台灣 香取神道流 水月館道場（菅原武道）Katori Shinto Ryu, Suigetsukan - Sugawara Budo Taiwan

今天是今年的最後一場練習。

因為實在沒甚麼好說的所以久久沒有更新臉書專頁, 但是其實我們仍然每周都在進行著常規練習, 也不斷的有新的同學加入。

在此跟各位有關注的朋友們報個平安, 也感謝大家一年以來的關注。
來年也請多多指教。

祈願天下所有習武之人找到內心的平靜, 調伏心中的暴戾之氣, 對周圍的人能有正向的影響。這是作為武士, 理所當然的教養。

今日稽古
很高興泰國的同學來一同練習。
希望以後還能有機會交流！
We were glad to receive a friend from Sugawara Budo Thailand to join our practice today. We look forward to training with you again!

#香取神道流 #劍術 #古流 #古武道

很開心今天能接待 菅原武道泰國支部的同學一同練習!
國際交流!

#香取神道流 #劍術 #古武道 #菅原武道

The Cultivations of the Samurai Class
武家の教養 (Buke no Kyōyō)
武家的教養（中文版連結在留言區）

The historical samurai class of Japan was an institution worthy of admiration. Although war is always cruel, and absolutely evil, one should not rush to categorically label all participants of war and their deeds as absolute evil. This is because regardless of culture, region, or era, violent individuals have always existed and will always exist, and factions are destined to form in opposition, each with their own sets of interests and sense of justice. This is simply a fact of nature. Many a time in wars and conflicts, there seem to be something resembling a great cause or mandate, but is there in fact such a thing? This is a topic for another discussion. However, the fact of the matter is that, rather than the agents of war being the ultimate culprit of cruelty, it is this very world which is truly cruel, and human history is essentially the history of violence. The moral judgment of war is often determined by its justification and the methods by which it is conducted, but there are always both degenerates and heroes in every faction. Furthermore, some individuals embody both the degenerate and the hero in one being. The greatness of the samurai class lied in the fact that, in addition to monopolizing violence as an exclusive class, they organized, regulated, and restrained all violent groups in the realm with cultural cultivations inherent in the nature of their class, hence “civilizing” the martial spirit to a degree. These regulations applied to the local clans, regional protectors (shugo) and lords (daimyō), all the way up to the sh**un himself, since they were all equally subjected to the expectations attached to the class identity of the bushi, despite them holding different ranks within the class. This did not mean that they were no longer violent, nor that all
members embodied the ideal, but it did ensure that inevitable violence as a fact of nature was met with rules of constraint in the form of cultural expectations and expectations of internal cultivations that provided a rational and dignified way of being for the individual bushi, who was born into a life destined for cruelty. The respect that the generations of sh**uns had earned was also in part due to their various contributions to the pacifying of the realm and their management of the samurai class.

Although the leader of a bushi group had to show a certain degree of ability or achievement, it was not necessarily the one who had the greatest martial skill who led; rather, leadership was determined based on intricate layers of “obligations (giri).” In short, the true spirit of the samurai class was "martial on the skin, cultured in the bones.”（武皮文骨） On the one hand, it was a bushi’s duty to incorporate the mindset and training of "the martial" into his daily routine and etiquettes, which was to arrange his life with the aim of being ready to respond to the inherent brutality of the world at any moment. On the other hand, to refine one’s martial skills with delicate theory and clear rationality was itself an expression of "culture" and not the crude actions of a brute. "Enter culture through the martial, and the martial emerges from the cultured.”（以武入文，從文出武。） – the cultivations of the samurai class meant finding a thread of rationality in a brutal world, thereby settling one’s own path of life and death, as well as the path of continuation for the community, in between the movements of heaven and earth.

These cultivations transcend the class or institution that they coemerged with, meaning that even in this modern era where the samurai have been abolished, the contents of these cultivations still hold real value for human society and individuals, and are worthy to be passed on to future generations. Even if civilization on Earth collapsed one day, and humanity returned to a primitive form of society, the cultivations passed down by the samurai could still, through individuals or institutions, preserve a thread of reason and dignity in a violent and barbaric world. With regards to modern life, there is not even need to speak of war and country – if you simply have something or someone to whom you are willing to dedicate your life to, the spirit of the bushi will absolutely hold value for you and will enrich your life. If you do not have these, then developing the cultivations of a samurai will help you find the people and things you wish to dedicate your life living for.

So, what are the cultivations of the samurai class? “Cultivations” do not simply entail when to bow, what to say on what occasion, and other forms of etiquette. The source of these outer demeanors is the true inner essence of a bushi. In different koryu schools or martial art dojos, there are various behavioral standards and expectations for training. While there may be different iterations or unique points in each dojo, so long as they are respectable places of teaching, there will be certain principles that are shared across different dojos. What these teachings cultivate are the inner qualities of a bushi. Here, I roughly summarize ten key points from my own experiences of learning and insight for the general public, but please keep in mind that true learning is developed through your interaction and relationship with your sensei and classmates in a respectable dojo.

1. Face yourself absolutely honestly.
2. Recognize the nature of people, things, and events.
3. Recognize the role you play.
4. Recognize the most appropriate course of action.
5. Eliminate extra movements.
6. Constantly maintain: keen observation, prudence, readiness, forbearance, proactivity, spirit of accommodation, composure.
7. See your efforts to the end.
8. Frequently reflect on your own life and death.
9. Develop a heart of service and life of dedication.
10. Never lose faith.

In other words, these ten points can also be understood as “shin（真）, zen（善）, bi（美）,” or truth (1-4), virtue (5-7), and beauty (8-10). Sakura is sakura regardless of whether it blooms or not, and sakura blossoms are beautiful regardless of whether they are seen or not.

For ease of memory, the content of this article is summarized in the following four lines:

Be exceptional in the arts of weaponry (jin/mercy);
Be seasoned in the workings of the natural world (chi/wisdom);
Know the way of human emotion and relations (rei/courtesy, gi/obligation);
Tame the times of life and death and the myriad things (shin/faith).

精刀槍弓馬之術（仁）
通天文地理之事（智）
悉人情義理之道（禮／義）
度萬物生死之際（信）

May these cultivations of the samurai class bring you victory over every foe, and true and lasting peace in a world of strife.

Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu
Sugawara Sogo Budo Institute, Taiwan Branch
Budo Kyoshi, Jam Li
2025/08/17

武道不在於比較誰強誰弱。強，永遠有人比你更強；弱，永遠有人比你更弱。武道只在於追求自己所能觸及的更高的目標。

而武士之所作，即是服務。
不需論及天下大事也能知道，人是不能只為自己而活的。

Budo is not about comparing who is stronger or weaker. However strong you may be, there is always someone stronger than you; however weak you may be, there is always someone weaker than you. Budo is only about the higher goal you can reach within yourself.

And to be a warrior, is to serve.
Even without speaking of the grand affairs of the world at large, we can say for sure that a person cannot live for oneself alone.

#香取神道流 #活人劍 #菅原総合武道研究所 #飯篠長威斎

今日稽古風景

#香取神道流 #日本劍術 #古武道 #古流

今日稽古風景～

#香取神道流 #日本劍術 #古流 #古武道

今日稽古風景～

#香取神道流 #日本劍術 #古武道 #古流

今日稽古風景～

#香取神道流 #日本劍術 #古流 #劍術 #古武道

今日稽古風景～

#香取神道流 #日本劍術 #古流 #古流剣術 #古武道

今日稽古風景～

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今日稽古風景～
歡迎從加拿大道場歸國的同學加入台灣道場的行列

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