A Mirror to the Soul

“The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being. (ho de anexetastos bios ou biôtos anthrôpôi — ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ)”
Socrates

When the Kodokan made the decision to use the Yata no Kagami as the symbol to denote the Kodokan Spirit, they did so with the full realisation that Kodokan Judo was about more than just physical training or education. Judo represents a life system, a ‘do’ or way of life, and the term Kodokan meant ‘the school for studying the way’ (Kodokan Judo, p. 16)

One of the primary aims of this symbol is tied to the knowledge that the Yata no Kagami is a mirror, yet no ordinary mirror, in that this mirror does not reflect your image, but rather it reflects your soul. To Professor Kano, judo was a method whereby you can reflect on your life, and life in general, and use the mirror to refine who you are as a person, developing into a person who contributes much to the good of the world. Each day you work to improve on all aspects of who you are. The red centre circle represents the sun, and reminds us that a central core is at the heart of our solar system, and on whom we rely for all life. Sensei Neil Ohlenkamp reports that “The mirror, reflecting everything truthfully, is a symbol for honesty. The red circle in the center was intended to symbolize a sincere and passionate mind.”

The concept of using the Yata no Kagami is embedded in the Kodokan syllabus via the fundamental exercise, known as Tandoku Renshu or Solo Exercises. The section within this daily exercise is known as Kigami Nigaki, literally ‘mirror polishing’, and to it Professor Kano added a verse of prose for each judoka to ponder as the exercise is performed:

“Life is fighting to see justice done…
The most formidable enemy blocking the path to righteousness
Lies unseen within our hearts: Evil thoughts
To rid yourself of evil,
Always polish the mirror in a serious frame of mind.”

Professor Kano ends this section by reminding us that:

Whether against enemies seen or unseen, execute every technique with true fighting spirit – Jigoro Kano

Modern Interpretations

Now, to modern, 21st century ears, these ideals can seem anachronistic, or out of touch with modern ‘sport judo’, but nothing could be further from the truth. As a modern society, reflection is a necessary tool in helping us to improve not only our physical technique, but also our mental and philosophical resolve (spirit) as well. If you think on the three main physical manners in which judo is praticed, namely, Kata – Randori – Shiai, you can see that each requires a different physical, mental and philosophical approach. Further, if you think of each of these as having the following equivalences:

Kata

Slower paced practice of the forms of judo principles, done in a reflective, almost meditative manner. Kata allows for the in–depth study of the principles of judo: kuzushi, tsukuri, kake and ukemi, as well as the principles of attack and defense.

Randori

Quicker paced practice varying in intensity, from mild–pace Yakusoku Geiko, on to Kakari Geiko and then into almost full–speed Randori performed at sub-par Shiai speed.

Shiai

Full paced judo with high intensity, and virtually no time for reflection. At this level, all of the kata and randori training takes over at an instinctual level. Reflection occurs after the match is completed, sometimes immediately, sometimes many hours later.

Reflection and its Judo application

The educationalist, Schön (1983, 1987, cited in Killen, 2009), developed a method for talking about the different types of reflection in these circumstances.

The type of reflection that occurs in Kata and Randori is classed by as Schön as ‘reflection–in–action, and is characterised by the opportunity to review the actions of each training method, with little distraction, as they occur. This usually takes place in the dojo during training sessions. The hope is that, through repetition and training, the actions required for successful techniques take on an innate quality, seeming to be natural and instinctual.

The second type of reflection is the post–shiai variety, and is called reflection–on–action, and is the self–evaluative variety that judoka engage in once the dust has begun to settle, and will often be carried over in to the next training session. Often this is done with the Sensei or Head Coach, and may include watching a video of the tournament, so a move–by–move review of techniques can be discussed.

So the usage of the Yata no Kagami as the symbol chosen to represent Kodokan Judo is, it would seem, as fitting now, as it was when originally chosen by the Kodokan in 1940. Reflection is a key ingredient to not only better judo, but a better life in general.

Kuzushi–san