Jûdô Thoughts

This is a random thoughts post. I’ll talk about what’s going on, expansion, and travels.

Roswell Judo Club is currently expanding. We have three classes a day, three days a week. Next week we will have four. The class being added is by request from one of the Mixed Martial Arts (cage fighting) teams in town. It will be in the morning from 8:30-10:30. I expect it will be heavily concentrated on the techniques that will prove most effective for them to win in their matches. I think that this is also a good time for those who want to compete in jûdô shiai to come.

The next three months are going to be very busy for me. In November I’ll be headed to Las Cruces to sit on a jôseki with Rue-sensei from New Mexico State University. I will be one of the junior sitting members on the grading panel, which means I will probably be tasked to be uke or tori for contestants.

December finds me traveling to Dallas for a promotional contest held by Yawara Jûdô Association. Again, being a junior member of the jôseki, if I’m lucky, I will almost certainly be tasked to be uke or tori for contestants. Also in December my club will be holding a promotional contest for our students. I expect to be the only member of the jôseki for this, though I might ask a sensei from Carlsbad to attend.

Las Vegas, Nevada is my destination for January. The United States Judo Association will be holding an event that includes a coaching clinic/get together with some of the big names in USJA. I want to make sure I get somewhat known by them as I hope to become known. The becoming known will help my club for recognition. It might also help bring some new people to Roswell, because you can bet I’m going to put out a press release!

Right now, I’m hoping that more people start coming to jûdô so we can purchase mats for our club. Without quality mats, we can’t hold a tournament which will certainly boost numbers. I recently talked with the administrators of the Yucca and they asked me to get them a quote. We shall see.

I’d like to say thanks to all the people who have been visiting the blog! Feel free to comment or shoot me questions!

Mono no Aware, Wabi, Sabi, Yûgen

Jûdô players today are plagued with choices. Should they go to practice for fun, education, competition, or other reasons? Should they buy a blue jûdôgi, a white one, or an unbleached one? Should their jûdôgi be a single weave or a double weave? Should they bow? Should they learn falling and rolling?

The questions a beginning, intermediate, or advanced student faces are manifold. Some of them are simple, like how do you count in Japanese. Others are difficult, such as how to perform advanced waza. Some seem very simple and yet are incredibly complex, like the joshi obi and the appropriate selection of a uniform.

This entry is about the appropriate selection of a uniform. I’m not going to argue with any who come here and make them feel that if they don’t do it the way I believe they should they are wrong. I’m simply going to lay out my interpretation of appropriate based on wabi, sabi, yûgen, and mono no aware as I understand them.

MONO NO AWARE (物の哀れ)

A basic definition of mono no aware is a pathos of things referring mostly to the impermanence of all things in the world. Accepting mono no aware within ourselves, we accept that things are more valuable because they are fleeting, not because they are simply beautiful.

Take the Japanese love of the cherry blossom. These simple flowers are quite pretty in all their varieties, but they are no rose. The cherry blossom is valued more highly by the Japanese specifically because they tend to fall shortly after their first appearance, usually no more than a week or two.

WABI (侘、わび)

Wabi can be translated simply as a simple and austere beauty. In thinking of wabi the philosopher thinks of the absolute requirements to complete the thing being done. For example, some things gain value through use but, if the thing is bought brand new, little regard is kept for them in the beginning. These objects seem to develop a character all their own, in judo, a favorite, well-worn jûdôgi or obi.

Looking at the case of the blue or white jûdôgi one should consider the intent. The white uniform is traditional, though not strictly adhering to the wabi ethic, though acceptable. The blue uniform, distinctly non-traditional and lacking in simplicity due to the reason for its inception into jûdô (differentiation of jûdô players in competition), does not conform to the wabi ethic.

Finally, the most acceptable, is the unbleached jûdôgi. This is thought, by many students and instructors, to be a beginner’s uniform. Something to be worn until one dedicates themselves to jûdô. However, the lack of bleaching more strictly adheres to the wabi ethic.

SABI (寂、さび)

A rustic patina, as when things age and develop a certain aspect, like the Statue of Liberty’s green tint, defines sabi at its most basic level. When one considers sabi on could look at the Golden Pavilion at Kinkakuji in Kyoto, Japan. The original was built in the fourteenth-century but was destroyed by fire in 1950. In 1955, an exact replica of the Golden Pavilion was built, including the gold leaf covering originally intended. The original, with 500 years of history and aging, was rife with sabi. The new, as lamented by many of the long-time residents of Kyoto, lacks sufficient sabi to be worth looking at. (Japanese Aesthetics, 2005)

Taking the concept of sabi and applying it to jûdô, one could consider a dôjô with many years of practices. A place that has developed its own character that cannot be separated from jûdô and would be greatly missed or not easily replaced should something happen to it.

YÛGEN (幽玄)

Yûgen is a profound grace when viewing this world, not the world beyond, and experiencing this world with one’s cultivated imagination. Have you ever looked at a kata or randori where everything seems to flow so smoothly that imagination sees everything?

Take into consideration the performance of Ju no Kata (柔の形) or Itsutsu no Kata (五の形). Both of these kata display the essence of jûdô. The expert performer of these seems to flow effortlessly through each movement, so integrated into the performers’ persons that they seem not to be performing kata, but doing what comes naturally. This is yûgen.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH JÛDÔGI?

The first thing to consider is the purpose of jûdô, which, as defined by Dr. Kano, is the “eventual perfection of the human character.” Thinking about perfecting character, one must learn how to subjugate one’s desire for pre-eminence and ego-gratification. In the early stages of one’s jûdô education, desiring to learn more and become better than another is normal. This desire of knowing more or being better than someone else is ego boosting and contrary to perfecting character. The student in the early stages of jûdô should start learning and growing. The instructor should be guiding the student away, gently, from the belief that the student is better than others.

Dr. Kano developed the jûdôgi. It was specifically created and formalized to create equality in learning jûdô. This equality in appearance helps all students, new and old, to recognize that they are there to help each other become better people. Specifically, Dr. Kano selected unbleached cotton because it is simple, thus conforming to the wabi ethic.

The blue jûdôgi was introduced by the International Judo Federation to help spectators and other observers of a jûdô match watch and understand the gross movements used in shiai (試合). The wabi principle is very clearly violated in this case because it is used to differentiate competitors, not because of the color.

How does one decide? In my club, it’s simple. I order the uniforms and I order the white jûdôgi. I don’t advise my students to get blue jûdôgi unless they are competing actively. The final question is single- or double-weave; another fairly simple decision. I recommend that beginners who have not thoroughly decided to commit to jûdô purchase a single-weave. I advise competitors and long-term students buy a double-weave or other longer wearing jûdôgi.

On Kyu and Dan Grades

There are a variety of different organizations that sanction grading both the kyu and dan levels. The major organizations in the United States include the United States Judo Association, the United States Judo Federation, and USA Judo, Inc. These organizations recognize differences between junior grades and senior grades and have developed separate grading requirements for each level.

The association of clubs1 I work with has divided the senior grades into ten kyu grades. For the dan grades, they have decided that ranks from shôdan through hachidan are acceptable grades for the association to promote.

Kyu Grades

Kyu grades are the beginnings of the jûdô student’s path of jûdô. These are the colored belts that are so recognizable in the world of martial arts, especially in the West. A Japanese jûdô sensei, Kawaishi Mikonosuke, that worked extensively in Europe from 1931-1969 developed the colored belts while in France.

Kyu grades seem like a long time while working through them, however, a student of jûdô stays in these grades for between three and six years on average. This may seem a long time, but consider that once you have attained a black belt, you are a black belt forever.

Dan Grades

Dan grades are the serious students of jûdô. Saying this may insult some people who consider themselves serious students of jûdô that have remained a brown belt for many years. A brown belt that has been a brown belt for an extended period may suffer from a misguided belief in what a black belt is, a lack of appropriate curriculum guidelines, an extended absence, or some other misgiving.

Once promoted to the dan grades, a student begins to understand their readiness to truly begin learning jûdô in gross, fine, and subtle nuance. At this level, you have enough knowledge to begin to develop your own personal style of jûdô, from your particular technical preferences, fine tuning your peculiarities in performing, discovering where you will take yourself in jûdô.

If you have just come to the ranks of the yûdansha, Welcome! If you are still working towards your first black belt, strive to learn and understand what you are being presented and enjoy the learning and practice!

Personal Perspective on Ranks

Recently on the JudoForum some people have questioned what the point of achieving the black belt is. I tried to understand why people would be satisfied with a near permanent rank of ikkyu. I couldn’t fathom a reason for it. Today, however, it dawned on me, after reviewing the topic again, that westerners look at the black belt as a mark of mastery. Some view this achievement as finally reaching a destination. Neither of which is true.

The achievement of a black belt in jûdô is certainly a fine achievement. However, it is most certainly not a final achievement or recognition of mastery. Receiving shôdan is a mere recognition that the student is now ready to begin studying jûdô in earnest. This seems an odd perspective but it makes sense if you look at the grades of jûdô as an educational system.

This is my perspective on the grades of jûdô:

• White Belt
• This level is where every beginning student to jûdô starts. There is little or no experience in the techniques of jûdô and maybe little desire, yet. This is similar to children starting kindergarten.
• Yellow Belt
• After some months in jûdô the student begins to understand a few things about jûdô but the knowledge is very limited. Comparable to children moving from kindergarten through first, second, and third grades.
• Orange Belt
• More months have passed for the jûdô student and his or her understanding of jûdô has grown some. At this stage a student may be competing. A student could consider this like being in the fourth and fifth grades.

There has been a lot of progress in the short nine months to a year.

• Green Belt
• Finally the student has progressed enough to be a reasonably safe student. Now they are beginning to learn some of the more complicated techniques. The green belt is similar to a student in middle school that is beginning to understand abstract concepts and formulate unique solutions.
• Brown Belt
• The brown belt student is nearing the end of his time as mudansha and has nearly reached a level of basic understanding of jûdô concepts. Now the student demonstrates understanding of abstract concepts frequently. The student may also be helping newer students develop and understand jûdô. This is comparable to the high school student.

By now the student has been doing jûdô for about three to four years.

• 1st – 3rd Degree Black Belt
• Attainment of the shôdan, or first degree black belt, is like a high school student’s graduation. As millions of Americans know, graduating from high school is not the end of the road; it’s merely the first step to really understanding how the world works. Upon graduation, students move on to work towards their baccalaureate degree. The first through third degrees of black belt are these stages of jûdô education.

There are further degrees of black belt, but these are unnecessary in discussion at this point.

Historical Perspectives

Debates and misconceptions about belts occur often in jûdô. Several significant individuals in jûdô discussed ranks and belts. Donn Draeger, author of several books including Judo Formal Techniques and Judo Training Methods: A Sourcebook, and Neil Ohlenkamp, author of Judo Unleashed and creator of both the JudoInfo and the JudoForum, prominent among others.

“It began as far as we know with Kano Jigoro of Kodokan, and the first date probably 1883, about a year after he founded the system. He awarded proficiency ranks to his Judo men, his exponents, on the basis of kyu, which translated as "class" or "ungraded" ranks and "dan". These are, you can say "degrees" if you want and ranks. So that is the beginning of the black-belt system.”

-excerpt from Donn Draeger’s “Ranking Systems in Modern Japanese Martial Arts: Modern vs. Classical”

“Kano apparently began the custom of having his yudansha wear black obi (belts) in 1886. These obi weren't the belts karateka and judoka wear today -- Kano hadn't invented the judogi (Judo uniform) yet, and his students were still practicing in kimono. They were the wide obi still worn with formal kimono. In 1907, Kano introduced the modern judogi and its modern obi, but he still only used white and black belt ranks.”

-excerpt from Neil Ohlenkamp’s “The Judo Rank System”

Both of these articles are available in their entirety at the links provided on the JudoInfo site.

The Uke and Tori Relationship

The Uke and Tori Relationship

Who are Tori and Uke?

Tori (取り、とり) and uke (受け、うけ) are the two principle actors in jûdô. Both are critical components in learning, understanding, and applying the techniques and principles of jûdô. Without an uke, tori cannot use the various waza (技、わざ) of jûdô. Similarly, without tori, uke can only practice ukemi (受身、うけみ), which, while very important, is not the extent of jûdô.
Tori means to take. In this role, tori takes uke’s control and balance using it to perform various waza, either standing, tachiwaza (立ち技、たちわざ), or on the ground, newaza (寝技、ねわざ).
Uke, on the other hand, means to receive. When you find yourself to be uke, your responsibility, in the early stages of learning, is to ensure that tori performs their technique correctly and to perform your ukemi as best you can. Later in your path of jûdô, your responsibility as uke increases but the methods change; you will be required to provide appropriate resistance in kata (形、かた), nagekomi (投げ込み、なげこみ), uchikomi (内込み、うちこみ), and when you are called upon to help your sensei (先生、せんせい) demonstrate.

How can Tori and Uke work together?

When you and your partner are paired for practice, you will each have specific parts to play. If the technique you are practicing is a new technique for you, as tori you will be learning how to off-balance (kuzushi, 崩し、くずし), fit-in (tsukuri, 作り、つくりう), execute (kake, 掛け、かけ), and protect your uke. As uke, you will be learning how the technique will feel in all the parts that tori is practicing, while feeling the ukemi must be done to protect yourself.

When you are practicing techniques in preparation for tournament (shiai, 試合、しあい), free practice (randori, 乱捕り、らんどり), or for better understanding, your jobs differ slightly than when the technique is new, but only as a matter of degree. In these circumstances, your job as tori is to learn and figure out how best to apply these techniques in a very dynamic environment. Uke, on the other hand may be learning how to defend against these techniques, but may be helping tori to apply these techniques better.

How can we be good Tori and Uke?

Learning jûdô requires us to subjugate our own ego. If we are practicing in randori and we remain stiff and defensive, we prevent our partner’s learning. Keep in mind the maxim of “mutual prosperity and harmony for oneself and others” (自他融和共栄、じたゆうわきょえい). How can we promote mutual prosperity and harmony if we are only concerned about ourselves?
As we rise in the mudansha (無段者、むだんしゃ) or yûdansha (有段者、ゆうだんしゃ) ranks, we find that the more we concentrate on performing as uke or tori the best we can, the better we understand jûdô.

The Kôdôkan Emblem

The Kôdôkan Emblem

Because the Kôdôkan is the original location for jûdô, its symbol can be seen in many dôjô throughout the world. As a symbol, displays can be found with and without the Japanese characters, kanji, for jû (柔), meaning gentleness, suppleness, yielding, or flexibility, and dô (道), meaning way, road, path, or teaching.

Many students have asked what this eight-petaled symbol means. There have been many answers given to this from the mundane cherry blossom to the extraordinary symbolism of Happo no Kuzushi. The only correct answer is the Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡、やたのかがみ).

Yata no Kagami

The Kôdôkan emblem is the Yata no Kagami. The Yata no Kagami is, according to history of Japan, one of the three gifts the Gods gave the first Japanese emperor to prove his “Divine Descendence.” The actual Yata no Kagami is currently believed to be enshrined in the inner sanctuary, naiku, at the Shintô temple of Ise.

Dr. Jigoro Kano designed this as the badge of the Kodokan and placed in the middle a red spot which represented the sun.

Yata has two meanings: (1) Eight sided, (2) Immeasurable, being of great height, depth, width, etc.

The colour (sic) of Yata no Kagami is white to represent purity, and the centre (sic) is red to represent the sun, which is the centre (sic) of our solar system, round which we depend for our life. In Japan many years ago the sun was thought to be the face of God and thus the truth.”

-from “The Story of the Kôdôkan Badge, Senta Yamada, 6th Dan

The Cherry Blossom

Many western jûdô students and clubs erroneously believe that the symbol is a cherry blossom. Much of this confusion can be attributed to miscommunication and the attribution by Draeger and Ishikawa in Judo Training Methods. The classical jûjustu ryuha frequently used the cherry blossom as a symbol.

One reason the cherry blossom was frequently a symbol for jûjutsu-ryu was that the cherry blossom was considered an especially beautiful and important symbol for Japanese samurai because at the height of its beauty it would inevitably fall to the ground to die. Samurai also had to be willing to sacrifice themselves in their prime, and the cherry blossom was evidence that this is the natural way of things and could even be beautiful and pure. Life is as delicate and light as the falling petals, and there is a natural time for all beautiful things to end. The samurai strove to understand the nature of life and death by meditating on the blossom of the cherry tree. This peace was tempered by the inner strength, power, and fighting spirit represented by the circle of red. Through the study of attack and defense in Judo we learn to harmonize our spirit and body, learning to both fight hard and let go softly.

Draeger and Ishikawa offer an interesting reasoning in this excerpt of their book, Judo Training Methods.

The standard emblem of the Kodokan is an 8 petaled flower of the cherry tree. It was adopted by feudal Samurai because the flower is detached from the branch at the apogee of its beauty in order to die. It symbolizes a degree of maturity within the individual which is summarized by the expression, "Strong within, but gentle without." The fire red color of the center of the emblem indicates the "fire" or "ardor" of the individual. The spirit of the Kodokan combines the strength of iron forged to red heat inside the silk, supple, and white flower. This is symbolic of the union of body strength and resistant suppleness and flexibility of the pure spirit developed by the Judo exponent of black belt grade. It is a sign of personal attainment.

The Dôjô (Training Place)

Yawara Jûdô Association Student Manual Update

I have been working on updating the Yawara Jûdô Association Student Manual for about a year now, off and on. I have been working on a few things here and there but decided that I’d start doing major editing at the Dôjô section.

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, though I don’t know by whom. In jûdô, the Dôjô, or training place, has very specific locations. While I could say wheat those locations are and describe the locations, it is far easier to develop a graphic and show the student who is curious or needs to know it for advancement.

You may notice that the locations are in Japanese and are somewhat similar, i.e. two words end in –za and two other words end in –seki. The predicate –za is indicative of a seat and is used in other places, such as seiza (sitting on knees) or anza (sitting cross-legged). The predicate –seki indicates a place, well that’s the best definition I’m finding.

So, let’s talk about the various locations in the dôjô. The most obvious area in a well-furnished dôjô should be the “kamiza” (上座、かみざ). This seat is the side of the dôjô where the picture of O-sensei Jigoro Kano is hung on the wall. Kamiza means superior seat and is where the head instructor and any guest would sit or stand during the class and at the opening and closing of the class.

Opposite the kamiza is the “shimoza” (下座、しもざ), which means inferior seat. This is the side where the students, typically the “mudansha” or non-black belts sit. The students are arranged from most senior grade to least senior grade, with the highest on the instructor’s left side when the instructor has his back to the kamiza. In some dôjô there are a lot of students and so the line up on the shimoza can have more than one row. In that case the pattern remains the same with the highest grade on the instructor’s left expanding to the instructor’s right until there is no more room, then the students line up behind the first line and repeat from highest to lowest.

To the left of the kamiza is the “jôseki” (上席、じょうせき), the superior place. This side is where the yudansha, black belt holders, sit during the line up time. These black belts, and occasionally the high kyu if there are no other black belts, sit ranked from highest to lowest with the highest being the closest to the kamiza.

The final side of the dôjô is the “shimoseki” (下関、しもぜき), the inferior place, which I had never known before and discovered thanks to “JoseVerson” on the JudoForum. This is the place where, should there be too many mudansha sitting in the shimoza, they would then expand around the shimozeki, where, presumably the lowest grade would be closest to the kamiza.