\n\t\tby Ken Wakabayashi, February 2006\n\t
\n\n\n\n\tSeveral years ago, I had an opportunity to speak with Takashi Ezaki sensei, one of the founding\n\tmembers and an instructor at the Kendo Club at the University of Michigan. A few weeks before he\n\tleft to return to Japan, we were discussing our motivations for doing kendo. Ezaki-sensei made a\n\tremark that has stayed with me since. He said,\n
\n\n\t\"Kendo in America is very interesting. Sometimes in Japan I find kendo a little boring. But in\n\tAmerica it is fascinating to hear Americans try to teach things like \"rei\", which we don't teach\n\tin Japan because its already widely understood.\"\n
\n\n\tI also have found doing kendo in the Midwest a fascinating experience, mainly because in\n\tCalifornia kendo is still very much a Japanese or Japanese-American hobby. Here I have often found\n\tthat I am in a unique position of understanding as both a person of Japanese ancestry and American\n\tupbringing. Also as someone who has done various different martial arts for the last 12 years, I\n\tam beginning to understand some of the complexities which result when two or more cultures\n\tcollide.\n
\n\n\tI feel that there a major source of misunderstanding with the concept of \"rei\" (礼), and I\n\thope that I may have a moment to share my own imperfect personal understanding. To highlight my\n\tevolving understanding of \"rei\", I'd like to share two experiences I've had when I visited Japan.\n
\n\n\tSeveral years ago in college, I was staying at a small hotel in Japan with my parents. In the\n\tmorning I stepped out of my room go to breakfast. I happened to see the bellhop of the hotel, a\n\tyoung man close to my age sweeping the hallway. Out of habit, I gave what I would call the\n\t\"American Good Morning Nod\". It is the same nod we give when we step into the elevator in the\n\tmorning on the way to work, or the one we give when someone holds the door open to the our usual\n\tcoffee house. I have never given it much thought, its just the polite thing to do.\n
\n\n\tWhat happened next shocked me. The bellhop immediately stopped what he was doing, neatly put away\n\this broom onto his cart, and crossed the hallway. Without speaking, he stopped precisely at the\n\tcorrect distance, clicked his heels together to a perfect 45 degree angle loudly enough that the\n\tsound echoed, and bowed crisply and deeply to a full 35 degrees. I froze in a moment of social\n\tpanic, wondering what I had done to elicit this action. As he had not moved from the 35 degree\n\tangle, I sloppily did a \"rei\" and released him from the bow. Without a word, he went back to his\n\tcart and resumed his sweeping, and I fled to breakfast. To this day I have never felt so\n\tinexplicably alien or clumsy in a foreign country than at that moment.\n
\n\n\tThe second experience with \"rei\" was also during this trip. I always try to get the window seat on\n\ta plane ride, as I have always been fascinated by flying ever since I was a child. I especially\n\tenjoy looking out the window as we're taking off, watching the landscape rush by. This time was no\n\tdifferent, and I looked out to Japan for the last time before going back to America. From my\n\twindow, I saw a curious sight. The two ground crew in charge of guiding the plane away from the\n\tcauseway were bowing precisely in \"rei\" as the plane started to speed up to take its place in the\n\ttakeoff queue. Sometimes now when I take a plane trip in America, I look around to see if the\n\tground crew here are bowing. Of course there aren't any, but I always look.\n
\n\n\tFor a long time after this, I chuckled to myself thinking, \"Japanese people 'rei' at everything\",\n\tand indulging in a feeling of cultural superiority, secure in my American ideals of democracy and\n\tequality.\n
\n\n\tAs I have continued studying martial arts and kendo, I have come to realize that this feeling is\n\tincorrect and my understanding of \"rei\" has been flawed. I am only beginning to understand \"rei\"\n\tand its part in kendo.\n
\n\n\n\t\"Rei\" (礼) is often translated into English as \"courtesy\" or \"respect\". This is an imprecise\n\ttranslation. \"Rei\" (礼) is an umbrella term encompassing both \"reiho\"\n\t礼法【れいほう】and \"reigi\"\n\t礼儀【れいぎ】. \"Reiho\" is a term that expresses the\n\trules or abstraction of courtesy and respect, while \"reigi\" specifically means the techniques or\n\tactions of showing courtesy or respect.\n
\n\n\tThe reason why I believe that this is an imprecise translation is that in our American culture, we\n\thave no tradition of \"showing respect\". When we use the word \"respect\", we as Americans often say\n\t\"I respect you\" or \"You have earned my respect\". There is an implicit understanding that \"respect\"\n\tis a internal, personal, and private valuation given to a person after a particular event or\n\toccurence. As Americans, we value respect highly, guard it jealously, and seldom give it. Indeed\n\tthere is almost no greater compliment in our culture than to say \"You have earned my respect\".\n
\n\n\tThus given kendo's concepts of \"reiho\" and \"reigi\", we are confronted with an inherently alien\n\tconcept. To most of us, the idea of giving respect to someone immediately has no value or meaning.\n\tFurthermore, the idea of \"showing respect\" is also difficult to understand, because in our culture\n\twe don't express \"respect\" through our actions as in \"reigi\", even though we understand the\n\tconcept of \"reiho\".\n
\n\n\tEven when considering the other translation, \"courtesy\" or \"showing courtesy\", we tend to miss the\n\tlarger meaning. Although we Americans are not considered particularly rude, we have only a few\n\ttraditions of showing courtesy. We may say \"Thank you\", and \"Your welcome\". On occasion we may\n\thold open the door for someone.\n
\n\n\tIn Japanese culture, the concept of \"rei\" as \"showing courtesy\" is much larger, and essentially\n\tpermeates through many different actions. This is a source of much misunderstanding, because many\n\tbeginning students of kendo inadvertently cause much offense because they are unaware that so many\n\tthings fall under \"reigi\".\n
\n\n\n\tMost beginners are taught \"rei\" as only \"reigi\", the techniques to outwardly show courtesy and\n\trespect. \"Reigi\" taught in this manner is limited to a precise number of techniques specific to\n\tkendo. For example, we bow 15 degrees when we face an opponent, not breaking eye contact. We bow\n\t30 degrees when bowing to a judge, while breaking contact. The list is extensive and is an\n\tintegral part of the kendo experience. However, there is a significant danger in thinking that\n\t\"reigi\" is only limited to these techniques.\n
\n\n\tWhile speaking to many of my friends who are from the Midwest, I get the impression that they\n\tbelieve that \"reigi\" is the \"ceremonial\" and \"ritualistic\" parts of kendo. Often I feel that there\n\tis an exotic appeal to \"reigi\", since it is something we in our American culture do not practice.\n\tBy equating \"reigi\" as \"ritualistic\" and \"ceremonial\", I feel that we define \"reigi\" as actions\n\twithout meaning. I also get the strong impression that we make the mistake of thinking that all of\n\t\"rei\" is encapsulated within the limited techniques used in kendo. I would like to take the\n\tposition that the \"reigi\" are not simply the ceremonial aspects limited to kendo, but apply to a\n\twide range of courteous action that are directly tied in with the abstract concept of \"reiho\". A\n\tfew examples are showing up on time and being prepared for practice, showing focus and\n\tdetermination in all actions, applying oneself wholeheartedly to learning, and being an active\n\tparticipant in kendo to the best of your ability. Seemingly small actions, such as being quick\n\twith putting on the bogu, introducing yourself to a beginner are good examples of \"reigi\", as\n\tthese actions express the abstract concept of \"reiho\".\n
\n\n\n\tTo reach a better understanding of \"reiho\" or the idea of courtesy within the context of kendo\n\ttraining, I need to introduce the concept of \"giri\" (義 理\n\t【ぎり】). \"Giri\" in English can mean \"social obligation\", \"duty\", \"a\n\tsense of duty\", \"honor\" or a \"debt of gratitude\". A sense of duty and a debt of gratitude is at\n\tthe heart of courtesy in kendo. \"Giri\" is the reason why the concept of courtesy or \"reiho\" exists\n\tin kendo, and why so much importance is placed on expressing that respect and gratitude.\n
\n\n\tIn a simple example, the expression \"yoroshiku onegai shimasu\" spoken at the beginning of each\n\tpractice match is an expression of gratitude. The statement means that you are aware that you are\n\timposing on your partner, and you are expressing a debt of gratitude to your partner for this\n\topportunity. It is not simply \"good luck\" or \"thank you\".\n
\n\n\tIn a more complex example, \"giri\" changes as we become more proficient in kendo. As a beginner, it\n\tis our particular role and obligation to approach training with an open mind, be able to take\n\tinstruction, and approach it with focus and determination. In addition, as beginners we must be\n\tacutely aware that we are imposing on our seniors, and that there is a debt of gratitude for their\n\tefforts and their time.\n
\n\n\tThis sense of \"giri\" is largely a foreign concept in American society. For example, we feel no\n\tsense of obligation to arrive at most of our classes in college on time or to leave early. We pay\n\tfor college and we pay for instruction, so we as the consumer feel entitled to our product in\n\twhatever form we choose to take it. If we leave early, its our money. This is not the case in\n\tkendo, as a student in kendo is not a consumer.\n
\n\n\tAs we progress, our obligation or \"giri\" starts to include the mentorship of people less\n\tknowledgeable than ourselves. It is at this point that our obligation isn't simply to teach\n\tsomeone, but to set a good example to follow and then if necessary to teach them correctly.\n
\n\n\n\tThe last concept that needs to be covered in a discussion of \"rei\" is the idea of the\n\t\"senpai-kouhai\" system. This is often translated in English as a \"Senior-Junior\" system, but\n\tbecause key concepts within \"giri\" and \"rei\" are not fully understood, we Americans (and some\n\tJapanese) come to believe that this simply refers to an authority structure of the seniors\n\tordering the juniors around. This often leads to abuse and hazing.\n
\n\n\tA officer in the US Marines who is responsible for the martial arts training in our military has a\n\tblog on the Internet and I would like to quote a recent post relevant to this discussion:\n
\n\n\tIf the instructor cadre that you train is arrogant, out of shape, and out of touch with what your\n\tunit’s goals and missions are, then look in the mirror. Perhaps you are as well. Each Marine that\n\tan instructor trains may be the Marine that is beside him some night in a fight. Sure, there are\n\tMarines who pick it up faster than others; they are the fun ones to work with. But the mirror of\n\tan instructor is the overall capability of the unit that he trains. The Marines of that unit are,\n\tin reality, your shadow. Like your own shadow, they will do exactly as you do. If you want to\n\t“make ‘em pay” – an MAIT saying I wish I never heard – then they will do the same. If you train\n\tthem as you know they should be – fairly, ruggedly, and often – then they will take your lead. A\n\tweek later, I saw two MAIs conducting training here at Quantico. They were having trainees “build\n\ta house” during a drill. I went over to watch. I asked what they were doing, and I quickly\n\trealized that they had no idea who I was. One said, “Sir, we know our shit. We have been through a\n\tcourse.” I nodded and asked if they could explain to me what the purpose of conditioning drills\n\twere. They replied, “Sir, it is designed to thrash ‘em before we fight ‘em.” I asked if they ever\n\tparticipated. They answered, “Been there, done that. Now it’s their turn.” At this point, I\n\tintroduced myself, got a mokuju from the stack, and asked to see some technique from the MAIs.\n\tBoth replied that “as an instructor they could only train themselves away from students…\n\tinstructors should never look bad.” I stopped the drill and have both instructors on probation.\n\t\n\n\n
\n\tSeveral key points are important to emphasize in terms of \"senpai-kouhai\". It is more a\n\t\"mentor-mentee\" system, where the more experienced kendoka is responsible for the training and\n\tconduct of their mentee. This is an important part of \"giri\". The senior mentor has the obligation\n\tand responsibility to both understand the correct way and the reasons behind it, and also show\n\ttheir mentee the correct way. The mentee has the obligation to learn and apply what they are\n\ttaught.\n
\nA mistake by a mentee is a direct a reflection of the mentor, and it is the mentor's fault.
\n\n\tLikewise, when the time comes for the mentee to become the mentor, to refuse that responsibility\n\tis to refuse assuming one's obligation. We Americans with our imperfect understanding of Japanese\n\thumility think it is proper to beg off testing, or beg off wearing bogu saying \"we are not ready\".\n\tI have come to understand that this is a deeply insulting to our mentor. When we say to our mentor\n\tthat we are not ready, we are in effect telling them that we consider ourselves a better judge of\n\tour ability than our mentors themselves, and that our mentor's efforts have not been enough to\n\tprepare us. When we refuse, we are shirking our duty and our share of the responsibility, and all\n\tof our mentor's efforts are wasted.\n
\n\n\tThis is why when we decide not to wear our bogu, or not compete, or not test, our seniors are\n\tquietly disappointed and let down.\n
\n\n\n\tSo at the heart of \"rei\" are several interconnected concepts. The expression of courtesy and\n\trespect that comprise \"reigi\" and the idea of courtesy or \"reiho\" in kendo come from a sense of\n\tobligation and a debt of gratitude. It is neither an exotic or foreign idea in the final analysis.\n\tThis sense of gratitude comes from understanding that we are lucky to find a group of passionate\n\tpeople to share our hobby, and that we have an opportunity to share our skills and grow in our\n\tknowledge of the activity we enjoy. We employ a system of mentorship based on this idea of mutual\n\tobligation, both between the mentor and the mentee, and it is through this concept of \"rei\" that\n\tkeeps it tied together.\n
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