Here’s one with an explanation-
Kesa no hitotachi no Seishin
Even the gravest of sinner should be shown the path of good men……
The Mindset of Kesa no Hitotachi
‘Do not draw or force others to draw their swords. Do not cut, do not force others to cut. Do not kill, do not be killed. Even if one encounters the greatest sinners, one should, with kindness, offer sermon and show them the path of good men. If the worst occurs and they do not conform then, without hesitation, apply kesa uchi and send them to Buddha!’
This seishin (mindset) seems quite simple. In fact it has remained largely untouched for over 450 years: it has only changed when the Japanese language changed or someone changes a verb ending. However, in Japanese, it is riddled with ambiguities which I have tried to keep by leaving some of the Japanese terms most Iai practitioners would understand, untouched.
The Japanese used takes on the imperative form as used to express direct orders of forbiddance. For example, in the first line, ‘Do not draw’. The nuance of this is lost or reduced when translated into English as it lacks any verbal form which has the same impact as the imperative form has with Japanese. In addition, the second part of the first two sentences takes on the causative form which is used to express permission. It is also used to express a cause and effect process of making/forcing someone to do something and this is where the first major ambiguity occurs.
If one translates Kesa no Hitotachi in the imperative, with the mentality of letting someone do something: ‘Do not draw, do not allow them to draw. Do not cut, do not allow them to cut you…’ then we have the feeling of not giving the enemy the chance to do anything, completely suppressing them. This conjures a very dominant, controlling image, one that implies if the opponent even attempts to strike, do not let them and use kesa uchi to kill them. The causative form, on the other hand implies the true meaning. We should not force anyone to draw on us, nor draw ourselves and thus encourage a response. ‘Even if the gravest of sinners….’ In other words,one should avoid conflict even with most evil of criminals in favour of showing them the true way One must lead by example.
The next major stumbling block for non-Japanese speakers and natives alike is regards kesauchi. This is why I left kesauchi in my translation. If I were to translate it in it’s true meaning then the ambiguity and the “ah ha” moment would be lost. Again, I mistranslate it to what most mistake it to mean, in order to hide the hidden meaning, then it would not have made sense!
In sword arts the word kesauchi tends to go hand-in-hand and as a synonym for kesagiri. However the suffixes are different, but uchi (to strike) and kiri (to cut) are often used interchangeably. For example, uchi-oroshi and kiri-oroshi both refer to a downward cut with a sword. Uchi-otoshi and kiri-otoshi refer to cutting something off or removing them, such as the enemy’s limbs or head.
Many koryu (such as Mugai Ryū), prefer to cut along the kesa as opposed to makkō (a vertical overhead cut). One of the remaining Hayashizaki schools still cuts kesa rather than makkō. Perhaps this is because thr torso presents a bigger target and there is more chance of severing major major blood vessels and damaging internal organs with even a slight blow. It is also harder to avoid an angles cut. Therefore the majority assume the last sentence of the Seishin refers to a form of cutting – ‘….then without hesitation apply kesauchi and send them to Buddha’ in other words, if the opponent still does not venture down the righteous path, then cut them down and send them to their afterlife.
However, as with most aspects of Budō, the meaning of kesauchi is far deeper than a mere cut. There are no teaching of harming other in the dreams that Hayashizaki received from the kami of Myōjin. In Japan, Buddhist priests wear a small scarf- or shawl-like vestige hung diagonally from shoulder to around the upper hip hip, known as ‘Okesa’ (see figure 1).
Figure 1. Okesa as worn by Zen Buddhist monks
Often seen in Jidaigeki drama or old Japanese cinema, when Buddhist priest wishes to save someone from their misdeeds, they would take off their kesa, and place it round the neck of the sinner in order to absolve them, rescue the from punishment and teach them ‘the way’. In turn, they would become a fellow monk walking the true path, shave their heads and their previous from would vanish from this world.
This shows the teachings of Myōjin instruct the kesa no hitotachi (the Kesa Sword) refers to a way of never harming the innocent and that even encounters of someone guilty of a crime, the ‘Kesa Sword’ should be drawn, kesauchi be performed in order to send them on the true path to Buddha. One must overcome one’s own difficulties and show others a self without sin. By aimlessly cutting people down, one falls into sin oneself, so conflict is avoided unless to save other. If someone tries to cut us down, we must show them the path in order to save others. After all, if one is killed then one has failed to protect the next victim from being killed too!
One further interpretation can be found if kesa and uchi are separated and it is read as uchikakeru. Uchikekeru is the old reading for bukkakeru, meaning to throw something onto something or over someone. This adds a further level of mystery and ambiguity as it would obviously refer to casting the okesa around someone’s neck.
Expanding on the meaning of Kesa no Hitotachi can be found in Kimura Sensei’s book and was passed on by his student Nukata Hiashi Hanshi Kyudan, Kendo Hanshi Hachidan and his students.
‘That is to say that because the opponent makes contact with his sword, we make contact with our sword. Because the opponent begins to rise up, we also begin to rise up. Because the opponent attempts to draw and cut, then we seize the initiative and perform nukitsuke first’
There are some more interesting linguistic points used in this follow-up sentence, again I have tried to keep a level of mystery in the translation as best I can. Usually in Japanese, the dictionary form followed by ‘kara’ means ‘because’. Thus the sentence would become:
‘because the opponent makes contact with the sword, we make contact…’
Once again we can see that the true nature of the Hayashizaki style is one of reaction and avoidance of conflict. Further reiterating the fact that even if we sense malcontent we do not act upon it until the opponent acts upon it. Additionally, the sentence does not say anything about the opponent grasping the sword, merely putting his hands on it. The moment one grasps the sword is the moment one has shown the intent to draw. So in reaction to a slight movement, we merely make contact with the sword in a slight movement, still not making the effort to draw until the opponent has whole-heartedly decided they will attempt to cut us down.
There is further emphasis on not harming the opponent unless absolutely necessary by the wording in the last sentence. In reference to the opponent it says, ‘If the opponent attempts to draw and cut…’ The fact it says ‘attempts to’ is extremely important. It states that the attempt is not successful as we seize the initiative. It further mentions how we perform nukitsuke by saying nukitsuke and not nukitsuke-kiru as it did with the opponent. It demonstrates that the cutting intent is not present in our actions.
Kamimoto Eiichi, Iai Hanshi Kyudan, Kendo Hanshi Hachidan, mentions and interview recorded for the book, Iai no Meijin, that the suffic tsuke(ru) used in the term nukitsuke refers to the controlling and forestalling of an opponent. The nukitsuke performed using Kesa no Hitotachi no Seishin is the same. One should perform nukitsuke to control the opponent just before the cut you., therefore giving them the option to stop anytime (referring to showing them the true way, which is not killing, the path of good men). But if they do not yield, then one applies the true principles of kesauchi, absolving them of their sins and sending them to Buddha.
I have never heard this concept discussed outside Japan, nor even in Japan until relatively recently, yet I feel it is a crucial part of Iai that one should always bear mind while training or dealing with everyday situations.
