Study on Jujutsu's view of the mind-body in the Edo era


Author: Maebayashi Kiyokazu

Affiliation: Kobe-Gakuin University
Conference/Journal: Japanese Mind-Body Science
Date published: 1992
Other:
 Volume ID: 1   ,  Issue ID: 1   ,  Pages: 89-99   ,  Special Notes: Article in Japanese   ,  Word Count: 200  
    In general, people think that a view of the mind-body in the East is monism, but a specialist in Bugei and Geido of Japan thought realistic, fine mind-body theory. It is a theory formulated in light of the practice, not the Cartesian mind-body dualism, not the general mind-body monism in the East.

The purposes of this study are to clarify this idea by a analysis of Jujutsu's historical materials in the Edo era.

Our study can be summarized as follows:

1) The view of Jujutsu's mind-body founded on Confucianism's cosmology, so that it regarded nature as macro-cosmos, a man as micro-cosmos. This viewpoint was the basis of various levels in Jujutsu.

2) The characteristic of the technical theory in Jujutsu was expressed by the proverb 'Ju yoku go wo seisu.' This proverb means that a soft action controls a hard action, or a soft idea controls a hard action. In Jujutsu, it was used to express a ideal of mental state and quality of strength on a practice or on a battle.

3) The training theories of Jujutsu attach importance to a waist and 'Seika Tanden' (a belly under a navel). 'Seika Tanden' was grasped the tank of 'Qi' in the East.