Walking With The Tengu

Today I am going to give you my retelling of a very short story from Issai Chozanshi’s Inaka Soshi. These are parable-like stories not unlike Aesop’s Fables but much more subtle. I’ve taken a little creative license in these retellings, so be aware that they’re not direct translations but hopefully I can retain their intrinsic lessons while also making them fun to listen to. Cicada track from:  ht...

Today we take a look at the difference between titles and honorifics in the Japanese language and how they are used in the Japanese martial arts. Some of these terms include, sensei, senpai, soke, shihan, kyoshi, and hanshi. Special thanks to Grigoris Miliaresis for making sure I had not forgotten how to use the Japanese language. Grigoris is a writer for the Japanese martial arts magazine Gekkan...

Closing out this exploration of martial themes in the Star Wars films, Jaredd Wilson of the Martial Thoughts Podcast and I talk about the prequels. One of the things that seems obvious in retrospect, but I had never noticed before was how closely the story of the Jedi in the prequels parallels the myths of the Shaolin temple. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little foray into martial themes found in the...

Jaredd Wilson of the Martial Thoughts Podcast and I continue our discussion of the martial themes in the Star Wars films with Return of the Jedi. At least for me the Heihou Kadenshou came up repeatedly as I rewatched the film so, if you haven't already, it might help to go back and listen to Episode 35: Through Dragonfly Eyes after this one.

Continuing our conversation on martial themes in the Star Wars films. Jaredd Wilson of the Martial Thoughts Podcast and I tackle Empire Strikes Back. For better or worse this film has influenced and is built off many of the assumptions, preconceived notions, misunderstandings and also truths of the martial arts and their masters. Embodied both in other martial arts films and in our own real life m...

Recently, I got to join Jaredd Wilson of the Martial Thoughts Podcast in a discussion about martial arts themes in film.  Today, we look at Star Wars: A New Hope wherein we discuss a variety of themes ranging from verbal deescalation to the hero's journey as a symbolic theme across many stories and how the Star Wars films were in many ways inspired by the samurai films of the 1950s.

In this episode we take a look at a new translation of the Heiho Kadensho, translated and annotated by Jack Hathway. In it we draw a few lessons about the why, what and how of our training through the eyes of a Yagyu Shinkage-ryu practitioner. Written in the early 17th century for the shogun of Japan. This work is a unique treatise on strategy and philosophy that can be applied on both a personal...

In this episode we look at what ethics is and how it relates to self-defense. We also spend some time talking about how to articulate force, how to define a threat, how to understand scaling force and the intersection of all this with our personal ethic of violence. To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists" PDF go to: wa...

In this episode we rush through an overview of the traditional philosophical division known as metaphysics wherein we attempt to answer the question: What is real? We then think about some basic questions on how to apply this field to our martial arts. To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists" PDF go to: walkingtengu.wix...

In this introductory episode we look at one of the three traditional divisions of philosophy. Epistemology, which is the study of knowledge. How do we know anything and how can we trust that what we know is accurate. A very important question for anyone studying the martial arts. To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists"...

In this introductory episode we look at a classic allegory used to teach philosophical principles. We then take a stab at interpreting it through the lens of martial arts training. To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists" PDF go to: walkingtengu.wix.com/tengu and scroll to the bottom to enter your email.

In this episode we build off the foundations of the last two episodes about the Greeks and take a detailed look at the Battle of Thermopylae (as well as a battle that comes afterwards) as a lens into the classical Greek views of which was more important. Displaying bravery or obeying orders. We then take a look at how to apply this in our own daily martial arts practice. To sign up for new episode...

Today we look at the question "What is courage?" through the lens of the Greek hoplite. We build off what we learned in the last episode about the standards and beliefs rooted in the Homeric epics in Classical Greece. patreon.com/walkingtengu

In our longest episode to date. We turn to a new, perhaps surprising, source for martial philosophy. The Greeks. Specifically Homer's Iliad . Where we explore this idea of "No Man Left Behind."  What makes us care about retrieving the bodies of dead soldiers at significant cost and risk to the still living?  The blurry echoes of these ideas may be found in the shattered remnants of the d...

Today we try to provide a very basic framework by which you can answer this question. As usual I'm not going to tell you an answer but we'll spend a little time talking about how we can think about this problem and come up with a reasonably well-thought out response. You can read today's quote in context here: https://ctext.org/mozi/anti-fatalism-i

We continue looking at the work of Mozi and see that he has some thoughts on how to Get Things Done. Find out how this can apply to your martial practice. Today's selection is from the chapter titled "Self-Cultivation." ( https://ctext.org/mozi/self-cultivation )

In this episode we look at the way of the junzi (君子), the "superior person" according to Mozi. A philosophical opponent to Kongzi (Confucius) who, I think, lends his philosophy well to anyone looking to practice the martial arts.  Our selection today comes from Book 1 "Befriending The Learned" ( https://ctext.org/mozi/befriending-the-learned ). You might also be interested in watching the 2...

In this episode we look at the first few lines of The Analects and find a description of what could be interpreted as traits of an ideal martial arts school. https://walkingtengu.wix.com/tengu 學而時習之，不亦說乎？ 有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？ 人不知而不慍，不亦君子乎？ To learn and then at the appropriate time put into practice what you have learned: Is this not a pleasure? To have associates in stu...

A short chat about what's coming next for the podcast.

In this episode we finish out "The Tengu's Sermon on the Martial Arts" with some examples from then-modern entertainment and close with an overview and recap of how to structure our training and how to not sabotage our efforts.  Support us at:   https://www.patreon.com/walkingtengu   Reference: Benkei and Yoshitsune cross the Ataka Barrier:   https://youtu.be/ySTVrIIf-c0?t=478...

What's the point of talking about philosophy and the martial arts? How could this even be a practical thing for a modern martial artist to engage in? I suggest in this episode that you can take three concrete steps in just about any martial art, that will improve your ability to overcome challenges in life. Website: Walking With The Tengu References: Zhuang Zi: Cook Ding Walking With The Tengu epi...

We get started on the final chapter in the Tengu's sermon where the tengu discuss which weapon is best and give us some pointers on both good posture and how to learn from farmers and laborers.  Support the show at: https://patreon.com/walkingtengu   References:  Issai Chozanshi: "The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts" Ellis Amdur's "Hidden In Plain Sight"

We finish out chapter 3 tying together all these ideas into a coherent end point. We get some insight into why "secret techniques" are both important and don't exist. Support us at: https://patreon.com/walkingtengu

Today the tengu gives us some thoughts on initiative and conditioning.  Support the show at: https://patreon.com/walkingtengu

Some clarification on suigetsu and we visit the word zanshin, a concept that could impact every single real-life potentially combative scenario you will ever face. Support us at:   https://www.patreon.com/walkingtengu