Standing

どう立つか。空手では，いかに立つかが極めて重要である。もちろん，空手に限らず，広く武道・武術において，「立つ」ということが重視されているだろう。もし「立つ」ことに全く頓着していない流派や指導者があれば，それは偽物と判断して良い。我々人間は直立歩行することを選んでからこの方，たった二つの小さな足の裏でもって，身体全体を支えている。足の裏の面積は非常に狭い。この狭い面しかない二点でもって，長い身長と重い体重を支えなければならない。前のめりに倒れないように，また，後ろに尻餅をつなかいように，重力に反して上に向かって立つ身体のバランスを絶妙に保たなければならない。もちろん，日常の生活においてそのことを意識することはない。人間の（脳を含む）身体は，重力や傾斜や凹凸などの外的な環境と内的な身体感覚（体性感覚，深部感覚）から得られる複雑な入力情報を巧妙に処理し，意識することなく自然に立ったり座ったり歩いたりといった動作を可能にしている。一般の人の日常であれば，これで終始，問題なく過ごすことができる。しかし，武道・武術の想定する場面は非日常であり，非日常的にいかに身体のバランスを保ちながら「立つ」かが武術の要諦となる。そして，本来，武道家であれば，日常と非日常を区別していない。したがって，武道家は，常日頃より，どう立つか，どう歩くか，どう坐るか，に緩やかに注意を向ける。今ここにある身体へ鋭敏かつ漫然と意識を向ける。

How to stand -- In karate, it is extremely important how we stand. Of course, not only karate but also comprehensively budo and martial arts may put emphasis on "standing". If there is a school or teacher who is not concerned about "standing" at all, you don't mind to regard them as a fake. We human being support our whole body by the only two small soles of the feet since we chose to walk upright. The square measure of the soles is extremely small. We human beings have to support the long height and heavy weight of our body by these two small points. We have to keep the balance of our body exquisitely, which is standing upright against the gravity, in order to neither fall forward nor land on our rear. Of course, most of us is not aware of it in everyday life. The human body, including the brain, smartly processes complex incoming information received from both such external environment as gravity, slope, and unevenness, and internal body sensations (somatic sensations, deep sensitivity), and enables us to naturally stand, sit, and walk without consciousness. This makes people in general to live throughout their daily life with no problems. However, the scenes premised by budo or martial arts are non-ordinary, and then it is the secret for budo-ka or martial artists how to "stand" in a non-ordinary way with keeping the balance of their body. In addition, essentially, budo-ka would not divide their everyday life in terms of the ordinary or non-ordinary. Therefore, budo-ka should always put gentle attentions on how to stand, walk, and sit. They should pay attentions sharply and aimlessly to the body here now.

Tension with Relaxing

空手的身体の根幹は，「締め」と「呼吸」と「重心（中心軸）」である。攻防の間，体軸のバランスを常に保ちつつ，呼吸と締めを綿密に連動させる。しかしここで「締め」と言った場合，筋肉を最大限に硬直させるという意味ではない。身動きできないほど固まってしまっては致命的である。インパクトの瞬間は呼吸とともに締めるけれども，直前直後は締まりつつ緩める必要がある。しかし，緩めると言っても完全に脱力するわけではない。身体全体へ意識を万遍なく向けることで，常時，筋肉が緩やかに緊張した状態を保つ。内側の身体と外側の（敵を含む）環境へ，万遍なく意識を向け，一つのところに注意を留めない。次第に内と外の区別は無くなる。そうすれば，今ここが全体として，締めながら緩んだ状態へと向かう。まさにマインドフルネス的状態である。ただしかし，これは，言うは易く行うは難し，であり，空手修行，ひいては武道修行，あるいは坐禅にも言える魅力であるとともに，武道や禅において永遠に求め続けられる境地だろう。

The core principles of karate-oriented body are "tension", "breathing", and "center of balance". During attacking and blocking, we constantly maintain the balance of body as well as operate the tension of body and the breathing together closely. But, importantly, "tension" stated here does not mean maximum muscle hardening. It is fatal to harden our body at the extent that we can not move at all. Though we should tension our body with breathing (exhaling) momentarily at the time of the impacts of offense and defense, we need to continue to both tension and relax our body simultaneously, before and after the moments of punching, kicking, and blocking. Relaxing here is, however, not to relieve all power of our body thoroughly. We should maintain the mild tension of muscles continuously by paying equal attention to all over the body. It is important not to focus on one thing but pay even consciousness to both the inside of the body (self) and the environment (including enemies) as the outside of the self. Gradually, it is getting to enable the inside and outside not to be distinguished. If so, here-now as the whole would become a state mixed with tension and relaxing together. That is just a mode of mindfulness. But, it is easier said than done. It is an attraction for practitioners of not only karate or budo but also zazen, and simultaneously, a state that budo or zazen practitioners are eternally seeking for.