10/11/2018
The Kendo Universe
As we move into Autumn, and Canadian Kenshi turn themselves to the grading examinations that come with the changing of the leaves, it is worth taking a moment to ponder the more abstract facets of Kendo.
In our modern times, the universe is a thing which is laid out for us in the form of theories, narratives, and interlocking dynamics. Kendo is no different. On this cool Autumn evening I find myself pondering a distinct congruence between Kendo and the larger universe, as laid out by modern science.
To wit; timing. As the famous patent clerk showed us, timing is not absolute but relative. This is a great place to insert a joke. It is an old philosophy joke, and it runs thus: a philosophy professor is asked by a colleague how his wife is, to which the professor replies, “compared to what?”
Kendo is no different. What matters is not how fast my men strike is, but how fast my strike is compared to whatever my opponent is doing. Or, put another way, ‘I don’t have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the other guy running from the bear.’ This concept, as it relates to Kendo, is beautifully illustrated at 2m 35 sec in the below clip from the final match of the 55th All Japan Kendo Championships:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4SHWXQBVL4
Takanabe, much faster than Teramoto, reacted to the latter’s men strike with a men strike of his own, and hit at almost the same time. In fact, modern cameras were unable to determine who struck first, until the film was slowed several times to finally reveal that Teramoto had struck first by a margin of only 0.009 seconds, or 9 milliseconds.
To me, the most remarkable part of this story is that the judges did not hesitate. 3 flags were simultaneously and decisively raised for Teramoto immediately following the strike. How could the judges, fallible humans as they were, have parsed such a short timespan? Surely the human eye is not capable of perceiving differences of less than a hundredth of a second?
In fact, it is not. Recent research has shown that the human eye can perceive images presented for only 13 milliseconds, or 0.013 seconds:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/cheryl-g-murphy/how-fast-can-the-eyes-see_b_7749510.html
The difference between Termoto’s and Takanabe’s men strikes - 0.009 seconds, was faster than this. Yet the judges did not hesitate to award the point to Teramoto, and when the high-speed footage was analyzed, it was clear that Teramoto had indeed struck first. What, exactly, did the judges see?
In my (very amateurish) opinion, the answer lies with the aforementioned patent clerk. Not only did Einstein talk about the relative nature of timing, but he also talked about the metaphysical link between time and space. On a certain level, time is space, and vice-versa. Hence, to return to the 55th AJKC, what the Judges saw was not a difference of time, but a difference of space. If we take a second look at that moment of ai-uchi (2min 35 sec), it is clear that it is Teramoto, and not Takanabe, who closes the distance.
Lately, I have begun thinking about what my Senseis and Sempais mean when they speak to me about timing. Keeping our patent clerk in mind, perhaps it is not a question of when something happens, but more a question of the distance at which the thing happens, and how that distance is covered as the thing happens. I’ve been thinking about this idea specifically as it relates to debana waza, and I think I’m onto something, because it has given me a feeling that I’ve had many times before in Kendo; it’s a feeling that has yet to steer me wrong. It is the feeling that I have been doing keiko in a small room, and I thought that the room was my Kendo, and I have just opened a window that I did not notice was there before. Now I see a much greater space. The air is fresher, but I realize that I do not understand my surroundings as well as I thought I did. I have a clearer picture in my mind of just how little I know.
Ki Ken Tai, my friends.
This Kendo clip is from Japan Public Broadcasting's documentary on " A Human's reaction ablitiy".The show includeded a short track start,Pro Baseball batter ...
