isshinryuronin
Senior Master
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- Feb 28, 2019
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On a slightly Japanese point, do you think that as martial artists we could get the general public to start bowing to each other as they do in Japan? Not to such strict etiquette but to replace the handshake and the horrible 'elbow bumps' in these Covid ridden times?
Nice, and very quaint, but I don't think such a thing is possible, at least in the USA. While bowing is a historical custom in many Oriental and European countries, not so much here. It seems to me that bowing is connected to places where a monarchy was prevalent, where stratified social classes required each level to show respect to the one above it, under strict penalties.
This is not true of the US, which being a recent nation, has never had kings or dukes, emperors or shoguns. In theory, it was created as a "classless" society. True, bowing and curtseying was present a century or two ago in more refined social circles, but I think that was just a holdover from our European roots. As such, it was kind of a transplanted custom which found it hard to flourish in our American soil perhaps similar to Lowry's palm tree (see next quote.)
I, too, am a fan of Jethro Tull (a unique musical band) and Dave Lowry, the latter of which is a noted traditional martial artist and author. His metaphor of a palm tree transplanted in Missouri is an excellent expression of MA in the West. Having taken college classes in both "Soils" and "Natural Vegetation," I can appreciate the complexity and uniqueness of the ground in which things grow.
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As MA was introduced into the West (as well as Japan,) it invariably changed to survive in that new ground. Certainly, the ground was not going to change to accommodate the transplanted art and allow it to survive in its original form. Like soil that is a mixture of minerals with varying particle size, bacteria, and organic detritus in varying pH and moisture levels, culture is likewise greatly nuanced and affects how/if things grow.
Koryu (old time Japanese combat arts) may be considered an anachronism, an endangered species that exits only in zoos. IMO, it, and other MA representing an original form (in as much as that's possible) should resist change and adaptation, regardless of its relevance to a particular culture. There are multiple branches of styles existing in many cultures that have evolved into many, many lineages and flavors catering to almost anyone's individual taste. This was inevitable. Some say this is good, others may differ. It is reality.
But does this preclude preserving some traditional arts in their "pristine" state? I'll leave off here as I'm getting off the thread's actual subject. Perhaps if there is interest in this question someone can open a new thread.