Walking With The Tengu

Have you ever been traveling, stuck somewhere, or whatever reason not been able to get in some training?

Today I share for exercises for squeezing some extra training into your day that I've included in a little pocket volume that you can find here:

What can one learn from a video instructional from a classical Japanese martial art? I think quite a bit, though it may not immediately be obvious.

There are two ideas from the latest OHIR instructional that I think can be applied to any martial art. A lesson on initiative and a lesson on chaining techniques within the tempo of an encounter.

Ono-ha Itto-ryu Volume 1: Kiriotoshi

When an atrocity is committed against someone, are they justified in committing an atrocity in return?

We look at what is a justifiable response in today's episode.

Today we have two short parables that contain big lessons for martial artists and we look at how this applies to determining if a martial art is useful.

Find out how a bottle gourd, a hand cream, a twisted tree and a yak relate to determining how useful a martial art is.

References:

I've talked about a few of my confrontations over the years and how they all amounted to nothing happening. Today, I relate the story of the same thing happening to a training partner of mine and how he lived his martial art in his daily life and was able to face physical violence and achieve an acceptable "win condition."

The bad neighbor Hrolleif finally gets justice served after killing Ingimund. Though Thorstein uses quite a bit of strategy to bring it about.

Find out how Jokul hiding in a wood-pile brings about the wretched Hrolleif's demise.

I again tackle the topic of etiquette in the martial arts, why American culture is dying, why etiquette is a reflection of the health of a society, and how this relates a the stability of human society.

Can the martial arts help?

We have another story from the Zhuangzi today. About a little frog in a well and a turtle who tells him of something impossible called "the ocean." I also give you a bonus Chinese idiom known as a cheng yu that I think works well in English too.

坐井觀天 - zuò jǐng guān tiān - Which I might translate as: "To sit in a well and look at the sky."

Listen to today's episode to find out what that means!

We return to the Zhuangzi today where we hear the tale of a monkey who showed off to a king and got some unintended consequences despite his very real skill.

In this episode we look at a new book coming out in November in the US and December 2023 globally. It is being published by YMAA. I have several of their books on my shelves. This new book is called "Blurred Boundaries: A Martial Arts Legacy and the Shaping of Taiwan” by Hong, Tse-han and translated by Chris Bates.

It is a deeply philosophical and yet practical book relevant to all martial artists. I relate a short story about the Hong brothers confronting an organized crime group that was interfering with their family's business in today's episode.

We meet Hrolleif and his mother Ljot who are the worst neighbors ever in this section. Find out how salmon fishing brings about the end of dear old Ingimund and how seppuku, ritual suicide, relates to this section of the saga.

Ingimund finally gives in to "fate" and moves to Iceland. We find out he's pretty boring at naming things and that he's not above manipulating people on legal technicalities to get what he wants. Find out what happens when you bring a weapon into a Norse temple.

Our saga takes us through the battle of Havsfjord, a kind of Norwegian battle of Sekigahara, and into the fate and destiny that eventually drives the reluctant Ingimund to move to Iceland. Plus there are some shamans. Some who predict Ingimund's future and in a moment of petulance transports an amulet of his all the way to Iceland just to prove a point. Plus some others who are hired to track it down, while locked in a shed, and are to be paid in butter and tin.

We get a little more insight into free-will, predestination, and what his honorable to this people.

We continue the saga of the people of Vatnsdal today. Thorstein gets married, has a son and we learn a bit about naval combat between Viking groups. As well as what characteristics can be inferred from the text about the qualities of a good warrior and the basics of good strategy.

We begin the saga of the people of Vatnsdal today. As we see how standards about great deeds, some backhanded comments, and a very large bandit results in a marriage suggestion. We look at some of the tactics used and talk a little about the morals and ethics we can infer and interpret from this part of the saga.

We lay the groundwork for looking at the Icelandic Sagas today. What philosophical ideas did they hold about ethics, violence, and the intersection of the two. What makes the Sagas different from other literature of the time and what biases do we need to be aware of? Why were serious duels called "going to the island?" Let's take a look at these questions and get ready to jump into a world oddly both very different from our own and yet also more familiar to us than the rest of Europe at the time.

What is the "art of fighting without fighting?" Where did Bruce Lee get the idea for this story and what classical Japanese work did it originate in?

We explore these ideas in today's episode.

When we suspect things are going to go bad more than is realistic then we are susceptible to the pessimism bias. Find out how car tires and martial arts training relates in this micro-episode.

MSD - Mental Self-Defense

How could iaido, a solo form based method of sword-drawing, have any practical impact on my jiu-jitsu training? Having freshly returned from an iaido seminar in the Pacific Northwest of the United States I make an attempt in this episode to articulate better the answer to that question and provide some thoughts on my experiences at my first iaido seminar. Plus, what are hopefully some helpful constructive criticisms that can help other newcomers better navigate the iaido waters for the first time.

When we judge the likelihood of future events based on how often they have occurred in the past we engage in something that can be called The Gambler's Fallacy. This incorrect thinking can impact our ability to make good choices be it in training, sparring, self-defense, or life. 

MSD - Mental Self-Defense 

Today we return to our origins with a short story or parable from Issai Chozanshi's Daoist work the Inaka Soshi, sometimes translated as "The Hayseed Daoist."

The story today is about a rat who prayers fervently to the gods that all the cats in the world be kicked to death at once. He's got some thoughts about why this prayer is reasonable and then an old toad gives him some feedback on his prayer request... and a story about free market economics and salt monopolies.

This story has some important lessons for the modern martial artist about our intentions and introspection on self-inflicted problems.

Also you'll learn how to distinguish a nekomata from a bakeneko, two different kinds of cat spirits in Japanese folklore!

This first bias we look at is known as "fundamental attribution error." This is when we judge others differently than how we judge ourselves when we do the same thing. It's pretty common and I relate examples both from general life and the martial arts. Plus with some bonus Stoic quotes for good measure on how to guard ourselves from this bias.

This first fallacy we look at is known as anecdotal. Often referred to as "anecdotal evidence" we find this fallacy all through the martial arts world and is often at the heart of our martial arts delusions. 

We spend a lot of time talking about physical self-defense. However, what can we do to protect our minds from being led astray or manipulated? Today we lay the ground for a new series on how to recognize and protect yourself from bad thinking.

Bad thinking leads to bad conclusions, which leads to bad training and ultimately to bad outcomes. The martial arts and self-defense worlds of today are rife with bad thinking.

What does one do when the warrior ethos calls someone to do something to express loyalty and gratitude... but the laws of the nation prohibit it? 

Daidouji has some thoughts in the final chapter of the Budoushoshinshu. In many ways this is the capstone to Daidouji's thoughts on what a warrior should do when there are no wars to be fought. 

Also, ghosts.

What happens when we give strategic advice and it goes bad?

What does this have to do with Victorian era sea-captains?

Why did Daidouji think Yamamoto Kansuke was a good example and why do I disagree?

Daidouji has some thoughts for his young charges and I interpret through the lens of a modern reader.

How do we handle unlikely events that can have negative outcomes we are unwilling to accept?

What should we think about when we want to keep those important to us safe in one of these events?

What will you do when you lord decides to kill one of your coworkers and you need to chase him down so he doesn't escape? 

What do we do when we deserve some recognition, reward, or rank... but we do not receive it?

Daidouji has some thoughts for his young charges and I interpret through the lens of a modern reader.

Daidouji speaks directly to the idea of training in the martial arts in this episode. What kind of person looks like a martial artist?

Who should train the martial arts?

When does miso stink too much of miso?

As well as some thoughts on people who only train partially and lead others astray in their ignorance.

We get some discussion on budgeting for samurai armor, how to equip your servants, and considerations to prepare for when your head is cut off by the enemy. It may not sound like it, but we then relate these topics to how they can apply to you today, in our modern times.

Daidouji has a number of chapters that are basically tips for samurai who are traveling. I've combined a few of these into a short episode with some attempts to relate them to our martial training. Turns out I think I am on the right track as at the end of one of these chapters Daidouji Yuuzan makes the point himself that the principles in these chapters are also for the training of the martial arts. 

Today we hear a story from the Keicho era (1596-1615) about a warrior named Tsukuda Mataemon and a misperception about his spear. We then look at how this story is an important lesson in how to be considerate to others. 

What's the difference between a common thief and a samurai who steals? Daidouji elaborates on this topic and we relate it to the modern martial arts.

"Be strong to be useful." The maintenance of one's health is a topic that spans cultures and history. Today we look at what Daidouji Yuuzan has to say to young samurai about this topic.

Daidouji instructs us in this episode about the dangers of growing into positions of authority and the pitfalls that can come with forgetting what it is like to be in a lower position. I compare this to martial arts training and dig a little into the examples Daidouji cites to provide a little background.

What should we do when someone comes to us with an idea they want to rope us into? Or wants to ask us for advice? When should we get involved and how should we do this? When should we say no? Daidouji Yuuzan has some thoughts about the when, why, and how of getting involved in other people's affairs.

What's the point of being a martial artist? Especially, if you're practicing one that is serious about the application of violence. Today we look at how this works practically in our daily lives and what it means to be a "warrior."

Did you know that there was sick leave and noise complaints in Tokugawa era Japan? Apparently, even samurai had to think about such things. Find out how that relates to us in today's episode. 

Is there really any point to solo training in the martial arts? Some arts make it a key training method. Others are almost devoid of it. We look at both the criticisms of solo training and what we can do with it.

I've often described the martial arts world as more gossipy than a sewing circle. Daidouji Yuuzan had some thoughts about this as apparently things were no different in his day and age. He also makes a distinction between people who are merely boastful and those who spread baseless rumors.

A six minute episode? This is an extremely fast, practical exercise.  

Learn to recognize these four common logical fallacies in your own thoughts and conversations and you'll a better thinker and communicator. 

How does a martial artist show their character when there is no conflict? Daidouji Yuuzan points out in today's selection that it's not actually all that hard to find ways to do this.