Parting Shots: Samurai Girl in Chicago

After leaving our friends at the Japanese Cultural Center to head to Big Bowl (our favorite restaurant in Chicago, and a site of great sentimentality since Sami and I had our first date there almost 15 years ago), Sami took some fun and candid shots of Peri in her full kimono and gear on the streets of Chicago. The one above is my favorite, and i think embodies the sense of both ancient "touch" and contemporary fun that we experienced throughout the day.

Samurai Journey: The 7-Fold Path of Bushido

In Feudal Japan, the samurai class followed a moral system called Bushido (literally, "The way of the Warrior"). In Inazo Nitobe's famous work Bushido: The Soul of Japan, he illustrates that even though the samurai culture has been dead in Japan for the better part of 250 years, its Bushido foundations still serve as the ethical and moral foundation for Japanese society. As such, just like their European counterparts (i.e. the Feudal Knights of Western Europe who adhered to Chivalry), the samurai were expected to embody the very best of what their culture had to offer, and to serve as an apex example of the qualities to be sought by all citizens of the realm. At its most essential level, Bushido can be boiled down to what is called "The 7-Fold Path". Notice how remarkably similar these qualities are to what we, as followers in the Jesus Way, would also echo and hail:

* Righteousness (Gi) - Sometimes referred to as Justice or Righteousness, the concept of Gi in ancient Japan would have been to act in such a way as brings the absolute best of one's thoughts and actions into the world in which we live, and a willingness to stand behind one's actions even to the point of death.

* Courage (Yu) -The ability to confront fear and do what is right amidst pain, danger, uncertainty and/or intimidation.

* Love (Jin) -Like the Samurai, Love is actually our first "Family Value" as a family unit. My children have memorized the definition and know it simply as "to passionately and selflessly pursue the growth, intimacy and wellbeing of God and others."

* Respect (Rei) - To ascribe dignity to all beings, and respond deferentially to them worth of that dignity.

* Truth (Makoto) -In Japan, this concept goes far beyond "the opposite of lying", though that would certainly be included. Rather, the Samurai would have valued purity in the absolute innermost parts of one's soul, and would have judged that value not only on the basis of intention, but on impact in one's world and posterity.

* Honor (Meiyo) - While this is sometimes viewed as an elusive concept in the West, our family defines honor simply as, "to highly esteem that which is praiseworthy by God and others, and to live in such a way that is worthy of such high esteem."

* Loyalty (Chu) -The complete and absolute dedication and service of one's life to one's Lord. In our context, there is only one LORD, though we serve one another in the pursuit of His Mission in the world.

Samurai Journey: CQB Armed Jujutsu

I have a deep and profound respect for all martial arts, both because of the pragmatic and primal cauldron in which most of them were born, as well as my own preferential connection to them as ways to grow and learn. However, as with most martial artists, while i may choose to employ various techniques based on the need of the moment, the specifics of the environment, the nature (and number) of attackers, or the presence of weapons, i find myself usually gravitating whenever i can to traditional Japanese Jujutsu. Jujutsu (literally "the art of flexibility") was developed for the battlefield by samurai warriors who would have lost their primary weapon in an armed encounter against a heavily armed (and usually armored) opponent. The goal, then, was not to "go all UFC" on the opponent, but to utilize a series of joint-breaks and throws to get the opponent away from you quickly and efficiently so that you could either a) escape, b) retrieve your weapon, or c) achieve the upper hand. It is, therefore, ideal for small females as well as burly men because it emphasizes utilizing an opponent's own motion and momentum against them rather than blinding series of punches and kicks, and i have found that while i can take a pretty good beating if you punch or kick me, i tend to scream like a wounded puppy if you apply the right kind of pressure to my wrist, elbows, back or joint.

For Peri, then, i was pleased to see that Pitchford Sensei helped her to grasp the basic concept of Jujutsu, but incorporated his expertise with weapons into the mix, helping her to see how use with a very short blade in one hand could be blended very nicely with "open hand" (i.e. a hand not wielding a weapon) tactics in another. As a samurai sought to be an honorable warrior, it did not mean, however, that he/she was looking to be easily taken advantage of in a lethal encounter, and so would most certainly have both used and kept a variety of weapons close at hand to ensure the maximum survival potential of both themselves and those they protected. After all, people use weapons to win in a combat encounter. The samurai would have been experts at doing so.

Samurai Journey: Iaido "Lightning Draw"

Make no mistake that despite the decorum and efficient beauty of the likes of the Tea Ceremony in which we participated, Feudal Japan was, in fact, a martial culture. Most things during this era had a military or combat "edge" to them, whether relating to how you held your rice-bowl when you ate (i.e. with your thumb over the lip of the edge to prevent someone from knocking it out from below and thus distracting you while they drew their blade to strike you) or how you walked down the street, and so, not surprisingly, Samurai warriors developed a method of deploying the swords at their sides in a fashion that was absolutely blinding to the untrained eye. Similar to our Wild West gunslingers and their notorious alacrity with drawing and firing a six-shooter, the Japanese art of Iaido emphasized drawing one's blade to strike or block from a variety of positions to ensure one's survival and safety, even from a relaxed, sitting or kneeling posture.

Pitchford Sensei again took Peri on a fantastic journey through this art, allowing her to understand the deft hand that it took to draw one's blade not only with speed, but with effective targeting to lethal effect. He also kept Peri laughing when she would grasp the handle of her bokken too rigidly or forcefully. He would say, "You're grabbing it like it's a ham sandwich, Peri! You have to grab it like you're petting a dog. Softly. Gently. Your blade is your friend. It's your pet. Treat it smoothly and nicely and it will protect you." From that point forward, whenever she would forget, he would call out, "Dog! Not sandwich!". She would laugh and change her grip/draw, and eventually, got to where she could move with considerable effect.

Samurai Journey: Tea Ceremony

Although dating back to between the 9th to 12th centuries (depending on which records you site), the Japanese Tea Ceremony was a critical part of Samurai life and tradition. Tea Masters, in fact, though typically not Samurai themselves, were actually permitted (along with sword-makers) to wear swords at their sides -- a privilege reserved otherwise only for Samurai -- and were highly sought after by Feudal Lords for their skills in conducting the beautiful but highly ritualized activities of serving Japanese Tea to guests (a very visible symbol of hospitality, respect and generosity).

For our time with Peri, we were introduced to three students of one of Chicago's renown Tea Masters, featured left to right in the above picture (Brian, Sarah and Christopher). Through the time together, we learned some fun and fascinating things:

* Japanese Tea is actually called matcha, and is served more as a thick "milk-shaky" liquid rather than what i have always thought of as "tea". What most of us think of as tea would be referred to by Japanese as "thin tea", and Buddhist monks in the mountains actually consume it "somewhat more akin to the thickness of pancake batter than anything else". It may sound strange, but the matcha was actually delightful, possessing a sweet and clean taste that possessed little of the bitterness i expected at those concentrations.

* Japanese tea accessories (such as the tea bowls) were highly prized as possessions, even to the point of extremity, and were highly guarded and passed down for generations. They were so valuable, in fact, that they were often used by Feudal Lords as ways of repaying valiant retainers or debts in lieu of land, castles or villages.

* The language used throughout the Tea Ceremony is an exchange of hospitality and generosity between the participants. When the tea is served, the server will always ask, "How is the temperature of the water?". In response, even if your lips are singed with 3rd degree burns, you are to respond, "The temperature is perfect!".

* Everything in the Tea Ceremony, when complete, is done in perfect reverse. You put the tea bowl down in exact reverse of how you picked it up. You exit the tea house in reverse of how you came in, even down to observing the flowers and tea accessories. When i asked why, the Tea Masters responded, "Because everything you touch or use should be replaced exactly as you found it. It is a principle for life, whether in relation to a neighbors's lawnmower or even the world in which we live. If you use something, return it in the same condition and position in which it was received." Pretty basic, huh? And yet, a great principle to live by.

Our Tea Master friends were great with Peri, carefully instructing her at each step of the ceremony and keeping the event fun and lively. Sami and i were astounded at the precision and efficiency of the ceremony, and developed a new appreciation for its mastery over time.

Samurai Journey: Battlefield Kenjutsu

As mentioned, the first of Pitchford Sensei's lessons involved Battlefield Kenjutsu. While he used a katana-sized bokken (i.e. a "wooden sword"), Peri used the shorter waikizashi-sized bokken as it fit her smaller stature better and would have been closer to the weapon a Samurai Woman would have been more accustomed to carrying.

For starters, Pitchford Sensei tried to help Peri become better accustomed to using her voice. "You usually have to be quiet, right? Especially indoors. But not today! Not now! When you strike, i want you to use your voice! I want you to scare your opponent! I want you come after me as though i am a bad guy trying to attack you! I want you to show me that you are not afraid of me, and that you are going to defend yourself!" While he was incredibly patient with Peri, he was also technically and practically precise, requiring her to pay attention and execute her movements with efficiency. The video below shows Peri learning to strike from a "Jodan" (overhead) striking position, and he had her practice this sequence 30-40 times until she could execute with comfort.

Samurai Journey: Weapons Introduction

After Peri's time with Fujii Sensei, we changed out her kimono for the more traditional "gi" garment used for martial instruction and then introduced her to another friend, Sensei Ken Pitchford (i.e. Pitchford Sensei). Although he is an American, Pitchford Sensei has lived extensively in Japan and has studied Japanese sword arts for the better part of two decades or more. He was incredible with Peri and made sure that everything that he told her or showed her was easily accessible to her as a 7 year old. He was amazingly careful with her, injected tons of humor and fun, and yet was precise and reasonably demanding of her and her attentiveness.

He started their first session together by showing Peri two books on Japanese martial arts (both of which were more than 100 years old), including sections specific to Feudal Japanese women, the weapons they would have used and what their martial training would have included. He also showed her a couple of his treasured weapons, one of which was a katana (samurai long sword) whose blade was more than 500 years old -- Peri shown holding it below. We arranged with Pitchford Sensei to have his training with Peri include the following components for the day:

* Battlefield Kenjutsu - Kenjutsu (literally "Sword Art") is the art that samurai would have practiced for battlefield use, and would have included various forms of footwork, blocking, striking and movement with the katana and/or waikizashi (short sword). While most women would not have been trained extensively with the katana (preferring instead an 8" dirk called a kaiken), many of the techniques would have had universal utility with bladed weapons, and so still accomplished the objective nicely.

* Iaido "Lightning Draw" - During certain eras of Feudal Japan, the threat of assassination was a very real and ever-present threat. As a result, samurai developed an entire methodology of drawing their blades to block and/or strike with amazing rapidity. This art is called Iaido (most often also described as "the way of the lightning draw"), and i liken it to our own culture's Wild West concept of "quick draw"... but with a sword instead of a six-shooter.

* CQB Armed Jujutsu - I have studied traditional Japanese Jujutsu for nearly ten years, and have found it to be a close friend over that time. Initially, I thought it might have been cool to have Pitchford Sensei work with Peri in this art, but he had a great suggestion instead that we actually went with for the day. According to Pitchford Sensei, "Modern Jujutsu" (which is unarmed) is a relatively recent convention. The truth is, no samurai would ever have been "completely" unarmed, always making sure that they practically bristled at all times with hidden daggers, spikes, knives or other weapons. As a result, he suggested that he spend the time with Peri teaching her what he called "Armed Jujutsu", which focuses on CQB (Close-Quarters Battle), but assumes that at least one hand is holding a short weapon. This made total sense to me, and i'm glad that we took this route.

Samurai Journey: Culture Basics - Bowing and Greeting

Most people from the West understand that bowing is an important part of many Eastern cultures. In Japan, in particular, bowing remains important even today as one interacts with other people, whether in business or even in many casual settings. In Feudal Japan, however, bowing was even more important as it often held meaning for acknowledgement of one's social status as well as the conveyance of honor or respect. Respect was even given to one's enemies on the battlefield, in fact, or in mortal combat as it was believed that even in conflict, all people are worthy of honor and respect. To refuse honor, therefore, often reflected more upon the one refusing rather than the person being refused, and i heard in my head the words of my own mother about a similar concept when tipping at restaurants.On one occasion when i was younger, we had a server at a restaurant whom i did not believe had served us well. I nudged my mom and asked her why she was still leaving a tip and she replied, "Tipping is a reflection of your generosity, not their service. Never refuse to leave a tip as it reflects more about your pettiness and stinginess than it does about their incompetence as a server. Better to be thought unnecessarily generous than small, petty and stingy." Yeah, my mom is a wise woman, and her sentiment would certainly have accorded well with Japanese Feudal martial culture.

The two most common types of bows in Japan are as follows:

Rit-su Rei (standing bow) - When standing, one places their hands either on top of their thighs (if a woman) or at the sides/seams of their pants (if a man) and bends at the waist with their eyes down. In a martial encounter, one would most certainly not lower their eyes, but would keep them on their opponent, even though striking someone who was showing you respect would have been considered the epitome of cowardice.

Za Rei (sitting/kneeling bow) - When seated or kneeling, one puts their hands into a "triangle" on the floor and touches their forehead to it, making sure to keep their back straight and to bend at the waist rather than bending at the shoulders.

Peri is shown learning both here from Fujii Sensei. Later, Peri remarked, "You know, i really liked bowing. It made me feel good to show respect like that."

Samurai Journey: Culture Basics - Language

Fujii Sensei took an innovative approach to helping Peri learn a few fun Japanese words and phrases by teaching her some basic Origami (Japanese paper-folding). She also taught Peri how to introduce herself properly ("My name is Haruko. I am an American."), and how to ask a question. She also taught Peri how to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" in Japanese (picture below), which was fun to watch, particularly because we use the same tactic and song in India when our Conversational English Teams work in the Indian schools to teach both children and teachers about common body-parts.

We wondered if Peri was really absorbing the language throughout the day, but when she got home and was nodding off to sleep, Sami went in and checked on her and heard her whispering to herself, "Watashi wa Peri des..." (i.e. "My name is Peri..."). :- )

Samurai Journey: Culture Basics - Writing

Fujii Sensei set about helping Peri to understand the basics of how to write in Japanese. There are actually three types of writing in Japan: Kanji (which are the more traditional Chinese-looking characters most people think of when they think of "Japanese writing"), Hiragana (which is actually the most common for everyday written language) and Katakana (which is for foreign and cognate words adapted into the Japanese language). She spent the most time with Peri on learning to write the word "Haruko" (Japanese for "Springtime Child" -- which is the closest translation for Peri's actual name - Persephone), but started Peri out by writing the word "Eternity" as that one word utilizes all of the necessary brush-strokes for writing Kanji.

The symbols are absolutely beautiful, and Peri had a blast learning how to hold the brush, how to "write" from up to down and where to press and where to let it flow naturally. It's so much more like painting than what i think of as "writing", and definitely involves an artistry that helped me understand why it's such an art form in Eastern cultures.

As an additional point of interest, i was amazed that whereas our English writing tends to start and stop abruptly, writing in Kanji does not, and prefers to start, move and finish in natural and fluid strokes rather than in definitive starts and stops. In addition, the ink traditionally used for the characters is made from a soil combination that hardens into blocks and must be both moistened and then ground with a small pestle before yielding the necessary ink.

Below, i am holding up the Kanji character for "Haruko", and a short video of Peri attempting to write with the handheld brush is also included.

Samurai Journey: Culture Basics - The Kimono

After arriving at the Japanese Culture Center (where the bulk of our activities took place), our friend Julietta Alvarez (one of the coordinators for the Center) introduced us to a delightful woman named Mieko Fujii (or "Fujii Sensei", as we called her for the day). Fujii Sensei has lived in the US for about 15 years, if i recall correctly, and was fantastic with Peri as her tasks were to outline the basics of Japanese Feudal Culture, as well as Language and Writing.

For starters, Fujii Sensei helped Peri put on the kimono we purchased for her, and as the Obi (i.e. belt) wrapping process is a little tricky, we were very thankful for her help so that we could see how it was done. The end result was that Peri looked very much the young Bushi woman, we thought, and her smile here in the picture is indicative of her general feelings throughout the day. Also included here is a brief video of Fujii Sensei helping to wrap Peri up, and the really cool things was that she brought her own formal kimono as well to show Peri how it looks when worn with all the traditional accompanying layers, cords, belts and wraps. She was such a fun lady, and Peri enjoyed her immensely. More on their time together in posts that will follow.

Samurai Gear: Kanzashi (and a Cool Story)

The Kanzashi is a traditional hair pin worn to keep the hair up and off of the back of the neck as well as provide a point of beauty within the hair itself. Often, Kanzashi are floral in print or design and are engineered to include real flowers or other items of particular feminine charm.

The cool story associated with Peri's particular kanzashi involves a new friend we had the privilege to meet through our process of preparation for Peri's day. In an effort to find a kanzashi that matches Peri's kimono, i looked extensively on various web-sites and couldn't really find what i was looking for. As Sami has always been a big Etsy fan (think "eBay for handmade products" if you've never heard of Etsy.com), so i looked there. I found a perfect Etsy shop that sported some of the coolest Kanzashi I had ever seen, so immediately contacted the shop owner to ask about shipping and customization.

Through the contact, i learned that the shop owner is a fun young woman named Ruri (which is short for Ruriko) who is Japanese but resides here in the US and who, in an effort to help with tsunami relief in Japan, is donating 20% of her sale proceeds to the Red Cross for relief! As we corresponded with Ruri further about Peri and what we were doing, she responded quickly and made a completely customized Kanzashi specifically to fit Peri's outfit, then ensured that it was shipped so that we got it at our doorstep in time for Sunday! It's gorgeous and Peri will be so excited!

Ruri didn't ask me to do this, but if you want to take a look at some of her work, you can go here to see her shop. She also has some fantastic YouTube videos about how to properly wear a kanzashi (provided that your hair is long enough, of course... which... you know... would be a problem for me).

Samurai Gear: Fan and Geta

Two pieces to Peri's "Courtly" attire will include the traditional folding fan and a pair of Japanese Geta sandals. Brief explanations are below.

Folding Fan (Akomeogi) - The traditional "Folding fan" was actually developed in Japan somewhere between the 6 - 8th centuries, and most often consists of bamboo (though also sometimes cedar or other woods) blades with a cloth or paper covering. The most obvious use for the fan was to cool oneself during hot Japanese summers, but over time both nobles and peasants developed other uses and meanings. Most notably, the fan came to symbolize friendship and peace, and was also a prominent piece in dance and other performing arts. I also find that it is fascinating that the fan evolved to include a few combat variants (the tessen, the gunsen and the gunbai) which featured iron ribs and sometimes metal coverings, and was used by generals to signal their troops, direct movements, and also as a parry-weapon in close-quarters combat. The fan was considered to be so universally useful, in fact, that it was considered a simply necessity of attire, even by Samurai men whether on the battlefield or in the most lofty court of government. The fan featured here for Peri will match her kimono (described in another post), and will fit snuggly at her side inside her primary obi (belt/sash).

Shoes (Geta) - Most people would recognize

traditional Japanese Geta sandals because they have a very distinctive look (first pic here). A common (rather squarish) block of wood and simple, padded or rope strap worn "flip flop style" with one to two long vertical planks beneath each foot gave the Japanese wearer the ability to move through mud and grime that often accumulated on the ground after monsoon rains without getting their tabi (socks) or feet dirty, and also made a funny,

woody rhythm when they walked (some have said that the term "geta" is actually an onomatopoeia for the sound that they make when walking "ge-ta-ge-ta-ge-ta-ge-ta"). While we wanted to keep the same look and feel, we opted for a bit more modern version of the sandals that we thought would be more comfortable for Peri's feet (she's ki

nd of picky about footwear). Pic attached.

Samurai Gear: Special Occasions Call for Special Clothing

The next few posts will outline some of the essential clothing and "gear" that we've been collecting for Peri to use throughout the day. As "both hands" will be represented throughout the day, each hand will require its own attire. Below is a basic description of the core essentials of each:

Courtly (Right Hand) - Bushi women would have worn layered robes (depending upon the occasion, season and other factors) for everyday wear, and while certain occasions (such as weddings or Feudal Court) would have layered as many as 16 such robes, standard dress had as few as 2. In addition, a few other essentials such as footwear and basic effects were also considered "standard" as defined below (note: the little girl pictured here is not Peri, but is the general effect that we're shooting for).

* Kimono - an outer robe, often with beautiful print or patterns.

* Obi -a wide sash or belt designed to keep the kimono from opening.

* Kanzashi - a beautiful hair pin or comb designed to keep their hair in place.

* Geta - wooden "flip flop" style shoes.

* Fan - a common folding fan for keeping cool during hot Japanese summers.

Peri will wear this attire for General Culture, Kanji-writing and Language and Tea Ceremony. Also, i feel obligated (hey... if you know me, you'll get why) to mention that Bushi women also carried an 8" dirk called a kaiken on their person at all times. It served as a close-quarters defensive weapon much the same as their male counterpart's waikizashi (short sword), and they were trained to be exceptionally effective in its use and deployment. For obvious reasons, Peri will not be carrying a kaiken... but... you know... i was sort of tempted.

Warrior/Budo (Left Hand) -While Bushi women would most likely not have worn the outfit that you see in the picture here, it is the traditional attire of Japanese martial arts practitioners today. Variations may include hakama ("wide legged trousers" often seen in samurai movies or among Aikido and Kendo practitioners) or special patches, belts or ornaments, but in general, the outfit is designed to be simple, efficient and allow for the maximum amount of movement for the practitioner. It consists of the following two primary components:

* Gi -In Japanese and Okinawan arts, the robe-style top and standard pants bottoms are called a gi. They are usually light and flexible (unless wearing a Judo or Jujutsu variation which is often a bit heavier due to the grappling nature of the art), and the top closes left-over-right like a common robe.

* Obi - the simple "belt" worn around the waist of the gi, this is the item that is often colored according to rank in traditional martial systems. While many American systems of martial arts offer dozens of different belt-rankings, most traditional Japanese systems offer five (white, blue, green, brown, black) or so, and take more than two decades to acquire a Shodan level (1st degree) black belt.

Peri will wear this outfit for all of the Budo (i.e. literally "Warrior Way") training, whether with weapons (i.e. Iado/Kenjutsu) or without (i.e. Jujutsu). More on those later.

Final Remarks: Samurai Woman

So what's the point of all these Framing Stories? Well, for us, they're the stories that we're telling to set the tone for Peri to give her "handles" on what this "Woman of Both Hands" ideal actually looks like "with skin on": A Warrior, a Servant, a Queen, a Saint and a Mother/Wife. To be sure, these are all lofty expectations, but what more could we hope for as she walks through life? And the truth is, we believe in her. We believe that she can be any and all of those things as she grows, and are committed to being there beside her as she does so.