Of course there were those who asked if he would teach them, and even though many of these people would visit us often, he would never take them on as fulltime students. I guess one gaijin (outside person/foreigner) in his life was enough for him to deal with.

In any case, few ever lasted for more than a couple of training sessions. If I haven’t made it clear by now, beach training was rough, very vigorous, and hard on the body.

While the techniques taught at the beach weren’t very different than the ones we did while training at my teacher’s house, the wide-open space and natural obstacles added a certain amount of realism to what we were learning. It is a type of realism that can only be learned once practitioners step out of the dojo (school) and into the real world--a real world with out padded floors, and leveled surfaces.

What I mean by that last statement is that when we practiced at the beach we had to be aware of our surroundings. We had to watch our footing, where we placed our steps, and how we shifted our weight.

Sometimes you would fall, unexpectedly, but have to keep fighting or get killed in mock battle. The technique you were doing had to be completed and/or adjusted based on your position whether standing, falling, or prone on the ground. This forced you to learn to keep fighting no matter what the circumstances were.

You also had to learn to use your surroundings to your best advantage. Force your opponent to step into a hole, take the high ground, use an obstacle for defense, or retreat until the other guy is too tired to chase and then turn and cut him down. These are all things one can only learn when practicing in a real world environment.

When falling, we had to watch for rocks and glass, as well as pieces of wood that would wash up onto shore. Falling on those objects hurt, but you quickly learned that in a real altercation you have to overlook the pain and keep on going.

More importantly we had to watch for other people, who for some reason would tend to walk right by us, instead of walking around us. This of course also teaches awareness, since in the real world any passerby could be a potential threat.

Finally, training at the beach teaches one how to use improvised weapons. Rocks, sand, sticks, or any other objects in reach have the potential to be used both offensively and defensively--by you or your opponent. It’s all about seizing the moment, trusting your gut instinct, and learning not over analyzing every decision.

Reminiscing about my days training on the beach brings back a myriad of emotions. Everything one can think of from borderline hypothermia to sunburns. From ingesting imponderable amounts of salt water and sand that should have made me ill to vomiting my guts out from over exertion. From the all the pain of strains, bumps, bruises, and pulled muscles to all the laughter and camaraderie when things went wrong but were oh so funny, one thing is clear; I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Clearly, training at the beach is not for everyone, nor would I recommend it for every martial art practitioner. The truth is I rarely if ever go there anymore to practice myself. However, when I walk along the beach, whether with the family or just my dog, I still can picture a young man cutting at waves with his sword, thrusting at the dunes with a spear, and feinting death in simulated battles.

And on some special days, when I’m caught in retrospection as I walk the shore, I can see an old spear wielding man strolling the beach, who on occasion stops to scan the horizon and ponder life’s mysteries and his very existence.

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How I Think

“There is only one way in which a person acquires a new idea: by the combination or association of two or more ideas he already has into a new juxtaposition in such a manner as to discover a relationship among them of which he was not previously aware.”
Francis A. Cartier

"The best way to a good idea is to have lots of ideas."
Randall Jarrell “Pictures from an Institution”

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference.”
Nolan Bushnell

“My method is different. I do not rush into actual work. When I get a new idea, I start at once building it up in my imagination, and make improvements and operate the device in my mind. When I have gone so far as to embody everything in my invention, every possible improvement I can think of, and when I see no fault anywhere, I put into concrete form the final product of my brain.”
Nikola Tesla

If any title within this “blog” leaves openings for pot shots it’s this one. However, for those who decide to read my writing its only fair that every now and then I share a little about myself, and/or my creative process. “Creative process” being a nice way to say how I go about writing my rants, and expressing my sometimes overly indulged opinions.

On any given day, at almost any given moment, I have at least five to seven ideas floating in my head. Since I started this “blog” there are some days I have even more. Ideas that concern all aspects of my life, my martial art school, things I want to research, and things I want to write about. Mostly things I want to write about.

Sometimes all these thoughts can get really confusing, and of course some of my best inspirations, ideas, enlightened moments, and clarity on the best way to express myself come at a time when there is no pen and paper in sight.

Then of course there are those moments of “brilliance” when I’m falling asleep, and am just too comfortable to jump out of bed and start writing things down--though I have done that plenty of times, much to the discountenance of my wife. In fact, there have been many nights I’ve been up until the sun rises just because that’s when I either finally found the information I was searching for, or finally figured out the best way to express what I was trying to convey.

Clearly, once I get fixated on something time, food, family, and the dog often take a back seat to my project. A trait that often tends to annoy my wife, because she would like to see me do other things than just sit in front of a computer and read and type all day.

Its not that my wife doesn’t support me in my endeavors, she clearly enjoys seeing me doing something I take an interest in. However, she wants to make sure I do other things also, like go to the gym, eat, and spend some quality time with her. And you know what, I can’t argue with that.

What I’ve learned over the years is that I’m more of an “idea” man, than someone who puts things into action. Its not that I don’t try to act on my ideas, I do, there is just something inside me that tends to sidetrack me. Often other ideas, which generate from the original, ultimately take a life of their own.

Case in point; On Monday April 3rd I posted the story of Shirai Gonpachi, a young samurai who falls into a life of debauchery, and becomes a killer. While researching his story I discovered at least another dozen things I could write about. Things that were extremely interesting to me, and that I wanted to learn more about. Things, which clearly could have a definite impact on the history of my school if one day I can find concrete proof to tie them together, though at this time are only fanciful speculation.

I started the story of Gonpaci on Wednesday March 29th, and finished it on the following Friday afternoon. However, I spent the entire weekend researching all these new interests, which of course led to more things, and then more things, and then more things. I’m sure you get the point.

The fact is, I spent so much time researching and taking notes on all these new discoveries that I no longer remember my original ideas I had for follow up essays. Or to state things clearer, I remember my intention, but not how I was going to go about making my points.

The problem is that now I have so much information, about so many things, I don’t even know where to start, and I’m sure once I actually start writing I won’t have the discipline to stay focused on which topic I choose to write about. After all, all these topics are interrelated, which of course is the main reason I discovered them in the first place.

For those who have read some of my other writings you may agree with my assertion that I tend to drift off my main topic at times. However, hardly anyone has ever seen my first draft, or for that matter the second, third or fourth revised versions.

Yes, I go over what I write time and time again, and that’s part of my problem, part of how I think. I have the idea, the desire, but often lack the abilities to execute them in the way I picture them in my mind. And I wont settle for just part of my picture. Things have to be a certain way, or not at all. I’m sure there is a term for this behavior, but I can’t think of it at this moment.

By this point, you may wonder why I place so much pressure on myself over a “blog.” Good question. However, the only answer I have is that I’m like that in almost every facet of my life--especially when it comes to things I do that express my creative side (writing, art, woodworking etc).

Oh, and don’t forget my zeal for the martial arts I practice. After all, it was due to my perniciousness that I didn’t quit during the first few years and still continue to this day, some thirty plus years later.

Now, I won’t say I’m a perfectionist, but I am close. Since I know my limits and can admit when I lack the ability to do something better, I’ve learned to let things go at a certain point. However, sometimes that point can be a long, long time in coming, much to the frustration of those around me.

In addition sometimes that point isn’t reached until numerous attempts have been tried, I’ve become completely exasperated, and I’ve finally exhausted every possible way I can think of to achieve my goal.

Clearly, even after al that I’m rarely satisfied with my output, no matter how glorious others may claim the result is.

Trust me I’ve had many sleepless nights pondering the events of a day, even when the day seemed to go off without a glitch. Especially after presentations/seminars I’ve given, or even over something seemingly trivial thing such as posting an essay on this forum.

In some cases these concern are warranted, however many times they are not. Unfortunately rational or not, this is who I am. Once again that is the way I think.

Another reason I go over things again and again, especially when it comes to things I write, is that I don’t want to misinform anyone. If I state something as a “fact” I want to make sure it is a fact, not an opinion.

Sometimes though, scientific/historical “facts” change, especially with all the new discoveries that are made each year. Because of this I spend a lot of time rechecking old info, before using it.

Of course if “facts” have changed I have to rethink my opinions, and often times whole ideas have to be stopped, reformulated, and restarted.

For example, I’ve been working on a book for ten years now. That’s actual writing time; as opposed to the other ten years I spent researching information on the topic matter.

Of course twenty years ago there was no Internet, and most of my resources were limited to the local library. Now with the Internet more avenues, (good, bad, and other), to find information are available. It would be unconscionable for me not to utilize any and all resources available to me to create this book of mine. I don’t want to write something others will scoff at, even though I know deep down there will always be someone with a difference of opinion, or who is more knowledgeable than me and can point out mistakes I’ve made.

In addition in the last ten years a lot more research has been done related to the topic of my book, much of which can’t be left out, as this information is important in justifying and/or proving my assertions.

In other words I’ve had to re-write parts of my book several times in order to add and remove information as necessary. Unfortunately, at times this has meant re-writing whole chapters since one paragraph can affect everything else before and after it.

I know I should learn to let go, and have been told numerous times, by numerous people that at some point I’ll just have to write the book and leave it as it is. I know that’s the right thing to do, but at least for now I can’t.

It’s not fear, or a sense that what I’ve written has no merit, which prevents me from ever being fully satisfied with what I do. It’s something much deeper, which at this point in my life I still can’t explain. Maybe many hard years of therapy would help. Who knows?

For now, I’ll go own frustrating myself with random thoughts, ideas that will never be fully explored or expressed, and the time consuming monotony of writing and re-writing all the things I wish to put into print.

Am I happy with the way I think, I think the answer is yes, but I may have more ideas on that answer tomorrow.

For now I’ll leave you with the following thoughts:

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
George Orwell, "Why I Write," 1947

“Nature gave us one tongue and two ears so we could hear twice as much as we speak.”
Epictetus

“The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.”
Robert Cromier

“Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression. The chasm is never completely bridged. We all have the conviction, perhaps illusory, that we have much more to say than appears on the paper.”
Isaac Bashevis Singer

“What things there are to write, if one could only write them! My mind is full of gleaming thought; gay moods and mysterious, moth-like meditations hover in my imagination, fanning their painted wings. But always the rarest, those streaked with azure and the deepest crimson, flutter away beyond my reach.”
Logan Pearsall Smith

“Having imagination, it takes you an hour to write a paragraph that, if you were unimaginative, would take you only a minute. Or you might not write the paragraph at all.”
Franklin P. Adams, “Half a Loaf,” 1927

“The writer writes in order to teach himself, to understand himself, to satisfy himself; the publishing of his ideas, though it brings gratification, is a curious anticlimax.”
Alfred Kazin, “Think,” February 1963

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Japanese Tales: Shirai Gonpachi

This is one of those “blog” entries, which took on a life of its own. Originally, I was just going to talk about a print I recently bid on, but after researching who Shirai Gonpachi was, and his story, I decided to share what I discovered. It is an interesting tale .One that will definitely lead to other “blog” entries.

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Title: Samurai In Snow Artist: Kunisada Utagawa 1786-1865 Date: 1857 Publisher: Uoei Size: 9.1 x 13.6 inches Description: Kabuki actor in the role of Shirai Gonpachi

On Friday March 31st I placed a bid on this print. At the time I had no idea who Shirai Gonpachi was, but I bid on the print because I liked the composition of it, as well as those wonderful geta he is wearing.

Normally when I buy a print, or prepare to buy a print like in this case, I do some research on the subject matter. I like knowing something about the history of the image as well as the artist who created the piece. In this case I was very surprised by what I found. I never imagined Shirai Gonpachi was a robber/murderer.

While brigands, pirates, and Yakuza are common motifs in Japanese woodblock prints, I had never seen an outlaw so well dressed, without numerous tattoos, or carrying two swords.

Searching through the various books I have on Japanese art, legends, historical figures, and kabuki, as well as spending several hours doing Internet searches I was able to find Shirai Gonpachi’s story. Or more accurately stated, several of his stories.

Like many Japanese stories, the tale of Shirai Gonpachi is one of love, disparity, and the choices one makes to accomplish their objectives. Basically, it is a story of the declining moral values of a man, who goes from reputable samurai to murdering beast, all because of love.

While I’m not sure when these events are suppose to have taken place chances are it occurred during the Genroku Period (1688 –1704). This “guess” is based on the below quoted text which states that these events were already about 230 years old by the time this version of the story was written. The author of this English version, Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford lived between 1837-1916.


The Story of Shiirai Gonpachi

Shirai (or Hirai) Gonpachi was a native of Inshu (Tottori prefecture). According to the theatrical story of his life, the 16-year-old Gonpachi was famous for his good looks, bravery, and swordsmanship.

In his hometown, Gonpachi gets into a dispute with a fellow clansman, and ends up killing him.
“Now it happened that one day a dog belonging to him fought with another dog belonging to a fellow-clansman, and the two masters, being both passionate youths, disputing as to whose dog had had the best of the fight, quarreled and came to blows, and Gonpachi slew his adversary; and in consequence of this he was obliged to flee from his country, and make his escape to Edo.”
The Project Gutenberg eBook, Tales of Old Japan, by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford

Gonpachi flees to Edo, and while staying at a local inn he meets the 15-year-old beauty Komurasaki. Komursaki, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is being held captive by a group of gangsters there. During the night she warns Gonpachi that the innkeeper (the leader of the gangsters) is plotting to kill him and steal his sword. Gonpachi attacks the gang, kills all of them, frees Komurasaki, and then returns her to her family.
“One night, weary and footsore, he entered what appeared to him to be a roadside inn, ordered some refreshment, and went to bed, little thinking of the danger that menaced him: for as luck would have it, this inn turned out to be the trysting-place of a gang of robbers, into whose clutches he had thus unwittingly fallen. To be sure, Gonpachi's purse was but scantily furnished, but his sword and dirk were worth some three hundred ounces of silver, and upon these the robbers (of whom there were ten) had cast envious eyes, and had determined to kill the owner for their sake; but he, all unsuspicious, slept on in fancied security.

In the middle of the night he was startled from his deep slumbers by some one stealthily opening the sliding door which led into his room, and rousing himself with an effort, he beheld a beautiful young girl, fifteen years of age, who, making signs to him not to stir, came up to his bedside, and said to him in a whisper— "Sir, the master of this house is the chief of a gang of robbers, who have been plotting to murder you this night for the sake of your clothes and your sword. As for me, I am the daughter of a rich merchant in Mikawa: last year the robbers came to our house, and carried off my father's treasure and myself. I pray you, sir, take me with you, and let us fly from this dreadful place."

She wept as she spoke, and Gonpachi was at first too much startled to answer; but being a youth of high courage and a cunning fencer to boot, he soon recovered his presence of mind, and determined to kill the robbers, and to deliver the girl out of their hands. So he replied—"Since you say so, I will kill these thieves, and rescue you this very night; only do you, when I begin the fight, run outside the house, that you may be out of harm's way, and remain in hiding until I join you."”
The Project Gutenberg eBook, Tales of Old Japan, by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford

Naturally, Gonpachi and Komuraski are in love by now. However Gonpachi turns down the life of a merchant, and leaves her seeking employment in Edo.
“The young man, however, in spite of the kindness of the old merchant, who wished to adopt him as his son, and tried hard to persuade him to consent to this, was fretting to go to Edo and take service as an officer in the household of some noble lord; so he resisted the entreaties of the father and the soft speeches of the daughter, and made ready to start on his journey; and the old merchant, seeing that he would not be turned from his purpose, gave him a parting gift of two hundred ounces of silver, and sorrowfully bade him farewell.”
The Project Gutenberg eBook, Tales of Old Japan, by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford

Later in the story, Gonpachi visits the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters after hearing about a beautiful courtesan. When he arrives at the Miuraya brothel, he discovers the courtesan is Komurasaki who is now selling herself in order to support her destitute parents.
“About this time men began to speak loud in praise of the charms of Komurasaki, or "Little Purple," a young girl who had recently come to the Yoshiwara, and who in beauty and accomplishments outshone all her rivals. Gompachi, like the rest of the world, heard so much of her fame that he determined to go to the house where she dwelt, at the sign of "The Three Sea-coasts," and judge for himself whether she deserved all that men said of her.”
The Project Gutenberg eBook, Tales of Old Japan, by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford

Lacking the funds to liberate Komurasaki from a life of prostitution, Gonpachi turns to a life of debauchery, supporting his lifestyle by robbery and murder.
“When it became time for them to separate, he embraced her tenderly and returned to Chobei's house; but he could not banish Komurasaki from his mind, and all day long he thought of her alone; and so it came about that he went daily to the Yoshiwara to see her, and if any accident detained him, she, missing the accustomed visit, would become anxious and write to him to inquire the cause of his absence. At last, pursuing this course of life, his stock of money ran short, and as, being an rônin and without any fixed employment, he had no means of renewing his supplies, he was ashamed of showing himself penniless at "The Three Sea-coasts." Then it was that a wicked spirit arose within him, and he went out and murdered a man, and having robbed him of his money carried it to the Yoshiwara.

From bad to worse is an easy step, and the tiger that has once tasted blood is dangerous. Blinded and infatuated by his excessive love, Gonpachi kept on slaying and robbing, so that, while his outer man was fair to look upon, the heart within him was that of a hideous devil.”
The Project Gutenberg eBook, Tales of Old Japan, by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford

Gonpachi is eventually caught and executed. His devoted lover, Komuraski, then kills herself at his grave located at the gate of Meguro Fudo Temple.

The End.


Historically, it is reputed that Gonpachi killed 130 people before he was executed by haritsuke (impalement with spears while tied to a crucifix) in 1679.

Clealry this story is a tragedy, and in its day, people who were sympathetic to Gonpachi and Komurasake’s tale were so moved that they built a hiyokuzuka ("lovers' tomb") in their memory. To further commemorate their story temple priests carved a picture of the Hiyoku, (a legendary lovebird that exists only when it has found its mate), on the tomb.

How much of this story is fact, and how much is fiction is anyone’s guess. Clearly there are many questions that challenge its historical validity. However, this tale has inspired numerous theatrical productions and artwork.

In my search for more information on this story I have come across many different pieces of artwork, many of which further detail the story of Gonpachi.

Some of the ones I thought were interesting and tell more of the story are shown below.

Artist: Shunbaisai Hokuei Date: 1835 Publisher: Tenki (Tenmaya Kihei) Size: 37.4 x 25.6 cm Description: Arashi Rikan II as Shirai Gonpachi in “Hiyokumon sato no nishiki-e” In this print Gonpachi is depicted observing a samurai and his servant at night. His stealthy posture is evident, and one has to wonder what his intentions are towards these men. Clearly, the use of colors in this print suggests he is in the shadows, most likely waiting for his opportunity to attack.

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Artist: Kitagawa Toyohide Date: Oct. 1841 Publisher: Honsei (Honya Seishichi) Size: Description: Onoe Kikugoro III as Shirai Gonpachi in “Ume no hatsuharu gojusantsugi,” at the Kado Theater, Osaka The play “Ume no hatsuharu gojusantsugi” is a tale highlighting unusual happenings along the Tokaido Road. In this print the actor Kikugoro, in the role of Gonpachi, is in the middle of a choreograph fight scene (tachimwari), subduing one opponent and throwing another opponent off a roof. Clearly the subjects being subdued are doshin (police officers).

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Title: Komurasaki and Gonpachi Artist: Suzuki Harunobu, 1724–1770 Publisher: Date: Edo period 1770 Size: 15 ¼ x 10 3/8 inches Description: The two lovers, Shirai Gonpachi and Komurasaki Museum of Fine Arts, Boston William S. and John T. Spaulding Collection

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Title: Two Kabuki Actors in Snow Artist: Kunimasu Utagawa 1830-1852 Date: 1840 Publisher: Size: 7.5 x 10.2 inches Description: Kabuki actor, Ichikawa Morinosuke, holding umbrella, is in the role of Shirai Gonpachi I couldn’t find the story behind this particular print, but it is either depicting a robbery in progress, or an earlier event where he is attacked by brigands. (Brigands other that the ones at the inn.) However, the subject on the ground does not appear to be depicted as a member of criminal society.

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Artist: Kuniyoshi Utagawa 1797 – 1861 Date: 1843 - 1845 Publisher: Iseya Ichibei Size: 9.6 x 14.4 inches Description: “Genji Kumo Ukiyo-e Awase" (Pictures of today compared with the chapters of the Tale of Genji) Chapter Sekiya. Shirai Gonpachi The image shows the character Shirai Gompachi, from the Kabuki play Kakene Nashi Edokko Ryôri, tying his girdle by a netted palanquin under the rain, his foot on the neck of a prostrate bearer. This scene is most likely the point in the story where Gonpachi is attacked by brigands, just before meeting the famous Banzui Chobei.

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Title: Two Rivals Artist: Yoshitaki Utagawa 1841 – 1899 Date: 1860’s Publisher: Size: 14.4 x 9.8 inches Description: Kabuki actors, Onoe Tamizo (left) is in the role of Banzui Chobei and Ichikawa Ichizo is Shirai Gonpachi in the play, "Kuruwa Kayoi".

This is an important print in the annals of this story because it depicts two aspects of Gonpachi’s life.

The first aspect is Gonpachi before he becomes a criminal. He is being attacked by brigands, and during the conflict is rescued by Banzui Chobei the chief of the local Otokodate (a name given to the members of young men who banded together to patrol and protect townspeople from lawless low-ranking samurai.)
“But his dangers were not yet over; for late one night, arriving at a place called Suzugamori, in the neighborhood of Edo, he fell in with six highwaymen, who attacked him, thinking to make short work of killing and robbing him. Nothing daunted, he drew his sword, and dispatched two out of the six; but, being weary and worn out with his long journey, he was sorely pressed, and the struggle was going hard with him, when a wards-man, who happened to pass that way riding in a chair, seeing the affray, jumped down from his chair and drawing his dirk came to the rescue, and between them they put the robbers to flight.

Now it turned out that this kind tradesman, who had so happily come to the assistance of Gonpachi, was no other than Chôbei of Bandzuin, the chief of the Otokodaté, or Friendly Society of the wardsmen of Edo —a man famous in the annals of the city, whose life, exploits, and adventures are recited to this day, and form the subject of another tale.”
The Project Gutenberg eBook, Tales of Old Japan, by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford

The second aspect is his friendship with Banzui Chobei, which due to Chobei’s hospitality will ultimately cause his decline into a life of idleness and debauchery.

“Gonpachi accepted the offer of his new but trusty friend with thanks; so Chôbei led him to his house, where he lodged him and hospitably entertained him for some months. And now Gonpachi, being idle and having nothing to care for, fell into bad ways, and began to lead a dissolute life, thinking of nothing but gratifying his whims and passions; he took to frequenting the Yoshiwara, the quarter of the town which is set aside for tea-houses and other haunts of wild young men, where his handsome face and figure attracted attention, and soon made him a great favorite with all the beauties of the neighborhood.”
The Project Gutenberg eBook, Tales of Old Japan, by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford

Of course this part of the story all takes place before Gonpachi discovers his love is now a prostitute, and turns to a life of crime.
I’m not certain, but it sounds as if Chobei was clearly aware of Gonpachi’s criminal activity. Despite this knowledge, and the fact that Chobei is considered a “crime fighter,” he looks the other way; until Gonpachi’s crimes become so notorious that he has no other choice but to kick Gonpachi out of his home.
“From bad to worse is an easy step, and the tiger that has once tasted blood is dangerous. Blinded and infatuated by his excessive love, Gompachi kept on slaying and robbing, so that, while his outer man was fair to look upon, the heart within him was that of a hideous devil. At last his friend Chôbei could no longer endure the sight of him, and turned him out of his house…”
The Project Gutenberg eBook, Tales of Old Japan, by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford

While Chobei’s decision to harbor Gonpaci may be questionable, what is certain is that Gonpachi is protected from the authorities due to Chobei’s status while he is a guest at his residence. Clearly, it is not until he is kicked out of Chobei’s home that the authorities take action and arrest Gonpachi.

If Chobei is actually involved in Gonpachi’s arrest is unclear, but their friendship most likely kept him form taking an active role.

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Title: Eimei Nijuhasshuku (Twenty-eight plebeian verses about the constellations of glorious figures) Artist: Ikkaisai Yoshitoshi Date: 1866 Publisher: Kinseido Size: Description: I’m not sure what scene in the story this print depicts. It could either be the fight at the inn, or Gonpahi’s fight with the brigands. This print is an example of chimidorore (blood stained picture) or muzane (atrocious pictures).

So far this is all the info I have on this story. I hope to learn more, and if any reader can help me I would enjoy hearing from them.

The most interesting thing about researching this print was all the other information I found in the process. Information I will definitely share in future “blogs.”

In closing I have one more favor to ask readers; if anyone knows where I may find a copy (original copy) of the prints by Kitagawa Toyohide, Kunimasu Utagawa, or Eimei Nijuhasshuku please let me know. I would like to add them to my collection.

For the complete quoted text of this story, as well as other Japanese tales go to:

www.gutenberg.org/files/13015/13015-h/13015-h.htm

Other sources:

“18th Century Japan: Culture and Society” by C. Andrew
“Yoshiwara” by Cecilia Segawa Seigle
“Kabuki Plays on Stage” edited by James R Brandon, Samuel L Leiter
“Seas and Lands” by Edwin Arnold
“Japanese Plays and Playfellows” by Osman Edwards

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