Nitobe's Bushido: Soul of Japan - Loyalty

Foreword by Dwight
In this section, Inazo Nitobe moves on to the concept of loyalty. He compares how it is viewed by western nations and eastern nations. He underscores the group mentality and how it differs to individualism. It is a difficult concept to easily deal with and incorporate as one can struggle to maintain various loyalties. One example, that I explore is the cultural revolution which happened well after Nitobe wrote this book.

(Corresponding Podcast)

Bushido Soul of Japan - Loyalty
Of the causes in comparison with which no life was too dear to sacrifice, was the duty of loyalty, which was the key-stone making feudal virtues a symmetrical arch. Other virtues feudal morality share in common with other systems of ethics, with other classes of people, but this virtue—homage and fealty to a superior—is its distinctive feature. I am aware that personal fidelity is a moral adhesion existing among all sorts and conditions of men,—a gang of pickpockets owe allegiance to a Fagin; but it is only in the code of chivalrous honor that Loyalty assumes paramount importance. In spite of Hegel's criticism that the fidelity of feudal vassals, being an obligation to an individual and not to a Commonwealth, is a bond established on totally unjust principles, a great compatriot of his made it his boast that personal loyalty was a German virtue. Bismarck had good reason to do so, not because the Treue he boasts of was the monopoly of his Fatherland or of any single nation or race, but because this favored fruit of chivalry lingers latest among the people where feudalism has lasted longest. In America where "everybody is as good as anybody else," and, as the Irishman added, "better too," such exalted ideas of loyalty as we feel for our sovereign may be deemed "excellent within certain bounds," but preposterous as encouraged among us. Montesquieu complained long ago that right on one side of the Pyrenees was wrong on the other, and the recent Dreyfus trial proved the truth of his remark, save that the Pyrenees were not the sole boundary beyond which French justice finds no accord. Similarly, Loyalty as we conceive it may find few admirers elsewhere, not because our conception is wrong, but because it is, I am afraid, forgotten, and also because we carry it to a degree not reached in any other country. Griffis was quite right in stating that whereas in China Confucian ethics made obedience to parents the primary human duty, in Japan precedence was given to Loyalty. At the risk of shocking some of my good readers, I will relate of one "who could endure to follow a fall'n lord" and who thus, as Shakespeare assures, "earned a place i' the story."

The story is of one of the purest characters in our history, Michizané, who, falling a victim to jealousy and calumny, is exiled from the capital. Not content with this, his unrelenting enemies are now bent upon the extinction of his family. Strict search for his son—not yet grown—reveals the fact of his being secreted in a village school kept by one Genzo, a former vassal of Michizané. When orders are dispatched to the schoolmaster to deliver the head of the juvenile offender on a certain day, his first idea is to find a suitable substitute for it. He ponders over his school-list, scrutinizes with careful eyes all the boys, as they stroll into the class-room, but none among the children born of the soil bears the least resemblance to his protégé. His despair, however, is but for a moment; for, behold, a new scholar is announced—a comely boy of the same age as his master's son, escorted by a mother of noble mien. No less conscious of the resemblance between infant lord and infant retainer, were the mother and the boy himself. In the privacy of home both had laid themselves upon the altar; the one his life,—the other her heart, yet without sign to the outer world. Unwitting of what had passed between them, it is the teacher from whom comes the suggestion.

Here, then, is the scape-goat!—The rest of the narrative may be briefly told.—On the day appointed, arrives the officer commissioned to identify and receive the head of the youth. Will he be deceived by the false head? The poor Genzo's hand is on the hilt of the sword, ready to strike a blow either at the man or at himself, should the examination defeat his scheme. The officer takes up the gruesome object before him, goes calmly over each feature, and in a deliberate, business-like tone, pronounces it genuine.—That evening in a lonely home awaits the mother we saw in the school. Does she know the fate of her child? It is not for his return that she watches with eagerness for the opening of the wicket. Her father-in-law has been for a long time a recipient of Michizané's bounties, but since his banishment circumstances have forced her husband to follow the service of the enemy of his family's benefactor. He himself could not be untrue to his own cruel master; but his son could serve the cause of the grandsire's lord. As one acquainted with the exile's family, it was he who had been entrusted with the task of identifying the boy's head. Now the day's—yea, the life's—hard work is done, he returns home and as he crosses its threshold, he accosts his wife, saying: "Rejoice, my wife, our darling son has proved of service to his lord!"

"What an atrocious story!" I hear my readers exclaim,—"Parents deliberately sacrificing their own innocent child to save the life of another man's." But this child was a conscious and willing victim: it is a story of vicarious death—as significant as, and not more revolting than, the story of Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac. In both cases it was obedience to the call of duty, utter submission to the command of a higher voice, whether given by a visible or an invisible angel, or heard by an outward or an inward ear;—but I abstain from preaching.

The individualism of the West, which recognizes separate interests for father and son, husband and wife, necessarily brings into strong relief the duties owed by one to the other; but Bushido held that the interest of the family and of the members thereof is intact,—one and inseparable. This interest it bound up with affection—natural, instinctive, irresistible; hence, if we die for one we love with natural love (which animals themselves possess), what is that? "For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?"

In his great history, Sanyo relates in touching language the heart struggle of Shigemori concerning his father's rebellious conduct. "If I be loyal, my father must be undone; if I obey my father, my duty to my sovereign must go amiss." Poor Shigemori! We see him afterward praying with all his soul that kind Heaven may visit him with death, that he may be released from this world where it is hard for purity and righteousness to dwell.
Many a Shigemori has his heart torn by the conflict between duty and affection. Indeed neither Shakespeare nor the Old Testament itself contains an adequate rendering of ko, our conception of filial piety, and yet in such conflicts Bushido never wavered in its choice of Loyalty. Women, too, encouraged their offspring to sacrifice all for the king. Ever as resolute as Widow Windham and her illustrious consort, the samurai matron stood ready to give up her boys for the cause of Loyalty.

Since Bushido, like Aristotle and some modern sociologists, conceived the state as antedating the individual—the latter being born into the former as part and parcel thereof—he must live and die for it or for the incumbent of its legitimate authority. Readers of Crito will remember the argument with which Socrates represents the laws of the city as pleading with him on the subject of his escape. Among others he makes them (the laws, or the state) say:—"Since you were begotten and nurtured and educated under us, dare you once to say you are not our offspring and servant, you and your fathers before you!" These are words which do not impress us as any thing extraordinary; for the same thing has long been on the lips of Bushido, with this modification, that the laws and the state were represented with us by a personal being. Loyalty is an ethical outcome of this political theory.

I am not entirely ignorant of Mr. Spencer's view according to which political obedience—Loyalty—is accredited with only a transitional function. It may be so. Sufficient unto the day is the virtue thereof. We may complacently repeat it, especially as we believe that day to be a long space of time, during which, so our national anthem says, "tiny pebbles grow into mighty rocks draped with moss." We may remember at this juncture that even among so democratic a people as the English, "the sentiment of personal fidelity to a man and his posterity which their Germanic ancestors felt for their chiefs, has," as Monsieur Boutmy recently said, "only passed more or less into their profound loyalty to the race and blood of their princes, as evidenced in their extraordinary attachment to the dynasty."

Political subordination, Mr. Spencer predicts, will give place to loyalty to the dictates of conscience. Suppose his induction is realized—will loyalty and its concomitant instinct of reverence disappear forever? We transfer our allegiance from one master to another, without being unfaithful to either; from being subjects of a ruler that wields the temporal sceptre we become servants of the monarch who sits enthroned in the penetralia of our heart. A few years ago a very stupid controversy, started by the misguided disciples of Spencer, made havoc among the reading class of Japan. In their zeal to uphold the claim of the throne to undivided loyalty, they charged Christians with treasonable propensities in that they avow fidelity to their Lord and Master. They arrayed forth sophistical arguments without the wit of Sophists, and scholastic tortuosities minus the niceties of the Schoolmen. Little did they know that we can, in a sense, "serve two masters without holding to the one or despising the other," "rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the thingsthat are God's." Did not Socrates, all the while he unflinchingly refused to concede one iota of loyalty to his daemon, obey with equal fidelity and equanimity the command of his earthly master, the State? His conscience he followed, alive; his country he served, dying. Alack the day when a state grows so powerful as to demand of its citizens the dictates of their conscience!

Bushido did not require us to make our conscience the slave of any lord or king. Thomas Mowbray was a veritable spokesman for us when he said: "Myself I throw, dread sovereign, at thy foot. My life thou shalt command, but not my shame.The one my duty owes; but my fair name,Despite of death, that lives upon my grave,To dark dishonor's use, thou shalt not have."A man who sacrificed his own conscience to the capricious will or freak or fancy of a sovereign was accorded a low place in the estimate of the Precepts. Such an one was despised as nei-shin, a cringeling, who makes court by unscrupulous fawning or as chô-shin, a favorite who steals his master's affections by means of servile compliance; these two species of subjects corresponding exactly to those which Iago describes,—the one, a duteous and knee-crooking knave, doting on his own obsequious bondage, wearing out his time much like his master's ass; the other trimm'd in forms and visages of duty, keeping yet his heart attending on himself. When a subject differed from his master, the loyal path for him to pursue was to use every available means to persuade him of his error, as Kent did to King Lear. Failing in this, let the master deal with him as he wills. In cases of this kind, it was quite a usual course for the samurai to make the last appeal to the intelligence and conscience of his lord by demonstrating the sincerity of his words with the shedding of his own blood.

Dwight's Musings
The first thing that came to my mind after I read this was divided loyalties. In this day and age, a martial artist can share many loyalties. Loyalty to your teachers, your art, your country, your family. What happens when these loyalties collide? Do you have to choose one loyalty over another or is a martial artist able to effectively share multiple loyalties without straining those relationships? 

It is hard to imagine what some Chinese martial artists felt during and after the Chinese civil war and then the cultural revolution. Some were killed or exiled because their principles and practices were seen as a threat to the communist regime and Maoism. Having to choose between your personal beliefs and that of the nation must have been extremely difficult. And I am sure that some people face the same decisions today. Mark Twain sums it up perfectly, "Loyalty to country, always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it".

What are your thoughts on loyalty?

References:
Nitobe, Inazo. Bushido. The Soul of Japan ... Fifth Edition, Etc. Shōkwabō: Tokyo; Simpkin, Marshall &: London, 1908.  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12096/12096-h/12096-h.htm

Kung Fu Hero - Dwight "Martial Muse" Iglesias

Kung Fu Hero (Enrique Iglesias "Hero" Parody)

Lyrics and Performance by Dwight

Im a kung fu hero

Would you fight

If I asked you to fight?

Would you run

and never come back?

Would you die

If you saw me dying?

I will fly on trees tonight

Would you tremble

If I punched with fists

Would you laugh?

Oh right in my face

Now you will die

Oh For this slight

 I cutoff your arms, tonight

Im a kung fu hero baby

I can cause you so much pain

I will beat you forever

I will choke your breathe away

Would you fight

through a huge minion horde?

Is it revenge?

Would you run and hide?

Are you in too deep?

I have lost my mind

I don't care

Fight with me tonight

Im a kung fu hero baby

I can cause you so much pain

I will fight with you forever

I will choke your breathe away

Digrassi's His True Art of Defense - The Sword and Target Part 2

Foreword by Dwight
Learn to defend yourself against 16th century fencing a-holes! In this section, we will continue our exploration of the shield known as the Target. The Target was a squarish shield generally made of iron or iron plated wood. In this second section Digrassi describes the offensive and defensive positions of the high ward and broad ward. I will present Digrassi's section on the sword and target then give my brief musings on this section. 

The Hurt of the High Ward at Sword and Target

Many deceits, falses, and wards, may be pacified in the handling of the these weapons: All which I reserve to the treatise of deceit and falsing, as unto his proper place, training likewise in this as in all the rest, three ordinary wardes, upon which all the rest depend, and against which they maybe opposed. Standing at this high ward, and pretending to strike the enemy, it is first of all to be provided, that one steal a false pace from behind, and then discharge a thrust above hand, with the increase of another half pace forwards, which being warded by the enemy with his target only, not moving his body, he may then increase a straight pace of the left foot, and (somewhat lifting up his hand, and abasing the point of his sword) force a thrust from above downwards between the target and body of the enemy, with the increase of a pace of the right foot:the which thrust will safely speed the enemy, if his body be not first voided. The self same thrust may be delivered in this high ward, standing with the right foot behind.

The Defense of the High Ward at Sword and Square Target

The foresaid thrust may easily be warded, if in the very time that it commeth it be encountered with the high point of the Target, but yet with that side which bendeth towards the right hand. And as soon as the enemy's sword is come one handful within the Target, it must be strongly beaten off by the Target towards the right hand, increasing the same instant a left pace. Then with as great an increase of a pace of the right foot as may be possible, a thrust underneath most be given, already prepared, because a man ought to stand at the low ward for the warding of the thrust above hand.

The hurt of the Broad Ward, at Sword and Square Target

In this ward likewise, the enemy may be invested on the point of the sword, by going forwards as straightly as is possible, and by striking quickly before the enemy. For the Target (whose charge is only to defend) is so great, that it may easily ward all edgeblows and those chiefly which come from the knee upwards. Farther, when a blow is pretended to be delivered, it is manifestly, that a thrust doth enter by a more narrow straight than any edgeblow doth. And therefore, when one would strike the enemy standing at the lock or low ward, he must remember that he approach as near him as he may possible: and being so near, that with his Target put forth one handful more forwards, he may beat away the enemy's sword, then by so beating of it, he shall increase a left pace, and presently after it, with the increase of a pace of the right foot, deliver him a thrust, if it so chance that at the first encounter he strike him not strongly.

The Defense of the Broad Ward, at Sword and Square Target

Standing at the low ward, one may ward and defend the thrust of the broad ward, diverse ways, among all which, there is one way, very easy and sure and thus it is.

For the defense of this thrust, it is necessary, that he stand at the low ward, his sword and arm being in their proper place: and that with his Target something stretched out from his body, he provoke the enemy, who being determined in himself, and coming increase of a pace of the right foot, to strike the enemy with a low thrust, underneath both his own and his enemy's Target.

Dwight's Musings

Digrassi presents some interesting strategy and insight in this section. Since it is hard to strike an opponent with a Target, you have to figure out ways around the Target. One would have to either use false strikes to draw the target off and or use direct thrusts to an area unprotected by the Target. The same can be applied in a martial sports setting. If your opponent has a good guard whether in Ju Jitsu or kickboxing. Quick direct strikes or fake strikes can be a good strategy to penetrate a defense.


References:
"Shields: History and Terminology." Shields: History and Terminology. Pitt Rivers Museum. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/Kent/shieweap/shgenex3.html

Digrassi, Giacomo. "His True Art of Defence." University of Massachusetts and Raymond J. Lord. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. http://www.umass.edu/renaissance/lord/pdfs/DiGrassi_1594.pdf 

Professor Mike Donovan's The Roosevelt That I know Part 2

Foreword by Dwight
Would you spar with the Governor? The President of the United States? Well that is exactly what Professor Mike Donovan did in the late 1800s. He wrote a book about his experience in 1909, titled "The Roosevelt That I know". Mike Donovan was considered one of the best practitioners of the sweet science at the time. In this second part, Professor Donovan discusses the characteristics of President Roosevelt.

(Corresponding Podcast)

The Roosevelt That I know Part 2
From the very first I was struck with the kindly nature of the man. Though pressed with full business as he always was, his mind full of problems, with a crowd of importunate office seekers and would-be advisors forever at his heels, he hailed my appearance with genuine delight, and always found time to inquire after my doings and welfare. Sometimes I thought it was the getting away from the exactions of office, the temporary respite from official cares that my coming signaled, that made me so welcome; again, that diplomatic intrigue, the wrangling of officials, intemperate attacks of the opposing party, all of which must be settled with words, mere words, stirred his impatient blood to the boiling point. A box on the ear here, a smash in the wind there, I could readily guess, would have suited his affairs it is the diplomatic "having the honor to be" - but never doing anything.  He must hit somebody, hit him hard, and I thought I turned up opportunately to get what was coming to somebody else.

This was my first impression. A mistaken one as I soon learned. However he might have settled political discussions in the ring, or let rivals for a post-office wrestle it out-best two out of three falls to get the job-it was never in his mind to hand out to me the punishment that was theirs. He had come to like me, because he found me an authority in a domain that particularly interested him, because I represented the straightforward method of the real fighting man, who fights because he loves to fight and brings no hard feelings, no animosity into the game.

Many's the time I have been passed through a throng of waiting politicians of high rank, often enough summoned by the sudden bobbing around a door of the President's head, with a: "Hello, Mike, come right in!" It seemed to me that though immersed in political conflicts, that kind of fighting never sufficed to ward his blood, for I never saw a man more willing to take a good jolt just for the pleasure of giving one back.

One day while I was waiting in the office for my turn to see the President, I witnessed an incident which proved the truth of my belief that under his rugged, aggressive exterior there lay a vein of kindliness and sympathy. The last of the long line of visitors was a woman accompanied by a young girl apparently, her daughter, who had been introduced to the President by a man whom I took to be the Congressman from their home. She was importuning the President for a favor which, for some reason, he was unable to grant. The thought flashed through my mind that this woman was trying to get a pardon for her son-perhaps a deserter. The President listened attentively, then shook his head emphatically. "I'm sorry, madam," he said, "but I can't do it." "But, Mr. President," she urged, "won't you-" "Madam," he replied, stepping back as she came toward him, "I can't do it. I cannot do it." As she turned away, very sorrowful, he came toward me. His eyes were sad. The corners of his mouth drooped. His face was flushed deep red. The veins on his neck stood out. He was a picture of distress.

The incident proved the truth of the old rule that a man cannot be a good fighter unless he has a good heart. The first time I was invited to the White house to box with the President was in January 1904. I found him the same enthusiastic, simply democratic, kindly man I had boxed four years earlier at Albany. I have learned, in my association with the President, though it has been confined solely to sparring bouts, that the really great are never pompous; but, on the contrary, simple and sincere. Though he has a quiet dignity that brooks no familiarity, the genuineness of the man, his directness, earnestness, at once puts you at your ease, and the consideration, which seems bred in his bone, warms you to him at the very start.

"Why don't you stay for the reception tonight, Mike?" said he one afternoon after a round bout. "Why, Mr. President," I replied, "I haven't the proper clothes for anything like that." "Oh, you mean a dress-suit. Say, Mike, I'll lend you one of mine." I caught his eye as, with the characteristic movement of the head to the one side, he grinned encouragingly at me and, seeing that he really meant it, I looked from his full figure to my own slender outlines and burst out laughing.
"Why, what's the matter, Mike?" The words were scarce out of his mouth when he caught the reason for my hesitancy-the same ridiculous figure appeared in his mind's eye that I had pictured myself, as wearing his clothes, and he caught the infection, and for some moments we stood facing each other and  laughed ourselves hoarse.

"I'll tell you what I'll do, Mr. President," I said, when I had recovered,  "I'll hire a dress-suit." So I did, and a disappointing fit it was, thought the best I could do-a pinch in the waist and shoulder, and too long in the sleeves and legs. For a moment I determined to give over the idea of the reception, but on second thought I remembered that I had promised to come and that he expected me. I put on as good a face as I could, and feeling very uncomfortable-about as much at home, in fact, as a sheep in a lion's skin-presented myself at the White House and edged timidly into the background, an uncertain and inconspicuous shadow in the gay throng.

I would shake hands with the President and fade away. I thought I would be a temporary, rather than a permanent, exhibit. He motioned me toward him. As I advanced, the major-domo stopped and said, "Name, please." The President heard him and called, "Oh, there is no need of introducing Mike to me," at the same time reaching out and drawing me toward him. But the President's sharp eye caught me unawares while I was trying to push my shoulders further into the coat, thus to make the sleeves seem not so ridiculously long. "Hello, Mike!" he exclaimed, "I'm glad to see you." He must have noted my discomfort and embarrassment, read it in my face; for leaning over, he whispered, "It's all right, Mike. You look first-rate."It was a great relief; my features relaxed and I breathed freer. Indeed, I stayed for some time, enjoying it thoroughly. I could not observe that I attracted any unfavorable attention and, concluding that my appearance was not nearly as bad as I thought, gave the matter no further concern.

On the evening of March 3, 1904, the day before the inauguration, between five and six o' clock, the President and I had a "go" of some ten rounds. He was as happy as a schoolboy as he stripped for the fray. "After the inauguration tomorrow," he said, "I go out to the Rockies on a hunt for four or five weeks and live the simple life." He loves the Western mountaineers and plainsmen. "Now, Mike," he said, "we must have a good, long bout this evening. It'll brighten me up for tomorrow, which will be a trying day."

We boxed the ten hard, long rounds. He had improved so much in his practice with me that winter that I had to resort to all the strategy that my experience had taught me. After the fifth round I felt like calling a halt, but did not want to appear to be a quitter. We were having it hot and heavy; in an exchange I tried to land a right-hand body blow, ducking to avoid a left-hand counter. Instead he struck me a flush right-hander on the top of the head, knocking me sprawling to the mat. The blow jarred me quite a bit. As I got to my feet, he said: "That's a good make-believe knock-down, Mike." Evidently he did not realize how hard he hit me.

"Mr. President," I rejoined, "I would not let even you knock me down if I could help it." I felt a bit nettled. We started in again, hammer and tongs, and I kept a sharp lookout for his clever play with th left and follow with the right. I will say right here I never was more extended with any man I ever boxed with than in this go. At the close he was perspiring profusely, but seemed fresh enough to go much longer. I sat down and began to puff. He was sitting beside me and said, "Mike, did I understand you to say you are going to march in the parade with the Catholic Protectory Band of New York tomorrow! If so, I would like to have you ask Mr. Ryan, the bandmaster, to has his band play 'Garry Owen' as it passes the reviewing stand." I said, "I will certainly do so, Mr. President, with a great deal of pleasure."

This is the great Irish fighting air, which was played by Irish bagpipes at the famous battle of Vinegar Hill, in Ireland, against the British troops. The air so inspired the Irishmen that they repulsed the regular British soldiers with their musketry and cannons, although they had nothing in their hands but pitchforks and pikes; and gained them the victory. It was to this same tune that Custer led his valiant troop of cavalry to death in the battle of the Little Big Horn.

The next morning I went to the band headquarters, which I had found after an all-night search, and delivered my message to Bandmaster Ryan. He said, "Did the President say that?" I replied, "You may rely upon it." "Well." said he, "I'll play it as he never heard it played before." That afternoon we marched down the avenue, turned the corner at the Treasury Building, Fifteenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, and the eighty buglers which comprised the boy band began the first stanza of "Garry Owen." The President, hearing them coming, clapped his hands saying, "Here they come! here they come!" He was so delighted that, when they were passing, he shouted, "Well done, boys! well done!" As I came along in the rear of the band, the President spied me and called out, "Hello there, Mike! How are you, old man?"

Vice-President Fairbanks was on the reviewing stand, and, as I was informed afterward, he inquired, "Who is this Mike?" He was told that it was Professor Mike Donovan, who had been boxing with the President. He said, "Very interesting, indeed." The bandmaster and the boys were extremely proud of the greeting they received from the President, and so was I.

Musings
What a great account of the very nature of Roosevelt. On one hand, he appeared to be an overly aggressive grisly bear. On the other hand, he appeared to be compassionate teddy bear. My favorite quote from this text was, "A man cannot be a good fighter unless he has a good heart". This compassion demonstrates the one side of the dual nature of martial arts. One side violent and aggressive the other calm and empathetic. Which makes me think of what Plato said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle".

Is kindness and empathy integrated into your training?

References:
Donovan, Michael Joseph. The Roosevelt That I Know; Ten Years of Boxing with the President--and Other Memories of Famous Fighting Men,. New York: B.W. Dodge, 1909. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=x7QaAAAAYAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA8&dq=boxing&ots=MYv8NVrKwf&sig=N21fmrbbSTU8P3S0scqcxphbg9M

Nitobe's Bushido Soul of Japan - Honor

Foreword by Dwight
Honor has a dual sided nature and Inazo Nitobe explores this topic, especially as it was heavily incorporated in the Samurai Code. It seemed that is was possible used for good and for bad. It almost felt as if the Samurai were incredibly sensitive towards their reputation and namesake. Are you and honorable martial artist?

(Corresponding Podcast)

Honor
As a matter of fact, the idea of honesty is so intimately blended, and its Latin and its German etymology so identified with honor, that it is high time I should pause a few moments for the consideration of this feature of the Precepts of Knighthood.

The sense of honor, implying a vivid consciousness of personal dignity and worth, could not fail to characterize the samurai, born and bred to value the duties and privileges of their profession. Though the word ordinarily given now-a-days as the translation of Honor was not used freely, yet the idea was conveyed by such terms as na (name) men-moku (countenance), guai-bun (outside hearing), reminding us respectively of the biblical use of "name," of the evolution of the term "personality" from the Greek mask, and of "fame." A good name—one's reputation, the immortal part of one's self, what remains being bestial—assumed as a matter of course, any infringement upon its integrity was felt as shame, and the sense of shame (Ren-chi-shin) was one of the earliest to be cherished in juvenile education. "You will be laughed at," "It will disgrace you," "Are you not ashamed?" were the last appeal to correct behavior on the part of a youthful delinquent. Such a recourse to his honor touched the most sensitive spot in the child's heart, as though it had been nursed on honor while it was in its mother's womb; for most truly is honor a prenatal influence, being closely bound up with strong family consciousness. "In losing the solidarity of families," says Balzac, "society has lost the fundamental force which Montesquieu named Honor." Indeed, the sense of shame seems to me to be the earliest indication of the moral consciousness of our race. The first and worst punishment which befell humanity in consequence of tasting "the fruit of that forbidden tree" was, to my mind, not the sorrow of childbirth, nor the thorns and thistles, but the awakening of the sense of shame. Few incidents in history excel in pathos the scene of the first mother plying with heaving breast and tremulous fingers, her crude needle on the few fig leaves which her dejected husband plucked for her. This first fruit of disobedience clings to us with a tenacity that nothing else does. All the sartorial ingenuity of mankind has not yet succeeded in sewing an apron that will efficaciously hide our sense of shame.

That samurai was right who refused to compromise his character by a slight humiliation in his youth; "because," he said, "dishonor is like a scar on a tree, which time, instead of effacing, only helps to enlarge."Mencius had taught centuries before, in almost the identical phrase, what Carlyle has latterly expressed,—namely, that "Shame is the soil of all Virtue, of good manners and good morals."

The fear of disgrace was so great that if our literature lacks such eloquence as Shakespeare puts into the mouth of Norfolk, it nevertheless hung like Damocles' sword over the head of every samurai and often assumed a morbid character. In the name of Honor, deeds were perpetrated which can find no justification in the code of Bushido. At the slightest, nay, imaginary insult, the quick-tempered braggart took offense, resorted to the use of the sword, and many an unnecessary strife was raised and many an innocent life lost. The story of a well-meaning citizen who called the attention of a bushi to a flea jumping on his back, and who was forthwith cut in two, for the simple and questionable reason that inasmuch as fleas are parasites which feed on animals, it was an unpardonable insult to identify a noble warrior with a beast—I say, stories like these are too frivolous to believe. Yet, the circulation of such stories implies three things; (1) that they were invented to overawe common people; (2) that abuses were really made of the samurai's profession of honor; and (3) that a very strong sense of shame was developed among them. It is plainly unfair to take an  abnormal case to cast blame upon the Precepts, any more than to judge of the true teaching of Christ from the fruits of religious fanaticism and extravagance—inquisitions and hypocrisy. But, as in religious monomania there is something touchingly noble, as compared with the delirium tremens of a drunkard, so in that extreme sensitiveness of the samurai about their honor do we not recognize the substratum of a genuine virtue?

The morbid excess into which the delicate code of honor was inclined to run was strongly counterbalanced by preaching magnanimity and patience. To take offense at slight provocation was ridiculed as "short-tempered." The popular adage said: "To bear what you think you cannot bear is really to bear." The great Iyéyasu left to posterity a few maxims, among which are the following:—"The life of man is like going a long distance with a heavy load upon the shoulders. Haste not...

Reproach none, but be forever watchful of thine own short-comings...Forbearance is the basis of length of days." He proved in his life what he preached. A literary wit put a characteristic epigram into the mouths of three well-known personages in our history: to Nobunaga he attributed, "I will kill her, if the nightingale sings not in time;" to Hidéyoshi, "I will force her to sing for me;" and to Iyéyasu, "I will wait till she opens her lips."Patience and long suffering were also highly commended by Mencius. In one place he writes to this effect: "Though you denude yourself and insult me, what is that to me?

You cannot defile my soul by your outrage." Elsewhere he teaches that anger at a petty offense is unworthy a superior man, but indignation for a great cause is To what height of unmartial and unresisting meekness Bushido could reach in some of its votaries, may be seen in their utterances. Take, for instance, this saying of Ogawa: "When others speak all manner of evil things against thee, return not evil for evil, but rather reflect that thou wast not more faithful in the discharge of thy duties." Take another of Kumazawa:—"When others blame thee, blame them not; when others are angry at thee, return not anger. Joy cometh only as Passion and Desire part." Still another instance I may cite from Saigo, upon whose overhanging brows "shame is ashamed to sit;"—"The Way is the way of Heaven and Earth: Man's place is to follow it: therefore make it the object of thy life to reverence Heaven. Heaven loves me and others with equal love; therefore with the love wherewith thou lovest thyself, love others. Make not Man thy partner but Heaven, and making Heaven thy partner do thy best. Never condemn others; but see to it that thou comest not short of thine own mark." Some of those sayings remind us of Christian expostulations and show us how far in practical morality natural religion can approach the revealed. Not only did these sayings remain as utterances, but they were really embodied in acts.

It must be admitted that very few attained this sublime height of magnanimity, patience and forgiveness. It was a great pity that nothing clear and general was expressed as to what constitutes Honor, only a few enlightened minds being aware that it "from no condition rises," but that it lies in each acting well his part: for nothing was easier than for youths to forget in the heat of action what they had learned in Mencius in their calmer moments. Said this sage, "'Tis in every man's mind to love honor: but little doth he dream that what is truly honorable lies within himself and not anywhere else. The honor which men confer is not good honor. Those whom Châo the Great ennobles, he can make mean again."

For the most part, an insult was quickly resented and repaid by death, as we shall see later, while Honor—too often nothing higher than vain glory or worldly approbation—was prized as thesummum bonum of earthly existence. Fame, and not wealth or knowledge, was the goal toward which youths had to strive. Many a lad swore within himself as he crossed the threshold of his paternal home, that he would not recross it until he had made a name in the world: and many an ambitious mother refused to see her sons again unless they could "return home," as the expression is, "caparisoned in brocade." To shun shame or win a name, samurai boys would submit to any privations and undergo severest ordeals of bodily or mental suffering. They knew that honor won in youth grows with age. In the memorable siege of Osaka, a young son of Iyéyasu, in spite of his earnest entreaties to be put in the vanguard, was placed at the rear of the army. When the castle fell, he was so chagrined and wept so bitterly that an old councillor tried to console him with all the resources at his command. "Take comfort, Sire," said he, "at thought of the long future before you. In the many years that you may live, there will come divers occasions to distinguish yourself." The boy fixed his indignant gaze upon the man and said—"How foolishly you talk! Can ever my fourteenth year come round again?"

Life itself was thought cheap if honor and fame could be attained therewith: hence, whenever a cause presented itself which was considered dearer than life, with utmost serenity and celerity was life laid down.

Dwight's Musings
Honor is a dual sided concept. It is defined modernly as honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions. Honesty, fairness and integrity are wonderful attributes, but these can be good or bad as fairness and integrity are subjective in layers of gray. Nitobe acknowledges the downside of Honor as when young Samurai took too much angst from a slight and was not uncommon for Samurai to easily kill based on this type of infraction. 

Who determines what is fair and honest? The person with the sword? Honor could be twisted in such a way unfortunately. Plato once said, "You should not honor men more than truth". Additionally, Confucius said, "To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace".

Incorporating the virtues of fairness and integrity would be great for your belief system, but if we evaluate the old saying "there is honor among thieves" then the context of your belief system must also be truthful and justified. 

References:
Nitobe, Inazo. Bushido. The Soul of Japan ... Fifth Edition, Etc. Shōkwabō: Tokyo; Simpkin, Marshall &: London, 1908.   http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12096/12096-h/12096-h.htm

Identify Evil Martial Artists!

EVIL

Evil lurks everywhere! It is important to know when your opponent is an evil martial artist and how to identify their evil martial art. Just as I talk about fighting off evil fencing a-holes, which are probably very easy to identify aka 16th century swords, 16th century garb and a 16th century mustache, it is also necessary to pick up characteristics of evil doers.

First, just as I mentioned above. You should be suspicious of anyone with a mustache and slanted eyebrows, hipsters included. Nothing is more evil than a mustachioed villain!

After you have determined you are facing an evil hipster or other evil martial artist, you should look for is the type of martial art clothing your opponent is using to determine the fighting style. The type of clothing is the next dead give away. Here is a list of Martial Arts and their clothing styles:

• Karate - Japanese Karate practitioners tend to wear all white robe and pants with no shoes. Evil Karate bad guys tend to wear black.
• Vovinam - Vietnamese Vovinam practitioners wear all blue robes and pants with no shoes.
• Savate - The French Kickboxing art of Savate showcases Spandex, lots and lots of spandex. If you come across someone with spandex you are facing an evil savateer or an evil 80s aerobics instructor. So be careful in either case.
• Muay Thai - The Thai art of Muay Thai features bright colored short shorts, no shirt, and rope hand wraps.
• Kung fu - The various Chinese Arts of Kung Fu tend to either wear silk pajamas or bright orange robes.
• Tae Kwon Doe - The Korean art of Tae Kwon Do features the all white robe and pants, but with shoes as opposed to karate's no shoes.
• Military style - Camouflaged clothing or camo for short, can easily be confused with a redneck's camo shorts

Any sort of dark uniform is generally associated with evil!

Your evil hipster is most likely wearing a combination of spandex and short shorts. I know what you are asking yourself, "what if your opponent wears normal clothes?", well if the garb isn't a dead give away. Then we have to look for the various martial arts stances utilized.

• Karate, Kung Fu, and Tae Kwon Doe all have a similar crouched position with the left hand out front of the face and the right hand near the waist.
• Southeast Asian styles like Muay Thai and Bokator are on their toes squared up towards the opponent with both forearms protecting the face.
• Savate and Boxing have a slightly turned stance with more of the shoulder facing the opponent with hands near the face.

Anytime an opponent uses the words in association with their martial art, like forbidden, dark, evil, poisonous, venomous, then I am pretty sure they are evil too.

So to recap the four areas to help you identify evil martial artists are mustache, evil clothing, stance and evil style. Let me know what you think helps you identify evil martial artists.

(Corresponding Podcast)

-Dwight

Digrassi's His True Art of Defense - The Sword & Target Part 1

Foreword by Dwight

Learn to defend yourself against 16th century fencing a-holes! In this section, we move away from the small shield or buckler and move onto the shield known as the Target. The Target was a squarish shield generally made of iron or iron plated wood. It is funny that is was referred to as a target, which makes me wonder if that is where the modern definition of target, an object selected for the aim of an attack. I will present the section on the sword and target then give my brief musings on this section.

(Corresponding Podcast)

Of the Sword & Target, called the Square Target

It is most manifest, that the Target is the most ancient weapon, found out only for the use of warfare, and not for frays and peculiar quarrels between man and man. Albeit, since the finding thereof, there have been devised by the industry of man a thousand ways to serve them at their need: From whence it hath come to pass, (because it seemed convenient unto the professors of this Art) that this weapon was very commodious and profitable, as well for this fashion, as for that it is a mean or middle weapon, between the buckler and the round target. That they have framed a special kind of play there with, although it differeth from the other two weapons in no other thing then in the fashion. Therefore, diverse professors of this Art, being moved, some by reason of the from, some by the bigness, and some by the heaviness thereof, have accustomed to bare it after diverse ways, those who make most account of heaviness, would for some confederation, that the right and proper baring thereof was to hold it leaning on the thigh, not moving there hence, but being greatly constrained there unto.

Others, who esteemed the form and bigness thereof, because it seemed unto them that the Target without any other motion was most apt of it self to ward all that part of the body which is betwixt the neck and the thigh, bare it with their arm drawn back close to their breast. The which opinion, I mean not at this present to confute, for as much as by the shewing of mine own opinion, it shall appear how mightily they were deceived in the holding there of, from the true holding where of springeth all the profit which his form and bigness doth give it.

The manner how to hold the Square Target

Being desirous to bare great respect as well to all the qualities of this Target (which are, the form, the bigness and heaviness) as unto that where with it may either help or hurt, I say (if a man would that the form thereof do bring him profit without hurt) it is to be holden with the high point thereof upwards respecting the head: the part opposite, the low parts of the body: the right part thereof, the right side, and the left, the left side: from this manner of baring spring these advantages. First, a man may more easily see his enemy, and view what he doth by the point of the corner, which is on the one side, and that is by the high point by which, if would behold his enemy, from the head to the feet, it is requisite that he carry his target, to low, that he discover not too much of his body which is above it: to the warding whereof he cannot come again, but discommodiously, and in long time.

Besides, the said commodity of beholding the enemy, there is also another that is of warding: For the Target being born after this manner (framing a triangle) that sharp corner thereof respecteth the forehead, and the sides thereof so spread themselves, that through the least motion, any big man who so ever, may stand safe behind them. And if blows come at the head, be they thrusts or edgeblows, all of them light upon one of the said sides, behind which standeth the head safe without hindering of the eyesight. 

The other two sides of the target, right and left with very small motion, ward the right and left side of the body, in such sort, that a man may also draw back his arm: For the left side of the target wardeth the elbow, which it doth not do, when the high side thereof is carried equal. To conclude therefore, that in holding the Target, his bigness may the better ward, for the causes above said being superfluous to be repeated again, I counsel, it to be holden with the arm stretched forth from the body, no accompting the heavens to be hurtful, because a man contiunueth not long in so holding it: and fi the too long holding be painful, he may draw back his arm, and rest himself. The better to do this and to be able to see the enemy, i say he shall hold it, his arm stretched out, with the high point outwards, respecting the forehead.

Musings by Dwight

What I liked about this section was the shield was designed to help ward off attacks with a small efficient amount of motion, just as a thrust was designed to attack a target with the least amount of movement. You can apply the same principle to unarmed combat, using defensive movements in efficient manners, say like a parry.

So how do you defend against an evil fencing a-hole with a target? Shoot him in the foot of course!


References:
"Shields: History and Terminology." Shields: History and Terminology. Pitt Rivers Museum. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/Kent/shieweap/shgenex3.html

Digrassi, Giacomo. "His True Art of Defence." University of Massachusetts and Raymond J. Lord. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. http://www.umass.edu/renaissance/lord/pdfs/DiGrassi_1594.pdf

Quick Jab Report: UFC Fight Night Dublin Predictions

Fighting in Dublin

Double Down Paddy Daly

The Dark Pool stirring

Welcome Martial Arts Enthusiasts! This week in MMA, UFC Fight Night Dublin. Dublin means the Dark Pool, and only a few will emerge victorious from the Dark Pool this Saturday.  The main event featured Dustin Poirier whom was supposed to fight Joe Duffy, unfortunately Duffy concussed himself earlier this week and so that match is out the window. Very Very unfortunate, I was looking forward to that fight. Additionally, Conor McGregor was quick to be Duffy's replacement, obviously an offer in jest.

Now the main event features Paddy "The Hooligan" Holohan against Louis "Da Last Samurai" Smolka. Holohan has a record of 12 wins and 1 loss. Over last his three fights he had 2 wins and 1 loss. How did these play out you ask? In late 2014, he lost by decision to Chris Kelades. Then in 2015, "The Hooligan" defeated Shane Howell and Vaughan Lee by unanimous decision. Here is a sweet clip by the UFC on Paddy Holohan:

Holohan's opponent, Hailing from Hawaii, "Da Last Samurai" Smolka has a record of 9 wins and 1 loss.  In his last three fights he has a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. Here is the backstory. In May 2014, Smolka lost a split decision to Chris Carlaso. In late 2014, Smolka knocked out Richie Vaculik. Lastly in July of this year, "Da Lst Samurai" defeated Neil Seery by decision. 

The second match up I am interested in is Aisling "Ais the Bash" Daly versus Ericka Almeida. Hailing from Ireland, Daly has a record of 15 wins and 6 losses. In the last three fights she has a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. Here are the stories of the those fights. At CWFC 63 in 2013, she caught Karla Benitez in an arm bar submission. In 2014, at the UFC Ultimate Fighter she caught Alex Chambers in an arm bar submission. Lastly, earlier this year she lost a decision to Randa Marcos at UFC 186. What about her opponent?

Ericka Almeida, hails from Brazil with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss. Over the last three fights, she has a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. Let us recap. In 2014 at Jungle Fight 63, Almeida caught Maiara Amanajas with a rear naked choke. In April earlier this year, she performed a triangle choke on Jennifer Gonzales at Jungle Fight 67. Most recently Almeida lost a decision to Juliana de Lima Carneiro. So who will be victorious in Dublin?

In the fight between the Hooligan and the Samurai is really a toss up as I feel they are evenly matched. I think the result will be a decision win by Holohan, mostly for "Home Field Advantage". I really do believe that performing at home gives an advantage to the fighters. In the fight between Almeida and Daly, I believe Almeida will pull off a submission upset over Daly. The winners will reign over the Dark Pool.

Who do you think will win?

-Dwight

Reference:

"'See You at the Weigh Ins' – Conor McGregor Offers to Step in for Injured Joe Duffy - Independent.ie." Independent.ie. 22 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.  http://www.independent.ie/sport/mma/see-you-at-the-weigh-ins-conor-mcgregor-offers-to-step-in-for-injured-joe-duffy-34130850.html

"Sherdog.com: UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) News, Results, Fighting." Sherdog. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. http://www.sherdog.com

Professor Mike Donovan's The Roosevelt That I Know - Part 1

Foreword by Dwight
Would you spar with the Governor? The President of the United States? Well that is exactly what Professor Mike Donovan did in the late 1800s. He wrote a book about his experience in 1909, titled "The Roosevelt That I know". Mike Donovan was considered one of the best practitioners of the sweet science at the time. Besides this point, the picture above of Donovan punching the "teddy" part of Roosevelt is very amusing. Part one describes his first encounter with Governor Roosevelt with some jarring consequences. Enjoy!

(Corresponding Podcast)

The Roosevelt That I Know
All the world knows Theodore Roosevelt, the statesman; the man who turned the light on the corporate highwaymen. He has made the "Big Stick" respected. But the "Big Stick" must be guided by law not so the fist; wherever you see a head hit it is the fighting rule; a word and a blow, but the blow first- the reverse of legal practice.

 In the following pages I propose to describe Theodore Roosevelt, the fighter, untrammeled by legal restriction; the lover of fistic encounter, as I know; the man of brawn and muscle, with a genuine fighting spirit and the courage of two ordinary men to sustain its promise. I intend further to describe his methods of attack and defense, and to note the analogy between the spirit he exhibits in boxing and that which has urged him on in those political encounters which have made him famous.

A succession of glove-fights with him, covering a period of more than ten years, in which we have met as man to man, where it was give and take, with no restrictions, gives me the right to speak authoritatively, and I wish to say here that, whether or not he was champion of his class in college, about which there has been some discussion in the press, it is admitted that he was an able fighting man then, ready to take his medicine and try again. I can say that he is the same man now- a man who asks no favors, cool in a fight, determined, aggressive, consumed with the purpose to overcome resistance, to win; a glutton for punishment, as the ring phrase goes. It is no exaggeration when I say that, in some mix-ups with him, I have been compelled to resort to all the arts and devices that have come to me from years of serious fighting, often to slug right and left to save myself.

I have noted his career in politics, seen him go for the mark there with the same pertinacity that he shows when boxing. Resistance, discomfiture, hard knocks in one domain as in the other server only to make him keener, to whet his appetite for the fray. Had he come to the prize-ring, instead of to the political arena, it is my conviction he would have been successful. The man is a born fighter; it's in his blood.

There are some who are easily diverted from their purpose, some who go impetuously forward with dash and spirit which will not be denied, but once the attack seems hopeless they hesitate and fly panic stricken in hopeless disorder. A few only remain; these, with conviction imbedded in their souls, cannot be stayed, even though they themselves would will it. They go tumultuously forward, even to the death.

Theodore Roosevelt is one of them. He reminds one of the biblical general who his men faint-hearted, wavering, at sight of the overpowering on-rush of Philistines, faced the tide undaunted, so firm was his purpose that he furiously laid about him till the last.

Even in death, the Bible tells us: "His sword clave to his hand" That is to say, the hilt of his sword was found to be imbedded in his palm, a sure indication that he never wavered from his purpose of attack. I have a vivid recollection of my first fistic encounter Theodore Roosevelt. The Governor left me in the old billiard room of the Executive Mansion at Albany, which he had fitted up as a gymnasium for his boys, in order that they might begin their physical education under his eye.

He then went downstairs to don his boxing clothes. In a few minutes he returned. It was the Governor of the State of New York who had left me. It was a fighting man who entered the room. He wore a sleeveless flannel shirt, his khaki rough rider uniform trousers and light canvas shoes without heels. First, I was struck by the expression of his eyes, which are large, light blue, placed well apart, aggressive, fearless, persistent. He is about 5 feet 8 inches in height, but his great breadth of shoulders and bulk of body make him seem shorter. His arms are short, but heavy and well-muscled. His head is that of the typical fighter. It is broad and symmetrical, poised on a powerful neck. A plumb line could be dropped from the back of his head to his waist. That formation shows not only the fighting spirit, but the physical vigor to sustain it. His short, thick body with its high, arched chest, is sturdily set on unusually strong, sinewy legs. I noticed he wore no belt, and told him he had better put one on.

He borrowed one from my brother Jerry. After pulling on his gloves he stepped forward on to the mat. Most men, on coming to box for the first time with a champion, present or retired, show some trepidation. There was none of that here. After we shook hands I studied him carefully. Then I led a left jab, following it up with a faint-hearted right that landed like a love-tap high up on his cheek. He dropped his hands and stopped. "Look here, Mike," he said indignantly; "that is not fair." I was afraid I had done something wrong. "What's the matter, Governor?" I asked. "You are not hitting me," he said, shaking his head. "I'd like you to hit out." "All right, Governor," I said, thinking to myself, this man has a pretty good opinion of himself. 

We started in again, and I sent in a hard right to the body as he rushed in, and then tried a swinging left for my jaw. He stepped inside and drove his right to my ear. It jarred me down to the heels. I realized at that moment that the Governor was no ordinary amateur. If I took chances with him I was endangering my reputation. From that day I have taken no chances with Theodore Roosevelt with the gloves. I've hit him many times as hard as ever I hit a fighter in the ring, without stopping him, and thousands know how hard I can hit. 

I want to say, now, that I never saw him wince or show even by an involuntary sign that he was discomfited in spirit, no matter how severe the bodily pain. On the contrary, it met with only that characteristic turning of the head a bit to the side, a grim smile and determined setting of the bulldog jaw, followed by another rush. Theodore Roosevelt is a strong, tough man; hard to hurt and harder to stop.

 
References:
Donovan, Michael Joseph. The Roosevelt That I Know; Ten Years of Boxing with the President--and Other Memories of Famous Fighting Men,. New York: B.W. Dodge, 1909. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=x7QaAAAAYAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA8&dq=boxing&ots=MYv8NVrKwf&sig=N21fmrbbSTU8P3S0scqcxphbg9M

"Quick Facts About and Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt." Quick Facts About and Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trbioqf.html

"Teddy Roosevelt's Little-known Secret." Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. 7 Oct. 2002. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-10-07/features/0210070158_1_boxing-final-bout-theodore-roosevelt-association