mitesco - judo

The teachings of Jigoro Kano about virtues are the summit of ethics. Whenever he is clear about what he means by moral and intellectual education, it is at this point.

In one respect, moral education must be carried out from the aspect of knowledge. That is to say, it is necessary to know intellectually what is good and what is evil. Its is also necessary to develop the intelligence to distinguish right from wrong in various complex situations. Thus is it necessary to teach the ability to determine good from bad, to discriminate what is right from what is wrong.

In another sense, moral education must be carried out from the aspect of the emotions. Even if you can distinguish right from wrong intellectually, if you are not trained emotionally to like what is good and dislike what is evil, your ability to do good and reject evil will be lacking. So if morals are not cultivated both intellectually and emotionally, good results cannot be achieved.

Furthermore, even if you try to do good and reject evil, if your willpower is weak, the opposite result will often occur. Therefore, training of the will must also be an element of moral education - a weak willpower can result in the inability to do what you know is right, or the inability to prevent doing what you know is wrong.

Its also important not to overlook the element of habit. Even if you intend to do good, if you have not developed the habit of doing so, your best intentions will easily be corrupted. And even the best intentions of rejecting evil can fail if you have not developed the habit of doing so. For that reason, you must endeavor to cultivate good habits, love what is good and reject what is evil on a daily basis.

(Jigoro Kano, Mind over Muscle, p. 68-69)

Kano clarifies the most important points completely.

Moral education and proper action thus depend on:

Knowledge of good and evil
Train and manage emotions (see also in the menu under "selfcontrol")
Training of a strong willpower
Cultivate good habits and continue to do so.

Those good habits, with ease and conviction in practice, are traditionally called 'virtue'.

Morals (dotoku) should always be formed intellectually (chiteki), and with emotions (joteki) and the habit (shukanteki) . (Jigoro Kano, 1927, KJT 5, 387) (Jigoro Kano, 1927, KJT 5, 387)

1. Mora about virtues

A classic definition is:

Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. the virtuous man is he who freely practices the good.

Following the doctrine of virtues according to Jigoro Kano, it is perhaps useful to say something in general about virtues as we know them in the west. Kano knew these teachings very well. The Greek philosopher Plato has given four virtues a very special place. They are also known as "cardinal virtues" (Cardinal = they have a pivotal role.)

Intelligence/prudence - the wisdom that orders everything (goal and means) in the correct way. (See menu 'discipline')
Fortitude - the inner firmness and persistence to act (see menu 'strategy')
Temperance - moderation of desires and emotions (see menu 'selfcontrol')
Justice - every man respecting the rights of each to peace, harmony, freedom, general welfare.

Kano speaks a lot about the first three cardinal virtues, and you will need them in judo practice necessarily. Justice is something else. That is for Kano almost an purpose in itself, a moral way to the jita kyoei. It's not about an individual attitude, but an attitude which concerns the cooperation between people and society. Justice is the absolute standard for good and evil.

Kano connects his ethics about virtues to philosophies of the West (which he knew from his contacts with the Western philosophers). According to Aristotle, a doctrine about virtues is always finalized, in the direction of a purpose. (with a difficult word: teleological). For Kano, that purpose of human life is the jita kyoei, and the perfection of the individual in relation to society and the world. The greatest happiness is when you are a valuable person, someone who was able to do something good for others. The virtue is a way on which the goal is to be reached.

Respect and kindness, fidelity and sincerity, are no doubt the essential points which Judo students should particularly observe. We come by daily training to know that irritability is one of our weakest points, and that we have to try to avoid it in our life, as it facilitates our opponent's efforts to overcome us. Not to be irritated in any emergency, but to always be calm and composed, is one of the first principles of Judo. Prudence, precaution, temperance, perseverance, presence of mind, quick discernment, decision after deliberation, animation with moderation, self-respect, and self-control -- all these are surely moral qualities which are inculcated by the study of Judo. Greatness of mind, obedience to duty and abhorrence of extravagance should be among other points observed with no less attention. As we study and acquire the principles of Judo, we should naturally come to understand how these virtues can be enjoyed and utilized. The main object of Judo lies in this point. It seeks to augment human strength, morality and intellect by human means and efforts. It tends to train young people in the habits and condition conducive to the accomplishment of great undertakings.

T. Shidachi, 1892

to the top

2. Willpower and motivation

For a judoka and each man motivation is important. You can create the most beautiful teachings about ethics or morality, but it brings nothing if the practitioners don't want to live it. Therefore it is not just teaching, but education. Education is more than learning. It is the motivation to a lifestyle. That was, according to Jigoro Kano, what the leading role of the Kodokan (judo) was for.

Today there is much to do about values in education.

Standards are objective. They are a kind of laws, set boundaries. People without the right motivation are looking to cross the borders.
Values are subjective. The importance is, what somebody means himself. People without the right motivation set their valuation standards low and undermine their importance.

That is why training of motivation and willpower is so important. Virtues help with that. Because virtues lead towards a specific goal and because even lazy or egocentric people understand that we are all better off with them, they are able to motivate people. (Yes, this is an ultitilitarian interpretation of virtues!) Virtues are controllable to work with, and bring satisfaction when something good is achieved. Also from the educational element 'effort - reward', they have a specific value.

The justice (jita kyoei) as a purpose for all virtues, organizes the efforts of human beings. It is the standard for good or evil. You can also be very motivated to think about bad goals and means, and apply them it with a lot of courage. That is the motive for criminals who kill fellow people, and terrorists who attack innocent people. But also some judoka's fight in an unfair manner, just wanting to win, even with dirty methods. Highly motivated, but their courage and intellect focus on the wrong subject. Then the objective procedure for the general welfare of human interest remains important, reflected in the principles of jita kyoei. Who intends his virtues on that purpose, is in the true meaning: 'of good will'. So, a good intention is terribly important. Good is not what feels good, but what is standardized by the goal. Something else you shouldn't want.

The motivation for the virtues to reach the goal, must come from within. In the dojo and in life, we do good - not because we are obliged to, but because we recognize that it is by far the best way. And we feel that we will be lucky people, when we are doing so. In this way, the ethics of the virtues (according to Kano) is a real "self-realization", a path, a way of life.

to the top

3. Virtue and seiryoku zenyo

What do the virtues have to do with the principle of seiryoku zenyo? Don't they belong to the jita kyoei?

The answer is: Of course, the virtues have to do with jita kyoei, because they bring that goal closer.

Virtues create order, to achieve the goal. Virtuousness is: man achieves by repeated training a number of basic acts and postures that help him to realize his goal as efficiently as possible. Who lives without virtues, is living without structure or principles. Solid structure and motivation are necessary to be able to work efficiently.

If a company that assembles trucks, for example, would have no clear and structured design, the trucks were not assembled in the right order, which would create a lot of extra work, energy and costs. Acting in accordance with the principle of seiryoku zenyo is helping to assemble efficiently and to build trucks low-cost.
If a judoka implements each 'o soto gari' in a 'new' way, and just swings with his leg as he likes it, one day this way, the other day that way, he will be learning the throw never. That takes a lot of extra energy. Training according to the principles of judo helps him to throw better and it is more efficient while studying.
If a man who is approaching his target works without structure, he repeats himself again and again, so actually he invents the wheel every time. That takes a lot of extra energy. When acting in accordance with principles and virtues, he will achieve his targets more efficiently.

Jigoro Kano shows that if we consistently train judo and practice virtuously, we learn to survive at the tatami and in everyday life with more ease, and we achieve our goal with least possible effort. In this way virtues are part of the teachings on seiryoku zenyo.

The Judo pupil, therefore, must cultivate his mind; he must never feel fear, never lose his temper, never be off his guard; but he must be cool and calm, though not absent-minded; he must act as quick as thought, according to circumstances. He must also be dexterous as well as bold both in attack and in defense.

Sakujiro Yokoyama and Eisuke Oshima

The term 'spiritual' may be interpreted both philosophically and religiously, but the spirit of judo adheres to virtue and morality. Inevitably, the technique conforms to those principles also. The essence of virtue is a well-balanced spirit and form, whereas immorality and dishonesty are forms that are caused by a loss of balance. It can be easily understood that it is normal for the mind, consistent with this principle, to move with lucidity, versatility, and without obstacles. Ju is natural and free, without rigidity or hardness, so it cannot be seized or caught. Therefore, anyone who acts contrary to these principles is not virtuous, and can be easily subdued by someone who is in harmony with ju.

(Kyuzo Mifune, Canon of Judo, p. 22-23)

to the top

click to give your comment

on mitesco

This site is optimized for MS IE7 or Mozilla Firefox 3.x

Resolution1024 X 768