These slides are from a presentation to the 2012-2013 cohort of EDUC70500: Social Theories of Learning in Research and Practice. The session aimed to explore using Communities of Practice theory as a tool for examining the classical martial system which is the subject of my PhD research. More information about my work can be found here: http://lucubrat.wordpress.com.
3. Characteristics of teaching and
learning traditional pursuits in Japan
1. Copying the model
2. Discipline
3. Master-disciple relations
4. Secrets, stages, and the hierarchy of study
5. Established lineages
6. Non-verbal communication
7. Art as a spiritual quest (DeCoker, 1998)
4. What is a koryu bujutsu?
• Pre-Meiji Restoration
• Documented lineage
• System is passed from teacher to student
• Few members
• Secretive
• Do not compete
• Traditional training methods
• Recognised as koryu by other koryu
5. 竹内流備中伝 (TRB)
• Founded in 1532
• Comprehensive system
• Known for kogusoku and bo
• Forerunner of Judo
10. • Aims: to contribute to research on the martial arts; the
anthropology of Japanese cultural and leisure pursuits;
and pedagogical approaches to self-development.
• Research questions:
• What does a koryu offer participants in comparison to
modern martial arts and other leisure activities and
what does this tell us about the role of martial arts in
contemporary Japanese culture?
• How can an ethnographic approach to researching a
koryu contribute to discourses on selfhood, identity and
gender?
• How does the pedagogical approach in TRB relate to
other forms of education, both formal and outside
academic institutions?
11. • Aims: to contribute to research on the martial arts; the
anthropology of Japanese cultural and leisure pursuits;
and pedagogical approaches to self-development.
• Research questions:
• What does a koryu offer participants in comparison to
modern martial arts and other leisure activities and
what does this tell us about the role of martial arts in
contemporary Japanese culture?
• How can an ethnographic approach to researching a
koryu contribute to discourses on selfhood, identity and
gender?
• How does the pedagogical approach in TRB relate to
other forms of education, both formal and outside
academic institutions?
12. • How do participants’ trajectories through
the CoP have an impact on their lives?
• What can focussing on the idea of ‘learning
as becoming’ tell us about how
participation in the CoP changes people?
• How and why have long term practitioners
succeeded in making the transition from
shoshinsha (‘beginner’) to shihan (‘teacher’)?
14. Progress so far...
• Participant observation
• TRB does have an impact
• Organisation, what happens, how it’s taught,
events... (thick description)
• CoP is a useful tool
• Draft interview questions
15. Where to
start?
kihon - kata - embu
hidden meanings
mae
naka
oku
LPP built into
the process
always learning
something new
generations
effort
pain
physicality
doing things together
teacher - student
relationships
senior - junior
16. Where to
start?
kihon - kata - embu
hidden meanings
mae
naka
oku
LPP built into
the process
always learning
something new
generations
effort
pain
physicality
doing things together
teacher - student
relationships
senior - junior
17. Thoughts...
• CoP - individual interaction
• How the CoP works and the nature of the
shared enterprise
18. What could I ask people which
might help to answer this question?
• What is it about TRB that leads to
transformation of the individual to the
extent that it has an impact on the rest of
their lives?
The term koryu bujutsu ( 古流武術） literally translates as 'old style' or 'old school' martial techniques and is used to refer to the classical martial traditions of Japan established before the modern era. Over 700 koryu have been identified (Friday, 1997) of which the Japan Kobudo Association lists 78 extant member koryu (Nippon Budokan, n d). However, despite the prevalence of martial arts in popular culture, film and television, most (if not all) of these are unfamiliar to people outside the koryu world, even in Japan. A further feature is the prevalence of lineages. For someone to say they are a member of xx ryu, they should be able to state who their teacher is, their teacher ’ s teacher and so on back to the founding of the ryu . Many ryuha are passed down through a family line, such as xxx or xxx. Why secretive?
