Where Is the Book of Mysteries for Japanese Swordsmanship?

Japanese Swordsmanship is now known to be "Kendo". The name, "Kendo" was the one given after Meiji Restoration in 1867. Before Meiji era, it was referred to as either "Kenjutsu" or "Hyoho". It was the end of the sixteenth century and first half of the seventeenth century when Japanese Swordsmanship started to be systematized. It was this period when legendary masters of "Kendo" appeared and left their extraordinary stories on their skills, fights, and spirits.

"Ono" was the second pupil of the legendary master, "Ito". Ito had two pupils. The older pupil was "Zenki." Zenki was a big and powerful swordsman. Earlier, he was helping Ito to show their swordsmanship to opponents. Later he became jealous of his own master, Ito. The master Ito did not like Zenki's style of using his body size and power as an advantage to defeat enemies. However, he was strong and continued to defeat Ito's enemies. Ono, in contrast, was a moderately built, skinny person. He was more an intellectual type than a swordsman. He was skillful, speedy, and flexible. He could win against fighters who were bigger and stronger than him. Ono could not win against Zenki however. Zenki's strength was power, skill, and speed combined.

Ito, close to his death, summoned these two pupils and told them to fight. He showed the Book of Mysteries for Ito style Kenjutsu to both of them. He concluded that the swordsman, who won, would be given the book and the name to be the official successor of Ito style Kenjutsu.

Zenki was glad. He believed he would win and become the Master. Ono thought his chances of winning were not large. He did not give up and continued to think of how to win. During the fight, Ono used "Willow tree technique" rather than going against the power Zenki tried to use. Ono defeated Zenki.

The master Ito summoned Ono, after their fight. He handed a lacquer painted box to Ono and asked him to open it. Ono bowed to his master and the box and opened the box. It was empty. There was nothing inside of black lacquered box. Puzzled, Ono asked Ito the meaning. Ito said, "You defeated the person you and others believed to be stronger than you. That was the mysteries of my style of Kenjutsu." Ono was still frowning. Ito continued, "Do not you understand? It is you. You are the mysteries of my swordsmanship." The master continued that there were two essential reasons why Ono won. i. Ono did not give up. ii. He continued to think about how to win.

Ito meant that Ono mastered the essentials of swordsmanship by defeating an obviously opponent than himself. No matter how many times a swordsman wins, if he defeats only weaker people, he is not a master. Only ones who win obviously stronger enemies are an invincible. Therefore, he was the master. He did not need any book, any more.




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Christmas Tree in January

The winter season is coming to the end of January. People call warm days in winter Indian summer. However, after New Year's Day, some warm days can be regarded as a sign that spring will soon arrive in the San Francisco Bay Area. The small grape and orange trees that we planted in our backyard last year have started to grow new leaves. Looking at them from nearby, my wife shouted when she found flower buds with colorful lines. Flowers will soon bloom. Roses have started growing new branches that will soon bloom with large, beautiful flowers.

January in the Bay Area makes me a little homesick every year because there are no New Year's decorations and women wearing traditional Japanese kimonos, which can be found in Japan in January. New Year sounds play an important part of decorating for the New Year in Japan. In an old downtown neighborhood where my elderly mother lives, shops play traditional New Year music and songs. In large, modern cities, such as Shinjuku, Ginza, Shibuya, or any part of the Tokyo Metropolitan area, even western-style department stores play Japanese New Year music. All of the sales women in these department stores wear Japanese-style kimonos.

Although I love living in the Bay Area and the United States in general, the abandoned Christmas trees left on the streets also make me sad every year during this season. From the beginning of December through early January, the San Francisco Bay Area is dressed up with colorful, beautiful ornamentation. Christmas trees are always central figures in Christmas decorations. These trees must be proud of themselves for playing a role in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Every night, the trees are lit. On Christmas Eve, family members gather around the tree to exchange Christmas presents.

On Christmas morning, children pick up presents from their parents and relatives from under the Christmas tree. They rip off wrapping paper and shout with joy upon discovering their long-awaited toys. The Christmas trees warmly watch their enjoyment.

January comes. The Christmas trees complete their mission. Decorations are taken down. The city has a designated pick-up day for the trees. Every year, however, in every place I have lived in the United States, I come across trees abandoned along the street. It makes me sad. How can people treat these trees, which filled us with enjoyment throughout the season, so poorly? I see the sorrow of abandoned Christmas trees. I hear them cry.


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Japanese Government in War and Chiune Sugihara for Visas for Lives

For those who do not know "Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara", Sugihara was the Vice-consul in Japanese Consulate in Lithuania during World War II in 1940s. He issued tens of thousands of visas helping Jewish refugees to exit Russia, Poland, and Lithuania. It is thought that the number of refugees whom he saved would be between 6,000 and 10,000. It is why he is called the "Japanese Schindler". Before he started issuing visas for refugees, he requested approval to issue visas for refugees to the Imperial Japanese Government. According to an official record, he requested approval three times. All of the requests were rejected.

He decided to ignore the Japanese Government's regulations and issued visas to refugees who would not normally qualify. This was obviously violating Japanese law. The Japanese Government were in alliance with the anti-Semitic Germany. His conduct could endanger the alliance between Germany and Japan. He had issued visas against Japan law for what he believed to be right. It was a brave humanitarian action. However, the big question is why the Japanese government did nothing to stop his illegal activity.

 Unfortunately, due to the chaos of the war, there is no official record left. We cannot know exactly what was the Japanese Government reaction to Sugihara's action. However, there are two prominent facts, which interest us today. 1) Japanese Government could stop Sugihara if they had wanted, but they did not. 2) Japanese Government did not reject admission of Jewish people who exited from Lithuania, despite that they could do.

Instead, when refugees' entry to Japan was about to be rejected, the Government of Japan in coordination with Jewish community in Kobe allowed the refugees to enter into Japan. Many of them moved to Shanghai and the US. A not so small number of people stayed in Japan. There might have been a strong supporter of Sugiura in the Japanese government to help him. It is true that the Government of Japan supported Sugihara's action in helping those refugees by not rejecting the applications of refugees. Who were those people who supported Sugihara's activities? How many were they? What were their names? Though our imagination can go on and on, we are unable to know who they were now. They are all gone from history due to confusion in the lost war.

Sugihara continued to serve the Foreign Ministry of Japan as a diplomat in various European countries such as Czechoslovakia and Bucharest after he left Lithuania. After the end of the war, after being held as a POW camp for 18 months in Romania, he returned to Japan in 1946. He resigned from the Foreign Ministry in 1947. Many believe that he was asked to resign from Foreign Ministry due to his conduct in Lithuania. The official government record only shows that Sugihara resigned. After his resignation, Sugihara worked for a trading firm using his language skills. He was stationed in Moscow as the general representative of the trading company in the 1960s. Israel, Poland, and the Japanese governments gave him an honor for his humanitarian activity giving him honorable medals. Israel offered him, his family, and his descendants an honor of perpetual Israeli citizenship. Sugihara died on July 31, 1986 from a stroke. He was 86 years old. Asked why he did what he did, he answered that he could not stop helping people who were suffering.

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Chiune Sugihara, Oriental Schindler

Even the value of virtue changes in ages. Japanese virtue was to die for their mother country in World War II. Japanese virtue changed after it lost the war. Country and government, which seemed to be unchallengeable, were gone. Individual people became equally or more important than the country. Though the virtue changes, there is a virtue, which did not change. It is humanitarian action based on love. Love to people across the ethnicity or country borders.

He was a diplomat. He is also famous as "Sempo Sugihara" from the sound of his first name. He entered into Waseda University majoring English literature. During his college days, Sugihara passed an examination to be a Foreign Ministry Scholarship Exchange Student. Japanese Foreign Ministry hired him and assigned him in Harbin, in China. Sempo learned Russian and German languages there. He became an expert of Russian Affairs.

Sempo was appointed to be vice council of Japanese Consulate of Lithuania in 1939. In 1940, Soviet Union took over Lithuania. Thousands of Jews poured into Lithuania from Poland. Jewish people in Lithuania were also seeking for exiting from those countries. Soviet Union requested consulates of other countries closed in Lithuania. Japanese Consulate, however, was still open. Jewish refugees rushed into Japanese Consulate for transit visa for exiting from those countries.

Sempo requested to issue transit visas to Jewish refugees to Japanese Foreign Ministry, but he could not get permission. Sempo decided to ignore Japanese Government approval and started to issue his own hand written visas in July 31, 1940. He saws those refugees were in danger if they stayed behind. He continued to issue visas to transit through Japan for their destination. He not only ignored his government authority, but also violated legal requirements to issue visas only to people with qualification of enough fund. He issued visas to unqualified refugees until September 4, 1940.

He spent 18 - 20 hours issuing visas a day. He talked with Russian authority and arranged Jewish refugees could take Trans-Siberian Train for their traveling. September 4, 1940 was the day when Sempo needed to leave back to Japan. The night before his departure, he stayed up awake all-night and continued to write visas, according to a witness. He gave out blank visas with Japanese Consulate Seal and his signature from the window of the train. Only unofficial record is available to learn the number of refugees whom Sempo Sugihara saved. They would be between 6,000 and 10,000. Since the visas were issued to husbands who could accompany his family, the people who could depart from Lithuania would be more than the record.

His wife later remembered him and commented about him that he was just an honest person. It is a profound statement. He did not give up to be honest to himself. He did what he believed right. His heroic story should not be buried in the history because Japan lost World War II.

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Enjoyment of Cruise Voyage

What is the only world common language, which everybody, no matter what country, race, skin color, or languages he or she carries, can understand? It is "Smile". People make all effort to have others smile. One may hope to make his family smile. The other may want to make his customer smile. Human history was always with people's smile. It may not be an exaggeration to say that one of an important factor for people to live is to smile and make others smile.

Changing the air makes people happy and smile. This cruise tour to Mexican Riviera is the one, which makes you smile. This American favorite leisure trip is not so popular for Japanese. Some of them think it must be expensive. The other thinks it is for retired people. People may not be able to take a long enough vacation to take cruise trips, which are at least a week. Many of them take two weeks or one to two months.

However, many cruise trips are not so expensive. A family, who can spend two to three thousand dollars for a vacation trip to Hawaii or California, can afford to a cruise trip for a week-long. Many retired people enjoy cruise trips. It is true. The passengers of the trip, however, are not just retirees. There are varieties of people who one can meet. It is part of the journey's enjoyment.

There is a cruise start around end-October or early November to travel to Mexican Riviera. The schedule includes interesting Mexican resorts such as Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo, Extapa, and Acapulco. On top of these resort places the ship is visiting, the amusement of cruise is enjoying the facility and entertainment of the cruise ship.

When the ship is docked on the starting port, travelers have almost ten hours to board their ship. Even during docking, travelers can enjoy the facility of their ship. Many in ship restaurants are open. Coffee shops are open. One may enjoy movies or games provided by cruise staff. Passenger can relax lying on the bench on poolside. Pools are available before the ship starts its voyage. Yes, there are two or three pools usually. It is not just one pool.

If one's ship starts from San Francisco, the first entertainment will be enjoying views of San Francisco city. The ship goes across the San Francisco Bay north sailing under Golden Gate Bridge. Sunset on the Pacific Ocean is breathtaking, as well.

The ship cruises three full days on the ocean to arrive at the first port of Cabo San Lucas. Do not worry about being bored. The crews and staff will provide travelers of enough entertainment including Bingo games, movies, theatrical plays, or attractions. If one likes gambling, he can gamble for the entire trip in their Casino. Buffet restaurants are available twenty-four seven. Whenever one feels hungry, he can eat. Formal restaurants are open five o'clock in the afternoon. The traveler can order the main course dishes as many as he wants. A friend of mine ordered three dishes of Escargot one night. He ordered two dishes of Osso buco for the dinner next day. Foods and soft drinks are included in the price one pays beforehand. It is better to eat as much as possible.

Nightlife in cruise is fantastic, too. There are bar and disco open all night. Right after information meeting between cruise staff and passengers, they hold attraction shows such as circus acrobats, theatrical plays, comedy shows, or serious drama.

If one were thinking about cruise trip, he would try it. He would never regret it.






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Even a Hunter Does Not Kill a Bird Who Flies Into His Arms

Sean was a website creator. One day he received a phone call from his Japanese friend, Jiro. Jiro wanted Sean to work on his website. Although Sean did not like the pay was not so high, he agreed to work on Jiro's website for his friendship. Sean started work on Jiro's site based on Jiro's specifications. He thought it was not hard. It was 10 pages site. Sean finished the first draft in several weeks. He showed it to Jiro. Jiro did not like his design. Jiro asked Sean to take a design review with his web designer. Sean called his contact for design review and modified the site according to the advices from a designer he had known.

Jiro did not approve Sean's modification. Jiro still did not like the design. Sean was a little upset. He was not paid so much that he was treated like this by Jiro, he thought. Sean prepared his email to Jiro. His email even mentioned that his contract obligation did not bind him to keep modifying Jiro's website, spending for continuous design review. Sean held the website's domain name. He had set the hosting service for the website. Sean thought he would have stopped doing the site for Jiro. Sean could refuse to transfer Jiro's domain names and take down the site.

Sean was wondering why Jiro was not satisfied his web design. Sean had known Jiro to be nontechnical sales manager of semiconductor products. He looked into Jiro's profile. He found Jiro graduated from design academy. Jiro was a designer in his academic background. Sean also found that Jiro's daughter was working for a number one web designer company in Japan. Instead, Sean learned web creation from his necessity for his own website.


Sean thought for a couple of days. He called Jiro. Sean told Jiro that he needed to admit that his web design did not meet Jiro's criteria and expectation and apologized for it. He told Jiro that he did not Jiro studied design. He admitted that he learned web creation from necessity and never studied in-depth. Sean asked Jiro to teach him and guide him to complete Jiro's site. Jiro was laughing. He told Sean he would ask his daughter if she had a suggestion. Sean did not lose the project. He did not damage his relationship with Jiro.

A Japanese saying goes, "Even a hunter does not kill a bird who flies into his arms." With or without knowing, Sean practiced these words of wisdom. Martial Arts teach trainees there are only two safe zones in fighting. One is far position from his enemy so that his enemy cannot reach him to attack. The other is skin touching close to his opponent. If too close, one's opponent cannot attack him even the opponent wants to attack. If you need to address difficult situation, this might be noteworthy advice.




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Do Not Ask God For Help

"Do not ask God for help." This is a part of words of wisdom from Japanese strongest Swordsman, Musashi Miyamoto. He killed a lot of his enemies. It was sometimes necessary to protect own life. Some time he was just trying his strength. Musashi fought sixty times in his life without losing any. In the history of Martial Arts, skills for fighting, many of legendary swordsmen wrote their own record or diary. The most of them seem be truthful. These records are precious testimony to learn inside of these masters of combat skills.

The noteworthy, at the same time common on these masters' records, is that these records shows that these Martial Arts masters became almost like philosophers of human beings' most important subject, life and death. Many principles came from Buddhism concepts. Musashi has his record. He stopped fighting at his age fifty. He lived in a forest. He painted several paintings. All of them are masterpieces. He wrote about his bio, history, and state of mind in fighting. The document is called "Go-Rin No Sho" in Japanese. English translation of the title is "Book of Five Rings".

"Five Rings" represent five basic factors, which forms the universe. They are "CHI - earth", "SUI - water", "KA - fire", "FU - wind", and "KU - sky or emptiness". The book talks about his own life and history in "CHI", basics on sword art skills in "SUI", principles on fighting in "KA", about swordsmanship overall in "FU", and the nature of Martial Arts in "KU".

Musashi did not attribute his winning record to his strength or his own power and skills. He mentioned own history of fighting was his "fate". His winning was only by "God's help". He mentioned that he remembered he would not win any fight if he did not have "God's help". He continued that none of his winning was the result of his strength overcame his enemies. He remembered that he could have lost and killed in any of his sixty times of duels.

Why could he continue to win? He explained that he had "God's help". How can one establish "God's help" to achieve his kind of strength? He continued to teach. He said, "Respect God". He further said, "But, do not ask God for help." His book does not describe exact meaning behind his words of wisdom, unfortunately. Many people have interpreted his words. The closest interpretation would be, "Respect God. Keep one to be clear and pure so that he could establish his relationship with God. Cherish the relation with God." "Do not ask God for help him to bring him a victory." Instead, leave everything to his God. Try to communicate with your God, "All of me is yours. Please take me and bring me whatever He would bring to me." One could call it faith or unconditional trust that one's God will bring goodness to him, always. This could be called as "Unconditional Acceptance". This helps the swordsman to achieve peaceful and stable status of mind. Many masters in history called such status of mind "KU - emptiness".


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A Happy New Year, 2011!

I wish you have a Happy New Year.

May your New Year full of happiness, prosperity,
health of you and your family, and lots of lots of
enjoyment.

Shaw Funami
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@ San Francisco, CA

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