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Thread: Budo and seeing yourself: Autoscopy

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    Question Budo and seeing yourself: Autoscopy

    It seems to me that the key to Japanese culture is to realise that in the land of the rising mirror, the Japanese see themselves. This is evident in my opinion in the Japanese sense of private shame, Kyari Pamyu Pamyu eating eyeballs, Mariokart, and birds eye view points in Ukiyoe but above all, that this autoscopic ability may be closely linked with Budo and the Japanese arts.

    At the moment however the only good reference I have for this is the theory of the eye apart in the 14th-15th century Noh actor and theoretician Zeami who says that repeated practice of Noh forms allows the creation of Eyes at a distance (Riken no Ken) that look back at oneself.

    There is also a this book on the psychology of Budo by Takashi Ozawa (in Japanese) with a cover and belt (obi) that said that doing Budo one "obtains an other that looks at you" (but when I read the book and contacted the publisher it turned out that it was the publishers comment, rather than the author's). The cover image is great though.
    Attachment 10901

    Similarly also this "Onore wo mitsumeru" (Staring at oneself) in Japanese where Ryo Nagano claims that in Iaido one is always fighting, and seeing, an imaginary opponent and that eventually one realises that his opponent is oneself, thus Iaido is an autoscopic martial art.

    And there is some research that a Kyudo practicing student of mine (Ikki Yamamoto) did that found that self-seeing or imagining correlated highly with archery ability (more than practice or anything else) since in archery as in Kendo, one is evaluated on form as well as lethality.

    It could be argued that the strong sense of aesthetics or grace in Nitobe implies autoscopy.

    The twofold gaze that Musashi Miyamoto in the Book of five rings does not mention autoscopy but it may well be especially "The Gaze in Strategy The gaze should be large and broad. This is the twofold gaze "Perception and Sight". Perception is strong and sight week. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things. " (近き所を遠く見る事 in the original) p14 "In large-scale strategy the area to watch is the enemy's strength."Perception" and "sight" are the two methods of seeing. Perception consists of concentrating strongly on the enemy's spirit, observing the condition of the battlefield, fixing the gaze strongly, seeing the progress of the fight and the changes of advantages. This is the sure way to win. In single combat you must not fix the eyes on the details. As I said before, if you fix your eyes on details and neglect important things, your spirit will become bewildered, and victory will escape you." p3 40 and on p23 "You must make the best of the situation, see through the enemy's spirit so that you grasp his strategy and defeat him." does not mean see using the enemies spirit but rather "look at the enemies heart" ("敵の心を見" in the original). Re-reading the final single page chapter on the Void, I wonder what I mean by "seeing yourself" because there isn't one! But still it could mean several things! 1) Imagining how one looks from the perspective of others. 2) Seeing ones self representations, such as mirror reflections and first person views as representations and therefore at a distance 3) Seeing the void, the non-self, in which these occur.

    Judith Butler claims in "Bodies that Matter" that repeated (Derrida's "iterated") actions facilitate the creation of 'body as sign' which can be self-addressed, and be meaningful, "matter."

    There is also work on the overlap between theatre ('dramaturgy) and martial arts but I would not wish to suggest that Martial arts are a *performance for others,* so I tend to steer away from things dramatological.

    I do Karate a little and badly. I think that perhaps I may be able to see myself (with some pain!) more than than before. I don't know if Butler is right but it does seem to be, as Zeami can be read to say, that it is forms practice in Budo, tea, or 'radio exercises' (that all Japanese children do) that seems to be key. I find that doing forms in rows of other people helps in that I feel myself to be iterated in space as it were in the forms of the other people.

    Do others here know of any other sources regarding self sight, autoscopy, or "sight apart" in the martial arts?
    Last edited by timtak; 12th February 2016 at 03:09.

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    Since you do karate, there are three things I think must be read:

    How The founder of the Shorin schools of Okinawan karate, described bu as comprising seven virtues (when he refers to budo):

    1. Bu prohibits violence.

    2. Bu maintains discipline among soldiers.

    3. Bu maintains order among the citizens.

    4. Bu spreads virtue.

    5. Bu gives a peaceful heart.

    6. Bu helps keep peace between people.

    7. Bu makes people and nations prosper.

    Which is very different from the westerner's perspective - treating budo as the way of the warrior, when in reality it was the way of the peacemaker - violent action is necessary to keep the peace, but it is constrained by ... 'things'.

    The 20 precepts Funakoshi wrote :

    1. Karate-do wa rei ni hajimari, rei ni owaru koto wo wasuruna.
    Karate begins and ends with courtesy.

    2. Karate ni sente nashi.
    There is no first attack in karate.

    3. Karate wa gi no tasuke.
    Karate is an assistance to justice.

    4. Mazu jiko wo shire, shikoshite tao wo shire.
    Know yourself first, before you know others.

    5. Gijutsu yori shinjutsu.
    Spirit before technique.

    6. Kokoro wa hanatan koto wo yosu.
    Be ready to free your mind.

    7. Wazawai wa getai ni shozu.
    Accidents come from laziness.

    8. Dojo nomino karate to omou na.
    Karate training goes beyond the dojo.

    9. Karate no shugyo wa issho de aru.
    You will never stop learning in karate.

    10. Arai-yuru mono wo karate-ka seyo, soko ni myo-mi ari.
    Apply karate to everything. Therein lies it’s beauty.

    11. Karate wa yu no goto shi taezu natsudo wo ataezareba moto no mizu ni kaeru.
    Karate is like boiling water. If not given heat, it will go cold.

    12. Katsu kangae wa motsu na makenu kangae wa hitsuyo.
    Do not think of winning. Instead, think that you must never lose.

    13. Tekki ni yotte tenka seyo.
    Make adjustments according to your opponent.

    14. Tattakai wa kyo-jitsu no soju ikan ni ari.
    The outcome of a fight depends on how you handle weaknesses and strengths.

    15. Hito no te ashi wo ken to omoe.
    Think of hands and feet as swords.

    16. Danshi mon wo izureba hyakuman no tekki ari.
    When you step outside your own gate, you face a million enemies.

    17. Kamae wa shoshinsha ni ato wa shizentai.
    Fixes positions are for beginners: later, one moves naturally.

    18. Kata wa tadashiku jissen wa betsu mono.
    Kata is practised perfectly, real fight is another thing.

    19. Chikara no kyojaku, karada no shinshuku, waza no kankyu wo wasaruna.
    Hard and soft, tension and relaxation, quick and slow, all connected in the technique.

    20. Tsune ni shinen kufu seyo.
    Think of ways to apply these precepts every day.

    And the last one, the six guidelines for the preservation of correct budo in modern martial arts, that came from Japanese Budo Association formed to uphold the fundamental principles of traditional budo. Member organizations include the Japan Karatedo Federation, the All-Japan Kendo Federation, the All-Japan Sumo Federation, the Aikikai Foundation, the Shorinji Kempo Federation, the All-Japan Jukendo (bayonette) Federation, and the Nippon Budokan Foundation.

    (1) Object: The object of budo is to cultivate character, enrich the ability to make value judgments, and foster the development of a well-disciplined and capable individual through participation in physical and mental training utilizing martial techniques.

    (2) Training: When practicing daily one must constantly follow decorum, adhere to the fundamentals, and resist the temptation to pursue only technical skill rather than the unity of mind and technique.

    (3) Attitude: In matches and in the performance of kata, one must manifest budo spirit, exert himself to the utmost, win with modesty, accept loss gracefully, and exhibit temperate attitudes at all times.

    (4) The Dojo: The dojo is a sacred place for training one’s mind and body. Here one must maintain discipline, proper etiquette, and formality. The training area must be a quiet, clean, safe and solemn environment.

    (5) Teaching: In order to be an effective teacher the budo master should always strive to cultivate his own character, and to further his own skill and the discipline of mind and body. He should not be swayed by winning or losing, nor should he display arrogance about his superior skill; he should instead retain the attitudes suitable for a role-model.

    (6) Promotion: When promoting budo, one should follow traditional values, seek substantial training, contribute to research, and do one’s utmost to perfect and preserve this traditional art, with an understanding of international points of view.

    I think all three will help ... Or not.
    Last edited by Derzis; 21st February 2016 at 02:05.

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    Thank you very much.

    I suggest that one of the ways in which Karate or Bu(dou) increases virtue may be in the way that it cultivates autoscopy, the ability to see oneself.

    I am thinking along the lines that it may be in a way akin (and yet very different!) to honing ones reason, in a Western context. Reason or reasoning and the voice of conscience is argued to be the way in which Westerners generally gain objectivity upon their actions.

    I am fairly alone in arguing this way. Since at least Ruth Benedict, Japanese "shame" culture has been argued to be out and out collectivist and in that sense, in a sense, immoral since if true it would mean that Japanese would sell their mother down river if no one were to know, and do appalling things if they all did them together (and indeed, that is why Ruth Benedict is popular in China).

    From living in Japan for more than half of my 50 years, and doing some research a very small portion of which is published, it seems to me that this is an incorrect view. The Japanese sense of self is felt, by the Japanese, to be more collective (Benedict is popular in Japan too) but is in fact, I believe autoscopic. The Japanese do not solely worry about how they are seen by others but how they are seen by themselves, their ancestors, their Gods, particularly the mirror/sun god, or their visual conscience.

    It seems to me that all the Kata practice that goes on in Japanese Budou and Japanese sports may help to encourage this sense of "private shame" (in the words of one Japanese shame theorist, Keiichi Sakata).

    But I may be complete wrong. I have done Karate for three weeks or not at all! I took my son to karate. About a year and a bit ago I thought his peers so cool that I took up kata practice behind the school kids. Three weeks ago I started joining in the adults. I am 50 years old and the adults are very strong. I have yet to do any sparring and I may never.

    As I said in the first post, I know that budou is in sense about the loss of self. But, paradoxically, perhaps by losing oneself one gains it. Instead of me seeing me, which is the experience of a narcissist, one may gain a sense of a me that is seen.

    The only thing that I have noticed is that I have felt that others practicing Kata near me are me!

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    The feeling that I was someone else was a simple mistake. There are mirrors at the front of our Dojo, as in many Dojos I believe, and I mistook someone the reflection of someone else for my own. Perhaps dojos encourage this "mistake" but, perhaps it is not 100% a mistake, because it encourages the "the see-er is not inside the image seen" realisation.

    Another thing...When I was about 16 I knew a 17 year old senior in my school who I respected who did Judo. He said that when Judo went well he gained a sense of (1) that it was not himself that did the judo throw, it just happened, came naturally and (2) and I may be misremembering, that he felt he saw himself do the throw.

    I wonder if others get that eye apart (Zeami, riken no ken) feeling.

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