Recently I was in Japan, and during a training break one of the teachers wanted to know if anyone had any questions. When nobody volunteered anything he said that it doesn't always matter if you have questions or not, because the answers don't always make sense, you will understand when you are ready.
This is a little bit how I feel about the book Tetsuzan which was recently re-released. I originally bought it about ten years ago, I skimmed through it searching for answers to my questions, put it down with good intentions of studying it later, and then after circumnavigating the globe on my travels, I realized I could no longer find it. I soon forgot about it altogether, it was just a book after all, I had many.
Now in 2014 I just read through it again, and the whole experience was different. Instead of looking for what I wanted, I just read through it diligently and let whatever attracted my attention simply 'be'. I got a lot out of it, but the most shocking revelation of all was that.....nothing has changed.
Let me explain via one simple example why I say this. One of the many recurring messages of the book was how important it is to gain good basics before trying to do all the advanced movements. Something I have been told before. Something said at the same Daikomyosai where I bought the previous book in 2004. Something said in Hombu dojo just last month by Soke himself to the entire class.
So why? Why is this message repeated over and over again? My only logical explanation is that generally people are not doing it. They were not doing it 25 years ago, 10 years ago, or last month. And for me this is almost good news. It seems that human beings have a tendency, a tendency towards impatience, and lack of commitment. Why is this in any way good news? Well, because it turns out I am only human after all. Prone to weaknesses, shared by people all over the world. That hearing or reading something is not the same as really understanding or knowing something, but that is OK because it is still the first step. So often I hear that 'acceptance is the first step'.
Furthermore the book reveals that only those who really improve themselves as people can get the most out of this Budo. Tetsuzan is chock full of warning for those that underestimate the need for a good heart, and the importance of defending others or living a good life. That is a relief for me, improving oneself continuously is no easy task, but we are all in the same boat in that respect.
I think the only way I could not have found benefit in revisiting this book, is if I truly believed I had learned all the lessons it provided already. Instead I found the book very revealing, about how little has changed in the pitfalls of studying an ancient martial art. This art is hundreds of years old, and stems from transmissions beyond that. Yes, the book was written many years ago, but the techniques of the Bujinkan are even older, we still practice them.
Tetsuzan available here
