Taikyoku たいきょく

Note

If you somehow made it here, this is relevant for karate. 🥋**

Taiji origins

The origins and etymology originate from Taoism. So for starters is the Wuji 无极. Derived from Wu 无, meaning Nothing or Void, and Ji (Chi) 极 meaning Pole, or Supreme.

Note here that the Ji we're referring to has no relationship to Chi (Qi), which is energy. The Japanese of Wuji is Mukyoku むきょく.

Mukyoku and the Godai

Pole in this case meaning 'the extent of' or the very limits of something. You could think of this as 'without limit', or 'without energy', without motion. Wuji is an expansive and primordial void where there is nothing.

This relates to the Japanese five element system called the Godai ごだい. Specifically the fifth, element of Ku そら (Sora) or Void. Sometimes also derived as Heaven or Sky. From the Wuji we get the Taiji 太极. This is often translated as Tai-Chi. You'd recognise this from a neighbouring martial art, Taijiquan. Or also just referred to as Tai-chi.

Taiji and Martial Arts

Quan here means fist, or technique. Tai meaning ultimate, expansive, or extreme. So you can think of this a bit like the Primordial Energy, or the Ultimate Extent.

Taikyoku is the Japanese word for the Taiji. Then from the Taiji we get the Yin Yang. In Hiragana, referred to as Inyo Onyo いんよう, おんよう.

The Taiji however, before splitting into the Two, is the One. The One is referred to as the 'Ultimate Potential'. It's a primordial energy that we can shape. I've seen the Taiji to the Yin Yang described as the metal a coin is printed on. Whether you land on heads or tails, the coin remains the same.

Seido Interpretation of Taikyoku

In Seido we say Taikyoku means "Take the overview".

If I was talking to the Youth folk, I'd be talking about an exam to study for. But it could really apply to anything. If you fail the exam, there's a bit of Yin, you learn from your mistake. If you pass the exam, there's a bit of Yang, you lose the opportunity cost, you miss out on some potential learnings.

When we talk about taking the overview, it's about seeing the One. The Whole picture, the whole image, rather than focusing on the individual parts. What is our intention when we go to sit an exam? Instead of focusing on all the outcomes, the yin and the yang, instead of getting caught up in all the pieces, what is the whole picture? What are we trying to accomplish overall?

It's more about a broad, life question than 'I want to pass the exam'. It's also about keeping an open mind, to be like primordial energy - shapable, moldable. Like a beginner, like what Shoshin or Hatsu Kokoro, First Mind teaches us. はつ こころ.

Character on Karate

Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan and the father of Modern Karate said the following about the kata that he made:

Because of its simplicity, the kata is easily learned by beginners. Nevertheless, as its name implies, this form is of the most profound character and one to which, upon mastery of the art of karate, an expert will return to select it as the ultimate training kata.