The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts, by Issai Chozanshi, is a fine example of Samurai literature. The book sets itself apart from other such works of the era, by offering no thoughts on combative techniques or strategies. Instead, it attempts to convey the importance of spirit in the Martial Arts, the importance of the mind and spirit.
The advice provided in the book is given by the Tengu, mythical winged beasts in Japanese folklore. While terrible in appearance and conduct, it was also said that the Tengu held the highest secrets of the Martial Arts and swordsmanship. These shape-shifters often took the form of big birds, with beaked faces, feathered wings and heavy talons, and their human form often had long noses; indicating both an avian heritage and an addiction to arrogance (Long Nose). Seeing as how the Tengu are the givers of the sermons in the book, it provides for playful dialogue filled with analogies, metaphors, and misleading dialogue. The book can be a chore to get through if you are looking for an easy read, but well worth it for those who wish to study.
As mentioned, the book provides no thoughts on techniques. Rather, the reader is advised on the importance of mind and spirit. He is not to be distracted by efficacy of technique, or any supposed superiority of one school over another. While technique certainly has its place, and it is often those who are left for dead that never focused on it, the book does bring about important concepts.
As my one instructor would say, and I could not agree more, tales abound of the Martial Artist that gets beaten up in the streets. I have personally encountered many such stories, and while these Martial Artists are often those who train with complete co-operation, no conditioning, unrealistic drilling, and no sparring, they are often those who lack in another area...
They neglect to train the spirit of combat, and the mind of combat. Such training does not mean sitting in meditation and opening useless chakras, it means training with intention and spirit. It means training with Zanshin, Isshin, Fudoshin, and Mushin.
When we train in the dojo with intensity of spirit and focus of mind, we learn how to exude combative spirit. We learn how to display the "I am going to fuck you up" spirit and look. Trained Martial Artists often lose in the streets because they do not train with intensity, the kind of spiritual, mental, and emotional intensity one finds in a combative scenerio. If you face an opponent with less technique, but greater spirit and drive and intention, regardless of your technique, you can lose. You can know all the technique in the world, but if you are not mentally prepared, and face a less talented yet mentally prepared opponent, your time is numbered. Thugs, gang bangers, criminals, they can all be difficult adversaries because they exude spirit to fight and mental hardening, and that can be intimidating. Intimidation in combat means you forget your techniques, and resort to wild movements. Train with intensity and hardness so that nothing intimidates you, because you have "seen it all before." Such an outlook will prepare you to be at your best, technique wise, in combat.
Defeat them with technique, but land the initial blow by showcasing your spirit to fight, which if you train it properly, will trump theirs.
The Demon's Sermon On The Martial Arts reminds us of such important things.
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