On first appearance, and to the beginner or the uninitiated, Shinseido looks like a martial art similar to that known as 'Karate'. However, such a description would be inadequate and possibly misleading.

A martial art, by its very nature, involves militaristics and the tactics and strategies of warfare. Warfare traditionally involves hand to hand combat in which two opposing antagonists struggle for victory, one over the other. The practical aspects of Shinseido do not involve militaristics but sell-defence, self-preservation or self-protection techniques. Military style combat strategies and self-defence strategies are fundamentally and importantly different in approach and nature. Martial practices, in a purist sense, involve, even if in part, strategies for attacking, for initiating hostilities against a potential or imminent attacker. We have all heard of one of the best martial strategies, "Do unto him that he would do unto you, but do it first !" This aspect forms no part of Shinseido thinking, the concept does not and cannot exist in the Shinseido manner of approaching conflict, neither is it condoned by law. Self-defence however, presumes an aggressor and an intended victim who does not want to be a part of the conflict. Any involvement on the part of the intended victim is for the purpose of not being involved and of retreating and escaping. Some observers have said Shinseido is a martial art because one of the principal progenitors of the Shinseido forms, Machimura Bucho (Matsumura Sokon), called his art 'Bu' 'martial' in his 'Bucho Ikko'. This does not mean that a Shinseido practitioner is practising a martial art, even if Shinseido makes use of the Bucho's forms as a base for its practice. The usage of the forms, not the forms themselves, will make the martial art or the self-defence according to the practitioner's aims or wishes.

There are those who would have it that I am splitting hairs and that I am playing with semantics. I do not think so. I think it is fundamentally important to demonstrate that intended aggression and militaristics are things furthest from my mind when I am engaged in my art. Rather! surprisingly and inconceivably for some, Shinseido is personified by a quality or state I prefer to think of as "unconditional love". My art, more than any other aspect of my life, has provided me with an understanding of the old maxim, 'we are members one of another', not just the human race, but all living things, and this is something that occupies my mind a great deal.

One martial artist I know denotes 'martial' as meaning chivalrous - i.e. valour with courage, exemplifying honour and integrity; having compassion for the weak or persecuted and showing courtesy with consideration toward others, especially to the less skilled or meek. The English meaning of 'chivalrous' is 'Of belonging to, or characteristic of the ideal knight; possessing all the virtues attributed to the Age of Chivalry; characterised by pure and noble gallantry, honour, courtesy, and disinterested devotion to the cause of the weak or oppressed. This is all fine and good, however it does not change the fundamental reality that 'martial' is primarily to do with militaristics. The chivalrous aspects were born of militaristics, if chivalry is what we mean, then we should say 'chivalry' and not 'martial'.

As for the term 'Karate', this was a term coined by one or two practitioners of Tuti during the latter part of the nineteenth Century. The kanji for the term meant 'Tang shou' or Chinese hand. When the term 'karate' was formally adopted in 1936 the kanji was changed to mean 'empty hand'. The principles for my self-defence art are drawn from a period predating the usage of the term 'Karate' meaning T'ang hand or 'karate' meaning empty hand. The terms used previously included Tuti (Luchu hogan for Chinese or T'ang hand), Ti (Luchu hogan for hand - i.e. hand boxing) and Suidi (Luchu hogan for the boxing of Sui). As the term 'karate' was adopted after significant aspects in the old art had changed I do not think it is correct to use the term to describe Shinseido even though a Shinseido practitioner very often feels compelled to do so as a matter of convenience.

That Shinseido makes use of weapons has led yet others to conclude that Shinseido is a martial art. However, this denotes a fundamental misunderstanding of the word 'weapon' - for weapon means 'an instrument of any kind used to overcome an assailant or enemy'. This therefore includes parts of one's own anatomy and implements intended for use other than for that of combat or self-defence. The use of some weapons, namely katana (sword) and yari (spear) are based in old martial arts and have none other than martial applications. However, the weapons that are worked within Shinseido were not derived from formal martial arts or martial arts training. Such weapons as bo (staff), tonfa (grinder handle or side handle baton), nunchaku (flails) and kama (sickle), I contend, are derived from their usage by the non warrior classes in agriculture and as a means of self defence. Other weapons such as the sai (trident truncheon) (and possibly tonfa) are derived from law enforcement usage and again, not from formal military usage. Machimura Bucho is known to have worked katana, bo, sai, tessen (fan) and kiseru (smoking pipe). We do not know of any other weapons that he practised or taught. As a bodyguard to the kings of Luchu he worked the militaristic katana, the law enforcer's sai and other utilitarian devices of self-defence. The usage of weapons is not taught within Shinseido in the same manner as the empty hand techniques. With the exception of the abumi or short five and a half inch stick, the weapons forms are used as a means of strengthening the musculature and developing fluidity of movement. It is unlikely (but not impossible) that Shinseido students will develop any great skill in weapons combat usage unless they take pains and the trouble so to do. In part this will always be because of the enormous investment of time needed for this purpose. For the practical person, the preference may be to develop skills that he or she might use now, today, in one's own self-defence. It is sometimes argued that the likelihood of laying one's hands on a pair of sai or on a six foot staff if attacked is sufficiently low to make training in such practice rather pointless from a practical viewpoint. Other practitioners recognise the value of preserving ancient weapons forms and enjoy working them for themselves almost in the manner of a dance, and in much the same as such forms are often practised on Okinawa today in village festivals and the like.

My own feelings are that to use the term 'martial art' is, in a way, to denigrate the very reason and purpose of my practice, which, in practical terms is to understand and control in as passive and caring a way as possible, any aggression shown towards me. Such practise also alleviates tensions (and therefore aggression) within its practitioners.

Shinseido represents, as do many other widely varying disciplines, that philosophy that arms us at all points, yet better still, allows us to live un-armoured. We as a race are so good at managing our material affairs, yet remain totally inadequate in the handling of our feelings and relationships one with another. One is tempted to suppose this inadequacy must be bringing our civilisation to the verge of breakdown. It is easier to split the atom than it is to join man to man in unconditional love.

Here we are brought right back to the moral so well known yet so little pursued that civilisation is breaking on our ignorance of it - that 'we are members one of another'.