[Kuwami Masakumo]
I saw a post on X about old tough-guy bragging and it reminded me of some things, so I am writing them down.
When I was at Shorinji headquarters, I heard stories like this: for some of the old teachers, the black belt test meant picking a street thug, starting a fight, and if you won, you passed. I also heard about feuds with yakuza and with other martial arts. There was even a teacher who showed me his hands and said there was not a single finger without a knife scar. I also heard a story that, after a disciple was jumped and beaten, they marched into a yakuza office and made them take responsibility.
As a man, those tales from that era do get the blood pumping, but they did not make me feel respect. The reason is simple: humans are creatures who change with their circumstances.
I did not say, Well then, by all means, go grab some local toughs right now and beat them to a pulp. But that is exactly the point I am making. If I had said that, people would rightly be angry, and they would say this is not that kind of era anymore. And that is correct. If someone were to say, Of course! Even now, when I spot han-gure types or street punks I go pick fights with them!, that would be antisocial conduct. Times change, the public mood changes, and people change with their circumstances. In a peaceful age there is no need to brandish blades. Those teachers simply lived in those times and those situations; whether they used a blade or not is not much to boast about.
When you actually end up in such a situation, will you have to fight whether you like it or not, or will you refrain from fighting and sometimes take the hit? Such things are decided in the moment, and in a sense determined by the situation itself. Of course, for self-protection it is crucial to assume the worst case, but no amount of assumptions is an absolute guarantee. Still, just as serious evacuation drills are scientifically recognized as highly effective, self-defense training and the mindset that goes with it do have solid effect.
Back to the point: when people are placed in those situations, they sometimes end up killing whether they want to or not — even the timid. You all know this from recent history: the war between Ukraine and Russia, and the conflict in Palestine.
Not long ago a video went viral showing how people’s faces looked entirely different before and after going to war. A certain baseline of ferocity exists in humans to begin with, and it fluctuates as a variable according to the situation. So having those violent experiences may be valuable as experience points, but in itself it is not much to brag about. That said, if someone around you is telling tough-guy stories, you should not shoot them down. You should go, Wow, amazing, scary, and give them their praise. Especially for men, those experiences function like trophies or medals. I have that in me too. It is embarrassing, but it exists at a primal level and is hard to regulate.
So while such things are precious as experience, we should also understand they are not the sort of thing to brag about. Experience matters, but it is not everything. If you do not grasp that, people with less experience will assume they are absolutely inferior to those with more. Yes, experience is important, but just as you have not lived your opponent’s life, your experience and training are things your opponent has not lived either.
And here is something important I want everyone to understand: bragging about fights functions as a deterrent. On the battlefield, warriors would raise a nanori, announcing their lineage, their parents’ merits, and their own record. It means, I am someone of this stature, so equals should face me! (in old battles, combatants generally sought opponents of comparable rank). It also creates an intimidation effect akin to the halo effect (surrounding information boosts the evaluation of the person). Likewise, in battle there were exchanges of insults and contests of words — akkou and verbal duels — essentially a leveled-up version of a thug’s browbeating. In that sense, bluff and even lies are legitimate parts of strategy.
In some cases, that kind of fight-bragging and intimidation can even prevent a clash before it begins.
‘Preventing conflict while the sword remains in its scabbard’ is precisely the katsujinken (‘life-giving sword’) ideal of TENSHINRYU (and of Lord Yagyu Munenori).
I, however, have always disliked bluffing. My aversion is strong, and that is one reason TENSHINRYU’s promotion tends to lack impact.
If you think about it, a line like, Every koryu is wonderful, and TENSHINRYU is wonderful too, is the worst possible promotion. The right way to promote is more like, We are number one in this area, or, Brand-X cola is so awful it will lower your IQ if you drink it!
In Japan, modesty often goes too far, so the good stays hidden while the loud and hollow get the attention. As TENSHINRYU, I would like to be a little more grand in our statements. In any case, that was my take on the various ins and outs of bragging about fights.
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