17/08/2023
“Following the Chinese tradition, the warriors of Japan were concerned not only with the interplay of the two contrasting basic components of the world, but also with the five elements which combine in an infinite number of ways to create all that exists in the world. Otake Sensei elaborated on these aspects of the Japanese warrior's world view:
“The days of the week are named in accordance with the principles of yin and yang. The first day of the week is the day of the sun, Sunday; the second day of the week is the day of the moon, Monday; and the remaining five days of the week are named after the five principal physical elements as determined by the study of the positive and negative principles in ancient times in Asia. The days are named after the five elements: fire, water, wood, metal and earth. According to the principles of yin and yang, these five elements can be arranged in two fashions. One is an order in which they generate each other, and this is a harmonious ordering; the other is one in which the elements are arranged according to their rivalry with each other.
In the harmonious relationship of the five elements wood will produce fire, and fire will turn the wood into ash: that is to say, it will produce earth. The earth will produce metal; metal will produce water and water will produce wood, "The second ordering, based on the concept of the rivalry of these elements, begins with wood. This will break up the earth; earth will soak up or stop water; water will put out fire; fire will melt metal and metal will cut wood. "This study of the positive and negative forces in the universe; the study of the Buddhism of incantations and spells called mikkyo; the study of the five elements, and the study of magic spells, were all brought together and played a role in the self- cultivation of the fighting men, and of the military generals of the past. These studies formed the basis of their curricula.
"The true content of what has been traditionally called the martial arts is not concerned only with techniques for killing other people. Much more is involved. The founder of the Shinto Ryu, Choisai Sensei, devised studies aimed at developing mutual harmony and an essentially peaceful co- existence between man and nature, and man and his fellow men. This is what he had in mind when he said that the martial arts must be the arts of peace. The serious warriors and commanding officers of the past knew a wide variety of arts besides those of killing other people. Without their philosophical content, the martial arts would be nothing more than the acquisition of animal-like brute strength.””
Source: Howard Reid & Michael Croucher, The way of the warrior, New York, Simon & Schuster, Inc (1987)
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