Mindset.

I originally had this piece of writing in another blog post I am drafting but then I realised it deserves its own post. I wish to write about the mindset of our koryu ancestors.

Samurai Mask.

There is an excellent article written in this book "Koryu Bujutsu - Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan" Where the mindset of the Japanese combatant is discussed. Ideally the mindset of a warrior should be cool and calm, with a predator's focus. A story that highlights this mindset well is one told to me by a fellow TSYR deshi. He works for the Australian military and he volunteered to be a "hostage" on a training exercise where he and others were on a bus taken over by "terrorists". The Special Forces guys had to take the bus back. This was one of two activities he was involved with. A  prior activity found my friend seated in front of one of these SF gentlemen who looked like he had not had much sleep and had circles under his eyes but was completely focused and ice cold. Upon starting the siege of a grounded plane these soldiers dominated the space with precision, aggression and speed. When it came time for the exercises it was like the special forces guys exploded into action and while things were done quickly there was no discernible haste, just well-practised actions performed without hesitation. To give you an idea of just how aggressive and uncompromising these SF guys are, my friend experienced being "arrested" so quickly and so aggressively he thought he had broken his arm and cheek bone. The SF men are a perfect example of the modern day warrior who still faces the reality of dying suddenly. They still have the warrior's mindset. 

The Japanese term to describe this cold-blooded mindset is fudoshin. It describes the ability to overcome the typical reactions to sudden violence and stay calm under stress. Where many of us may panic, freeze, or be overcome with rage, the trained warrior remains calm and doesn't hesitate. This allows the warrior to continue to access the movement patterns that will keep him or her alive. When I read about fudoshin in modern budo, it sometimes seems to me that the concept has become romanticised or diluted. Words that are often used are; staying strong in the face of attack, retaining composure or a quality that lets no outside influence affect your mind. While I believe this is true and is a great way to describe the concept to the modern budo practitioner, I don't think it is exactly the same thing to a true combatant that must face the reality of sudden violence and death. If I am to understand the mindset of the feudal Japanese warrior then the uglier, cold-blooded version makes more sense to me.

I know some of you reading this might say, "Hold on a minute. TSYR and many of the koryu founded in the Edo period were founded in times of peace. The Japanese warrior-class did not face death on a daily basis." I would argue that they still faced the prospect of death in the form of ritual suicide or seppuku. To face killing yourself by disembowelment would have required an incredible strength of will. Although killing yourself to follow your lord into death was banned during the Tokugawa period, seppuku could still be ordered of you by law and was often held in the presence of officials. 

The well-known samurai classic, Hagakure (written sometime in the early 1700s) has this to say,

"The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of death. It is not particularly difficult. Be determined and advance."

It is clear to me that Fudoshin still very much applied to the 'peaceful' samurai.

Fudoshin is not the only component to the mindset of a budo practitioner. To be able to keep a relaxed vigilance in everything you do is important for a warrior. The Japanese term for such a state is zanshin and can be explained as being constantly aware of your mind, body and surroundings while remaining calm. Zanshin can be practised by being alert from beginning to end of a kata. It can be practised in the simple art of bowing. Zanshin would have had to be highly refined in the Edo period samurai as the society of the time demanded knowledge of many daily rituals. Should this etiquette not be observed, the samurai could find themselves in trouble quickly. By being constantly alert and observant, he or she was watching what others are doing, watching body language and looking at their surroundings to make sure they didn't act in an impolite manner.

Even a person who has trained their minds to exhibit fudoshin and zanshin would still not have the complete mindset of a warrior without one last component. In my martial study I have heard it called "intent", in the article I referred to earlier, it is called "volition" I would go further to say it is "permission" (a term from this article). It is the motivation the combatant has to see his or her actions through. In samurai stories it is common to have two swordsmen square off. Neither attacking, both waiting and watching. Suddenly one withdraws and bows, knowing he would have lost the encounter. This rather dramatic scenario illustrates that if your intent is stronger than your adversaries, then you will win. For me, this is one of the most challenging psychological lines to cross. To intentionally harm another person is difficult when you have had years of societal conditioning about what is right and wrong. It is against the law to assault someone. Yet, a warrior's mindset must allow a time for a switch to be flipped, a moment when you give yourself that permission to do harm without hesitation.

In the dojo environment, my training partners have given their consent for me to practice on their limbs and bodies. Yet we all know no one is out to really hurt the other. No matter how good I think my waza is getting, no matter how much I train fudoshin or zanshin, we all know that this is not a fight to the death. This is why it is up to me and my training partners to increase the intensity. To challenge the other person so they build skill under stress. Only then can we get a glimpse into the mind of a feudal Japanese warrior.