捕り手
Torite
The art of defeating an opponent with one's bare hands
Through the process of training, a martial artist becomes a tatakiagenohito (叩き上げの人) or “self-made person.” Furuya Sensei likened the process of one’s development to the forging of a samurai sword when he said, “A samurai sword is made by folding the layers of iron over on themselves over and over to create a thousand layers of iron which actually crisscross in a mesh giving the sword its great strength and resiliency. In the same way, the correct repetition of the techniques over and over again in one's practice creates many layers of understanding within one’s body and mind in the same way a samurai sword is forged.” When a person makes something out of themselves, the Japanese call it kuuken (空拳) or “from nothing.” Kuuken literally translates as “air fist.” One can posit from the literal translation that one makes something from nothing with their fists, but not in a literal “fighting” sense. The fist is a metaphor for overcoming some obstacle with your own hands and a fighting spirit. Every martial art begins with learning how to torite (捕り手) or “defeat an opponent with one's bare hands.” Essentially, we learn how to make something happen with our own hands. Where there was once nothing, with training, we can now do something. This is very apparent in class when we do kakari keiko (掛稽古) or “continuous attack practice.” In kakari keiko we are grabbed or struck over and over. In the beginning, we freeze and can’t do anything, but later, with time and training, we are able to not only deftly negotiate the attack but also do so with calmness and finesse. Learning how to calmly and proficiently subdue others teaches us the single most important thing in martial arts training: we alone control the course of our lives, and, with these hands, we can achieve anything that we set our minds to. Every person who studies a martial art becomes a self-made person, sooner or later.
Today’s goal: What can you make or who can you become with your own bare hands?