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Japanese martial arts
There are a variety of ‘____-do’ in Japan, including Shinto, as described in ‘Kaminashi, Kaminarizuki and the Japanese Gods’. Among these, there are various martial arts that originate from ancient warrior techniques. Budo involves not only physical training and the acquisition of skills, but also mental discipline, and some of the most representative Japanese martial arts include the following
1. judo: a martial art centred on the technique of using the opponent’s strength to throw him down. It was founded by Jigoro Kano and is now widely practised throughout the world.
2. kendo: a martial art focusing on the technique of using a bamboo sword and protective gear to control the opponent’s mind. It is based on the sword, an ancient Japanese weapon, and is now practised as a competition all over the world.
3. iaido: a martial art focusing on the technique of attacking from a drawn sword. It developed as part of swordsmanship and katana-jutsu during the Edo period and is now practised as an independent martial art.
4. karate-do: a martial art focusing on striking techniques using the hands and feet. It is based on traditional Okinawan martial arts and is now widely practised throughout the world.
5. aikido: a martial art focusing on techniques of receiving an opponent’s attack and using its power to throw and control it. It was founded by Hideo Yokoyama, founder of the Yokoyama Dojo, and is now widely practised throughout the world.
Within these martial arts, there exist so-called ‘phantom techniques’ or ‘lost techniques’, such as techniques that do not appear in current competitions or are special and highly difficult. In this article, I would like to discuss these phantom techniques.
Phantom skills of the martial arts
<Judo>
1. yama-arashi: The yama-arashi is a throw technique specialised in by Mifune Kyuzo, a direct disciple of Kano Jigoro and a famous athlete in the early Showa period. This technique requires strength and speed, and is said to be difficult for only very skilled athletes to master, as the form and timing of the technique are extremely difficult.
幻の必殺技・山嵐！より
2. sumi otoshi: Sumi otoshi is a type of throwing technique in which the opponent’s body is pulled in and collapsed backwards, and then dropped to the corner of the body, sometimes classified as a foot technique, but unlike normal foot-punches, it is a technique in which centre of gravity shifts and timing tactics are important.
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3. air throws: air throws are reported as a technique to knock an opponent off balance and defeat him without directly touching him, through kiai or pause. Similar techniques exist in karate and aikido, but in judo, Kyuzo Mifune is said to have performed the air throw. This technique is said to involve completely reading the opponent’s movements and matching breathing so that the opponent naturally collapses and falls.
<Kendo>
1. kasumi ken: A technique in which the attack is concealed in a vague movement to prevent the opponent from reading the blade’s movement. It is characterised by the fact that it prevents the attacker from realising the intention of the attack. 2.
2. tsubame gaeshi: a technique in which the attacker delivers one blow and then instantly repeats the second blow. It is known as a ‘phantom technique’ because the second blow hits the opponent just as he is deflecting the first. This technique was the speciality of Sasaki Kojiro, who faced Miyamoto Musashi on Ganryujima Island.
3. kage-nuki: A technique used in the Edo period (1603-1868) in actual sword fighting, in which a fighter avoids slashes by letting his opponent cast a shadow over him. It is called ‘kage-nuki’ because the attacker dodges the attack with quick footwork, creating an opportunity to counterattack and moving himself like a shadow.
<Aikido>
1. Kuki nage: A technique in which the attacker is thrown without touching the opponent, as if he were flowing through the air, and using the attacker’s power completely, so that very little power is used. At the moment the attacker attacks, the technique is applied by slightly releasing the opponent’s power to induce him to collapse on his own. 2.
2. the technique of ‘munen muso’: ‘munen muso’ is a technique in which the attacker reacts unconsciously to the opponent’s movement by completely emptying his consciousness and reacting without thinking, and throws the attacker’s attack as if it were flowing away. This is an advanced technique in which the techniques are not thought about in advance, but are performed spontaneously in immediate response to the opponent’s movements.
3. Kage-no-waza: A technique in which the opponent is made to disappear his presence and approach the attacker as if he were a shadow. The techniques must be performed while drawing the opponent’s attention in a different direction, so that he is not aware of your presence like a shadow. By quickly moving in behind or to the side of the opponent and throwing from an angle or direction from which the opponent cannot react, a sudden break is created.
What phantom techniques have in common
These phantom techniques share the following common characteristics, which are indicative of the essence of advanced martial arts and body manipulation techniques.
1. mental concentration and unification: strong mental concentration and unification are essential for phantom techniques, especially in martial arts such as Aikido, which emphasise ‘ki’, and when the mind is disturbed, the techniques are also disturbed. In these techniques, it is necessary to calm the mind in order to sense the opponent’s movements and presence, and to confront the opponent with an immobile mind (unmoving mind). 2.
2. the importance of breathing: breathing together is common to many phantom techniques.’ As described in ‘On breathing (relationship between Zen, cognitive activity and sport)’, breathing is not only linked to physical movement, but is also a factor in matching the rhythm of the opponent’s breathing and in discerning the timing, as breathing is deeply related to the timing of the technique and the flow of power, so ‘breathing power’ is required.
3. techniques that do not rely on force: the basic principle of phantom techniques is to ‘control the opponent without using force’. The technique makes skillful use of the opponent’s strength, momentum and balance, and moves in such a way as to ‘utilise the opponent’s strength’, rather than pushing back with one’s own strength. This produces a greater effect with less force than it appears. 4.
4. oneness with the opponent and fusion of chi: The importance is placed on becoming one with the opponent and moving in such a way as to fuse the chi of both opponents. This makes it possible to anticipate the opponent’s movements and execute techniques naturally, and this sense of oneness enables you to break the opponent without touching him and to apply techniques in a flowing manner.
5. perfect awareness of distance: illusory techniques require the ability to maintain a perfect distance from the opponent. In order to maintain proper timing and to parry attacks, one must be observant enough to read the opponent’s attacks and intentions, and react instantly. The more precise the pause, the less strain is placed on oneself and the smoother the technique is executed.
6. advanced physical manipulation and body movement: while not relying on force, one must use one’s own body skilfully. Body movement, which involves being aware of one’s own centre of gravity and moving to the optimum position in accordance with the opponent’s strength, is at the heart of phantom techniques, enabling one to naturally break the opponent’s centre of gravity without exerting force.
7. unconscious movement (mu-nen-mu-sou): many phantom techniques are not performed consciously, but in a state of ‘mu-nen-mu-sou’, i.e. unconsciousness. This requires years of training and can only be performed unconsciously by masters who have trained their bodies to move reflexively.
Phantom techniques require not only technique but also mental and physical training, mental concentration and breathing, and a sense of oneness with the opponent, and these elements are not only a fighting technique but also an embodiment of the spirituality and depth of budo. It can be said that the state of being reached by those who have mastered the martial arts step by step is the ‘art of illusion’.
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