The Lighter Side
Reverence
This is one of my favorite stories. It illustrates how we in the
west sometimes take things too seriously in the martial arts and
at times demand reverence and strict attention to correct detail
when a Japanese teacher might be less stringent.
My friend was in Japan studying with his sensei. One
day before class the sensei told his students that they were to practice
formal
bowing that day – the only time in many months that they
did this.
The day was especially hot and muggy and class was held
in the basement of a large building (tucked away in the bottom of a
large library).
They all lined up to begin class, and the direction in which they
bowed had one of those in-wall air conditioning units (turned on
full blast). As they bowed in the direction of shomen, their Sensei
dramatically intoned, "Mitsubishi no kami sama..." (“God
of Mitsubushi”) -- Mitsubushi referring to the brand of the
air conditioner
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