Bushido now
I have been doing some thinking about bushido and iaijutsu and what it means to me.
When I first started iai about 3 years ago, I learned the principles of bushido and thought a lot about whether I was incorporating those principles into my daily life.
Even before iai, I had been living my life to a large extent in accordance with the principles of Bushido (rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor, loyalty) even though I didn't know what the principles of Bushido were at the time. I just tried to do the right thing at the right time even if it was scary or might be followed by negative consequences. In the course of living my life in such a manner, I ended up following the principles.
When I joined iai though, I was embroiled in the nasty politics of our department and was fighting for my career. The problem I was having with living by the code of bushido in my life was in regard to the principle of loyalty. How could I be loyal to people who had turned on me so viciously? More generally, can you follow the tenets of bushido when those around you do not? One of the reasons I think bushido worked for the Japanese was because all the samurai followed it (or strove to live by those rules). One is at a real disadvantage if others are not loyal, honest, honorable, etc. but you are.
I think that one of the things that makes iai so rewarding for me is that my dojo is filled by others who try to follow these principles in their lives. I suspect that they did so even before they joined iai (just like me). Deshi for whom these principles do not resonate probably find some other martial art to study or, finding their way to iai, do not last long in the art.
Admittedly, in the dojo we also all share a fondness for playing with swords. However, we could do that if we took up fencing or kendo. This suggests to me that iai is giving us more than the opportunity to play with swords. It also gives us an opportunity to live by the principles we believe in, in a setting where no one is going to take advantage of us for living by these principles.
On a side note (slobbit ), iai has been great lately! I have really been enjoying the opportunity to go to class twice a week. I think that this Wednesday will be the first class I have missed since we started at the new school in January. With 4 hours a week to practice, I feel that my form is improving as a result. Sensei is having me work on kata outside of the kata I will be testing on to such an extent that I need to practice the testing kata at home to stay in practice.
Also, there have been several classes now where only three students attend. Since it is always me and 2 senior students, we get to work on bunkai for the more advanced kata and sticky swords "sparring" (Whee!). I have teased Sensei about my calling all the other students to tell them class was cancelled just so I could get to do the fun stuff (which, though fun, really is good training).
When I first started iai about 3 years ago, I learned the principles of bushido and thought a lot about whether I was incorporating those principles into my daily life.
Even before iai, I had been living my life to a large extent in accordance with the principles of Bushido (rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor, loyalty) even though I didn't know what the principles of Bushido were at the time. I just tried to do the right thing at the right time even if it was scary or might be followed by negative consequences. In the course of living my life in such a manner, I ended up following the principles.
When I joined iai though, I was embroiled in the nasty politics of our department and was fighting for my career. The problem I was having with living by the code of bushido in my life was in regard to the principle of loyalty. How could I be loyal to people who had turned on me so viciously? More generally, can you follow the tenets of bushido when those around you do not? One of the reasons I think bushido worked for the Japanese was because all the samurai followed it (or strove to live by those rules). One is at a real disadvantage if others are not loyal, honest, honorable, etc. but you are.
I think that one of the things that makes iai so rewarding for me is that my dojo is filled by others who try to follow these principles in their lives. I suspect that they did so even before they joined iai (just like me). Deshi for whom these principles do not resonate probably find some other martial art to study or, finding their way to iai, do not last long in the art.
Admittedly, in the dojo we also all share a fondness for playing with swords. However, we could do that if we took up fencing or kendo. This suggests to me that iai is giving us more than the opportunity to play with swords. It also gives us an opportunity to live by the principles we believe in, in a setting where no one is going to take advantage of us for living by these principles.
On a side note (slobbit ), iai has been great lately! I have really been enjoying the opportunity to go to class twice a week. I think that this Wednesday will be the first class I have missed since we started at the new school in January. With 4 hours a week to practice, I feel that my form is improving as a result. Sensei is having me work on kata outside of the kata I will be testing on to such an extent that I need to practice the testing kata at home to stay in practice.
Also, there have been several classes now where only three students attend. Since it is always me and 2 senior students, we get to work on bunkai for the more advanced kata and sticky swords "sparring" (Whee!). I have teased Sensei about my calling all the other students to tell them class was cancelled just so I could get to do the fun stuff (which, though fun, really is good training).