むすび大学
Musubi Daigaku

Suriashi & Co.

Musubi University

is a channel on YouTube in Japanese that is aimed at Japanese people or those who understand Japanese. It has more than half a million subscribers. “Musubi” here means “bringing everything together.”
The slogan of Musubi University is 日本をかっこよく。 Loosely translated: Let's make Japan cool again! The channel's own description is:

“Musubi University” is something Japanese people should study now.
This is an educational channel for acquiring true knowledge.
From history, philosophy, religion, literature, politics, economics to technology and other topics. With the spirit of “Musubi” that Japan is proud of.
Our goal is to create a new culture by reconciling lessons from the past and present, from East and West.
Learn about the connections between all academic fields from highly qualified people. An intellectual highlight! An experience for you.
In the following video from Musubi University from March 2024, the KYOGEN master Shigeyama Sensaburo is interviewed.
The main theme is the disappearance of the original Japanese culture. As a result, the social and health benefits of traditional habits are lost. Good physical exercise forms are the basis for a healthy lifestyle. It's specifically about walking, which may also be interesting for Aikidoka.

Suriashi & Co.

80年前の日本人の歩き方は全然違った
When walking, the Japanese put their legs and arms forward on the same side of the body. Westerners, on the other hand, put their feet and swing their arms in the style of “gyakute 逆手”. Shigeyama Sensei strongly advocates the Japanese style. Apparently the Japanese runners ran long distances in this way and did not waste any energy.
The Japanese did not place their feet with the heel. Because they wore Zori sandals, they shuffled or slid across the floor. This is called Suriashi (すり足) and is said to result in a better connection between heaven, human being and earth.
Even breathing was better. Japanese breathed into their lower abdomen, down to the tanden (丹田).
The benefits of “Japanese yoga” are also mentioned. We know it from Tohei Sensei, who learned it from the founder Nakamura Tenpu.
The video complains that schools in Japan rely too much on memorization. This will be useless in the future as AI (Artificial Intelligence) will carry out the knowledge-based activities.
Instead of sitting in a chair and staring at the smartphone screen, viewers are invited to practice some of the Japanese movements presented.
The video lasts 28 minutes. The Japanese text is not always easy to understand, also because the interview is conducted in a somewhat conversational tone.

Style of Walking 歩き方

In the 2004 film "隠し剣 鬼の爪 Kakushi Ken Oni no Tsume (Hidden Blade)" we see an instructor from Edo teaching future officers in the province how to walk or march in the western style.
- “Why should we all walk in step?”
- "So that your soldiers learn to obey and can operate the cannons on command."
In this excerpt, the instructor first demonstrates gyakute walking while standing, but later makes it more Japanese as he swings his arms forward on the same side on which he walks forward with his leg.
By the way, long-distance runners tend to rest their hands at hip height, while short-distance runners swing their arms strongly.

Planting rice

In the 1949 film "Riso Amaro" we see rice planters, the so-called Mondine. In this scene, exploitation at work is discussed in a song. Shigeyama Sensei shows in the Musubi video at minute 11:20 how the Japanese planted rice. He has his right foot in front and brings his right hand forward to the front of his foot to place the plant. In the film, however, the Mondines stand in the gyaku position. Left leg in front, left arm supported on thigh, bundle of rice plants in left hand. Then they take a plant with their right hand and plant it.

Kyogen

Kyōgen (Japanese 狂言, literally: “crazy words; wild language”) is a form of traditional Japanese theater. It developed together with Noh theater from Sarugaku (猿楽) and was performed as a kind of cheerful interlude between the acts of Nō. It has retained its close relationship with Nō to this day. This is why it is sometimes referred to as Nō-Kyōgen. However, its content is not at all similar to the formal, symbolic and serious Noh theater. With a few exceptions, Kyōgen is a comedian form. Its main goal is to make the audience smile. Kyōgen and Nō were jointly included in the UNESCO list of masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity in 2001 under the collective name Nōgaku.

Bō Shibari

The video clip shows an excerpt from a Kyogen play about two unfaithful servants, performance from 2022. Taro and Jiro always steal sake and drink it when their master is not at home. The desperate master ties one's arms to a stick (Bo) and ties the other's hands behind his back. Then he pretends to leave the house. Despite the restrictions, the two of them help themselves to sake again. The master appears on the scene again and catches the two, who are, still tied up, dancing, singing and celebrating.
The entire piece, which is 28 minutes long, can be found on YT.

The Hata Clan 秦氏

At minute 06:30, Shigeyama Sensei mentions the Hata Clan. This clan has an interesting story. It probably came to Japan from China via Korea. It brought a lot of knowledge to Japan and had a great influence on the economy, politics and culture in Japan.
There are theories that the Hata clan was one of the lost tribes of Israel. DNA comparisons show that this theory is very unlikely. However, it enjoys a certain popularity on the Internet. The entire 11-minute video can be found on YT.

Jomon period 14,000 to 300 BC BC

The Jōmon period (縄文時代, jōmon jidai) are different periods of Japan's prehistory when it was inhabited by hunter-fisher-collectors who began to settle down. Ceramic finds with striking patterns gave the cultural era its name. Jomon = cord pattern, analogous to the German term "Schnurkeramik".

Heian period 794–1185

In the Heian period (平安時代, Heian-jidai), Japanese culture, art and customs were brought to extraordinary refinement at the Heian court. The Heian period is considered the classic period of Japanese literature, which was particularly cultivated by court ladies.

Kamakura period 1185/1187–1333

The Kamakura period (鎌倉時代, Kamakura jidai) took its name from the Shogun's former seat of government in Kamakura. It marks the rise of the warrior nobility over the court nobility in Kyoto, which still dominated in the Heian period.

Muromachi period 1336–1573

The Muromachi Period (室町時代, Muromachi jidai) overlaps with the Warring States Period from 1477, a state of war without central order that lasted almost 100 years, at the end of which the last Ashikaga Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki was deposed in 1573. The Muromachi period is named after the Muromachi district in Kyoto. This was the seat of government for the Ashikaga.

Edo period 1603-1868

In the Edo period (江戸時代, Edo jidai), the Tokugawa ruled. The time is named after the former name "Edo" of today's Tokyo. It was the longest period of peace in Japanese history, lasting more than 250 years.

Matsuo Bashō

Matsuo Bashō (松尾 芭蕉; * 1644 † November 28, 1694 in Osaka), was a Japanese poet. He is considered an important representative of the Japanese verse form Haiku. Bashō and his students renewed the previously humorously playful Haikai poetry and elevated it to the status of serious literature. Bashō undertook many long hikes and journeys and translated them into literature.

Inō Tadataka

Inō Tadataka (伊能 忠敬, born February 11, 1745 - May 17, 1818 in Edo (now Tokyo)) was a Japanese surveyor and cartographer. He created the first fully measured map of Japan. He determined distances by counting steps, the distance of which he was able to keep constant with his trained precision, regardless of the terrain.

Abeno Seimei

Abe no Seimei (安倍晴明, February 21, 921 AD – October 31, 1005) was an onmyōji, a leading specialist in onmyōdō (spiritual interpretations) in the middle of the Heian period. Seimei worked for emperors and the Heian government and advised on the spiritually correct way to deal with problems. The mystical symbol of the central five-pointed star, called the pentagram in the West, is known as the Seal of Abe no Seimei. This pentagram later became the symbol for the Onmyōryō for the Government Office of Taoist Geomancy and for Onmyōdō itself, as it is associated with the Chinese "Five Elements".

Kojiki

The Kojiki (古事記, “Record of Ancient Events”) describes the mythology and early history of Japan from the mythical Age of the Gods to the time of Empress Suiko. It was written down by a scholar at court around the year 712. At that time it primarily served to legitimize the ruling family. It is not only the first extensive written source in Japan, but also contains the first evidence of the Japanese language (Old Japanese). Although the majority of the text is written in classical Chinese, in some places, especially poetic passages, the characters are not used in their meaning, but rather with their phonetic value to describe the Japanese spoken at the time.

Zeami Motokiyo

Zeami Motokiyo (世阿弥元清, * 1363; † 1443) was an important person in Japanese Noh theater. As a Noh playwright, theorist and actor, he appeared already before the Shōgun Yoshimitsu as a teenager. He promoted various art forms in Japan during the Muromachi period. Together with his father Kan’ami, he created numerous Noh pieces that are still valued today. He developed the ritual cult game into an entertainment game for the aristocratic warrior caste. Later Shōguns banned Zeami Motokiyo from performing. His work Fūshikaden (風姿花伝), also called Kadensho (花伝書), was considered the textbook of Noh for centuries.