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"NINGEN-KOKUHO"
LIVING
NATIONAL TREASURE
Karate
and the Sword
I
have always enjoyed "good" television programs.
You
know the kind I mean.
PBS
shows, National Geographic, the History Channel, the kind
of programs that not only inform you, but also make you
take the time to think about what you have just seen.
Now
don't get me wrong, I like a mindless action flick now
and again just as much as the next person, but when it
comes to wanting to increase my learning curve on a
particular subject that interests me, there is nothing
like a good book, or good television program on the topic
at hand to really set my mind in motion.
Not
long ago I was watching just such a program, as I recall
it was a National Geographic program entitled, "Living
National Treasures of Japan".
The
program in essence revolved around a very select group of
individuals to whom the Japanese government had awarded
the title of "Living National Treasure".
Currently only 75 people hold this honour.
This
great honour had been awarded to these individuals, who
are famous throughout their homeland, in recognition of
their having attained the highest possible level of skill
in their chosen discipline, and for their unselfish
contribution to that particular aspect of Japanese
culture.
For
example, one lady was a Master famous for her dyed cloth.
One
man was a Master potter, renowned for the beauty of the
delicate objects that came from the fires of his kiln.
Another
man was a Master of the art of paper making, and his
paper was in tremendous demand by those who practice the
art of calligraphy, and on it went.
Now
I must say that while I marvelled at the skill of each of
the honourees, as a student of the martial arts I was
most fascinated by the skill of the Master sword maker.
From
raw material, to a finish sword, the process was truly a
thing of beauty.
The
Master first took the raw steel and heated it in the fire
of his forge until it glowed red hot. He then withdrew
the heated metal and placed it on an anvil, where it was
rhythmically pounded time, and time again, by his two
assistants until he was satisfied with the result, at
which time the metal was returned to the fire.
While
this process was shortened for the benefit of the
program, this can in fact go on for hours, even days.
Often when he brought the heated metal from the forge to
the anvil, the master would have his assistants cease
their hammering, at which point he would cleave the metal
almost in half across it's width, and then he would fold
the metal on top of it's self, only to have his
assistants once again resume their relentless hammering.
It
has been said that the steel in a sword of the highest
quality will have been folded more than one thousand
times.
Finally,
when the sword obtained the size and shape that the
Master had envisioned, he would heat it one final time,
then, when he felt the moment was right, he quickly
withdrew the blade from the forge and immediately plunged
it into cold water. This had the effect of rapidly
cooling the sword into it's final form.
This,
however, was only the first step in a very orderly
process of creation.
When
the program ended I found myself thinking back to how the
Master had forged the sword. He had such a passion, and
an eye for detail that seemed to allow him to "see"
the finished product long before it materialized in his
hand.
I
could not help but compare this process of hammering,
tempering, and repeated shaping, to the art of karate-do,
and the overall development of a student, from beginner,
to black belt.
The
student is the raw material.
The
Sensei the fire, and the hammer.
Over
hours, days, months, and years, the Sensei like the sword
Master hammers away at every little flaw he or she sees,
shaping the student through the standards and techniques
of their individual style, until that day arrives when
they can finally begin see the result of their efforts,
in the emerging form of a Sho Dan.
Just
as there are many Dan levels in karate, there are also
many levels in the process of creating a finished sword.
The sword Master may make the blade but essentially there
his task ends, and he passes the sword into the hands of
another to work on from there.
The
sword first goes to the polisher who is himself a Master
of this particular art. He works over the rough surface
of the blade time, and time again, removing every last
visible imperfection until the blade shines like the noon
day sun.
In
terms of karate I liken this step to the student being
once more moulded through further training, only to
emerge several years later in the form of a Ni Dan.
Better than they were, yet still not all they can be.
The
next step in the process sees the sword leave the hands
of the polisher and pass onto the hands of the Master
sharpener. Once more an man dedicated to the perfection
of one singular task takes his place in the process. He
will hone the sword time, and time again, until a perfect
cutting edge is created along the entire length of the
sword. An edge that is capable of cutting through an
amazing amount of material.
In
terms of karate I liken this step to the student rising
to yet another level, the rank of San Dan. Here their
skills are no longer generated solely by premeditated
thought alone, but instead after more than a decade of
training, the students techniques will by now have become
much more instinctive in nature, as well as extremely
well controlled. A sure sign of progess, but a long way
from perfection.
The
sword now makes another journey in it's search for final
perfection, this time being placed in the hands of the
Master engraver. With keen eyes, a skilled touch, and the
patience of a saint, the Master will engrave upon the
polished, and sharpen sword, an image or perhaps some
kanji, worthy of the sword it's self. The engraving may
have been selected in advance by the sword maker, or left
to the discretion of the engraver, or perhaps it was
requested by a specific client for whom the sword was
being made.
In
terms of karate I liken this step to the creation of a
Sensei or teacher. One who has been moulded, sharpened,
and polished, and who is now ready with the consent of
their own Shihan (Master) to open a dojo of their own,
while still remaining under his guidance and association.
This then is a student who has reached the rank of Yon
Dan. A qualified teacher in their own right who still
continues to train on a regular basis, keenly aware of
the fact that the need to continually polish their own
skills is a never ending task.
At
last the sword is returned to the Master sword maker, who
can at last see in the finished sword, and the image that
for so long was visible only in his minds eye. A true
thing of beauty, begun by the vision of one man, yet
truly created only through the combined efforts of
several Masters, all of whom are "National Living
Treasures".
In
terms of karate I liken this step to the student passing
their final physical grading, and now being awarded the
rank of Go Dan, the highest pre-war rank that Master
Gichin Funakoshi ever awarded. From here on out what the
student learns and what they teach to others, will be a
by-product of the hands and minds that created them.
For
like the sword, we are all, at any stage in our karate
development, the total sum of all that has been given to
us, and all that we ourselves have put in, by way of
time, effort, energy, and spirit.
-
- Remember
- Never
judge anything by it's appearance,
- in
truth it is the content that matters.
- Part
the clouds - see the way.
-
- "The
objective of karate-do is to contribute to the evolution
- of
the human spirit through physical and mental training."
- Sensei
Peter Lindsay
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