Kimono

Kimono sabaki is the art of wearings a kimono. In martial arts circles where a hakama is worn we might say hakama sabaki; for learning to put on, and train in, a hakama is certainly an art form.

Some of us, however, once the technique of putting on the clothes is learned sufficiently we stop giving it much attention, and chatter away in the locker-room giving little care to our dress; or, on the other extreme, become so obsessed with a precise technique we forget to enjoy the feeling of learning fresh how these wondrous clothes might fit today.

When I first wore buddhist robes I was told it takes awareness to learn 'how to live within the robes' (this phrase has many layers of meanings; some of which I am just coming to appreciate). As monks we also recite a vow, the 'Takkesa no ge' or Robe Chant.

Daizai gedappuku
Muso fuku den-e
Hibu Nyorai kyo
Kodo shoshu jo

Daisai gedatsu fuku is 'how great are the clothes of liberation'.
Muso fukuden-e is 'formless robes of happiness'.
Hibi Nyorai kyo is 'devoutly wearing the teaching of the Nyorai' (Nyorai is another name for a Buddha)
Kodo shoshu jo is 'to save living beings widely (or everywhere)'.

This kind of vow is humbling and sets ourselves in a process of gratitude for the practice and the teaching. It places us in a relationship between ourselves and others with awareness of the clothes between us; remember between us does not separate us, but joins us... connects us.

When I put on Hakama and/or Kimono to do budo I say this same vow. To remain ever humble and grateful.

Though for non-monks reciting this vow may be too much to ask, it may be a nice practice to don the hakama & kimono with a similar attitude, to help us step on this path facing an old direction of gratitude to those who came before... and in the new direction toward those who will train with us today.

Domo Arigatou
jyozen

Yumi Futokoro - Bow and the inbetween space

As many of you know, I have a stack of kyudo journals; from my first day to the present. I often peruse these journals for reminders of our path, of some teaching that may have slipped my mind for a bit.


These journals are filled not only with my experiences, but filled with words of wisdom from the many teachers I have encountered along the way.

Although I tailor every class to the needs of those that are present, I usually carry in my mind some theme I have gleaned from the journals.

This week I would like to share one with you, and ask that as you change your clothes for practice and as you train, perhaps you too could carry this weeks phrase with you.

Yumi Futokoro is a word we use in kyudo. Yumi is of course the bow. Futokoro means in between space. Futokoro is most often talked about in our school of tea, and is used in conjunction with the kimono. It refers to the space between the kimono and the body; this space dictates how we wear the kimono. Yumi Futokoro then, is the space between the bow and our body.

Please be aware of inbetween spaces…

Thank you,

Rei - The Japanese act of bowing

The Rei occurs as we are standing up completely straight, and the next in breath begins, when there is no where up to go... naturally we bow, relaxing out from our center... just before we reach the pinnicle of the bow, our air flows out... as we breath in again, we rise back to our upright position; but in fact, since we bowed as a result of upright standing, we were upright the entire time.

Rei means manners

Kyudo begins & ends with Rei. 

Rei is manners & Rei is the physical act of bowing. Thus 'upright' bowing, showing respect and humility from a postion of strength is the physical manifestation of manners.

Rei begins and ends with the Tanden.

Awareness is the first step. Awareness of the Tanden is the core of the pracitce. All practice leads with... to... and from the Tanden. With the mind stable and established in the Tanden, we look out... gazing gently... seeing all that is, as it is. In this way we move in the world, with the world... without moving away from the Tanden. Thus we are moving without moving.

The path to the Tanden has always been breathing and relaxing. The path from the Tanden has always been bone and extension... Structure and Vision.

Awareness of the Tanden, through the art of breathing & relaxing, then, is the first step. This is a natural step that happens whenever we do not interfer. Like this, through gravity, with a small tether to the Tanden (like a plumb bob) we drop to the center of the earth. From the center of the earth we stand up; from the sacred tail/root bone we stand up; the spine, nape of he neck and crown of the head reach to the heaven (never leaving the center of the earth, or the Tanden, but merging the earth and sky with the tanden as the center of this universe. From Heaven to earth we hang... suspended...

From this upright posture, anything is possible... everything is possible.

Kyudo - 1st UCI Seminar

Kyudo 1st UCI Seminar I think it was in 1996 or ’97 when I got a phone call from the ANKF – All Nippon Kyudo Federation in Japan. The Los Angeles Kyudo Kai had been signed up with the ANKF by Onuma Sensei after a visit he made to train us years before. But in 1996 I had formed The Nanka Kyudo Kai as our affiliate with the newly formed AKR – American Kyudo Renmei, and thus are connection to the ANKF. They called because there was to be a Martial Arts event in Long Beach (a city on the south side of Los Angeles County) they had been asked to send instructors, do a demo, and hold a workshop for the event. As the local representative of kyudo, in their eyes, they wanted my ‘permission' to come and participate in an event that was ‘in my backyard,’ I think they called it. I found it a little un-nerving that the ANKF was asking my permission to do anything. Of course they were being polite, I was expected to say yes; in fact, I think they had already planned on coming. But they did ask, what great manners.

They would send, what were to be, 5 Hachidan Hanshi; I say, ‘what were to be’ because at the time of the phone call, Shibata Sensei, and Uozumi Sensei were still listed as Kyoshi. But once they arrived they were profiled as Hachidan Hanshi.

Once I gave my ‘permission' they said that the instructors they were sending had one day off. If I would like, they would give us a one day seminar. Of course I jumped at the chance for that, and it was great. I reserved an exercise room for us at UC Irvine where we had our newly formed UCI Kyudo Kai. We only had rooom for makiwara, but we had 5 Hachidan Hanshi and 5 Makiwara. It was like a private lesson on each Makiwara all day long!

I invited the other Renmei of course, but it was hard to fly to Los Angeles for a one day event. But Earl Hartman Sensei & his family came down from Northern California, as did Stephen Scott Sensei, and one other student from the north as well. The Nanka Kyudo Kai was newly formed so I didn’t have many students separate from Kosaka Sensei yet, but some came; Jesse came up from San Diego; and Vince Tagle the first UCI student to join our newly formed kyudo club took his first shot with the Hanshi (Vince now teaches the UCI Kyudo Club Class). E.Clay and Yoshiko Buchanan Sensei wanted to come but would arrive back from Japan on that same day. Instead of landing in San Jose and going home, they hopped another flight and joined us for dinner after the seminar... then flew home. How’s that for dedication (they flew down for the day for the 80th anniversary of the Los Angeles Kyudo Kai too; I still contact Buchanan Sensei with Tai Hai and etiquette questions because of all they’ve done for us ).

The ANKF asked us to help with their Long Beach Event, and of course we did. It was only a few days, but I’ll remember it forever. One of the Hanshi (and I think Earl Hartman Sensei too) said, 'this is just like how we train in Japan'. Though I don't think they meant with one Hanshi on every makiwara; but that it reminded them of training in their home dojo rather than at a big seminar.

Years later, one of those Sensei (Uozumi Sensei), was one of the judges for my godan test. How cool is that. It's funny though, the day before my test we spoke about the UCI seminar and he said, 'I'm still mad at you'. I asked 'why would you be mad at me, what did I do'? I assumed, out of ignorance, I made some great error in etiquette. But as it turned out, remember before the seminar he was 'only' a Kyoshi not a Hanshi; the day of our seminar was the day the ANKF President was conducting the promotional ceremony in Japan for the Hanshi who passed. Uozumi Sensei said sadly, 'I got mine in the mail'. He reminded me of Charley Brown from the ‘Peanuts’ Comic strip on Halloween who after each house, as the other children said, ‘I got a candy bar’ or ‘I got a nickel’ Charley Brown always said, ‘I got a rock’. Uozumi Sensei got his certificate, in the mail; and apparently, it was all my fault. But then he smiled, laughed, and slapped me gently on the back and we joined the rest of the Hanshi and Renmei Heads for nice dinner. And I passed my test, Whew, that was lucky; who knows what will happen when a Hanshi holds a grudge like that.

Kyudo & the Mask

Kyudo & the Mask I think one of the most frequent questions I get after someone posts a picture of Kosaka Sensei or I shooting is about the mask we wear for certain ceremonies. Although I wear it when performing with or for Sensei, it was only worn before in 'behind the scenes' ceremonies, and even then by only a few schools.

The mask originates in ancient Japan. Even then it was used only for very important and esoteric ceremonies. Today a few, like Hirokazu Koasaka Sensei (my teacher) have chosen to expose some of those ceremonies to the public. One representation of that is the mask we sometimes wear.

This is with the new idea that there is no esoteric teaching and exoteric teaching, but one teaching given freely to all. The original use of the mask was for shamanistic offerings in what we would now call Shinto. This is also the origination of kyu-do or yumi no michi, as it was called. Yumi no Michi referred to purification ceremonies performed with the bow & arrow. These ceremonies were performed in Japan since ancient times. The purpose of the mask was to not breathe on the offering, as the human excrement of any kind, including our breath, was considered a pollutant.

The mask was later perpetuated by two other streams: Kukai/Koboh Daishi, founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect in Japan, used the mask for esoteric offerings behind scenes as well; in fact even today when the monks 'feed' the petrified Kukai they may

make the offering wearing this same mask.

The other stream that uses the mask for esoteric offerings is the Ogasawara family, especially in their tea ceremonies to the Kami or emperor. Though based primarily on Confucianism, like much of Japanese Culture, Ogasawara-ryu has mixed and merged Ancient Practices/Shinto, Buddhism, & Confucian principles to come up with what most resembles Zen or some derivative there of.

The Japanese are masters at combining and merging principles to create something completely new. That's what they did when they created Zen. It is also what is happening today as they try and leave Zen behind and become a secular society like the U.S.. The Japanese never leave anything completely behind though, as can be seen in the continuation of even some of their oldest rituals & principles; this shows up not just in ceremonies like this, but in the daily lives of the Japanese people. This is why they have such a rich and varied culture that so many of us admire.

http://www.californiareiki.com/Articles/Article_00243_Hara_Rick_Beal_Head_Co .http://www.californiareiki.com/Articles/Article_00243_Hara_Rick_Beal_Head_Coach_of_Nanka_Kyudo_Kai_on_Japanese_archery_and_the_Way_of_the_Bow.aspx