When we get a new bokken (wooden sword) at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, we take time to scrape off the shiny finish applied by the manufacturer. Once the finish is completely removed, we immerse the bokken in linseed oil for 24 hours or more. The wood absorbs the oil, helping to make the bokken much more resistant to cracking. In a quality bokken, the natural finish is much more attractive than the shiny look of polyurethane. This process is not totally dissimilar to what happens to students at our dojo in Ann Arbor.
Out in society, we tend to put on clothes (and make-up, for some) that reflect the image we hope to project. For various reasons, this image is not always completely aligned with who we really are. Like a bokken with an artificial finish, we crack easily and reveal ourselves when subjected to stress.
Inside the dojo, every student in class wears virtually the same clothing. We then must distinguish ourselves by our words and actions. How we perform our techniques and interact with our training partners reveals our natural personalities, even if we try to project a more idealized image. In a kind or generous person, the personality is often simpler and more naturally compelling than the one we might meet in street clothing.
Martial arts technique can evolve in the same way. Students new to karate, aikido, or judo are often rigid and use much more strength and tension than they need. Subjected to the repeated "scraping" of rigorous practice, they gradually lose the shine of inexperience. Their inner strength develops, and they relax and find ways to use their skills efficiently. Their strong, natural interactions are much more attractive to a trained eye than the personality they may have worn like a coat of paint at the start of training.
From the outside in, our practice of physical technique makes us calmer, more centered, stronger, and more efficient.
From the inside out, our calm, centered, strong and efficient spirit generates a powerful and attractive appearance.
JMAC would like to thank the many Ann Arbor businesses that support this blog, both martial arts-related and others, including: Network Services Group, Art of Japanese Swordsmanship, Shudokan Martial Arts Association, Budo Mind and Body, Art of Judo, Iaido Dot Com, Lorandos and Associates, Oxford Companies, Bluestone Realty Advisors, Portfolio Ann Arbor, Invest Ann Arbor, the Law Office of Nicklaus Suino and the ITAMA Dojo.
6 comments:
The first time I scraped my bokken I thought I‘d scrapped deep enough, but after soaking my bokken I discovered that I needed to scrape more deeply to bring out the beauty of the wood. I’ve scrapped my bokken again and the results are better than the first time but I need to scrape deeper still! When considering technique I think most of us find that what we originally thought was good turns out to be o.k. (at best) and that we need to spend more time than we thought to get our technique looking good. But through much practice we can eventually show the beauty of the techniques we perform.
This post makes me think of loose-heavy power.
It never ceases to amaze how we can undo ourselves by trying too hard or "forcing" something.
In architecture there is truth in material and form from function; the most beautiful state of a thing is its natural state. Mother Earth has a way of pointing out bad design if we listen (energy loss, environmental damage, structural damage, etc.)
I suppose the architecture of the human body isn't much different.
This week in bokken class I learned that my unscraped bokken was leaving marks on my training partners' scraped bokken. The lesson for me here is that not taking proper care of my training equipment (and character, for that matter) can leave an unsightly mark on the people around me. Time to get to work!
I am definitely more centered after every martial arts practice. It is so great for bringing my mind back into focus and helping me to see everything in my life in better perspective. It's a great form of meditation and really helps keep my sanity intact. This internal aspect is one of the two most valuable things I am rewarded with by doing martial arts. The other thing, of course, is the external aspect of martial arts, where I can apply some of the things I've learned to real-world circumstances. I find that I'm much more aware of my surroundings and able to assess many situations in terms of how to handle myself with good budo.
The finding of budo, and study of iaido end up being very personal and unique journeys for each martial arts student. As our path matures, the subtle differences begin to emerge and we find a place in iaido that is unlike any other student's. Just as the every bokken in the shipping box looks the same at the beginning, after repeated attempts to find the most effective and durable finish, the resulting weapon is unlike any of its brothers.
There is also something to be said for the beauty of function. A nicely scraped and worn in bokken takes on a quality that only comes from repeated hard use and care. It is the dedication to a single purpose that I find to be most attractive, even more so than the patina that develops. Our specific substyle of MJER shares that same beauty, being an art that is intensely dedicated to function and not at all bloated by fluff and flash.
Wow! What a great metaphor for the transformational process of martial arts. I like to think of it as a huge funnel where the large end is where we all enter the martial arts. At the beginning, we are very heterogeneous with diverse attitudes and abilities. After years of training we become more and more similar as we “scrape off our finishes” and grow beyond our egos to realize our truer natures. Whose bokken are you?
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