“Samurai – Miyamoto Musashi Documentary"

By Ray Silverstrand

 

This wonderful video follows actor and martial artist Mark Dacascos as he visits Japan to discover the truth and essence of the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Mark Dacascos  brings a very unique perspective to this video.  This is because he is rooted in the Hollywood pop culture perspective of the martial arts.  This combined with the History Channel being the makers of this video makes the video highly entertaining but at the same time factual at historically accurate. One very nice feature the video is that many times during transitions in the story a narrator will read direct quotes from Miyamoto Musashi. This gives it a very authentic feel and also helps the viewer to understand the essence of the legend.

 

The video does a very nice job of giving the viewer the feel of a modern Japan.  It does this by showing the crowded streets and the various influences of pop-culture in Japan. Even with this modern culture feel Japan still embraces the legend of Miyamoto Musashi. You see evidence of this by seeing  Musashi's picture almost everywhere you look in modern Japan. The video takes us to a train station named “Miyamoto Musashi” outside of the village that is also named Musashi. This was the birthplace of  Miyamoto Musashi. Miyamoto Musashi's life as a child was difficult because his father was abusive.

 

The video stresses that Musashi believed you must train constantly to understand the way the sword and also to perfect the basics.  This philosophy of training should be a lifelong daily pursuit. As Mark Dacascos trained in a dojo that taught the style of  Musashi, he realized the great amount of precision and detail involved in the art. The video gives a very detailed and graphic picture of Musashi's involvement at the Battle of Sekigahara.  This battle gives the viewer an idea of the events that shaped maybe the greatest swordsman of all time.

 

The video documents a very unique stage in the life of Musashi. For four years Musashi lived as a hermit.  In this time period he would train almost every waking minute perfecting his fighting style.  This was the training that would carry him through the many years of life and death dueling which were ahead of him. The video explains that Musashi not only was a master of the sword and martial arts but he also was a master of psychological warfare.  This is demonstrated in his three matches with the Yoshioka clan in 1604. He defeated over whelming odds by unbalancing his opponents psychologically. 

 

The video does a very nice job of pointing out a Musashi's relationship with the sword.  The sword to Masashi and to the samurai for that matter was an extension of the Spirit.  This idea was so ingrained in Masashi that it became a religion to him. The video points out that Musashi was very active in dueling.  In a 10 year period he had over 60 life or death duels.  This was an average of one every two months.

 

The video does a very nice job of explaining Musashi's duel with Sasaki Kojiro on the island of Ganryu in 1612.  At this time Musashi was 29 years old.  Musashi defeated Kojiro with a wooden boat oar which he cut down into a sword.  This was a great insult to Kojiro. This duel greatly affected Masashi.  This duel made Musashi more internal and less of a thrill seeker. 

 

The video talks about Musashi not only being a master of the sword but also a master of jujitsu.  There was a legend that Masashi could knock a strongman 5 feet backwards with one of his strikes. 

 

The video points out that after the battle of Osaka Musashi never killed again.  He became more interested in internal pursuits.  This video shows Reigan Cave outside Kumamoto City.  This is where in the last years of his life Masashi wrote “the book of five rings”.  Musashi was 61 when he retired to this cave which was in a Buddhist retreat. 

 

Finally the video showed how Musashi's life and ideals affected Japan and the world after his death until this moment in time.  It is truly profound how one human with power will can affect the whole planet.  One very profound principle that this video points out is, if a human acknowledges that some day they will die they will live life to its fullest, cherishing every moment.

“The Way of the Samurai”

By Ray Silverstrand

In the beginning you see Otake Sensei begining his day by praying while always having his sword by his side.  This symbolizes a warrior praying for peace but at the same time being prepared to defend in war. Otake Sensei lives the ideal of being a samurai without going into battle and killing or the idea of beautiful principles without the evil of destruction.  He demonstrates the importance of training in the kneeling position (Seiza).  As you watch his movements you realize that his technique is not only beautiful but also flawless.  He emphasizes the importance of developing willpower through training when he tells a powerful little story about a deadly tiger and a young samurai.

The video not only emphasizes the teaching of Otake Sensei but it gives the viewer a glimpse into the art of making the sword. The viewer quickly understands that the sword maker is an artist to rival the Kenjutsu sensei.  The making of the sword is truly an art within itself.  The sword maker never wants his sword to be stored away as a collector's item, instead he wants his sword to be trained with and used in the old way of developing the spirit of the samurai.

Training with Otake Sensei is truly a great privilege because he takes time to watch each of his students individually while making corrections and demonstrating his flawless technique.  This method in time will create a martial artist with true spirit and perfect technique. The students are never allowed to practice free sparring due to the chance of serious injury or even possibly death.  Many times the students practice outside on rough and uneven ground.  This is to simulate the problems a samurai of old would have in a real battle. Otake Sensei always reminds his students that the reason they have Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu is because many samurai died so they could receive this knowledge.

The Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu is based on the weak points of Japanese armor.  The students learn where to cut the armor to disable their enemy. Otake Sensei does a demonstration with a student in armor that is very informative and in great detail.  This type of instruction takes many hours to teach a student but to demonstrate in real-world speed only takes a few seconds.  This reinforces the idea that the martial arts are a lifetime study which cannot be rushed.  In this demonstration Otake Sensei points out the importance of attacking and defending at the same moment.  This is a very difficult concept to understand an equally difficult to practice.

In this video Otake Sensei spends a great deal of time talking about history, philosophy, and the traditions of the dojo.  He talks about many of the old legends about unbeatable nearly superhuman samurai fighting hundreds of battles and killing thousands of men. He explains these stories are very exaggerated and are just for entertainment purposes.  The truth he reveals is the magic and secrets of the martial arts are contained in the consistent and detail training of the spirit of the warrior. The video points out how the head teacher of a dojo should be at the center of all things making watchful corrections while at the same time remaining humble and kind. This demonstrates that a traditional teacher will teach the way by the purity of their daily life. The video shows how the students clean the dojo and show respect by being ever mindful that they are representatives of the dojo.  For an example you witness a new student signing a contract where they swear to be true of character, they do this with a signature in blood.

One of the most important things the viewer can learn from this video is the art of the sword can be a path to peace. A great quote from the end of this video is "the arts of war are also the way of peace". It always should be remembered the samurai way of training is a philosophy of life and not just a hobby or a sport. 

“An Insight into the way of Yoshinkan Aikido”

 

By Ray Silverstrand

This wonderful little video is a short documentary on the philosophy of aikido focusing on Yoshinkan aikido. It shows the techniques and teaching style of Joe Thambu Sensei.

Joe Thambu Sensei is a 7^th Dan aikido with over 35 years experience. Thambu Sensei was the first person to teach and disseminate Yoshinkan Aikido in Australia. Thambu Sensei body type and technique has an almost uncanny resemblance to the body type and technique of Yoshinkan aikido’s founder Gozo Shioda Sensei.

This video begins by explaining a little of the history of aikido along with aikido’s philosophy of avoiding violence. This video does a very nice job of explaining how aikido teaches us to use a peaceful resolution to conflict while we travel a path of self-improvement. In the video it is explained how important it is to develop proper falling skills and that physical strength is not important. The video teach us the principal of not fighting force with force by flowing with the attack.

Last but not least the video explains how the founder of aikido Morihei Ueshiba O Sensei believed that there was no place for competition in the dojo or another way to put it is aikido is practiced with a partner/friend/family member and not an opponent. This video does a wonderful job of giving us a peek in to the amazing world of the aikido dojo!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pgiV7_Pr_E&list=FLZnyGdopFw8-Kc-N6_b77iQ&index=1&feature=plpp

 

A Review of the Video

Ippon Kumite

 

By Ray Silverstrand

 

This beautiful little video is truly a treasure!  It shows that the heart of the martial arts is not fancy and superhuman techniques, but it is a powerful technique done with precision and great detail.  From the beginning the video shows the performance of perfect bows, maintaining a sense of great dignity and honor.  The stances demonstrated by both uke and tori are of utmost quality.  This video is a demonstration of Ippon Kumite one-step sparring.  The concept of basic one-step sparring is that one attack is countered effectively and decisively by one defense, followed by a finishing blow or strike.

 

  Let us start this review by looking at the performance of the uke (attacker.)  His performance is truly exceptional.  The role of uke is often down-played when in fact they are the essence of the technique.  One could think of the uke as a great wave in the ocean.  Without this wave the surfer has nothing to blend with, so he cannot practice his art.  The precision and crispness of this particular uke is extraordinary.

 

  Regarding the tori, his performance can be best described as a person who has given themselves totally to their art for a lifetime.  He demonstrates superior distancing (Mai-ai) and body movements (Tai Sabaki.)  Tori demonstrates excellent control on very difficult techniques such as elbow strikes, ridge hand strikes, double hand strikes, and shutos.  Also seen are throwing techniques, which show the influence jujitsu has had on karate.  The display of punching after throwing your opponent is very karate jitsu orientated, which is the predecessor to karate.

 

  Tori demonstrates two very important concepts of self-defense, Go no Sen and Sen no Sen.  Go no Sen means late attacking method.  This is when one evades or blocks an attack and then attacks in response.  Sen no Sen means attacking and defending at the same.