Timely Thoughts
Judo "The Gentle Way" 02/25/2005
I once spent a considerable amount of time meditating on why Judo was referred to as the gently way. After all, I had been thrown many times and never felt much gentleness in the impact. I also recalled a quote from the late great Mas Oyama, wherein he stated that one good throw is worth five good strikes. Mas Oyama was credited with having killed adult bulls with his reverse punch.
After much thought on this, I went to the best source I knew. I asked Kato Sensei if he could explain to me what is so gentle about Judo. Kato Sensei looked at me for a moment and then responded, "The gentleness of Judo is much like the blade of the Samurai...the sharper the edge, the easier it slices through the flesh."
At that point things were suddenly more clear to me. Although I had felt the rough impact of being thrown, I had nearly missed the subtleness of the kuzushi and tsukuri. Like the sharp edge of the blade, I had not felt the wound until it was already there.
Keith Sensei
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