I recently noticed a question on a traditional Japanese martial arts discussion forum on Facebook: “Is there a proper way to bow?” And this was followed by a lot of sincere answers, most of which were wrong, or not-really-right, at least from the perspective of a traditional martial arts practitioner, where specific acts have specific meanings. In modern martial arts practice, on the other hand, there is often have a laissez-faire attitude, where a lot of things can be ‘good enough,’ based on the instructor’s arbitrary, often not culturally grounded practice. (This goes equally for Japanese and non-Japanese modern martial arts practitioners).
This essay is one of many that has been revised to make the writing itself more graceful, but more importantly, to incorporate my own developing perspective on this subject. It is now part of my new book, Roots Still Cracking Rock: Refections On My First Fifty Years Within Classical Japanese Martial Traditions, which in addition to revised essays from this site, contains new work as well. Below you will find a picture of the cover as well as a QR code to order a Special Edition of the book. In this group order of ten books or more, Ran Network will make a special print-run with a dedication on the title page to your dojo or other institution.
The general release of the book on Amazon (equal in quality of the binding) will be on approximately April 20th. I will place that link here as well when it is ready.
Hyakutake-Watkin
I studied Ogasawara Reiho. I did this with my Sohke and others. Over the years it looks like our Reiho might have gone through changes. We decided it best to do it the way our founder might have done it as he and his son were retainers of the Lord Ogasawara. I tried to implement some of this as a guidance counselor working on a Japanese school/University campus teaching Reiho to Japanese.
We also have a method of breathing with bowing that might be of some interest.
Before bowing one takes in a small breath through through the nose. In doing this bow, one exhales through the mouth/lips. On completion of the downward movement one again takes in a breath to exhale it on the rise from the bow.
No need to do this for some but I thought it might be of some interest. One thing I have found out living in Japan for most of most life is that you will never be able to bow as deep as an old lady. Someone who feels indebted to every one she meets
Ellis Amdur
Colin – Thanks very much for this. You bring to mind something similar. Decades ago, I asked my Araki-ryu instructor if we had any kokyu-ho (methods of training the breath). He said, “Of course.” And then described using the breath much as you did, incorporating the same method within not only a single bow, but in the two bows, two claps, and a final bow in the Shinto ritual we opened class.
Keni Lynch
Hi Ellis, thanks for this. Yes, I am familiar actually with the martial bow and also your points about not losing zanshin. I thought the encounter with the yakuza boss incredibly amusing. I also had a strange bowing encounter once. It happened when I went to Sojo-ji, the Zen monastery supported by Emperor Hirohito. When I went looking all over the monastery to find the old man who let me stay (to meditate) an extra day, I was told to return to the room I had just been having my lunch in. He was, apparently, reading right next door. Well, the place was way too silent for me to detect his presence on the other side of a paper-thin shoji screen. Nonetheless, I felt duty bound to say thanks (or shall we say so grateful for experiencing a break-through in my vicious sadness). Just as I called out “Osho-san..!”, he responded with ‘please do come in’ (in Japanese, of course), and so I reached for the groove of the shoji screen to slide it open…. my fingers never got there….as the shoji screen seemed to open of itself… and there, on the floor, doing a deep bow toward me was the Zen master. He said in a loud voice, more like an intonation, like a mantra “Doomo arigatoo -gozaimasu.” He took my words right out of my brain. Of course, I got down to bow to him as well. He then led me out of the monastery (through multiple corridors)… and as I walked out, the sun was out and some kids were playing with sticks, and dogs were yelping, and all was good with the world… There was so much in that bow. I mean, the old man’s bow. “See you again” he said… and I, not knowing what to say but mimicking his words, said “see you again…” but of course, he would not be alive now. He was 80 at the time and that was 33 years ago. But that bow of gratitude goes on and on, forever and ever….
Jean-Michael Doré
Thank you Ellis for your great article. Sorry for my bad english langage because my own tongue is french.
Chris Bates
I love the story of the encounter with the Yakuza. What a great example of non-verbal communication within a high context culture.