Learning as Play

The kanji for yū (遊), comes from the Japanese verb, asobu (遊ぶ), meaning to play. The play of yū is not play in the sense of messing around or killing time. Nor is the play structured or engaged in for a purpose, like a sport with rules and the ultimate goal to win.  Kinjō Kaichō likens yū to a child at play who is totally absorbed in the play.

Satoru Iyoda, Japanese philosopher and inspiration for the Chichi magazine article, taught that this is a world of opposites:  ignorance for knowledge, hatred for love, suffering for fun.  However, he believed that play has no opposite. It is an absolute mental state. It is precious to attain the stage of yū.

The path to yū can be summarized by:

1. Scholarship, reading books to learn, is like storing knowledge in a warehouse.
2. If you organize the knowledge and make it your own this is study.
3. After study, learning becomes as natural as breathing.
4. Finally, learning blends into the body and you and the scholarship become one. This is yū.

The four stages of learning can be applied to any endeavor:  music, dance, painting , acting, calligraphy and athletics – including the martial arts.

An Example: Learning a Language

Learning a language can be achieved in four stages:

1. Learning
2. Study
3. Immersion
4. Fluency

The first stage of learning a language is passive. The student learns the lessons the teacher provides. The student is given grammar rules to follow, vocabulary to learn and pronunciations to master. As the student’s knowledge increases there may be a growing desire to learn more. The student may begin to study on their own, branching out from the teacher’s requirements. The student may become so interested that he or she decides to immerse themselves in the language, reading literature in the new language or speaking with native speakers.  A few may even travel to the foreign country for a time. Students who immerse themselves in the language and culture may reach the point where they can truly appreciate the nuances of the language and converse like a native speaker.  This last phase is yū.

An Example: Becoming an Artist

A painter is not born creating great art. Typically the budding artist begins by learning the core elements: color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value. The budding artist may begin to study the works of established artists to learn how to apply the core elements. He or she may attempt to copy a favorite artist’s work to study in depth how the artist achieved his particular style. The budding artist then begins to develop his or her own particular style – not by sitting around thinking about how to be different, but through practice. The artist becomes immersed in their art, painting or thinking about painting constantly. The artist sees inspiration everywhere. They are able to bring their ideas to life. They paint – not because some class requires it but because it brings them great joy. This combination of ability, creativity and enjoyment is yū.

Shokyu, Chukyu and Jokyu

Kinjō Kaichō created shokyū, chūkyū and Jōkyū to nudge us along the path of learning.

Students begin by learning the core elements of karate: punching, kicking and blocking. This result of learning the fundamentals is shokyū. The student may begin to study how how he or she can create power, movement and control. This individual pursuit is chūkyū. Through practice, the student begins to develop speed without sacrificing the accuracy of shokyū and the power of chūkyū. Speed is not just moving faster, speed through simultaneous block and attack is a feature of jōkyū. The student who immerses him- or herself in karate training will develop a true understanding of the kata through bunkai, powerful and efficient body movement through taisabaki waza and an understanding of how the moves can be applied. Through practice the moves will become as natural as breathing. The martial artist will begin to see new applications and possibilities. Again, the combination of ability, creativity and enjoyment is yū.

Yubu – 遊武

In 2018, Kinjō Kaichō presented an advanced version of Kanshiwa called yūbu (遊武). Of course, everyone wanted to learn this new kata, completely missing the point. You cannot achieve the fourth phase of learning, yū, by copying the order of movement of a kata. For that matter, you cannot progress from shokyū to chūkyū to Jōkyū by immitation and in-class training. You must put in personal effort.

Rekindling Interest in Karate in Okinawa

Unfortunately, while karate and kobudō remain popular worldwide, in Okinawa there has experienced waning interest in this unique part of their culture and history.  In order to counteract this, the prefecture of Okinawa has asked selected karate sensei to teach karate in junior high schools.  Kinjō Kaichō and Masami Shihan participate in this program.  The hope is that, through exposure, some students will like it enough to choose to learn more.  Of those, a few may become the karate experts of tomorrow.

Play
Yū (遊)
Chichi (致知), December, 2017