Dojo and Martial Etiquette

During the old days of feudal Japan, the way a person acted and carried themselves could mean the difference between life and death. For example placing the sword in an incorrect fashion while sitting with fellow warriors could send the wrong signal or using an incorrect word could send the wrong intention. Comportment was an essential expectation of society, and trained warriors had very high standards of behavior – learning from the very first day of training how they should act.

In today’s dojo it is still important to maintain correct etiquette and respect not only for yourself but also for your training partner. In order to train effectively your mind needs to be at ease and proper etiquette facilitates a structure which helps students learn and feel safe at the same time. Please remember that in choosing to study martial arts you are also choosing to learn from history, including all of those who preceded you as well as all of those who used what you are studying to protect others.

Shoshinsha (Beginner’s Mind)

I was reading a story about a Japanese Martial Arts Master Teacher who was 90 old. He was giving a lecture about his teacher’s ‘teachings’. He started to talk and said “I would like us students to find inspiration from our teachers.” Never did he speak of himself as being a Teacher or Master of martial arts, even at 90 years old, but rather he referred to himself as a student. A Master Teacher is one who has completed his life and therefore there is no time left to learn. The path of Martial Arts is an ongoing process of self introspection and physical training. I still train and talk to my teacher Mr. Stephen K. Hayes and sometimes I visit his teacher in Japan Dr. Hatsumi. I have been studying with Mr. Hayes for a better part of 27 years. Mr. Hayes will still make adjustments to my Taijutsu and give pointers to direct my learning. Sometime in the last year I was training with Mr. Hayes in Kenjutsu and I was moving to try and gain a position to enter and cut. I started my attack and was cut before I was able to move, all I could think of was “how did he know I was going to cut?” Mr. Hayes then went on to explain the position of the mind kamae in relation to what was going on. He then made some small changes to my technique based on what I was doing wrong and we went on from there. I have to remind myself all the time of Shoshinsha – the beginner’s mind.

A thought:

The beginners mind represents a stage of innocence with respect to learning. It does not mean that a person is not skilled in martial arts but rather that a person accepts teachings and observes from the environment without preconceptions. When very young children explore the world they do not have ideas of what is wrong, right, stronger, weaker. They are simply learning without overriding reality. When we stray from this our thoughts can lead to significant misconceptions about reality as well as delusions about ourselves and our knowledge. In a true martial confrontation clarity of thought would have made the simple difference between life and death.