Tradition or Confusion ?

It's 1592. You're a Japanese foot soldier, part of an advance unit sent to capture a strategic mountain pass in Korea. Farmer-warriors stare at you from behind rocks and trees, armed only with crude iron swords and tools. Steam rises from their breath and their sweat in the icy dawn air.

Many leagues behind you, Samurai General Toyotomi Hideyoshi is commanding a 160,000-strong force that is steadily advancing over Korea towards the eventual goal of China. Right now, you're outnumbered.

The Koreans have fought bravely to defend their huts, but your your superior weaponry, strategy and above all, European-designed Arquebus, a flintlock rifle that hit Japan 49 years ago, is turning the tide. Soon, this mountainside will fall to the Japanese, as will the whole of Korea.

Suddenly, Hideyoshi appears in full Samurai helmet, blasting orders from a loudspeaker. "Ok, boys, drop the Arquebus and the new military strategies."

The the clinker: "They're not traditional. We can't betray the fighting traditions of our Samurai ancestors."

He adds: "In fact, even the Katana is only few hundred years old -- so you'll have to use sticks and stones."

Such is the dilemma students of the traditional martial arts. They risk preserving outdated techniques and rituals thus turning the Dojo into a museum. They risk becoming not martial artists, but instead martial archeologists.

Back when I was at University in Australia, there was a campus group called, "the Society for Creative Anachronism." (See photo above). It's members liked to dress up in mediaeval armour and clothes and have Camelot-style jousting matches.

The society has organized itself across the world into little Kingdoms where the monarchs bestow upon members the right to call themselves "Baron,'"or "Duchess," or "Lord". Their unofficial motto is,"reacreate the Middle Ages as they should have been, " i.e., without things such as serfdom, the bubonic plague, and open-pit sewers. They were odd, if endearing people.

A lot of young Japanese see traditional martial arts Budoka in the same way.

Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, didn't see a problem in tinkering with tradition. He introduced Randori so as Judoka could train against a resisting opponent. Thus when the Randori-trained Kodokan faced a group of Kata-only trained Jujutsuka, they kicked their asses.

In fact, even one of the 'traditional' Jujutsu schools Kano studied was only founded in 1832, after the period of civil war. The greater emphasis on Atemi was possible due to delicate parts of the body exposed due to the lack of armour.

Traditional jujutsuka today who only train in Kata, without any pressure-testing, reaction drills, sparring, Randori, or body conditioning are risking having their own asses kicked, thrown, and choked either on the street or in the Dojo.

So what traditions are we preserving and why ? Is Japan after the Meiji restoration ? Pre-Meiji ? Civil War period ? Kamakura ? Tokugawa ? Sengoku ?

In fact, if we're serious about respecting tradition, why not go all the way to China, hell, even India and Bodhidharma, which according to many martial arts histories is where the arts come from.

Should we be wearing Lunghis (Indian loinclothes) instead of Gis ?

Most Senseis won't have any answer to these questions: they don't know.

In reality, they present tradition as a weird amalgamation of the last 2,000 years of Japanese history, much like a chain Sushi restaurant aimed at middle America. A few Kanji characters on the wall, maybe a Hokusai print or Zen painting, lots of Japanese counting, kneeling and bowing.

More importantly, tradition - as many Senseis define it - serves for them very important roles:

* Boosting their personal authority
* Shrouding the school in vague mystique which they and they only define.

The truth is the Samurai were practical fighting men. If you're serious about honouring their tradition and legacy, keep the style realistic and effective. By all means, there's nothing wrong with the bows, Japanese names, and mat courtesies.

If you want to dress-up in Hakama, go ahead.

But for those of us who are interested in defending ourselves, and staying fit, let's remember Toyotomi Hideyoshi and those that followed him were soldiers, not archeologists.