耳が肥える
Mimi ga koeru
To have a trained ear
The best warriors are good listeners. During the Sengoku period of Feudal Japan, warlord Takeda Shingen or “The Tiger of Kai” was known for his prowess as a military tactician but, more importantly, he was known to be a good listener. In 1573, the Tiger laid siege upon Noda Castle in Mikawa. The castle was heavily fortified and defended by future Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Shingen was an intellectual leader and known for being a tactician who deeply trusted his men. During the campaign, Shingen poured over daily intelligence reports trying to build a profile of his enemies strengths and weaknesses. Knowing the day to day movements of his enemies enabled him to determine their rate of decay as the siege raged on. Supposedly, his commanders gave such detailed reports that they even mentioned a lone flute player who could be heard playing every night at the same time. Grasping on to that little detail, Shingen went every night and listened to the melodic sounds of the flute player. Shingen’s generals trusted him but they thought he might be losing his mind. Shingen explained that the morale of the opposing army could be assessed by listening to the quality of the flutist’s music playing. At the same time, his army was digging a tunnel to drain the castle’s moat. At the moment when Shingen thought Ieyasu’s army’s moral was at its lowest, he drained their moat and took away all their drinking water along with their main defense. This led to their swift surrender. By listening and patiently waiting for the right moment, Shingen was able to secure the surrender of Noda Castle. Takeda Shingen was a great warrior because he was smart enough to be a good listener. By learning to listen, we can become successful in not only our Aikido training, but in life as well. Training teaches us how to develop our “ear” so that we can learn faster and more assiduously. The best students learn how to actively listen and that is why warriors are always good listeners.
Today’s goal: Most of us are just waiting for our turn to speak. Try listening instead.