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 I first learned about Waraku in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., in late February 2003. I happened to be friends with the person who brought Maeda-sensei to California to give a demonstration, and I happened to be in Los Angeles that weekend. A few weeks later, I happened to be moving back to Japan, so I asked my friend if he knew any where in Tokyo that I could study and he told me where the Tokyo branch dojo was.
When I first started taking Waraku, I didn't like to call it a martial art because of what that implied. Several people made cracks about "beating people up with a stick", or things to that effect. I also didn't like to tell people it was a peaceful martial art because that didn't seem to make much sense to me and it still implied at least some sort of violent self-defense, if nothing else. I started calling it Budo in Japanese, as everyone in class did, but we were using Budo in the old sense of the word, not the new one. Eventually I kind of forgot that there was another implication of the word Budo, but still when I would tell people I was doing a Budo, most would take a step back and stare at me wide-eyed and surprised. I was confused as to why they were doing that until I happen to catch a Kendo match on television, or heard someone talking about their Judo practice. I had forgotten that that is what Budo had become and that's the image most people have when I say!
that I study Budo.
I still have trouble explaining Waraku, why its different for me than "martial arts", why I wanted to study so much when I had never really been interested in any other Budo, such as Kendo, Judo, or Karate. For me, the movements felt so natural and beneficial from the beginning. The underlying feeling, what it is I still can't say, was really there, something that I didn't need to explain exactly with words. Even as I continue to study, continue to develop, that core feeling stays the same.
Waraku, in trying to be a true Budo, is not something that can only be read about, it is meant to be done physically as well. To contemplate Waraku then feel the effects on the physical body and be able to use it in everyday life is the only way to truly experience and understand it. This booklet is simply an introduction to Waraku, it really only scratches the surface. I wish I could really communicate the feelings I have gotten from Waraku, but of course there are no words to fully describe them. The only thing I can really say is to try it for your self. |
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