Back In Japan

Last updated on: May 1, 2017 at 3:46 am by Tom Swiss

Back In Japan 2017-05-01T03:46:19-04:00 Tom Swiss

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’m back in Japan for the 25th anniversary celebration of the first branch of our karate school here. (Our school itself is 40 years old, with its headquarters is in New York — there’s a bunch of martial arts politics involved, which I won’t go into here.)

This is my sixth time in Japan, and I’ve spent about four and a half months here total over the years.

The first time I came was 2002. I was ready for change; earlier that year I had gotten out of a brief but very unhealthy romantic relationship, which really unsettled me; and I was having doubts about my professional life, whether I would eventually age of the software field as my father had, or whether everything was going to be outsourced to India. By the fall I was thinking about going back to school, the Baltimore School of Massage’s Shiatsu and Asian Bodywork program, but I was unsure.

Then I got a note from my friends Robin and Eric, who had moved to Kobe to teach English that summer. They invited me to visit over the New Year’s holiday.

Well. Here I was trying make up my mind about going to study a Japanese healing art, and along comes an invitation to visit Japan. I don’t believe in anything as unsubtle as direct divine intervention, but, in terms of signs from the Universe, that was a pretty big one. I bought my plane tickets, and signed up for the shiatsu program that would start a few months later.

We day tripped most every day: Kyoto, Himeiji, Osaka, Nara. Robin and Eric hadn’t had the chance to be touristy yet, all work since they arrived, so it was a revelation for them too.

To see the giant Daibutsu statue in Nara during the New Year’s festival — I knew in that moment that things would never be the same for me. And Nara also gave me Shin-Yukushi-Ji, the “new” temple of the Medicine Buddha (“new” here being relative, in a city that’s 3,000 years old). It’s a small temple but a cultural treasure. It’s Medicine Buddha statue is accompanied by statues of the “12 Generals Who Drive Out Disease”, wrathful deities of healing who immediately appealed to me as a martial artists about to stat training in a healing art.

I’ve returned to that temple a few times since, most recently in 2012 shortly after the near death of my friend Ian Hesford, to give thanks for his survival. I will return on this trip to give thanks for the survival of my mother after her near death, and for my father’s recovery from his own recent serious health challenges.

But first, we had a karate tournament yesterday, where I acted as a judge. The competition wasn’t open to senior black belts, or I would have done my kata and fought my fight — if you’re going to fly to the other side of the world, go all the way. But it was the first time I acted as center ring judge during sparring competition — not to bore you with details of how karate competitions work, but just to note that I got to do something new to my practice under pretty cool circumstances.

And on Wednesday, I will be participating in a demonstration at the Grand Festival at the Hida-ichinomiya Minashi-jinja Shinto shrine in Takayama, an event that happens only once every 57 years. I’ll be doing a form with only nine other people, also pretty darn cool.

And so I’ll get a little time in here with both Shinto and Buddhist deities.

Always Roaming With A Hungry Heart

My Blogging Life and Times

Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Jinja

Japan

karate

Shin Yakushi Ji

Previous Post

May 1, 2017

Omedeto Rainbow (52 Make-up Week 17)

Next Post

May 3, 2017 Punching At The Shrine, Partying At The Temple

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2017 52 Makeup 2020 52 Makeup Always Roaming With A Hungry Heart Art Because I Could Not Stop For Death Caught On Video COVID-19 Culture Discordianism Ethics, Virtue, and Right Living History Magic(k), Ritual, and Mysticism My Blogging Life and Times Philosophy Podcast Poetry Random Wednesdays Religion & Politics Seasonal Musings Techno-Pagan Theology Uncategorized Warrior Path Zen

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 September 2024 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 December 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 June 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian festival begins with Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Epiphany Pentecost Lent Advent