Jan 15 Mon ~ Shomenuchi Ikkyo
108 Tenkans
108 Suwari Waza Shomen Suburi
Happo no Giri
Shomenuchi Ikkyo Omote
Shomenuchi Uchi Kaiten Kokyunage
Suwari Waza Kokyuho
Warm-up drills to establish clear sense of center, posture, and movement. Continued focus on solid basics. After initial partner practice it moved to group practice where groups divided into 8 individuals in the positions of happo no giri and each attacked nage in the center with shomenuchi. Nage completes ikkyo with same footwork (and economy of movement) as happo no giri. Then technique changed to deal with the situation when the attacking arm is received too late for ikkyo. Beginners introduced to Shomenuchi Ikkyo and then joined and blended with the senior students. Class ended with Suwari Waza Kokyuho.
posted by Yonjuhachi Ronin at 11:49 PM
2 Comments:
I think you are comfortably within the Asura realm.... 108 .
Interesting comment… I can only guess that the conclusion of your observation seems to be based on a great leap from an association to the number of repetitions used in this training…108. I will try to reconstruct and follow the associations and put them in context. This blog is mostly for students, who may not be aware of the references, so it is worth exploring.
The training theme since the first class of the New Year has been Kagami Biraki, which literally means "Mirror Opening". The origin of this ‘mirror’ is Shinto and is based on the original trilogy myth (along with the sword and the jewel) of the creation of Japan where a mirror was given to a deity (sun goddess) who had hidden in a cave. In the Shinto context the mirror enabled people to see things as they are (good or bad) and thus represented fairness or justice. By extension mirrors were also interpreted by members of Japanese feudal society to represent the soul or conscience.
This concept was related to an old samurai tradition that began in the 15th century. At that time New Year Kagami Mochi, or rice cakes, were placed in front of the armory to honor and purify weapons and armor. Samurai would clean, shine and polish their weapons and armor thereby symbolically (from mirror polishing) strengthening their dedication to obligation and duty in the coming year.
So Kagami Biraki was known as "Armor Day" and that is the reason why it was adopted into modern martial arts in 1884 when Jigora Kano (the founder of Judo) instituted the custom at the Kodokan. Since then other Japanese arts, Aikido included, have taken on this celebration of renewal, rededication and spirit. Typically it is a separate workout that is held in many traditional dojos, often the second Saturday or Sunday of January so all students will be able to attend. We have had no special celebration but instead have incorporated the concept into ongoing workouts in January.
In more recent times the mirror symbol has been influenced by Zen. In this context the mirror contains an old image, something that is seen with old eyes. You don’t have beginner’s mind and so see only what you expect to see. This creates a false continuum of assumptions instead of looking at every moment as an opportunity to experience the now, the present. In this sense “breaking the mirror” is breaking this mind set and seeing with “beginner’s mind”.
In Zen Buddhist tradition at midnight on New Year’s the temple bells toll out 108 times. This is based on the notion that mankind suffers from “108 earthly desires”. It is the combination of these traditions that has resulted in martial artists repeating exercises 108 times as part of “breaking the mirror”.
Relevant to this Buddhist background is the Tibetan Buddhist “Wheel of Samsara” (Wheel of Transmigration, Wheel of Suffering, Wheel of Life) that has the “6 Realms”; these are lower realms when compared to the upper “10 Spiritual Realms”. One of the 3 “good” realms of these lower six rebirth realms, along with Deva and Human, is Asura (sometimes put above the Human realm and sometimes below it). The Asura realm is inhabited by ‘demi-gods’, beings devoted to warfare and everything that goes with it; anger, pride, lust for conquest and so forth. Human beings who manifest these qualities are experiencing Asura-consciousness and are laying the foundation for rebirth here. It is a world based on jealousy, struggle, combat and rationalization.
The ‘rationalization’ in this case is like the rationalization of a domestic batterer who states he had to hit her “because she made him so angry”, or those in disagreement who precipitate hurtful outcomes and say “he brought it on himself because he didn’t do what he was told to do”, or groups that threaten damage and say “if you don’t do X then we’ll do Y and it will all be your fault” (in children its “if you don’t play the game my way I’m going to take my ball and leave”).
It would be a popular and understandable misconception to believe that the practice of martial arts would automatically be in the Asura realm. However this is not always the case and should not be the case when practicing Aikido. It is an art of harmony that is supposed to avoid challenge and combat. Its goal is not to defeat but rather to restore balance. Aikido practitioners particularly should embody the core philosophy of reconciliation. It is an art of peace… it is not just a curriculum of technique… that is mere appearance and is actually aikijitsu. Technique without embodying the philosophy is a combat system not a way of being. It is this type of thinking that is more an example of Asura consciousness.
Again thanks for such an interesting and esoteric comment!
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