Rain

The September typhoon broke this morning, at about the time most people would still be sleeping and I was still up. In 30 minutes time, Taikyoken classes were going to be in a park very near my house. I got shod and headed out there. When I got there, people were scattered everywhere, talking, stretching, the usual stuff. I assumed at this point that the class was like my first one I had went to in the Aoyama Community center, so I decided to stretch and meditate. After a short time, there was some laughing, and I opened my eyes to find that the Sifu (instructor) was heading my way. She gestured for me to move off to one side.

When I got there, I realized everyone was in a rough semblance of a circle. We did choreographed tape-lead stretches and calisthenics that were actually really nice. Almost like yoga, but entirely on your feet. I was a little uncomfortable on the sand with my shoes on (Japanese people always wear shoes of some kind while outside if they can at all help it) so I was stuck in them. Her Sempai (her assistant teacher in training, essentially) showed up at the end of these activities, which was a surprise to us all: The higher your status in a group the more assuredly you need to be on time, both for the students guidance and for general weight of responsibilities. As he tied up his dog, I heard the Sifu say the first Japanese phrase in my two classes that I had understood with the utmost of clarity (although I could only make out one Meiji-era Kansai-ben word in the entire sentence): "You all know that I am not responsible for my Sempai's (poor choice of) actions?*

*note that this is not really a question.


When we got to doing real form, I realized that of all the people in the group, including her Sempai were using a form less like hers than mine. This surprised me. Last time I was a couple rows back from the teacher when I went. This time, I was front and center, as the students had insisted I be.

At this point I realized that our forms were much more similar than I had thought. It was all the other students that were giving me the most Japanese of impressions last time! Sure enough, when I was turned away from her and towards the bulk of the students, I could see that they had a lot of variety within their Japanese-stylized forms.

Sifu/Sensei still thinks that she is using Ki, and her stance is about the size it should be for someone of the size of a average-built Chinese man (which I'm guessing means that how she got to be a master was through observation and practice in some place like Hong Kong) She speaks almost no Chinese or English, but between them she probably was able to get by in her younger years when she was learning, and I'm guessing that she has forgotten most of what she knows of both. Like many smaller people who learn T'ai Chi Ch'uan, she likely made her stance too big in her formative stages of the art, and she probably had studied in detail what the "proper width of stance" was from the standpoint of Karate when she was even younger. Her use of the word "Ki" when she was talking through a translator-friend with me last time is probably also linked to this. However, her form is good, very good, and quite similar to my style in it's essential parts! However, she just does it as if she was about 5'6," not 3'-something. At least she has long legs and broad shoulders, so it isn't as extreme...but it unfortunately gets passed down to all her students, all 50 of them per class. Except me that is. I hope. Today was really a learning experience in how much a teacher's behaviour ultimately changes the learning of his/her students.


But the best part of the day for me, by far, was when we finished our final go at the form: We all faced Southwest (representing our "North") and simultaneously saluted just like Mike with a bow from the waist during the salute! The one thing that everyone did at the same time, with the same form, for the entire day, was the Japanese-rendered ancient salute, humourously enough, and every last person did it exactly as Mike does! Interesting how our previous martial arts get into every last part of every martial art we learn afterwards! (Maybe everything else in our lives too?)

On the way home, it started raining again.


I have a few other posts that I have been building on my picture-supply for. If there is anything you'd like me to look into, or anything you'd like me to mention that I have likely forgotten but is of interest to you, feel free to place your opinions in "comments" just bellow these last lines. Please chime in with your opinions or ideas. Right now the one's I am working on ideas for:

Japanese Homes
Japanese Gardens
On The Japanese Feeling of "Smallness"
Wildlife
Differences in Technology
Efficiency Emphasis in Japan
Biggest Differences Summarized
Biggest Surprises Summarized
Other Unnecessarily Capitalized Titles You Suggest in the Comments Section...