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SUMMARY:Zen in the Kata practice of Kendo (Japanese swordsmanship) - Profe
 ssor Takahiro YUKAWA\, University of Electro-Communications\, Tokyo\, Japa
 n
DTSTART:20090916T180000Z
DTEND:20090916T193000Z
UID:TALK19422@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Professor Frank Stajano
DESCRIPTION:*FREE LECTURE* - no booking\, no tickets\, no admission charge
 \n\n*Abstract*\n\nWhy is Kendo substantially linked with Zen or Shinto spi
 ritual practice in Japan? In general\, Japanese martial arts exact of thei
 r practitioners their mental and spiritual improvement if they keenly seek
  to attain to the highest stage of Budo. In sports\, this is not the case.
 \n\nZen is a representative of such mental and spiritual training in Japan
 . Because of this premise Eugen Herrigel\, the author of "Zen in the Art o
 f Archery" and a thorough thinker of Western logic\, believed that he coul
 d write about Zen only by describing his experience of studying Japanese A
 rchery (Kyudo). In Kendo there were many prominent masters who reached the
  great height of perfection\, that is\, the stage of "No opponent"\, throu
 gh Zen practice\; or\, in the recent past\, through Kenjutsu practice only
 . In the latter case\, Kata-training played a most important role. I will 
 show a movie giving a representative instance of Kata practice of Jiki-shi
 nkage-ryu and I will discuss the aim of the true Budo.\n\n\n*Speaker's bio
 graphy*\n\nYUKAWA Takahiro is a Professor at Denkitsushin University (Univ
 ersity of Electro-Communications\, Chofu-shi\, Tokyo\, Japan)\, where he i
 s also Director of the University Library. He is a philosopher from the co
 mparative perspective. He studied the existential philosophy and Neo-Confu
 cianism at Tokyo University. His main subject is consistently what is and 
 should be the "philosophy" for the Japanese. In this aspect he has researc
 hed the thought of Nishi Amane\, the father of Western philosophy in Japan
 \, by whose philosophical terms the Japanese (and also Chinese and Korean)
  philosophers can philosophize\; and then the literature on Budo\, especia
 lly Kenjutsu (Kendo). At the same time he has been practicing for 33 years
  in one of the oldest schools of Koryu-Kenjutsu\, the Kashima-shinden Jiki
 -shinkage-ryu (鹿島神伝直心影 流). His papers are on the validity 
 of Existential "ought" of Jaspers\, on the logic of Ch'eng Hao and Ch'eng 
 I and on Nishi Amane's understanding of Western philosophy through the Neo
 -Confucian concept of Li.\n\n*Background*\n\nProfessor Yukawa will be visi
 ting Cambridge for a few days\, with another 30+ kendoka from his universi
 ty\, from young students to 7-dan masters\, to cross swords with the membe
 rs of the "University of Cambridge Kendo Society":http://www.srcf.ucam.org
 /kendo/ . He will be practicing at Kelsey Kerridge from 16 to 18 September
  and spectators are welcome. The Kendo Society will have an open day and a
 n introductory course for new members in October. For further information 
 on how to join\, contact the Society's secretary Junko Takata (see "contac
 ts page":http://www.srcf.ucam.org/kendo/contacts.html).\n\nThe University 
 of Cambridge Kendo Society came on top of all other competing British Univ
 ersities in the 2009 national championship and also won the 2009 Varsity M
 atch against Oxford.\n\nKendo is a modern martial art inspired by the prin
 ciples and philosophy of the Japanese samurai. It can be practiced by both
  sexes and all age groups. The University Society devoted to it is open to
  all\, whether university members or not. The next beginners course will b
 e in October 2009. 
LOCATION:Lecture Room 4\, Cambridge University Engineering Department\, Tr
 umpington Street\, Cambridge CB2 1PZ
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