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Yamantaka
8th September 2001, 12:10
Hello!
(This is to Peter Goldsbury but anyone else is welcome...;) )

There are two japanese terms - AWASE and MUSUBI. Does they mean the same thing or, if not, what is the differente?
It seems to me they are a bit similar (Awase = "harmonizing" and MUSUBI = a link between two people) but it also looks as if Musubi is strongest (there is musubi in marriage) whilst Awase is more temporary, a "meeting".
Help, please!

P Goldsbury
9th September 2001, 09:20
Ubaldo,

Since you asked me, here is a response, but it will be somewhat off-the-cuff. Others might like to give more detail, especially in respect of aikido.

The concepts really start from completely different poles, but there is a lot of common ground.

The following set of concepts are conveyed in Japanese by the verb 'awaseru':

putting 2 or more sheets of paper tgether;
joining one's hands together;
"I am heavier than both of you put together";
Adding up numbers to get a total;
"We had only 500 yen between us";
matching colours;
synchronising clocks and watches;
tuning a radio;
drawing a map to scale;
coordinating one's arms and legs in swimming.

These are all taken from the Masuda dictionary and, if you look at the last example, coordinating movements with those of a partner, as with ken and jo movements in aikido, would also be an example of 'awaseru'.

The following concepts are conveyed in Japanese by the verb 'musubu':

tying a knot;
tying a belt at the back;
closing a bargain;
concluding a treaty;
uniting two families in marriage;
connecting two places together by road and / or rail;
finishing a speech with a quotation;
joining hands with someone else;
allying oneself with someone else;
making a friendship with someone;

These examples are also taken from the Masuda dictionary and, as you can see, the examples of 'awaseru' seem to have the central concept of conforming to a pattern, or making a lose relationship contingent on external factors, whereas those of 'musubu' seem to have the concept of joining together. It is not so much a matter of becoming similar, as of becomig one. The the 'ki-musubi-no-tachi' in aiki-ken would suggest a closer relationship (uniting of ki) than merely one of matching one's movements.

But there is, of course, some overlapping of the transferred or cognate meanings.

Or so it seems to me.

Best regards,

Peter Goldsbury
_____________
P A Goldsbury,
Graduate School of Social Sciences,
Hiroshima University

Peter Goldsbury

Yamantaka
9th September 2001, 12:52
Originally posted by P Goldsbury
Ubaldo,

Since you asked me, here is a response, but it will be somewhat off-the-cuff. Others might like to give more detail, especially in respect of aikido.
Best regards,
Peter Goldsbury


YAMANTAKA : Thank you once more, Goldsbury Sama. And believe me, your answer is everything but "off-the-cuff". Our understanding is very similar.
Anybody else, please?
Best regards