Shibui : the proper complex simplicity in your Karate.

                I came across a word the other day that totally made sense in reference to the ideals of Karate. The word is Shibui and it means Simple, subtle and unobtrusive beauty. It infers quality with economy of form, line and effort. Another way of defining or translating it is Refined Simplicity.

                For something to show Shibui it must be modest, natural, every day, imperfect and silent or not boastful.  Most of the time this is applied to the concepts of art or aesthetics, but this should also define good Karate. Elegance/simplicity, Effortless/ effectiveness and beautiful imperfections. It’s a way of explaining how something so basic can be so beautiful.

                The term came into use during the Muromachi period (1663-1573) as Shibushi, a term used to refer to sour or astringent taste. By the beginning of the Edo period (1615-1868) the term gradually began to refer to a pleasing aesthetic and it became a term used for almost anything, from song to dance. The term is used to refer to anything that is beautiful in a direct and simple way with out being flashy.

                To be Shibui an object or thing must appear to be simple but have depth to them with subtle details and texture that is balanced simplicity with complexity. The balance of simplicity and complexity ensure that the item is never obsolete, and one can constantly find new meaning and beauty that causes the value to grow over the years. It is very complex and walks the line between rough and elegant as well as spontaneous and restrained.

                Shibui is also a feeling of evolving perfection. The thing that is being felt is the life or spirit behind the qualities of any experience. This can be in simple everyday events, like watching the sun set or observing the waves splash against a dock. It’s the simplicity and “matter of fact” existence of something that makes it Shibui.

                Martial artists should strive to practice and bring Shibui to the performance of their techniques. This brings life to the Karate and performance of the Waza.   With great practice the expertise gained from the training causes the performance or repetition of the forms and waza to be naturally beautiful and uncomplicated. This means no one part of the performance stands out from the rest creating a balance of beauty in the performance. The training must make the performance effortless in performance.

                When I think of Shibui I automatically think of Kata from Osaka Sensei or the Kumite of the greats like Tanaka Sensei. They train so hard to make the work effortless, they chip away at the excess movement and they create a natural feel to what they are doing that makes it look effortless and yet beautiful. This is what you should focus on when training, getting to the point that the incredible effort you have put in to learn, refine and perfect form and function seem to create a Waza so every day and effortless in its execution.

                The current trend in Karate is to add so much fluff and glitter to a Kata or to be super fancy in Kumite and it has gone against the idea of Shibui that comes from the Japanese culture. You can still see this in the way that the Japanese perform the martial arts and other art forms however. Watching a true master do a Kata is an act of simplicity unto itself. No added movements, no screeching, just the simple but powerful movements along with the proper attitude and executions. The result is a simple, elegant and straight forwards presentation that shows the true cultural understanding of Shibui.

                For some reason the modern Karate scene, influenced by the “bigger is better” attitude that is so dominant in the west, has affected the presentation of both Kata and kumite in tournaments and in the dojo. Students rush to learn the deadly hook kicks and fancy high kicks, they bounce around like kangaroos and they focus their sparring on movements that “Score more points”, something also influenced by the west. And Kata…. don’t get me started. Modern day Kata is often filled with ego and extra screaming, with adding moves or exaggerated and altered techniques. Kicking the hip level is replaced by head kicking, snap kicking has been replaced with over exaggerated super high kicking and the total lack or loss of rhythm is masked by more screaming and horrible, but impressive, form.

                We have lost our appreciation or understanding of simplicity as an aesthetic. To truly understand the beauty of simplicity you have to watch a master who has perfected simplicity and who has created the cleanest of waza. One should focus on training with the most simple and efficient of movements. It is much better to end a fight with one perfect Ippon style waza than to win a game of tag in which you score more points. My opinion is that people got lazy, they failed to find that perfect form and that beautiful waza so they shifted their prerogative and changed the game.

               

                If training with simplicity or Shibui is hard for you, then you should really focus more on it. As a Karate practitioner we should be focusing on what is hard, not altering the game to make it easier. We should be striving to remove the excess and create the most elegant and simple style that we can, not adding flash to cover up blemishes. Shibui, to some extent, is not just elegant simplicity, it accepting our flaws and moving past them. Using them as a strength and pushing our self to refine even our weak points till they are part of who we are as a martial artist and building up the strengths by making them as simple as possible.