Kiaijutsu II – explanation and interpretation

We'll be meeting this concept later – the painting is by the famous Zen painter, Sengai

An Introduction to Kiaijutsu

Kiaijutsu is an odd sort of art, and the name, which creates instant associations with kiai – the shout that is emblematic of arts such as karate – is itself misleading. It suggests that this is a structured, organised discipline, one that can be taught and learned, much as other martial arts that have come down to us in one form or another from Japan’s feudal period.

There seems to be little evidence for this. Instead, I would argue, it is a descriptive term for the kind of power that comes from an individual’s personality, their charisma, strength of purpose, imperturbability – a multitude of inexact and difficult to quantify factors filtered through the perceptions of early 20^th century Japan, that give a person influence or control over a situation. 

Given the broadness of such a description, it follows that we might all, perhaps, practise the rudiments of kiaijutsu. Historically, however, mentions of kiaijutsu and related phenomena seem to have been rooted in martial disciplines, and particularly closely related to the area described as shinpo (roughly ‘mental techniques’).

Kiaijutsu was introduced to the broader public at a time when society in Japan was changing. The military arts, which had been taught in specific contexts in the society, found themselves untethered. The new popularisers of these arts were, nonetheless, strongly aware of the importance of the bonds of civil society, and their writings show this. Kiaijutsu was an art that could be used as a civilian, in times of emergency or great need, but underlying it all was the injunction to use it responsibly.

Kiaijutsu in Early Published Works

There were several books written for the general public (i.e. not for members of martial arts schools) round about the time of Harrison’s work that deal with kiaijutsu or related concepts. Here are just a couple that I have briefly looked at – the themes don’t seem so very different from what you might find today.

Kiaijutsu Sakkatsu Jizai (1911) - this is where the text of Harrison’s verses originally appeared. It is a book length essay elaborating on the nature of kiaijutsu, making much use of anecdotes and quite woolly explanations. It seems likely that this was part of a general trend to promote the warrior ideals in the service of nationalism (quoting the then Emperor’s insight in a poem is one example of this).

The inclusion of verses from other sources adds another layer, but we are none the wiser as to their origins. An example is a brief section titled The Inner Secrets of Kiaijutsu (which seems to come from an older school of martial arts):

Kiai is like grasping the wind in an instant;

Halt your steps and trust your nose. 

There, in that place, think of neither victory nor defeat, but with an immovable spirit

 move with total freedom. 

 

It goes on to explain the importance maintaining a calm exterior yet acting with determination when the occasion demands, using the square, circle and triangle – symbolism that is well-known for its connection with aikido – although this description is very different.

The work as a whole implies that the spiritual strength of one person can overcome or control that of another.

Sakkatsu Jizai Shosei Zen (1916) - explains the application of Zen teachings to everyday life, particularly when on is involved in difficult and stressful situations. Note the use of ‘Sakkatsu Jizai’ in the title. This is referred to as a spiritual state where one acts freely according to the situation.

Sokuseki Katsuyo Ninjutsu Kiaijutsu Hiden (1917) - Secret Teachings of Instant Ninjutsu Kiaijutsu - I haven’t read much of this, but as the title suggests, it seems to be a kind of do-it-yourself manual of mental techniques with a focus on ‘invisibility’.

It is worth noting that the most famous proponent of kiaijutsu around this time was the hugely successful faith healer, Hamaguchi Yugaku (1878-1943). He was often in the newspapers and the authorities, suspicious of unsanctioned faith-based activities, brought a number of legal cases against him (most of which he won).  He had the support of a number of notable figures of the day, of whom you will most likely recognise Hideki Tojo, and amassed a sizable fortune. It seems he used a form of kujikiri and kiaijutsu to cure a range of maladies, and, in particular, pull teeth. 

Hamaguchi Yugaku

 

What is it, then?

Although the term kiai is mostly used in the context of the voice – shouts can be used in combat to add strength to strikes or locks at key moments or to momentarily distract the opponent, for example – there is more to kiaijutsu than this. Kiai is about the use and control of your ‘energy’ to affect other people and situations. As to what this energy is – well, there are several schools of thought on this. It is sometimes talked about in semi-mystical terms, with lots of admonitions to breathe into the lower abdomen, strengthen the hara and develop ki. I’m afraid, I always found such explanations left too much unsaid. In practical terms, I think it is more useful to see talk about breathing as shorthand for something less subtle – the development and use of the core and other related muscles of the torso, something that is key to ‘internal arts’ across the board.

In terms of affecting and controlling other people and situations, kiai is even broader, including what we might identify as (or closely associate with) personality and character (traits such as courage, charisma, determination), movement, voice, facial expression, timing, and initiative, as well as sensitivity to the environment.

What ties it all together is a sense that all of these (and more besides) are connected in some way with the physical hara. It is through development of the hara, and learning how to use it, that these more uncommon abilities are fostered.

Frank Miller cover for one of the 1980's English reprints of Lone Wolf and Cub

The Revelations of Kiaijutsu (from The Fighting Arts of Japan)

Early 20^th century writings on kiaijutsu, stress the importance of the subconscious in the application of kiai – it springs into action instantaneously – and much of the writing seems influenced by Zen, sometimes explicitly so.  

The Revelations of Kiaijutsu is certainly one example of this Zen influence.

So without much more ado – just to remind you that these are the verses presented by Harrison in his book, The Fighting Arts of Japan (more about this in part 1 of this limited kiaijutsu series), let’s see what they might mean.

 

Interpretation

I have added amendments or notes after Harrison’s translation, either for clarification or where an alternative translation might be appropriate.

I have no parents; I make the heavens and the earth my parents.

We have to ask ourselves what having parents would mean applied to an art like kiaijutsu. I believe it indicates the biases and habits we develop (and are taught) through our upbringing. If we turn it another way, we could read it as ‘I have no prejudices’, or ‘I learn from any source without prejudice’. In the martial arts, there are all kinds of prejudices, (not all of them bad), and I think comparatively few of us could say, hand on heart, I have no prejudices – myself included, of course.

 

I have no home; I make saika tanden my home. (Harrison misspelt this – it should be seika tanden)

Home is a sense of belonging. While this is a good thing in itself, losing it may create a sense of unease, and a loss of mental or emotional balance. I make the seika tanden my home is the determination to remain centred, with your thoughts on where you are. In more mundane terms, you might say, I don’t get homesick.

I have neither life nor death; I make a um my life and death. ->I have no (thoughts of/attachment to) life and death

This sounds like a Zen-like acceptance of whatever might happen, but I think it requires a more careful interpretation. I see it as another facet of centring, life and death being the rise and fall of our emotions as we go about our lives – getting excited about one thing, then seeing our enthusiasm or interest die. Stability is seeing ‘good’ and ‘bad’ situations without allowing them to drive our moods. 

A – um also suggest the natural rhythms of our bodies, the most obvious of which is breathing.

I have no divine power; I make honesty my divine power. (honesty/integrity)

I have no means; I make docility my means. (Note the characters used contain the ju of jujutsu and judo, and we know that the ‘gentleness’ of these arts is quite a specific use of that term)
I have no magic power; I make personality my magic power. (perhaps character is better than personality)

These three are closely related – they all refer to power of some sort from outside, something that is not your own. The pairings are, perhaps, a little surprising, but at least two of them (integrity and character seem to make obvious sense). The replacement of means with gentleness may need some consideration.

Means can be taken to refer to economic power, but also has the sense of livelihood, and by extension the sense of identity tied up with occupation, and thus a certain rigidity to the way you deal with situations or relying on status as a means of influence. This is clearly a weakness in terms of kiaijutsu – it should be your strength of will that is the primary tool.

Given this, the use of gentleness suggests approaching a situation with sensitivity, seeing it for what it is, rather than imposing your own set of ideas. In modern terms, we might say: my livelihood is irrelevant because I don’t make use of it in this kind of situation. This is rather obvious in terms of practice in a dojo, but perhaps outside, we tend to believe our sense of who we are will automatically affect other people, rather than our actions.

I have no body; I make stoicism my body. (the text uses the term muga - selflessness)
I have no eyes; I make the flash of lightning my eyes. (Harrison leaves out the other metaphor that is included: ‘spark from the flint’)
I have no ears; I make sensibility my ears. (emotional response is probably a more easily understandable term these days – an interesting parallel is the verse quoted above that I translated as ‘trust your nose’. Literally it reads ‘listen carefully with your nose’.)
I have no limbs; I make promptitude my limbs. (Similar to the previous point, swiftness/speed might be clearer).

Though kiaijutsu has physical training as its base, it is more than that. These metaphors refer to specifically trained attributes but suggest it is the mind (or the sub-conscious), rather than physical techniques, that is key. It is important to remember that the mind is traditionally referred to as being located in the hara, rather that the brain. In more simplistic terms, we might term these items as examples of acting automatically. I assume ‘I make stoicism my body’ means ‘my body will do whatever I ask of it’.

 

Afterword

There is more, of course, but I think this is enough to get an idea of how I approached the text, and a fun little project it has been, too. As with all such writings (The Revelations of Kiaijutsu, I mean, not my own), it is possible to take them a little too seriously, and especially in this case, the way in which it crops up repeatedly says something about the attraction it seems to hold for those who admire the stoic image of the bushi without really thinking about what it means. 

There is value, I think, in trying to figure out what something means in practical terms, but it is also worth remembering that whoever wrote this had experiences and skills that might be very different from what we have experienced ourselves. 

On a general note, when it comes to technical issues, Chinese arts often have greater technical and theoretical depth, but a chance post I saw online the other day (which related the death of one of the early masters of the Yang Taiji style from a fit of rage) reminded me of the importance of emotional control, and it may be here that these verses have most value.

And Finally...

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