Aikido Technique Videos and Self Defense Training

It is quite an honor to announce that Mariquita Izawa Sensei will be joining the teaching staff at Castle Rock AIKIDO. A well-received class on Saturday, July 11, taught by Izawa Sensei, precipitated the invitation to be a formal part of the Castle Rock dojo.

Mariquita Izawa Sensei began her Aikido training in 1978 at the Honbu dojo in Tokyo, Japan under the 2nd head of the art, "Doshu" Kisshomaru Ueshiba (the son of the Founder). Izawa Sensei has also trained with other prominent Aikikai Aikido instructors in Japan and the United States such as Osawa Sensei (Sr.), Ichihashi Sensei, Seki Sensei, and Mitsunari Kanai Sensei. As a result, Izawa Sensei offers a very traditional, powerful, and authentic style of Aikido. She continues her practice and study of Aikido at Aikikai Tanshinjuku. Welcome to the dojo, Mariquita Sensei!

--Castle Rock AIKIDO, offering authentic, non-Americanized martial arts instruction exclusively for adults. www.CRaikido.com

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This month we continue to review and evaluate Bushido's major principles, concepts, and values as articulated in the classic 1899 Japanese text, Bushido: The Soul of Japan, by Inazo Nitobe, and evaluate their applicability in today's modern world. Bushido: The Soul of Japan is one of the first major works on samurai ethics and Japanese culture. It is considered by some to be the first collective statement of what is commonly referred to as the Seven Virtues of Bushido.

Nitobe offers for consideration seven virtues of Bushido that attempt to illustrate the philosophical values of the samurai. However, it should be recognized that there are not, in truth, seven virtues of Bushido. This is only Nitobe's subjective articulation of samurai culture and it is little more than an artificial construct. Other academics like Nitobe or practitioners of Bushido could easily and perhaps in an equally comprehensively fashion offer four, ten, or even one-hundred virtues of Bushido. Furthermore, the seven virtues presented here are concentric. That is, each value overlaps with and is influenced by another. No single virtue of Bushido exists or can exist by itself. Remember, all systems, including Bushido, Aikido, or any other, are ultimately artificial. The holistic nature of any system of values is unlikely to be comprehensively articulated in written language. Some virtues transcend written word. Nonetheless, we will attempt to explore each thoroughly.

Rectitude or "Gi" (pronounced 'ghee')

Nitobe begins his articulation of the seven virtues of Bushido with 'Gi' or Rectitude. Rectitude is sometimes also referred to as Justice. He identifies Rectitude as the most powerfully compelling precept in the code of the samurai, and perhaps this is why he leads with this virtue. However, right off the bat Nitobe suggests that the word Rectitude may be too narrow a word to encompass the entirety of this virtue's meaning. He then expands his definition of 'Gi' to include the notion of righteousness. According to Mencius, the influential post-Confucian Chinese philosopher introduced in Part One of this essay, "righteousness is a straight and narrow path which a man ought to take to regain the lost paradise." This idea suggests that when we find ourselves out of alignment with our own personal values, we must raise our consciousness enough to first recognize this, and second, find within us the personal strength to follow a strict and narrow course of action congruent with the values we wish to live by and exhibit. In a word, discipline. Discipline is the one and only path to Rectitude – and it is, indeed, a narrow path that few people choose to follow. Much easier is it to select a wider, more traveled road.

But, what is Rectitude? Nitobe quotes a famous 'bushi' (or samurai warrior) by saying that Rectitude is "the power of deciding upon a certain course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering; to die when it is right to die, to strike when it is right to strike." Another describes Rectitude as "the bone that gives firmness and stature…. Without Rectitude, neither talent nor learning can make of a human frame a samurai." According to Nitobe, a man of Rectitude is/was referred to by Japanese as 'Gishi' and this term was considered superior to any other terms signifying mastery of an art or learned skill.

Websters-Meriam online dictionary defines Rectitude as "the quality of being straight, moral integrity, righteousness, or the quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure." However, these definitions are not definitive in that they then beg the questions, "What is moral integrity?" "What is righteousness?" And, "How does one know if one is correct in judgment?" If we're being completely honest, these are not necessarily black and white questions and do not necessarily come with black and white answers.

Webster's goes on to partly define righteousness as "being free from guilt or sin" and "being justifiable." I connect with the "free from guilt" definition of righteousness because it, in my opinion, really gets to the heart of the matter. In order to infuse oneself with the virtue of Rectitude, one must be able to be free from guilt of one's past actions. Or, perhaps in more practical terms, to be able to sleep soundly at night and not be kept up by regret of one's past decisions. Furthermore, righteousness might connote the ability to find value and wisdom in one's past actions, particularly in one's mistakes, and possessing the willingness to make any necessary amends accordingly and in proportion to one's err. This emotionally challenging process, I believe, is the narrow path to which Nitobe eludes.

But the larger question we are posing in this multi-part essay on Bushido is, "Is Bushido antiquated?" As such, we must ask: Is Rectitude antiquated? I believe the answer is unequivocally – no. Rectitude, one might argue, is as important and relevant today as it has always been. However, its context may have changed. What was once considered righteous, just, and the possession of Rectitude in a feudal society may today be considered inappropriate or even irresponsible. For example, let's say that you are a samurai of feudal Japan and your lord requests of you to do something that you deem inappropriate, unethical, or harmful to another. If violating the order of your lord is punishable by death of you and your family, is following that order righteous? Would your carrying out of that order be one of moral integrity? That would depend upon your values. Would carrying out the unethical order to save yourself and your family be conducting yourself in a manner consistent with Bushido? Or would refusing to carry out the unethical order and risk your own life and those of your family be considered conducting yourself in a manner consistent with Bushido?

Samurai were expected to be loyal (another virtue we'll explore later), but they were also expected to possess Rectitude. What should a samurai or a practitioner of Bushido do when doing the right thing means being disloyal? Can you see the conflict? In order, then, to demonstrate congruency in one's current understanding of Bushido, a Western martial arts instructor or other surface Bushido advocate might argue that the only proper thing to do in such a situation would be to commit suicide. However, I would argue that this certainly isn't demonstrating right reasoning and certainly not in a post-feudal world! To me, such an action would be just plain stupid! After all, isn't suicide the most cowardice way out of any situation?

Today, feudal social structures are substantially less prevalent, particularly in Western societies. Therefore, in one's attempt to practice Bushido and exhibit Rectitude, one must ask what the standard of moral integrity is. To some this standard is, allegedly, stated plainly in sacred texts of monotheistic religions. To non-religious people or to people who practice non-deity-based religions/philosophies this standard is often found viscerally, within oneself – what some people access by calling upon one’s "highest self" or "deepest self." Japanese Shintoism, embraced by Bushido, which believes that moral integrity is the product of the innate goodness of a person when his or her mind is calm and still, would be one such means of determining righteous action or thought.

Before departing from Rectitude, Nitobe briefly digresses to address an element of Rectitude he believes has been perverted in popular acceptance among Japanese culture (at least in the late 1800s). Personally, I believe that this perversion of Rectitude still dominates the current public perception today. That perversion can be found in the notion of 'Giri.'

'Giri' is often loosely defined as the "duty" or "obligation" one has to a person or to an institution of one kind or another. As such, many people, particularly those who practice martial arts in the United States, often take great license with the use of this term and its consequence. According to Nitobe, the original definition of 'giri' was simply "what right reason demands and commands us to do." An example of demonstrating 'giri' would include the caring for your elderly parents in return for their taking care of you while growing up. This duty or obligation, Nitobe would contend, is what right reason demands us to do if the motive of love is inadequate or absent.

However, Nitobe suggests that 'giri' has been twisted and distorted into something perverse – "a vague sense of duty which public opinion expected one to fulfill." Or, stated in other words, 'giri' became what public consensus demands and commands us to do, as opposed to what right reason demands and commands us to do. 'Giri' became a person's conforming to consensus out of fear of public censure. The imperative of right and wrong was somehow eliminated from the understanding of 'giri.' For example, what if a parent was physically or sexually abusive to their child? Does that child still have an obligation or duty to care for that parent in their elder years? If the public were not aware of such personal violations and immoral behavior, might not some pass judgment on the grown child for not exhibiting appropriate 'giri' toward their parent? This is just a reminder to us all to try to reserve judgment of others when we do not have complete facts at our disposal.

In fact, in the above example, I would agree with Nitobe's objection to the perversion of 'giri' and argue that this grown child may, in fact, be demonstrating correct 'giri' toward the abusive parent in that the parent's dishonorable actions void and forfeit any duty or obligation the grown child might have to care for the parent. Right reason demands such, and, therefore, proper 'giri' is being fulfilled. According to Nitobe, "Carried beyond or below right reason, 'Giri' …harbored under its wings every sort of sophistry and hypocrisy."

As you can see, the demonstration of Rectitude can be most challenging. This may be why Nitobe describes Rectitude as a "narrow" path and we all know how narrow, steep paths can be quite scary at times. Therefore, as you can probably anticipate, Rectitude has a prerequisite: Courage. In the next article, we will explore 'Yu' or Courage – what Nitobe calls Rectitude's "twin brother."

So, what can we take away from this discussion? How can we practice Bushido and demonstrate Rectitude in our lives right now and today? We can recognize that:
1. Rectitude is something you give to yourself; not something that is bestowed upon you by others;
2. Rectitude means living your life by a standard of moral integrity rooted in right reasoning, not public consensus; and
3. Rectitude is a challenging narrow path of disciplined actions that cause you to live without guilt.

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Want to apply Aikido to your everyday life? Castle Rock AIKIDO offers traditional Japanese Aikido training and traditional samurai sword (Iaido) training. Visit http://www.craikido.com/ for details.

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From Iai-jutsu to Iai-do:

The Evolution of a Killing Art to a Spiritual Discipline
by Iwakabe, Hideki Sensei, 6th Degree Black Belt

The designation of "sword-drawing technique" as a distinct budo form, iai-do, was made only in the twentieth century. But the essence of iai-do, a non-combative discipline engaged in for the individual's spiritual cultivation, is clearly a product of Edo period thought.

Iai-jutsu, the classical sword-drawing art practiced for combative purposes, was contained in the curricula of hundreds of martial traditions that existed prior to the Edo period. For the kenshi who specialized in iai-jutsu, the sword was to be drawn quickly and struck accurately onto the target. During the peaceful Edo period some of the ryu that featured iai-jutsu died out, but the majority continued to function, while new ones emerged. The socially privileged Edo-period warriors continued to wear the daisho combination of long and short sword, and as long as the sword served as the symbol of the warrior class, there were those warriors who saw a use beyond the practical for sword-drawing techniques. These visionaries were responsible for employing the sword as a spiritual instrument, using it in a manner distinctly different from that of iai-jutsu; these men were the pioneers of the disciplines that are called iai-do.

Orthodox tradition claims the original essence of iai-do to be the product of the genius of Hojo Jinsuke Shigenoby, more popularly known as Hayashizaki (or Rinzaki) Jinsuke. There are all sorts of ideas as to the details of his life, but most of them are pure fiction.

Only a few facts are definitely known about Hayashizaki Jinsuke. He was born in Sagami (present Kanagawa Prefecture) in the mid-sixteenth century. That he had combat experience is unproven, but the Bujutsu Taihaku Seiden, an Edo-period manual, states that he spent seven years, form 1595 to 1601, studying swordsmanship. He then devised a system of sword-drawing techniques that he called batto-jutsu, a term equivalent to "iai-jutsu," and gave his style the name Junpake Den. To test himelf and to establish his teachings, Jinsuke toured various provinces in mush-shugyo fashion. He gathered many disciples. When he was seventy-three years of age (around 1616) he toured for the second time then disappeared; no one ever heard of him again. Hayashizaki Jinsuke's influence on swordsmen was great; during the Edo period more than two hundred ryu primarily concerned with sword-drawing techniques emerged, stimulated by his teachings.

The successors to Hayashizaki Jinsuke embodied their teachings under the name Shin Muso Hayashizaki Ryu, generally subsumed today in the Muso Shinden Ryu. Jinsuke's successors can be traced with certainty through the eleventh headmaster. Thereafter a split in the ryu developed, and one segment terminated with the teachings of Nakayama (Hakudo) Hiromichi, the sixteenth headmaster; the other segment claims continuity in its teachings down to the present, and nineteenth, headmaster, Kono Momonori. Modern exponents of the Muso Shinden Ryu generally regard the line that ended with Nakayama Hiromichi as the true centerline of the ryu.

All evidence indicates that Hayashizaki Jinsuke may have taught only a kind of "quick-draw" technique. His choice of the word "batto" (literally, "striking sword") to describe the sword in action affords a clue, for the term "batto" includes the implied meaning "to strike instantly" with the sword. Thus, Jinsuke's method differed little from the older systems of iai-jutsu, many of which also used the term "batto-jutsu." It also appears that Jinsuke may have taught that his system of drawing the sword was to be used only in a limited way during combat, that is, only as a defensive art useful in meeting the attack of an assailant. If this is so, his method differed from the older iai-jutsu systems, which were both offensive and defensive systems as the situation demanded.

Part Two: coming soon
Published with permission of Iwakabe, Hideki Sensei

Would you like to come watch a Iaido class to see if it is right for you? Visitors are welcome. Click here for more info about Iaido, visit http://www.craikido.com/, or call 720-221-3665. Classes held at Castle Rock AIKIDO.

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