Most kendoka have heard the term sutemi. Whilst usually translated as sacrifice, the literal meaning is “throw away the seed”. The concept refers to a poem describing a horse chestnut in a fast moving stream. If left whole, it would sink. If the kernel is abandoned, the husk would float with the current. In kendo, sutemi means committing yourself one hundred per cent to an attack without fearing the consequences.
Shishin on the other hand is the state where the mind is preoccupied or dwells on a particular aspect of your or your opponent’s kendo, which makes it impossible for the body to move freely. No prizes for guessing that sutemi is regarded as a desirable element in kendo and shishin is not.
Correct tobikomi men is a practical illustration of sutemi. We enter our opponent’s distance and launch ourselves forward with full spirit and no thought other than hitting men. If our opponent moves away or counters, it doesn’t matter. Once you start a technique you should complete it with all your energy.
In uchikomi-geiko or kakari-geiko it is easy to take this do or die attitude, in shiai or jigeiko it is more difficult. Very often we worry about our opponent’s reaction to our attack. For some people this causes a general fear of attacking. For others, it results in them stopping mid-technique rather than giving away the point. This “stopping” is my pet hate in keiko. Not only does it strangle many potentially successful shikake waza at birth, but it also robs the stoppers opponent of the opportunity to practise oji-waza.
Many people take the view that shiai is about not losing, but surely the reason for taking part is to win. It could be argued that both equate to the same thing, but the mind-set of winning is about courageously exploiting any opportunity with all your mental and physical power.
In keiko we talk about utte-hansei, utarete-kansya (reflection on how we made a successful strike and gratitude for being hit). This does not mean that we are masochists, but that we learn as much from our opponent’s success as we do from our own.
Of course we do not start any keiko with the intention of being hit. Our objective is to strike first or to break our opponents attack with a successful counter attack, but we can only do this if we have an attacking spirit from the outset
Geoff, usually the Mi of suteMI is used to mean ‘(human) body’ and comes originally from Buddhism. It refers to giving your (physical) self up in order to save others. Examples include self-immolation and fasting.
Kendo-wise I’m pretty sure the usage we have for it nowadays is from itto-ryu (the poem you mention above probably), and it refers to the mental state you arrive at when you abandon worrying about saving yourself when in combat.
MI can also refer to the edible portions of nuts/seeds and fruits.
Hope this helps!
– George
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Hi Geoff, this is my first time writing in your Blog. Therefore first of all I would like to thank you for your great articles !! Many of my Kendo related questions are answered by those and new thoughts and terms were added to my little Kendo knowledge.
Basically I understand the principle of Sutemi. But whenever this topic comes up I ask myself how Sutemi connects to Renzoku-waza. Might not be one of the most important Kendo questions…. but it would be great if you (or some other reader) could help me on that thought (if you consider it being worth thinking about…) Thanks a lot !
Michael
Michael, thanks for the kind words! Actually your question about how sutemi applies to renzoku waza is quite thought provoking. In my personal view, there is no reason why every element of renzoku waza should not be done in full spirit. Take kote – men for example. If you strike kote successfully there is no reason to attack men, so you should concentrate 100% on kote and only if you are not successful follow up by attacking men. The prerequisite is good enough balance and posture to stop on the spot with good zanshin and kiai after any single attack in the renzoku sequence. All the component parts should be done with a feeling of sutemi.
Geoff, thank you very much for answering my question right away !!
My basic understanding of Sutemi was wrong… I had a picture of doing a waza + “flying” through your partner is all part of Sutemi. But if I get it right, you strike with a “Sutemi-spirit” followed by a “Zanshin-Spirit”. Thank you very much for explaining!! It´s true… one of the most important things in Kendo is: to have a good teacher
Thank you for this post. It’s timing is somehow perfect. One of my kendo weaknesses is doubt, and this Saturday I attempted to get more sutemi spirit into my cuts. I found it quite liberating to care less and throw myself into every cut, however one sensei felt my kendo was too intense. I guess this is a balance we have to learn.
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