Who Was Miyamoto Musashi?
If you've never heard of Miyamoto Musashi then you're definitely not Japanese. And if you are Japanese then please go and commit seppuku!
Miyamoto Musashi lived in the 1600's in feudal Japan, at a time when warfare was endemic and extremely bloody. Swordsmen would regularly challenge each other to duels - to the death.
Musashi was possibly the greatest of these swordsmen in history. The victor of some 60 one on one duels to the death. He also fought in at least two major battles and even fought an entire clan of swordsmen once, by himself (and won).
His Go Rin No Sho or "The Book of Five Rings" was his first and only writing of his martial art. So you'd be safe to think that it definitely has something interesting and workable in it!
And indeed it is.
The thing about Musashi is that he was not competing for sport, entertainment or commercialism. He was competing to be the best. It was a deadly serious activity. Obviously no holds were barred! But the other thing that people sometimes don't realise is that his tactics went beyond merely combat. He would take any advantage that he could.
For instance, what he would often do would be to arrive quite late to an arranged duel. Sometimes several hours late. He would sleep in, have a good meal, relax, take his time - meanwhile his opponents had hurried and grown worried, and then had had several hours to wait and grow angry. When they lost their tempers in the fight, they also lost their lives.
So his point is that you take any advantage at all. Moral, spiritual, physical, environmental - whatever. And you use it to the full.
I have been reading his book (a translation by Thomas Cleary) and have started to understand a few of the principles he is teaching. The thing is, they are very sweeping. He doesn't go into many specifics. And that is also the genius of it. It applies to anything. But it's up to you to work out the application. That's the nature of an axiom.
Interestingly enough, some of his basic principles align very closely with Bruce Lee's principles.
Here are some of these principles, at least as I see them:
1) Don't be Restricted
You don't want to be too set in any one style or way. As Musashi put it:
"You should not have any special fondness for any particular weapon, or anything else , for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Without imitating anyone else, you should have as much weaponry as suits you. To entertain likes and dislikes is bad for both commanders and soldiers. Pragmatic thinking is essential."
This means that one should be fluid, changing to the situation. Never being static or fixed in your disposition or style.
This means that when someone knows you are a skilled kicker, you surprise them by closing in with your hands. When someone is ready for you to box with them, you take them to ground. In a street fight situation you could even go for a weapon.
This is extraordinarily important, and very, very similar to Bruce Lee's philosophy of "No Style."
Obviously this takes a lot of work. You've got to be very good at a great many things, and then be able to blend them all together, or switch from one to another seamlessly.
This means that when someone knows you are a skilled kicker, you surprise them by closing in with your hands. When someone is ready for you to box with them, you take them to ground. In a street fight situation you could even go for a weapon.
This is extraordinarily important, and very, very similar to Bruce Lee's philosophy of "No Style."
Obviously this takes a lot of work. You've got to be very good at a great many things, and then be able to blend them all together, or switch from one to another seamlessly.
2) Attack With Intent
A lot of concentration can go onto preventing being hit, and having a guard. Whilst this is important, it should not be the focus of your endeavours. Your focus should be on hitting the enemy. \
"In the course of struggle for victory by military science, the thing is to concentrate on seizing the initiative and getting the jump on others in everything. The sense of a guard or defensive posture is that of awaiting the initiative."
Of course, Musashi had guards, but they were never static. They changed according to the situation, just as his weaponry and tactics changed according to the situation.
3) Victory by Any Means
Musashi was a proponent of victory by any means. And this is definitely truth if your life is on the line, and even has application in the ring or in a situation where you don't want to seriously injure someone. It means that you do whatever it takes to win. You think outside the circle.
This means, in a street fight situation, that there are no illegal moves. You hit the groin, poke the eyes, or do whatever you need to do to survive the encounter. There's about a million ways this applies. It can mean fighting dirty, or just fighting in ways that people don't expect - or using the terrain intelligently.
This means, in a street fight situation, that there are no illegal moves. You hit the groin, poke the eyes, or do whatever you need to do to survive the encounter. There's about a million ways this applies. It can mean fighting dirty, or just fighting in ways that people don't expect - or using the terrain intelligently.
4) Holding Down the Pillow
Sounds weird, but that's Musashi's wording!
"Holding down the pillow means not letting someone raise his head. In martial arts, in the course of dueling, it is bad to be manoeuvred around by others. It is desirable to manoeuvre opponents around freely, by whatever means you may...
"Martial arts include stopping an opponent's striking blows, arresting his thrusts, tearing away his grips...Stopping an opponent's attack at the initial outset, not letting him follow through, is the sense of 'holding down the pillow.'
"For example, you inhibit an opponent's attack from the letter a, so to speak; you inhibit an opponent's leap from the letter l, and inhibit an opponent's cut from the letter c.
"Whenever opponents try to attack you, let them go ahead and do anything that is useless, while preventing them from doing anything useful."
This is an extraordinary ability! But this is truly what you must do. Allow your opponents to do useless actions, then completely interrupt and stop them whenever they actually attempt to do something effective.
Examples of this includes stop-hits, such as those used in Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun. Where you kick an opponent's foot before he can kick, or punch their hand or arm to stop it coming in, or entangling it and closing with them - making the arm useless.
Takes a lot of drilling!
5) Normal
"Normal" refers to your state of mind and your state of body whilst fighting.
In particular it refers to a very important principle of Musashi's - that your state of mind not be affected by the stress of fighting.
"In the science of martial arts, the state of mind should remain the same as normal. In ordinary circumstances as well as when practicing martial arts, let there be no change at all - with the mind open and direct, neither tense nor lax, centreing the mind so that there is no imbalance, calmly relax your mind, and savour this moment of ease thoroughly so that the relaxation does not stop its relaxation for even an instant."
It's simple yet highly effective. If ever you've seen someone who lacked the ability to easily confront the scene in front them, you'll have seen someone who was probably going to lose!
You need to be able to relax, be calm, be able to easily face what is in front of you and not have it affect you.
That doesn't mean you should be carefree! But that you should not give in to fear of being injured or even killed. You've got to be able to face what you're up against or you'll be finished off quickly!
And this on physical bearing and movement:
"In my martial art there is no change in footwork; it is just like walking along a road as usual. Following the rhythm of the opponent, finding the right physical position in conditions of both hurry and calm, the stride should be orderly, without slack or excess."
In particular it refers to a very important principle of Musashi's - that your state of mind not be affected by the stress of fighting.
"In the science of martial arts, the state of mind should remain the same as normal. In ordinary circumstances as well as when practicing martial arts, let there be no change at all - with the mind open and direct, neither tense nor lax, centreing the mind so that there is no imbalance, calmly relax your mind, and savour this moment of ease thoroughly so that the relaxation does not stop its relaxation for even an instant."
It's simple yet highly effective. If ever you've seen someone who lacked the ability to easily confront the scene in front them, you'll have seen someone who was probably going to lose!
You need to be able to relax, be calm, be able to easily face what is in front of you and not have it affect you.
That doesn't mean you should be carefree! But that you should not give in to fear of being injured or even killed. You've got to be able to face what you're up against or you'll be finished off quickly!
And this on physical bearing and movement:
"In my martial art there is no change in footwork; it is just like walking along a road as usual. Following the rhythm of the opponent, finding the right physical position in conditions of both hurry and calm, the stride should be orderly, without slack or excess."
6) Rhythm
Musashi says a lot about rhythm.
"Rhythm is something that exists in everything,l but the rhythms of martial arts in particular are difficult to master without practice.
"...In the field of martial arts there are rhythms and harmonies in archery, gunnery and even horsemanship. In all arts and sciences, rhythm is not to be ignored.
"There is even rhythm in being empty.
"...The way to win in a battle according to military science is to know the rhythms of the specific opponents, and use the rhythms that your opponents do not expect producing formless rhythms from the rhythms of wisdom."
Some of the ways this is visible is when you lull an opponent into a false sense of security. Attack at a certain pace, in a certain way, and get him used to the attack. Then change the pace, change the attack slightly. It keeps him guessing, keeps him uncertain, unable to properly predict what you're going to do.
As with all these principles, it requires a lot of practice!
"Rhythm is something that exists in everything,l but the rhythms of martial arts in particular are difficult to master without practice.
"...In the field of martial arts there are rhythms and harmonies in archery, gunnery and even horsemanship. In all arts and sciences, rhythm is not to be ignored.
"There is even rhythm in being empty.
"...The way to win in a battle according to military science is to know the rhythms of the specific opponents, and use the rhythms that your opponents do not expect producing formless rhythms from the rhythms of wisdom."
Some of the ways this is visible is when you lull an opponent into a false sense of security. Attack at a certain pace, in a certain way, and get him used to the attack. Then change the pace, change the attack slightly. It keeps him guessing, keeps him uncertain, unable to properly predict what you're going to do.
As with all these principles, it requires a lot of practice!
