Category Archives: Reflections Along the Way by Steven Shaw

There is a temple/shrine in Shinjuku is on the way to Hombu Dojo.  I passed it every morning on my way to train in 2011, and I made a little meander there this past winter.  It is one of the most peaceful places, and, yet, it is surrounded by one of the most populated areasContinue reading “Sanctuary”

The Snow Monkeys in the Yamanochi region are really something else.  The first time I saw them was in a film, Baraka.  It was very calming to watch the monkeys soaking in hot springs.  The hot springs, as it turns out, were built by the Japanese of the region for the monkeys to keep theContinue reading “A Little Grooming”

We were training some years ago and Furuya Sensei said something like, “Don’t drop the tip,” to a fellow student, and the student’s response was, “I am?”  Sensei’s response was not aggressive, or frustrated, but it was matter-of-fact, “Duh, I wouldn’t have said it if you weren’t doing it.” When the teacher corrects us, weContinue reading “The Ego’s Defense”

There are a lot of gyms out there.  I think there are even some martial arts that market themselves as a sort of gym.  A gym is where there are weights and equipment that any member can use as long as that member puts them back.  There are even some gyms that have people toContinue reading “Paying Dues and Paying Attention”

Movies are so wonderful.  They provide us with an opportunity to indulge our imaginations and see what may be possible in reality.  They are not reality, though.  It is common for me to see people hold a sword or bokken and they are busy playing out a fantasy in their minds.  I suppose this typeContinue reading “Fantasy and Reality”

I have kept my opinion and perspective out of Furuya Sensei’s posts purposefully.  I have edited some of the misspelled words due to his frantic typing as opposed to his lack of skill, and I have edited out some unrelated responses to people who wrote to him and to whom he addressed specifically. There areContinue reading “Reflection on Furuya Sensei’s Posts”

In order to be good at anything, one must do that thing. Malcolm Gladwell has supported and promoted the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to master something. The concept has come under fire and the research has been questioned, but we can only become good at something by doing it. As a rule, theContinue reading “A Piece of Rice Paper”