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The Road to Karate – A Budoka’s Way To Live
By Hiroshi Shoji. Shihan of the Japan Karate Association.

Part 30 (Final) - Sasoi, Kuzushi and Ki

Sasoi (Decoy)

A faked weakness can be set up in a fighting pose or in the way we look in order to decoy the opponent. A feigned weakness in a fighting pose is where we deliberately take a certain fighting pose to get the opponent to believe that there is a huge hole in our defence and let him initiate his attack at that particular point. A feigned weakness using the eyes is where we deliberately fix our eyes on a certain place of the opponent and pretend that our entire attention is focused on that particular part of the opponent. For example, we look intently at the lower part of the opponent to get him to believe that our Jodan (face area) is a weak spot and let him attack there.

Kuzushi (Dismantling)
Kuzushi (dismantling) is opposite to Sasoi (decoy the opponent). When we detect a weakness in the opponent’s movement, we apply a force in a logical direction to break the opponent movement and simultaneously deliver an attack to finish him off. For example, if his stance is weak, Kuzushi will be executed to his legs. If his posture is weak, Kuzushi will be implemented towards his torso. Kuzushi is easy to execute and effective against the opponent whose stances are unstable or whose fighting pose is rigid, which will reduce his ability to respond quickly to ensuing situations. For instance, a narrow stance which is almost straight line is weak against sideways leg sweeping.

However, the purpose of Kuzushi is not to grab and take the opponent down forcibly, but to create an opportunity for a finishing blow by breaking into the distance with leg-sweeping or by tipping the opponent off balance with quick grabbing. Kuzushi in Karate is nothing but a prelude to the execution of a more decisive technique. If the purpose is to force the opponent down, it will fall into the category of Judo or wrestling.

The above is a summary of practical techniques. I now would like to summarise my thoughts about general matters.

About Attacking
When we find an opportunity to attack, we should charge in, get closer to the opponent and deliver attacking techniques at the right timing, with no hesitation, to different target areas like Jodan and Chudan. If we stay too far from the opponent, feints won’t work nor does a decoy movement. In such a case, it would be better off to try nothing.

About Defending
When we are defending, it is crucial to sense and dodge the opponent’s attack, and to take a safe distance so that we can judge the opponent’s next movement. Once we are able to have such a distance and moment, we will be able to easily find a chance to counterattack.

About Kata Practice
After having learned the basics to a certain level, we will learn the Kata of Heian in parallel to prearranged Kumite. The reason why the Heian Kata is called the basic Kata is that it is considered much closer to the basic techniques, as it emphasises the strength and correctness of the basic stances, the correct posture of the torso and the accuracy in the consecutive movements of punches, strikes, blocks and kicks. The Heian Kata does not project an image of Kata. Therefore, it would be better to practice five Heian Kata as the basics rather than Kata.

Once we have learned the Heian Kata to a certain degree, we will move on to the next Kata. It is imperative to first fully understand the characteristics of the Kata we are going to learn or what it tries to teach us and then we actually get into the practice of the Kata.

Kata is structured with defensive and offensive techniques against assumed opponents. Therefore, we must fully understand the meaning of the Kata in terms of what situation the opponent and we are in and how the opponent is attacking us or how we are responding. We must not learn Kata, just by following mechanically the sequence of the opponent’s attacks. We must practice Kata by imagining the opponents surrounding us on each occasion. Otherwise Kata (form) becomes a mere shape. In other words, the practice of Kata with a full understanding of the meaning of offensive and defensive techniques will become an element of fighting.

General Physical Training
In Kata training we need to visualise our opponents, fully aware of the contrast of strength and weakness even in slow and squeezing movements. It is important for us to learn the particular characteristics of each Kata, such as speed and power. Also, those who have reached a certain level in Kata must create both climax and anticlimax in each of the techniques of the Kata, avoiding becoming monotonous in performing their Kata. Important are connections between techniques throughout the entire Kata, exhibiting a full understanding of changes in speed (fast and slow). How to connect techniques is up to us, interpreting the meaning that the Kata has. It cannot be tense with full power all the time or it cannot be slow and idle. This is what Funakoshi Sensei described as the contrast in the speed (fast and slow) of techniques.

The magnitude of Kime, which is the converging point of speed and power, is important. However, I also would like to point out the tendency of neglecting the significance of slow movements in Kata, which we tend to perform just slowly. The movements which may look simply slow in the eyes of those watching the Kata or the techniques which we perform slowly must be executed with a gradual build-up of strength. At the time of the completion of such movements, they must have expressions of compressed power radiating from our muscles and entire body. Power needs to be built up gradually from zero and reach its maximum point at the time of completion of the movement. As soon as the power reaches the maximum point, we should immediately and quickly release it and generate a fast technique to follow. If we are too tense, we are not able to achieve speed in our next movement. This is the connection between techniques.

To pay full attention to a building-up of power from nil to the maximum in a slow movement is crucial in the execution of Kata in Karate. As less attention tends to be paid to the slow parts of Kata, both instructors and students must practice Kata, paying full attention to this point.

Spirit (Ki in Japanese)
I explained about techniques above. The accomplishment of techniques requires mental energy stronger than techniques. As to the relationship between spirit and technique, I do not believe that improvements in techniques bring out spirit. My firm belief is that the advancement of spirit always improves techniques. Then, what is it that we call “spirit”? To the best of my knowledge, there is no literature written on theories or scientific explanation of spirit, other than the empirical or traditional explanations made by the Chinese.

“Spirit does not have a shape but only moves” says Lu’s Spring and Autumn. Spirit is said to be hard to describe. Ordinary people like us tend to seek something more physical and concrete. For example, our understanding is mind expresses itself as the heart and exists in the chest, and breathing is to regulate the flow of blood, oxygenating blood and removing waste from the body. Spirit is not just mind, nor just breathing either. They are interrelated with each other.

In the world of Budo, when we hear expressions such as “read the opponent’s mind” or “attack on opponent’s irregular breathing”, incidents falling into the category of “spirit” are always taking place around us. Some scholars say that the relationship between spirit and mind is that mind is introvert and spirit is extrovert. Nowadays contemporary philosophers define spirit as elementary particles, which run through the body and are emitted outwards through the tips of fingers and toes. If we follow this definition, we can say that the more elementary particles, the more threatening they are.

There is a word “Kiai”. Not only in Karate, but also in other martial arts and sports, we yell “Eih –“ or “Ya –“ to push ourselves further at a critical time. It has been scientifically proven that the power of a punch or kick executed with Kiai is many times stronger than that of a punch or kick executed silently. This is possible because the spirit just before being emitted outwards is momentarily condensed within the body and then explodes with Kiai, generating physical strength beyond the physical limits normally considered possible.

As seen above, there is a close relationship between spirit and breathing. When our spirit is on a rough ride, we cannot perform well in a competition. And when our breathing is not steady, our spirit will be flat, therefore we won’t be able to execute techniques. In Kata training I quite often scold those who flatten their spirits, by exhaling at a time when they should conserve their breath. Exhalation at a time when breath should be contained causes roughness in Karate techniques. Karate Kata is constructed to naturally achieve a balance of breathing and techniques, which in turn enables us to fill up every part of our body from fingertips to toes with the invisible spirit, or at another time to condensate the spirit in one part of our body.

“Unconscious breathing is natural breathing”, as the saying goes, we establish the status of nothingness in which we submerge ourselves, departing from selfishness with a concentration of spirit. Every sense and feeling of a human in such a status will become very sharp, enhancing the ability of predicting attacks from an opponent.

Those who want to be a real Budo-ka must control their emotion. If their emotion is erupting, they will lose their battle even before the fight begins. We must nurture ourselves through mental and physical training, which all can be attained through Karate training. With such training we will be able to stay calm, judge our opponents accurately and detect even a delicate movement or a change in their mind-sets. We will become like experts in Zen, leading to “Kenzen Icchi” (Swordsmanship and Zen come to the same path).

When we are enlightened with our mind being crystal clear, which would enable us to detect even a slight breeze, we will be able to wrap the opponent in and detect his spirit. To reach this stage, we must train our spirit. The question of whether spirit is a psychological matter or mind status will find its answer through the training. We need to gradually contemplate this question as we continue our training in Karate.

When we reach the age of 40’s or 50’s, what we can really rely on is not physical strength, but something else, more psychological, or “spirit” or self-confidence attained through training. I believe that, only with those elements as our backbone, we will be able to interact with the young generation and teach them. The outcome of such spirit is melted in our daily life. “It is my belief that to polish our waza (technique) together with our minds through Budo and to perfect ourselves as a human being will make us healthy and live long and become a human being useful to the community.”

Epilogue
In my conversation with Mr. Nakamura, my friend and owner of Fukushodo, a publishing company, I found myself in a position to take on the unexpected task of writing. As I was not born with the ability of literature at all, I inked this book with the assistance from many people. Now I feel very embarrassed and regret my folly.

Although there are many Sempai who have much deeper knowledge and experience in the path of Karate than me, I decided to write this book, even though showing my shallow understanding of Karate. I would be pleased if I could be any help even in a miniscule way towards changing the awe, prejudice or mystic view generally held by the public that Karate is for young and strong people to a view that everybody, young and old, men and women, can take up Karate, saying “I just want to sweat a little bit in Karate training”. To achieve my purpose, I used as references “Shoto A Thousand and One Nights” and “Shoto Twenty Maxims”, both by Funakoshi Gichin Sensei and also “Study on Coaching in Kedo” by Ozawa Sensei. I would like to express my gratitude to them. I also would like to express my deepest appreciation to Toyoda Jo Sensei who kindly wrote the forewords for this book, Yo Meitoki Sensei who is a Tai Chi master and Shirota Sensei who is an expert in vital spots, for their kind advice given to me.

I also would like to thank all those who helped me with the publication of this book.

August 1976

Hiroshi Shoji

Read our Tribute to Shoji Sensei from November 2003

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