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.

Ironic Process in Budo Practice

武道は，稽古をすればするほど下手になる。稽古をすればするほど弱くなる。下手になり弱くなることは，修行者にとって悲しむべきことか喜ぶべきことか。そのどちらでもあるだろう。下手になった弱くなったと自覚することは，それだけ技が深まっていることの証でもある。一方で，上手くなりたい強くなりたいと願うのもまた，拭い去ることが難しい，ごく自然な態度である。人間の意識・思考の特徴に，リバウンド効果（皮肉過程）というものがある。あることを考えないようにすればするほど考えてしまう，という現象である。稽古をすればするほど下手になるのは，まさに武道の皮肉過程と言える。リバウンド効果を生じさせないためには，考えないようにしないようにすることである。そうすれば自ずとその思考は消えていく。思いの手放し，すなわちマインドフルネスである。これをあえて武道稽古に応用すれば，下手になる（弱くなる）ことに評価や判断をせず，また，上手くなろう（強くなろう）と求めず，ひたすらに身体と対話することが肝要だろう。つまり，上手くなった下手になったに一喜一憂せず，ひたすらに心身一如の稽古を続ける。そうすれば自ずと道は拓ける。自ずとプラトーを越えられる。

As for budo, the more we practice it, the poorer we get. The more we practice it, the weaker we get. Getting poor or weaker is something that should bring us sadness, or pleasure?  Both are right. Being aware that we get poor or weaker is accordingly an evidence that our techniques have gotten to a deeper level. On the other hand, it is also a very natural attitude, which is difficult to clear away, that we hope we will get better or stronger. There is a distinctive feature of human beings' consciousness or thoughts, which is called the rebound effect (or the ironic process). This is a phenomenon that the more we try not to think about a thing, the more we involuntarily think about it. The fact that the more we practice, the poorer we get is just said to be the ironic process in budo practice. What we can do to reduce the rebound effect is not to do trying not to think about it. If we do, then the thought itself is disappearing. It is just leaving thoughts, that is, mindfulness. If we dare to apply this to the practice of budo, we would suppose that it is important to make neither judgement nor evaluation about the thought that we get poor or weaker, not to seek for getting better or stronger, and simply talk with our own body. That is to say, we should not let ourselves be affected by whether we get better or poorer, but continue to entirely practice with mind-body unity. If so, we naturally could carve out our own future. Spontaneously, we could go beyond the plateau.

Core Essence of Karate

空手という沖縄発祥の伝統的な武術には，数え切れないほど多種多様な流派がある。伝承する形がその流派の特徴を示すが，それは，何という形を伝承しているかのみならず，その形を構成する一つ一つの技の理合も多くの場合は異なる。ただその中でも，首里手のエッセンスを凝縮したナイファンチ，那覇手のエッセンスを凝縮したサンチンは，多くの流派に伝承されている。しかし，そのナイファンチあるいはサンチン一つをとっても，流派によって，また，師によって，技術論・身体論は異なる。では，空手という武術には，流派を越えた核となる技術，すなわち，これこそが空手である，という共通した身体操作の技術はないのだろうか。答えは，ないともあるとも言える。空手は，身体を通した技術の伝承であり，当然，一人一人の身体は異なるので，伝承の過程を経て変容することは避けられない。つまり100%のコピーということは物理的にあり得ない。ここに，伝承する側と伝承される側の乖離が生じる。流派はここから生じる。しかし，ある一定の効果を持ちうる空手独自の技術は，伝承する側と伝承される側の弛まぬ努力と工夫によって，一定のものが保たれることになる。この一定のものこそが空手の核となるエッセンスであり，この目には見えないけれども伝承者（修行者）の身体の中でおぼろげに感じられるものが，沖縄発祥の伝統武術，空手である。もし仮にそのエッセンスが伝承されていなければ，それは空手ではない。

Karate, the traditional martial art that originated in Okinawa, includes innumerable variety of ryuhas (schools). Though katas that have been passed down characterize the ryuha, the fact does not only means that a ryuha passes down any specific katas, but also that in many cases there are differences in the theories of each techniques constructing these katas. Among these various katas, however, both naifanchi into which is condensed the essence of shuri-te and sanchin into which is condensed the essence of naha-te have been passed down in a lot of schools. But, the theories of techniques or body movements concerning even these naifanchi and sanchin are different among not only ryuhas but also masters in a certain ryuha. If so, in this martial art karate, are't there any core techniques across ryuhas, or common techniques of body manipulation such that "this is karate," are there? The answer is no and yes. Karate is the succession of techniques through body, and as a matter of course, each person's body is different from each one, then, it is inevitable that the techniques will change through the process of succession. In other words, it is physically impossible to copy 100% of the techniques or skills completely. Here occurs the divergence between teachers, those who pass down and students, those who are passed down. From this, ryuhas branch off. But, the techniques original with karate enable to have certain effects toward an opponent are maintained at a certain constant level by steady efforts and ideas of those who both pass and are passed them down. These specific things are just the essences central to karate, and things that the successors (practitioners) can not see but feel vaguely in their own body are karate, the martial art originating in Okinawa. If your master (teacher) did not pass down the essences, that is not karate.

Kata that We Have to or Want to Polish

武道全般においては，練るべき形と練りたい形があると思う。空手，特に糸東流でいえば，練るべき形はサイチンとナイファンチである。サンチンとナイファンチによって，空手的身体，すなわち，空手という武術の身体操作の原則を体得する。サンチンとナイファンチは，日頃より常に練り続けることで，空手的身体の上昇へと結びつく。究極的には，サンチンとナイファンチのみを練り続けることも一つのアプローチであろう。これに加えて，練るべき形としては例えば，パッサイ，セイエンチン辺りであろうか。これらも当然，練り続けることが肝要であり，完成ということは死ぬまであり得ない。空手に終わりはない。すなわち，マスターする（修行を完遂する）ということはない。したがって，練るべき形は死ぬまでひたすらに練り続ける。糸東流には40以上の形が伝承されているが，一人の糸東流修行者がこれらすべての形を万遍なく練り続けることは物理的に不可能である。となれば，練るべき形と，残りは練りたい形を練り続けるしかない。練りたい形とは何か。それはおそらく，自身の身体の筋に合う形ではないだろうか。いくつもの形を練っていれば，自然と，自分の身体とフィットする形というものが見つかる。その手がかりは自身の身体感覚である。しかれば，限られた時間の中で，練るべき形を厳選し，練りたい形を厳選し，出来る限りそれらを練り続けることが，空手修行者に求められるだろう。練るべき形は師が示す一方で，練りたい形は自身が決めるしかない。

I think that there may be two kinds of kata in the whole budo; katas that we HAVE TO polish and ones that we WANT TO polish. As for karate, especially shito-ryu, it is sanchin and naifanchi that have to be polished. We learn the karate-formulated body, that is, the principles of body manipulation in the martial art karate, through sanchin and naifanchi. Continuing to polish sanchin and naifanchi in everyday life leads to ascent in karate-formulated body. Ultimately, it is one of the approaches to the essense of karate that keeping on polishing only both sanchin and naifanchi is. In addition to these katas, are the ones that we have to polish passai and seienchin, aren't they? As a matter of course, it is important to continue to polish them, and there is no possibility that we will finish or master them until we die. Karate has no end. That is, we do not absolutely master or complete the practice of karate. Then, we eternally continue to polish katas that we should polish. Forty and more katas has been passed down in shito-ryu, and it is physically impossible for a practitioner of shito-ryu to continue to polish these all katas equally. If so, what we can do would be to continue to polish only both katas that we have to and ones that we want to. What is kata that we want to? It may be the one that fits the suji (suji in Japanese here means something like nearly muscles and bones, or lines or streams of power) of our own body. If we polish various katas, we will be able to naturally find katas that fit our own body. The cue is our own somatic sensation. Therefore, it will be hoped that karate practitioners select carefully katas that they both want to and have to, and continue to polish katas as long as possible during their limited life time. While katas that we HAVE TO polish are identified by our master, katas that we WANT TO polish must be determined by ourselves.