This is where you will find the Way. This indomitable fortitude will profoundly affect your judgment in recognizing opportunity and reacting accordingly, as the circumstances always dictate the means.
I may appear somewhat unsympathetic, but my conviction lies strongly in the principles of budo no bugei. If you embrace my words as I have divulged to you, leaving no secrets and nothing left hiding in my mind, you will find the Way.
—Matsumura Bucho, May 13th (c. 1882)
Matsumura’s makimono is brief, but imparts an invaluable message to all those who may be unfamiliar with the true essence and aims of karate-do: bun bu ryo dō. This emphasizes bun bu ichi nyo, which considers the physical and philosophical as one. There can be no question that Sokon was the man most responsible for this priceless contribution to karate-do. In fact, by way of Matsumura’s makimono, we can conclude that he was principally responsible for proclaiming that the essence of bu (karate-do) in Okinawa meant cultivating these virtues, values, and principles.
If one thoroughly considers Matsumura’s precepts it becomes evident that his message is the fundamental concept of humanity, and its understanding is crucial to the development of shingitai (lit., spirit, technique, body; referring to the development of an indomitable spirit through the use of physical technique). However, during this generation of materialism in Japan, people seem to be more preoccupied with possessions rather than the pursuit of such a spirit.
Because of this radical shift in direction, modern Japanese education has ignored the spirit of kokoro (shin). Too much emphasis placed on materialism has resulted in a loss of moral values. The Japanese people now face a social crisis. The time has come to learn in sincere humility the true meaning of “karate ni sente nashi” (there is no first attack in karate). Hence, I would like to introduce two poems which were handed down in Okinawa long ago.
Poem:
Chiyuni kurusatteya ninrarishiga, chiyukuruche ninraran
Interpretation:
In spite of being troubled by other people, one can still sleep. However, if one troubles other people, a guilty conscience makes it difficult to ever sleep soundly.
Poem:
Ijinu ijiraa tei hiki, teino dejiraa iji hiki
Interpretation:
Standing up for what one believes in
requires the balance of breath and force.
(too much of either is unwelcome)
These precepts were once closely associated with what has been historically described as the “Okinawan spirit.” I believe that these abstracts are excellent lessons for today’s karateka. Pondering the depth of their message one can recognize how self-control, the secret of karate-do, is the principal element in understanding that budo is not for fighting.
In martial arts, wherever kokoro has been forgotten, or never learned, so too will the principle of karate ni sente nashi also be misunderstood, or worse, not even known! In reality, karate ni sente nashi is a warning, and any martial artist who ignores this maxim is a hypocrite. There are teachers who erroneously believe that this ancient proverb simply means responding to a challenge. I say they are wrong and that responding to any challenge only condones violence. The karate ni sente nashi maxim is based on a poem by a famous Zen prelate named Muso Soseki (1275—1351), founder of Kyoto’s Tenryu temple.
One day during a boat voyage, the priest Muso was attacked by a thug who split his head open with an oar. Caught off-guard, the deshi (disciple) of Muso immediately lunged to fight in retaliation. However, Muso restrained his deshi and chanted these words:
Poem:
Utsu hitomo utaruru hitomo morotomoni,
tada hitohikino yumeno tawamure.
Interpretation:
The attacker and the defender are both nothing more
than part of an incident in an illusion which exists
but for only a moment in the span of one’s life.
After pondering the brilliant utterance of the Zen prelate, I came to understand that rather than “not responding to the challenge,” karate ni sente nashi really means tatakawa zushite katsu: victory without contention, or winning without fighting.
Another poem which compels one to consider the magnitude of kokoro, is the following abstract composed by a noted doctor of philosophy, Nishida Ikutaro.
Poem:
Waga kokoro fukaki fuchiari yorokobimo,
urehino nanimo todokajito omou.
Interpretation:
My kokoro exists in an abyss so deep, it is a place which
even the waves of joy or fear cannot disturb.
From the perspective of the martial arts, it is impossible to know the kokoro (spirit) of “victory without contention” if one has not yet transcended the illusion of victory or defeat: the physical boundaries of gi (technique) and tai (body).
People often concluded that the 5th-century B.C. Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu advocated the sente precept. Actually, we can see in his later works a proverb which more clearly illustrates his genuine intention. It suggests: “The essence of kokoro must surface from attraction rather than promotion if it is ever to be clearly understood. Only at that time will one’s kokoro allow enough pliability to yield in the winds of adversity; the circumstances dictate the means. This is, so to speak, the secret of victory without contention, and it must be acknowledged.” I will directly address the karate ni sente nashi maxim later in this book, but I would like to first return to Bushi Matsumura’s story.
During his later years, Matsumura Sokon taught karate to many students at the ochayagoten (tea garden) in Shuri’s Sakiyama district. The ochayagoten (pronounced uchayaudon in Okinawan) was also known as tooen, or east garden. During the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawan families of position learned chado (tea ceremony), kyudo (Zen archery), and budo (martial ways) in this tranquil sanctuary.
Located just next to the great castle of Shuri, the ochayagoten was often used by the royal (Sho) family. Unfortunately, it too was destroyed during the war. All that now remains of the ochayagoten is an empty field. However, the memories of Matsumura and those students who learned martial arts from him in that garden sanctuary live on.
The principal students of Bushi Matsumura Sokon who regularly learned from him at the ochayagoten were: Itosu Anko (1832—1916), Kuwae Ryosei (1858—1939), Yabu Kentsu (1866—1937), Funakoshi Gichin (1868—1957), Hanashiro Chomo (1869—1945), Kyan Chotoku (1870—1945), Azato Chikudon Peichin (1827—1906), Kiyuna Chikudon Peichin (1845—1920), and Sakiyama Chikudon Peichin (1833-1918).
YIELDING TO THE WINDS OF ADVERSITY
I would now like to introduce you to a rather unusual, but nonetheless stirring episode in the life of Bushi Matsumura. After king Shoko-O retired, he was called Boji-Ushu and lived in comfort at his villa in Kowan (present day Urazoe). There was a wild bull kept by a family in his neighborhood which, on occasion, would break free and trample the valuable crops in the village field. When such a thing happened people often got injured before the beast could be recaptured. This
