OFF-T: What About Those Influencers
4 days ago
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Etymology for Bu 武 - 'martial'
Mandarian: fierce, military, valiant, wushu
Cantonese: military, martial, warlike
What is the story and etymology though? What are the composite symbols and how to they interact to form the character bu 武? This was a tricky character to unravel. So many people have put their own theories and etymology (word origin, or what the pictograph means) of the character that it has become shrouded. Just yesterday I was involved in a debate in the dojo about it.
This has caused a bit of confusion to the modern budo practitioner. People often decode this charecter by saying it means 'To stop a blade/spear' I believe this is incorrect. Historically the 止 radical is actually a pictograph for a 'foot'. The primitive origins of this Chinese character has a feeling of 'to walk' rather than the modern Japanese usage of 'stop'.
Mandarian 戈: halberd, spear, lance
The noted budo author Dave Lowry gives a common, but from what my research shows to be an historically inaccurate, etymology of the character.
"It would seem logical that the character for the spear alone would be sufficient to connote military. But, in making up the kanji for bu, the brushstrokes for spear are accompanied by additional strokes that mean "suppressing a revolt. " The whole character for military, then, actually refers to "quelling an uprising by use of the polearm. "
Another common interpretation I see many authors quote, the radical 止 means 'stop'. Thus many people therefore the character BU is interpreted to mean... To stop the spear, an interpretation implying a defensive and peaceful nature. While this is a nice poetic version useful for the modern dojo, it is clear this is not the historic root of the word.
Etymology of the character 'bu'武.
In old Chinese 止 did not mean stop. Originally it meant 'foot'. Added with this - 戈 - Remnant Primitive, A long handled non descript instrument - usually a hoe or ax.
"Let's look at the kanji bu (武). Bu actually translates to military affairs or martial. The kanji is a compound of two other kanji: hoko (矛) which means halberd and ashi (足) which means foot. The kanji depicts a soldier/foot-soldier carrying a halberd, this in turn depicts military acts or martial. This is the accepted translation of bu."
Friday, February 17, 2012
Atari 当たり - 当り
In the context of aiki I had never heard the us of this term before. I usually have seen it in shooting arts. In kyudo 弓道 (way of the bow) 当たり or 当り Atari is the Ya (arrow) hitting the target.
2: success;
3: guess; prediction;
4: affability; friendliness;
5: sensation; touch;
6: bruise (on fruit);
7: situation in which a stone or chain of stones may be captured on the next move (in the game of go);
8: bite (of a fish on a hook); strike; (Suffix)
9: per; each
"Atari is a concept that's not as well known, at least in the West. My first introduction to this term was from Robert House sensei, from Aikido of Commerce. Robert trained with Endo sensei in Japan in the late 80's and said he made many references to "ateru", which I believe is a reference to "atari". Robert described this concept as similar to the feeling of fly paper. There is a stickiness that uke must strive for in order to feel the ki of nage. The connecting point where uke and nage meet is the atari point. Only by maintaining this point can center and ki be transmitted to one another. This is not to say that this point is fixed or static. It can move up and down your body, it can be maintained with the hands, arms, shoulders, hips, even the head. This connection point shifts and moves during practice and it keeps the two as one unified body."
Dan Dease
Head Instructor
Central Florida Aikikai
(Atari)"This means something like ‘to hit the mark’, ‘to catch’ (as in catching a fish with a line or rod). As I understand it, in Aikido it means taking control of your partner at the first instance of contact. This contact is first made through the point of contact – through the wrist, for example, with kata-te dori. This can only be achieved with completely relaxed shoulders and arms, but with a strong centre. The strength of your centre must radiate through your relaxed upper body."
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