"I come to you with only, Karate, empty hands. I have no weapons, but should I be forced to defend myself, my principles, or my honour, should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong, then here are my weapons, Karate, my empty hands."

THE SWORD AND THE KARATE STUDENT

The Japanese sword has received a lot of bad press over recent years, and in some cases this was quite justified. Headlines like ‘Thug attacks victim with Samurai sword’ are very dramatic, but let’s start with the word Samurai sword, there really is no such thing as a Samurai sword. The Samurai were a class of people (and still are), who were uniquely allowed to carry two swords. The first was a long sword (katana), and the second was the short sword or wakizashi. It is the western press that has invented the term ‘Samurai sword’. It is very true to say these swords are extremely dangerous, even the poor copies that thugs tend to acquire for their own purpose. The reason I say this is that very few thugs would spend thousands or even hundred of thousands of pounds on a truly authentic Japanese sword. The thugs themselves are very like the cheap copy of a Japanese sword, they are a cheap copy of true Martial Artists. Japanese swords are extremely dangerous, but no more so than the motor car, the sword left in a stand or on a wall, or used correctly for practise, is no more dangerous than the car parked in the driveway, it is the human element that makes both these items dangerous.
The sword maker and the Sensei are very much alike; the sword smith collects pieces of rough steel, examining each piece for the strengths and weaknesses within, the Sensei does the same with his students, The sword smith then examines the steel to find and combine the strengths, and exclude the weaknesses; the Sensei does the same with his students. The sword smith heats, folds and reheats the steel many times, sometimes over thirty times. Again the Sensei heats and moulds the student many times to try to exclude the weaknesses, and enhance the strengths of the student. Many years ago I was told or possibly read the following quote, ‘the steel cannot understand the torture it must endure at the hands of the sword smith, but the finished product (sword) will understand all”, exactly the same as with the karate student and their Sensei. Many karate students give up karate in their early training, but they must never be regarded as the finished product (regardless of their grade). After all, a piece of folded steel is but a piece of folded steel, it may make a bracket for a hanging basket or part of a fence, but it will never be a sword.
The founder of Shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi is quoted as saying “treat your hands and feet as though they were swords”, he really meant the whole karateka’s body. Through rigorous training and constant practise the students hands and feet will become as deadly as swords and must be treated with the same respect as a sword whether in the class or not. No right minded citizen would wander the streets waving a sword, and the same should be said of the karate student. They should not show off their skills for self gratification, but only use their skills when there is absolutely no alternative. The same can be said for the student in the Dojo (training hall); they must stay absolutely focused during training as though their hands and feet were as dangerous as swords. This is especially important when working with partners. After all, partner work relies on absolute trust between two or more people.
At the end of folding, the sword smith will apply clay to the embryo blade before tempering it, this will ensure two parts to the blade, a hard steel coupled with a soft steel (goju), which will create a sharp edge with a softness that prevents the blade from shattering. A karate student must also strive to acquire both these disciplines, a hard brittle student will surely smash and break, like a bad sword in its first conflict, and a soft student will likewise do the same. A karate student must be hard enough to take care of themselves, yet still soft enough to display compassion and forgiveness.
The sword will be sharpened and polished over a long period of time, and most people would not see any difference to the sword, especially towards the end of this process. Likewise, the Dan graded karate student must be constantly polished and sharpened to achieve and maintain their absolute best.

Sensei John Anderson 5th Dan

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Forging a Karate Mind

Karate is not a game of points, weight classes or showy demonstrations. It is a martial art and way of life that trains a practitioner to be peaceful; but if conflict is unavoidable, true karate dictates taking down an opponent with a single blow.

Such an action requires strength, speed, focus, control. But these physical aspects are only part of the practice; they are just the vehicle, not the journey itself.

True karate is based on Bushido. In true karate, the body, mind and spirit the whole person must be developed simultaneously.
Through kihon, kumite and kata we learn to control our movements. But more importantly, we learn to give up control too. We can perform the techniques without thinking about them, and remain focused without having to concentrate on any one thing. In essence, the body remembers how to move and the mind remembers how to be still.

This harmonious unity of mind and body is intensely powerful. Even the greatest physical strength and skill are no match for the power of wholeness.

The result of true karate is natural, effortless action, and the confidence, humility, openness and peace only possible through perfect unity of mind and body.

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1. "That best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love." - William Wordsworth
2. "Unless ye become as children, ye shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." - Jesus of Nazareth
3. "To know that you do not know is the best. To pretend that you know when you do not is a disease." - Lao Tzu
4. "A person of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business. Success is only a subsequent consideration." - Confucius
5. "Male and female are equal. They have the power to fuse into one solid because both are nourished in one another and the soul is the same." - Hippocrates
6. "He who binds himself to a joy does the winged life destroy. He who kisses joy as it flies, lives in eternal surprise." - Blake
7. "Synergy means behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the behavior of their parts." - Richard Buckminster Fuller
8. "We only want that which is given naturally... to be masters of our own fate, only of our fate, not of others, and in cooperation and friendship with others." - Golda Meir

"The art of the sword consists of never being concerned with victory or defeat, with strength or weakness, of not moving one step forward, nor one step backward, or the enemy not seeing me and my not seeing the enemy. Penetrating to that which is fundamental before the separation of heaven and earth where even yin and yang cannot reach, one instantly attains proficiency in the art." -- Takuan

"A quick temper makes a fool. Impulsive men can be provoked to rage and brought to defeat. One easily angered is obstinate and hasty - he does not consider difficulties. One anxious to defend his reputation pays no regard to anything else."
Sun Tzu "The Art of War"