Kendo, Inherited Wisdom and Personal Reflections by Geoff Salmon

Author:Geoff Salmon [Неизв.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: bushido, kendo, japanese philosophy, geoff salmon, Martial Arts, Zen Philosophy
Publisher: Rethink Press
Published: 2013-08-18T14:00:00+00:00

29. Wasabi

Sometimes, when talking to newer kendoka about the objectives and culture of kendo, I am reminded of a manzai comedy sketch I saw many years ago. The principal comedian asked a supposedly non-Japanese sidekick about his understanding of wabi sabi (the Japanese aesthetic of imperfection and oneness with nature). The foreign straight-man replied that he loved wasabi (Japanese green mustard) and how well it went with sushi and noodles.

The fact that we very seldom “get it” from day one, is not surprising! Kendo, whilst a sport, is built on a multi-layered philosophy incorporating Shinto and Confucian and Taoist thought, augmented by the principles of Zen. The difficulty in fully understanding the ethos of kendo is not reserved for beginners. Kendo’s culture is similar in some ways to my Microsoft Office software. Most of us get really good use from about 30 percent of its functionality and seldom bother with the other 70 percent.

Motivations for taking up kendo are varied: from a love of Star Wars or Manga to an interest in Zen, or the fact that it simply “looked cool”. For some people of Japanese heritage outside Japan, it’s a link with their roots. In Japan the reasons are equally diverse: “Mum made me do it”, “It was compulsory in school”, “It was a way to get fit after the kids graduated from university” etc. Kendo, however, has a way of drawing in its practitioners, so that once in the routine of regular training it is hard to stop. The reasons for keeping going, if even thought about, are very different from the reasons for starting in the first place.

When I started kendo in Japan in the 1970s, most of my peers had continued on a path that started in the school system and had given little conscious thought to their reasons for training. Some of the senior members and teachers had started kendo before the Second World War and had been through the Occupation and the resultant ban on martial arts. I imagine that this hiatus had caused them to seriously reflect on their motivation before restarting practice. At the time, I did not have the temerity to ask directly about their experiences and the few conversations I had with them on the subject at drinking parties were hard to remember afterwards.

With hindsight, I wish that I had asked more questions, although I doubt that I would have received any more answers. The ethos at the time was that it would have been beyond impertinence for a beginner in their 20s to ask for justification from a master in their 70s. The response to philosophical questions was expressed physically. The treatment that I received, however, was always concerned and courteous. I imagine that, at the time, there must have been some internal debate between curiosity as to why a foreigner was interested in something so intrinsically Japanese, and the desire to evangelise the values of kendo.

I have reached the conclusion that whatever your ethnic background, the most important thing is starting kendo in the first place.

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