Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > AikiWeb AikiBlogs > moon in the water

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

moon in the water Blog Tools Rating: Rate This Blog
Creation Date: 04-26-2010 10:46 PM
niall
Offline
rss2
the water does not try
to reflect the moon
and the moon has no desire
to be reflected
but when the clouds clear
there is the moon in the water
Blog Info
Status: Public
Entries: 155
Comments: 1,111
Views: 1,924,382

Search

In General Behind the Glass Entry Tools Rating: 5 Stars!
  #41 New 02-04-2011 07:00 AM
Behind the Glass Once too meeting by the Seine
The waters a moving floor of stars,
He had vanished when I reached the door,
But there on the pavement burning
Lay one of his familiar black cigars.

from Je es un autre, by Lawrence Durrell


I keep coming back to the idea of mask and truth. Someone makes a thoughtful comment and the train goes on to yet another station.

I started the first mask article by talking about the Tiger Mask manga. That was a comic about a sports hero. There is another kind of manga called shojo manga ostensibly aimed at younger women. The story is usually much more sophisticated than a simple sports story. There is one famous manga called The Glass Mask (Garasu no Kamen). It's about a young woman who wants to become an actress. With the help of a mentor she develops her own method acting and gradually becomes an accomplished actress. The glass mask is the fragile mask of an actor. If it breaks it reveals the actor's real face and real feelings.

As well as your face another part of your identity is your name. I used to get my hair cut by a Japanese guy who had lived in London. He liked speaking English. When I first called up I gave my full name but somehow it got mixed up and when I arrived the stylist called me Matthew. I corrected him but it happened the next time too. So after a couple of times I gave up correcting him and just accepted it. And so once every few weeks I became Matthew. It felt very freeing! In Japan in the past it was not uncommon to change your name - sometimes just slightly - at different phases of your life. There are also pen names and stage names and professional names. My first aikido teacher used different variations of his name and so did Morihei Ueshiba the founder of aikido. In martial arts the head of a school often has a special name. O Sensei, or great teacher, might sound like hyperbole to people who don't do aikido.

In Japan 3rd February is the last day of winter. It used to be the last day of the year. It's called setsubun. People throw beans and shout a traditional shout. Sometimes someone even wears a devil's mask. So we come full circle. Back to the mask.

Devils out! Happiness in!



wikipedia articles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_mask

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setsubun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni_(Japanese_folklore)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_name

link to the poem by Lawrence Durrell
http://wordsmith.org/board/ubbthread...63906&page=all


cool photo of broken glass: radiate by Sally/My aim is true http://www.flickr.com/photos/sallypics/89905757/ photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/sallypics/with/89905757/ used under creative commons licence

© niall matthews 2011
Views: 6044 | Comments: 18


RSS Feed 18 Responses to "Behind the Glass"
#3 02-04-2011 03:13 PM
Lan Powers Says:
Billy Joel... Oh we all have a face, that we hide away forever we take them out and show ourselves, when everyone has gone some are satin, some are lace,some are silk, and some are leather the faces of the stranger, and we love to try them on..... Just a random thought you have sparked. Thank you for your sharing of yours.. Lan
#2 02-04-2011 12:36 PM
guest1234567 Says:
Very thoughtful Niall, thanks! In carnival people wear masks. Carnival in L. Palmas begins this 18 Feb, here http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/l...val-palmas.jpg lasts years carnival queen of G. Canaria, she doesn't wear a mask. In Venice people wear beautiful masks for carnival like this ones http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/l...al-venecia.jpg In China they even just went into the new year...A very happy and healthy new year Niall
#1 02-04-2011 10:17 AM
aikishihan Says:
Hi Niall, Is this tantamount to hiding in pane sight? Love the use of original Japanese notions and traditions to illuminate the often times illusive connection between human beings from differing cultures. Gokuroo sama deshita!
 




All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:45 AM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate