[Bujutsu Talk] Tamotsu Miyahira and Togo Ishii chat freely over a glass of wine!

0:03 Togo Ishii and Tamotsu Miyahira are drinking wine together!

0:07 This is actually a scene from the Blu-ray box set “Crossroad Evolution.”

0:13 There are also scenes of Togo Ishii's intense training at the gym, his instruction of his disciples,

0:17 and his experiences at the Miyahira dojo.

0:21 Plus, there's plenty of footage of Aikido master Ryuji Shirakawa.

0:28 From this highly satisfying Blu-ray box set, we'll show you a little bit of the wine talk today!

0:36 Thank you for coming here after the shoot.

0:39 This is the first time Kuro-obi World has done an interview over wine, isn't it?-Yes.

0:46 Let's start with a toast!

0:59 Wine suits you well, Miyahira sensei.

1:09 You don't usually drink at home, do you?

1:11 No, I don't.

1:12 He said he doesn't drink because he finishes teaching at the dojo late at night every day.

1:25 I also often finish practice late at night and get home around 1 a.m., so I don’t usually go out drinking.

1:32 But today, I want to drink plenty of wine and have an honest conversation with Miyahira sensei.

1:40 Feel free to ask him anything you couldn’t ask during the shoot.

1:46 Go ahead and drink up.

1:49 Let’s drink!

1:58 Last year, I visited your dojo and participated in the evening practice, but it started pretty late, didn’t it?

2:10 Yes, it was 10 pm.

2:12 The practice starts at 10 pm?

2:15 Yes, because it's Okinawa.

2:18 Is that “Okinawa time”?

2:20 It starts at 10 pm because it is after the class that starts at 8 pm.

2:33 That means it ends at 12 pm.

2:36 I was talking with you after practice, so I left the dojo at 1am.

2:46 I was surprised that Miyahira-sensei usually has such a late schedule.

2:54 Yes, sometimes I talk with the students after practice.

3:01 I really liked the atmosphere of the dojo at that time.

3:12 Thank you.

3:13 It was fun.

3:14 It's not very formal, and after practice, we sometimes talk about the practice content or various other things in a natural atmosphere.

3:28 There are no set rules.

3:29 That's nice.

3:32 Some days, everyone leaves right after practice ends.

3:35 It depends on the day.

3:37 Do you stay at the dojo until the end?

3:40 Sometimes I do, and sometimes I leave earlier.

3:43 When I sense that the atmosphere at the dojo is such that the students might start talking and sharing insights,

3:52 I feel it's better for me to leave.

3:57 You can sense that from the atmosphere?

3:59 Sometimes I feel that my presence makes it harder for everyone to talk.

4:03 There might be topics they find hard to talk about when you're there.

4:09 Today, during the break in filming, I saw Miyahira sensei's students talking with my students,

4:21 and I got the impression that many of them are very curious about martial arts.

4:34 Practice was starting here and there.

4:37 Seeing everyone enjoying the scene together made me feel that they have a really good relationship.

4:45 I felt that it was great to be able to sense the atmosphere of the dojo in that small scene during the break.

4:57 Thank you.

4:58 I felt that it was a wonderful dojo.

5:00 Basically, your dojo doesn't have any practice for competitive matches, right? -No.

5:03 We don't have practice for matches either, but each student consults with each other about their own challenges and practices.

5:16 So there's no one right answer.

5:18 It's impossible to say that we've finished all the necessary practice for today.

5:21 That's what makes it interesting.

5:23 Even though there's no competition as a goal, you keep pursuing it.

5:31 That's right.

5:32 People often ask me, “Why can you keep practicing for so many years without a specific, clear goal like a competition?”

5:50 I understand how you feel.

5:52 From a short-term perspective, I can understand how having a competitive goal can be very motivating.

6:03 But in our case, although it may seem like there is no goal, in the end, everyone has a goal.

6:07 That's right.

6:08 It's a little vague, but I think everyone wants to master this art.

6:15 So, I think it's just a difference in where you set your goals.

6:21 At our dojo, the younger members watch the older members practice,

6:29 and it naturally becomes clear that our goal is not to compete.

6:35 It's wonderful that new members grow up watching their seniors.

6:47 I'm sure it's the same at Ishii sensei's dojo.

6:51 Yes, that's right.

6:52 The goal is not to compete.

6:54 Martial arts are unique in terms of motivation.

6:59 Actually, I don't often feel a sense of satisfaction from a day's practice.

7:08 This might be common among martial artists.

7:14 I don't get that fitness-like sense of clarity; I'm always feeling like I'm struggling.

7:22 There's always a challenge within me, and I just keep practicing day after day to overcome it.

7:33 I don't really feel like my mood improves when I come to the dojo.

7:38 It's not fitness, after all.

7:39 No.

7:40 Challenges keep arising constantly.

7:42 Once you solve one, you have to climb the next step.

7:47 Did you also come this far in the same way?

7:49 Yes, I think I've continued in that way.

7:51 Of course, there is no goal.

7:56 We don't have a goal.

8:03 Seeking a goal and not seeking a goal.

8:12 I think that the goals people pursue in martial arts vary from person to person,

8:18 but I really hope that people can enjoy martial arts within their own values.

8:28 The fact that I don't set goals for myself isn't because I've decided to be strict with myself and not create goals.

8:39 The truth is, I find what I'm doing interesting.

8:41 That's right!

8:42 It's fun, so...

8:45 I see you feel the same way.

8:48 Do you still find it fun?

8:49 Yes, I do.

8:52 So, not setting goals isn't because I'm strict with myself.

8:57 No, you seem like a strict person.

8:59 I'm just doing it because it's interesting.

9:02 As a result, others will see you as someone who is strict with yourself.

9:05 I've never thought of it that way.

9:07 But today, when I saw Miyahira-sensei's training equipment and saw how worn out it was,

9:16 I was happy to think that you practice like this every day.

9:21 Thinking that even such a master practices like this every day really made me feel positive.

9:40 Who am I doing this for?

9:41 For myself, of course.