Sutmei is comprised of two Kanji characters, and the dictionary definition is described below:
Su(teru)- to throw away, abandon, discard, or to cast aside.
Mi- ones own body, meat, flesh, ones social standing, or ones own position.
To reach the summit of our selves is the goal of Traditional Karate. The physical movements of Traditional Karate’s training, aids in the development of the bodies muscles and joints. This the first step of creating the body to become a weapon, that can deliver “Ichigeki Hisatsu” or “one technique to destroy our opponent“. Through this arduous journey our charachter is polished through the dedication, commitment, and sacrifice of our plight.
This blog entry (and the subsequent one to follow) is dedicated to describing how Sutemi is a required personality trait for someone that dedicates themselves to the perfection of Karate. Japan’s feudal warrior the Samurai, were constantly in the environment of dealing with their own certain death, in the service of their lord’s. During Shinken Shobu (“A fight to the death with a live blade” / see the May 13th, 2009 blog post), the Samurai had the unwavering mindset to “sacrifice” their own body so they would have the possibility to cut down their opponent. This “Sutemi” mindset is what defines a Traditional Martial Artist, and is only possible through the correct training. Few may be able to relate to the mindset of the Samurai, so another possible scenario is: A parent that without hesitation throws themselves into the path of an oncoming car, to protect their child from a certain death. This is the Sutemi mentality.
In the May 13th, 2009 blog posting I stated that the use of use of protective equipment in tournaments and Dojo training will not develop the “mentality” of the practitioner. Fear of injury often dominates and cripples the mind of the Traditional Karate practitioner. If we attack with this fear in our mind, we have already defeated ourselves. Creating the “risk free” training environment is popular and inevitably fiscally rewarding for studio’s that teach Modern Karate. The use of protective equipment eliminates the possibility of injury, with the consequence of the practitioner not having to face, and ultimately overcome themselves. Facing our true self, and working hard to overcome the weaknesses we discover will have many benefits beyond self defense.
Doryoku,
Scott
