Kinjō Kaichō is an amazing martial artist, but he denies that he had more innate ability than anyone else. He says he simply worked harder than everyone else. Kōburyū today is a living, evolving martial art because Kinjō Kaichō did not limit himself to the conventional. He had the passion to think deeply and creatively about the martial arts and the courage to advocate for change.

“There is a difference between a fighter and a martial artist.  A fighter is training for a purpose: he has a fight.  I’m a martial artist.  I don’t train for a fight.  I train for myself.  I’m training all the time.  My goal is perfection, but I will never reach perfection.”

Kinjō Takashi, founder of Kōburyū

Passion

“A genius is a person who can borrow the power of heaven.”

Yoshitaka Kitao, successful Japanese businessman

What kind of person can borrow power from heaven? A person will make the effort that is second to none. More than knowledge, more than talent, the karate student who hopes to master the art must have passion. Passion is the drive to make the effort that is second to none, even though the path may be long and at times tedious. Without passion, the student’s innate ability will not bloom.

Passion burns brightest when everything is new and exciting. Synonyms for passion like enthusiasm or excitement express the potentially fleeting nature of passion. The beginning student is often brimming with passion for karate, talking about it constantly and dreaming of mastery. But passion is a flame that can gutter and go out. Will the student be able to sustain all that breathless passion when they realize that training is mostly sweat and very little glory?

As a word, passion has been greatly overused. Job interviewers roll their eyes when they see passion on a resume. Instead, they want to see what you have done with your passion. In short, passion without action is just talk. A better word than passion might be zeal. A zealous person is passionate, but also has the drive and commitment to make the effort that is second to none.

Kinjō Kaichō recognizes that even the zealous martial artist will occasionally feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else. The difference is that the zealous martial artist has developed the self-discipline to show up despite feeling unmotivated. If you only do the work when it’s convenient or exciting, then you’ll never be consistent enough to achieve remarkable results.

Even with great zeal, not every student dreaming of mastery will become the next Kinjō Kaichō. Your sword may not shine as brightly, but you will have polished yourself in the process.

Polish the Blunt Sword

No matter how much you polish your blunt sword,
It’s useless.
You don’t have to listen to such words.
Polish it hard.
The sword may not shine,
But the person who polishes changes.

Quote by Sakamura Shinmin, poet known for his tanka (thirty-one-syllable poems)

Ability

In Kinjō Kaichō’s experience, the immensely talented student often does not last long in the martial arts. With the ability to easily handle whatever is thrown at him or her, such a student can become complacent with their current skill level and not make the effort to improve. On the other hand, though awkward at first, the average person who devotes themselves with determination will grow steadily. 

Kinjō Kaichō recognizes that even successful martial artists occasionally feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else. The difference is that the successful martial artist will have the self-discipline to show up despite feeling unmotivated. If you only do the work when it’s convenient or exciting, then you’ll never be consistent enough to achieve remarkable results. In other words, like the tortoise, slow and steady wins the race.

The Tortoise and the Hare

There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch. Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest. He looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, “How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?” Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, “There is plenty of time to relax.” Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came to the finish line. The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they woke up Hare. Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise was over the line. After that, Hare always reminded himself, “Don’t brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!”

An Aesop Fable

No Ability to Surpass Passion
Jōnetsu ni masaru nōryoku nashi (情熱にまさる能力なし)
Chichi (致知) , October, 2019