Quote of the Day

Be gentle, kind, and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically.

~ Keiko Fukuda, the only woman to ever earn a 10th degree rank in Judo

Quote of the Day

Iron is full of impurities that weaken it; through the forging fire, it becomes steel and is transformed into a razor-sharp sword. Human beings develop in the same fashion.

~ Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido

Friday Art & History Feature - Miaymoto Musashi

Musashi. Woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

When studying Japanese Martial Arts, one has to learn about Miyamoto Musashi, the greatest swordsman that ever lived, as well as the author of the famous The Book of Five Rings. This work, along with the Art of War of Sun Tzu, is a classic of strategy and martial arts philosophy, and is still studied today not only by martial artists but also by businessmen the world over.

Musashi was born in the Harima Province. The exact date of his birth is not known, but according to various sources, it was between 1580 and 1584. His father, Shinmen Munisai, was also a master of the sword and an accomplished martial artist.


From the age Musashi was 7, he went to live and be raised by his uncle, Dorinbo. There, he learned to how to read and write, as well as the basic precepts of Buddhism. He had his first sword duel at the age of 13. Here's what Musashi wrote about it:

"I have trained in the way of strategy since my youth, and at the age of thirteen I fought a duel for the first time. My opponent was called Arima Kihei, a sword adept of the Shinto ryū, and I defeated him. At the age of sixteen I defeated a powerful adept by the name of Akiyama, who came from Tajima Province. At the age of twenty-one I went up to Kyōtō and fought duels with several adepts of the sword from famous schools, but I never los."

—Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings)

Drawing by Musashi

From the age of 15, when he left his village, Musashi was traveling and engaging in various duels. For a long time, he did not give his loyalty to any lord. One of the most famous duels he had happened when he was 30. It was against Sasaki Kojiro, knows as the "Demon of the Western Provinces." The legend says that Musashi arrived to an island where the duel was to take places late and after quickly killing Kojiro with a bamboo bokken (stick), he promptly climbed back into the boat and left.

Modern sculpture of Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro duel

 Musashi was not only a great swordsman and philosopher, he was also an artist, and many of his drawings are famous.

Musashi. Self-portrait

Eventually, Musashi offered his sword in service around 1614–1615, during the war between the Toyotomi and the Tokugawa. It is not clear whose side he was on, although it was probably on Tokugawa's side, as they had a fairly close relationship.

Around 1642 Musashi's health became to decline, and he was known to have suffered attacks of neuralgia. In 1643 he became a hermit in a cave to write The Book of Five Rings. He died in that cave in June of 1645. In his lifetime, he claimed to have fought in sixty duels and haven't been defeated in any.

Musashi's legacy is immense. First of all, he established a school of kenjutsu (sword fighting) called Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu or nitoichi. This school is a two-sword technique, where two swords are used at the same time, a large katana and a small wakizashi.


Secondly, he left a classic work of martial arts that extends its teachings to many other aspects of life and business - The Book of Five Rings (Gorin no shô).

One of the translations of The Book Of Five Rings

 Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this classic.

“Do nothing that is of no use”

“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”

“In battle, if you you make your opponent flinch, you have already won.” 

“You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain”

“Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.” 

“You can only fight the way you practice”

“Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.” 

“The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.”

 “It is difficult to realize the true Way just through sword-fencing. Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things.”

“To know ten thousand things, know one well” 

A modern interpretation of Musashi's image by Takehiko Inoue

Look - Hubby on Cover of a Magazine!!

Today, I dedicate the 300th blog post to my amazing hubby, Thomas Casale. Last month he was on the cover (and had a huge article inside) the Shotokan Karate Magazine! The Shotokan Karate Magazine, based in England and sent out all over the world to subscribers of this Traditional Martial Arts publication. SKM has been published since 1984, and prides itself on featuring the most senior and prominent Shotokan Karate masters and Sensei's in the world.

http://www.shotokanmag.com/

 

The response to this issue has been unbelievable. They are even thinking of doing another print of it! Hubby has been getting non-stop requests for a signed copy of the magazine, as well as invitations to do seminars all over the world.

Needless to say, I couldn't be prouder of him!

Quote of the Day

(credit belongs to Takehiko Inoue, Manga artist, creator of
Vagabondcomics depicting a fictionalized portrayal of Miyamoto Musashi)

“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.” 

  ~ Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

Quote of the Day

Just a little something for all the martial artists out there! This is so true!

Lessons From Martial Arts for Writers

Wednesday Flash Fiction will return next week. Today, I had a strong inspiration to write on this topic, so I hope you enjoy it.

Two things have been constant in my life for the last few years - karate training and writing. I often think about how the two are similar in their philosophies and teachings, and in how a karate-ka and a writer develop themselves and their art. Here's a few of my thoughts on the topic.

Out of the 20 principles of Gichin Funakoshi (founder of modern karate), I believe the following apply beautifully to writing.

#5. Spirit first, technique second.

Writing application: As in martial arts, the spirit is of utmost importance to a writer. It is because we have the passion for writing and the spirit and discipline to actually sit down and write and to work at it that we begin to call ourselves "writers" in the first place. We may not know all the writer "techniques" or fine points of our craft when we start, but we're willing to try anyway - and we're willing to learn. We can teach ourselves certain aspects and techniques - but without the passion and the spirit for doing it, we will not produce good work. Clean technique will come with time and experience. Cultivate your spirit and passion for writing first.

#6. Always be ready to release your mind.

Writing application: If we don't open our mind and are not willing to experiencing and try new things, we become stuck, which makes us weaker and more vulnerable. We have to be able to let go of preconceptions and see new possibilities to become really good at what we do. We have to remain fluid and able to see everything in our environment, even as we focus on our opponent (or our writing, as the case may be).

There are many rules out there for writers - many of them are good, many are there to be broken. I would say they are more guidelines in most cases. We can't have develop a narrow vision of never straying away from them and trying new ways to improve our writing.

#8. Do not think that karate training is only in the dojo.

Writing application: Similarly, do think of writing as only something to be done at the desk. A writer's mind is always active. Even when we're not actually typing up the words, we are thinking about what we want to write. We should be keen observers of our environment, no matter where we are. There's a potentially limitless supply of inspiration out there in the world. Observe people in conversation or sitting in silence, observe animal behaviors, observe the rush of traffic and the beauty of a garden in the spring. Then go back to your desk and write.

#9. It will take your entire life to learn karate; there is no limit.

Writing application: This is one of my favorites. There really is no limit to studying martial arts - or to studying the writing craft. There's always something new to learn and there's always something new to try in our writing. Never forget that. You can never become complacent about what you know - always have the mindset that there's still much more to know. It makes life more interesting and it hones us into dedicated, disciplined and interesting writers.

#10. Put your everyday living into karate and you will find "Myo" (subtle secrets).

Writing application: Writing is very personal, no matter what we write about. We all bring a little bit (or a lot) of ourselves and our experiences into out writing. That is what makes each of our stories unique and different.

#11. Karate is like boiling water. If you do not heat it constantly, it will cool.

Writing application:This is another favorite of mine. This applies to writing so beautifully, and it's so simple! If we don't write all the time, it'll be harder and harder for us to get back to it. I'm sure many of you  have experienced this phenomena at some point or other. Keep writing. Even if you're really busy, even if something is taking you away from your writing for a period of time, write at least a little bit. Don't let your writing passion and spirit cool.

#13. Victory depends on your ability to distinguish vulnerable points from invulnerable ones.

Writing application: As with everything else we do, it is important to know what our weak and strong points are. If we know that, we can utilize our strong points to the best advantage, and we can work on making our weak points stronger. In martial arts, it is also about knowing your opponents vulnerable and invulnerable points to beat him. In writing, you and your writing are your opponent.

There's also a famous saying by Gichin Funakoshi:

"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants"

Writing application: For writers, this applies as much! Yes, many of us want to be published and recognized for our work. However, for most of us, it's also not the end-all. We love writing - that's why we do it. Through writing, we find out more about ourselves, we figure out our strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully we become better people and writers.

Here's a couple more:

"A one sided martial artist is a blind martial artist." -unknown 
Writing application: A one sided writer is a blind writer. Learn from others. Read novels in your own genre, as well as others - you can find a wealth of techniques and inspiration in reading.

"Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay it's price." - Sun Tzu

Writing application: Again, as in martial arts, writers have to be willing to pay the price to achieve success. We have to be disciplined, work hard and make certain adjustments in our life to do what we love.

What have you learned from being a writer? What advice would you give others about writing? Did you ever apply an advice from another area of your life to writing?
  

Martial Arts in novels

Martial Arts have always been my passion. I don’t remember exactly how it all started, but as long as I can remember, the fighting arts (key word is arts) held my interest. You may wonder if I’m a violent person by nature. The simple answer would be I am not. But it’s too simple. I believe we all have violence in our nature to an extent. It’s how you chose to channel it that makes all the difference. Let’s be honest here, not many of us would shy away from violence when it comes to protecting ourselves or our loved ones. Now, don’t be too fast to deny that. Think about it first. Would you do what you have to do to protect your child or your spouse? Would you use violence if necessary? I should hope so.

But Martial Arts are not about violence, not at its core.  It’s about learning to defend your life and the life of those you love. But it’s also much more. In Japanese, “martial fighting technique” is called bu-jutsu. It is quite different from the term bu-do, which means “the martial way”, the way referring to the way of life. What differentiates the two, besides the obvious, budo encompasses a lifelong pursuit for the perfection of character and technique, while bujutsu is just that – learning to fight with no concern for one’s personal development as a human being. One of the main precepts of the Japanese style of karate called Shotokan is “to seek perfection of character”. This is what got me involved with Martial Arts in the first place.

I love when I find a novel where the hero or the heroine is practicing a form of Martial Arts.  I mean, I enjoy any kick-ass heroes but I feel that the actual practice of Martial Arts by a character lends them more depths and gives more of a glimpse into their personality. Generally, it would tell the reader that this character has enough patience and diligence and willpower to push their bodies and minds for years and reach for something beyond the physical. The training scenes in particular often reveal much  about a particular character. It also humanizes them, makes them more easily relatable.

Here are just a few examples of the novels with a character that practices Martial Arts or has some kind of a connection to it. These are novels that I really enjoyed reading and would suggest.

The Ninja Series by Eric Lustbader – Martial Arts in this series has an almost mystical nature but nevertheless, it makes for a great character and interesting insights.

A Devil In the Details by K. A. Stewart – I’m partial to the Japanese Martial Arts, so I’m partial to Jesse’s way of life and connection to bushido. Lots of quotes and mentions of such great classics as the Book of Five Rings and the Art of War.

Night’s Cold Kiss by Tracey O’Hara – Includes good training scenes

 Please add your favorite novels with Martial Arts connections.