Shimizu Jirocho was the legendary "Robin Hood" figure of Japan, one of
the undefeated swordsmen in Japan whose reputation eventually earned
him the highest certificate of ability from the greatest swordsmen of
the modern (Meiji) era, Yamaoka Tesshu. The Tesshu line was to have an
enormous influence on Tohei Sensei through misogi training at the
Ichikukai, and Ki Society students will recognize the meaning of a
story about Jirocho's swordsmanship.
Aware that Jirocho had never lost a fight, Tesshu asked him for his
secret. Jirocho replied that there was no secret, he simply chose not
to fight if he knew he would lose. When Tesshu asked him how he knew
in advance whether he would win or lose Jirocho replied, "I lightly
tap the tip of my opponent's sword. If it bounces off with a crack,
then I know I can win. However, if the tip of the sword whips back
like a willow branch, then I know I cannot win so I find a reason not
to fight." Jirocho never lost a fight because he never fought a fight
he would lose. On the strength of this insight Tesshu awarded him a
kaiden certificate.
Bokken, or sword practice in the Ki Society always begins with an
exercise in which you move the sword back and forth a few times, each
movement diminishing by half, until the sword maintains the vibrant
stillness of a tuning fork at rest. A partner then tests the sword in
the same way as Jirocho, by tapping the tip of the sword to test the
response. If the return of the sword to front center is lively,
relaxed and instantaneous, this represents the imperceptible movement
in stillness known as seishi, or living calmness. However, if
the return of the sword is sluggish or stiff, this represents the weak
and vulnerable state of teishi, or dead calmness. It takes an
exceptional eye to be able to detect the difference between the
two.
Dead calmness is often masked by bluff and bravado, which is borne out
in experience when the bully turns out to be a coward, and when the
giant has feet of clay. Tohei Sensei himself was frequently scolded
during his military training in WWII by superior officers who mistook
his relaxed manner for laziness. In bayonet practice with wooden
rifles a drill officer once challenged the young Tohei to come at him
as if he were the enemy. The officer came at him with stiff arms and
clenched teeth, using every bit of muscle and technique he had to
attack, however he could find no opening in the relaxed willow branch
style. In short order Tohei knocked the officer's weapon out of his
hand and continued his attack until the officer shouted, "Stop, you
fool! What are you doing?!" Tohei answered that, "I was simply
following your instructions, Sir."
While the coward hides behind a mask of bravado, the truly brave
person may appear to others to be too relaxed or too calm for the
situation. Being calm in a crisis may mean that you don't understand
the situation, or it may mean that you have had some excellent
training. So similar is the outward appearance of living and dead
calmness, that even an expert like Jirocho apparently felt the need to
test the tip of the sword. This is certainly better than learning from
experience, because experience can be fatal. It is said that
experience is the worst teacher, because it gives the test before the
lesson. In lieu of experience we are fortunate to have one of the best
simulations ever devised, the Ki test, which clearly distinguishes
between seishi and teishi. The more experience you have
with Ki testing, the better you become at learning to see the
difference.
While Ki testing gives you immediate feedback on mind and body
coordination, it is also important to develop a clear conceptual
understanding of the difference between living and dead calmness,
between relaxation and collapsation. There are many examples and
analogies in nature which demonstrate how apparent stillness conceals
imperceptibly rapid movement. Both the spinning top and a helicopter
propeller appear to be at rest when they are moving at maximum
speed. We are not even aware of the turning of the earth, and yet how
quickly the sun sets when it reaches the horizon. Wind and water are
some of the most powerful forces of nature, and yet surrounded by them
we often forget their existence. When was the last time you saw your
hair growing? You may wish as someone did, to "Stop the world! I want
to get off," but it cannot be done.
Japanese Haiku poetry celebrates this juxtaposition of calmness and
movement in nature, particularly the poetry of Matsuo Basho.
Into an old pond, Jumps a frog. Sound of water!
How quiet the sound of the shrill cicada, After it penetrates
the rock.
Without any outside implements you can achieve the same effect of the
calm sword through meditation. Correct your posture and rock your body
side to side a few times, letting the movement fade by half, half,
half...coming to rest in vibrant stillness. After the movement has
stopped, a Ki test will immediately show whether you have come to rest
in a state of living or dead calmness. You cannot reduce a number by
half and ever reach zero. Though the movement may become too small to
see, it continues unconsciously. If you try to stop it by saying the
word "zero," you arrive at dead calmness and will fail the Ki test.
Living calmness means resting with readiness. After a minute or so
have someone suddenly clap to sound the signal to stand up. If you are
resting ready you will move with alacrity when required. This is the
same state of relaxed readiness you need to receive an attack. If it
takes you a moment to gather yourself up, then you have fallen into a
slackened state of rest. People complain in the military about having
to "hurry up and wait," which can lead to lethargy. It is difficult to
remain calm without losing power, but it is equally difficult to
remain calm in the midst of activity. The secret to maintaining
calmness in action is to recognize the difference between
seishi and teishi.
Students ask what they should think about when practicing
calmness. Calmness can be practiced, but it must become an unconscious
habit if you want to use it in daily life. Ki training leads to
unconscious calmness, which frees your conscious mind to become active
without losing its bearings. Most people think they are calm, but
their true colors come out under stress. You may have many fair
weather friends, but who will stand by you when the chips are down?
Relaxation and calmness are essential in enhancing performance. An
excellent way to practice calmness is the relaxation exercise of
rapidly shaking the fingertips. Let the movement rapidly fade until
the hands appear to be at rest, but in fact are filled with
Ki. Demonstrate the difference with a Ki test, and see how it makes
both Aikido and Kiatsu techniques more effective. Shaking tension out
of the fingertips is an excellent way to warm up a golf swing, and if
the club is then held lightly with Ki it will give you the aura of a
veteran golfer. However, you will still have to practice to sink the
ball into the cup.
A common metaphor for calmness used in Aikido is that of the calm
still surface of the lake which reflects alike the moon and the flying
bird. Clear awareness is critical to the martial arts, where
misjudgment can lead to injury or death. This state of calm reflection
is brilliantly portrayed in Miyamoto Musashi's painting of a lone
bird's shriek on a withered branch. The eye of the bird, no more than
a jot of ink, reflects that same mind which could reduce a dozen
opponents to a single state of awareness. In Western painting we have
the Mona Lisa, whose eyes mysteriously follower the viewer as he moves
past. Leonardo da Vinci and Miyamoto Musashi both knew that a calm
mind opens a wider field of awareness. Calmness reveals the difference
between seishi and teishi, between bravery and bravado, between what
is real and what is fake.
William Reed
Reprinted with permission from Virginia Ki Society's "Ki Notes" Newsletter.