In this issue, I would like to take up the theme shown in the title from the book Nihonjin yo, Hahagokoro ni Kaere (“Japanese People, Return to a Mother’s Heart”) by Master Masando Sasaki,* a great Aikido teacher and chief priest of the Yamakage Shinto tradition.
Words by Mr. Sasaki are quoted in “ ” below.
“Living with the divine means constantly becoming empty—
like breathing, where what you exhale allows what you inhale to enter.
All forms of discipline are rooted in breathing techniques.
From this breath shared with the divine arises harmony—or the lack of it—with people and things.
The lived record of whether breaths align or do not align is what we call human relationships.
Irregular breathing, as well as a long breath leading to a long life, both originate in this practice of breathing.
In martial arts too, breathing is fundamental.
There are three basic techniques; and three gives birth to infinity, branching endlessly into countless variations of technique. “
This time, Master Sasaki emphasizes the importance of breathing in particular.
I would like to reflect on this from the following three perspectives:
1 Turning our attention to what we usually take for granted
2 Giving—offering—comes first
3 Giving itself is the discipline
Let me explain each one of above in detail.
１. Turning our attention to what we usually take for granted
Words of Master Sasaki
“My god is air; at times, it is food and soup; and at other times, it is time—
for time is life, and as the saying goes, time is money.
Among these, the air—which cannot be stopped even for three minutes—
is the god that protects me.
The Way is how we live with the divine.
History is how we live with the past.
And the union of the two is called life.”
(My Commentary)
I believe that what we rarely think about is often what matters most to us.
The mind and body are deeply connected, and it is said that disturbances of the mind appear somewhere in the body.
When we listen carefully to our own hearts—attending gently to the voice within—physical discomfort is said to ease.
Breathing plays the greatest role in this process.
When anger wells up, our breathing becomes shallow.
Conflicts are occurring throughout the world.
Yet if we become sensitive to unfamiliar air—to stagnated or polluted ki—
we may begin to feel suffocated,
and naturally distance ourselves from such stagnant atmospheres.
２. Giving—offering—comes first
Words of Master Sasaki
“The divine air that awakens us to the Way of ‘give, and it will return.’
All that belongs to the divine nature follows this principle:
when you give, it flows back to you.
When you give your strength, strength returns.
When you offer wisdom, wisdom returns.
When you release your voice, it comes back as a beautiful voice.”
(My Comment)
Once again, I am reminded that the foundation lies in giving first.
This applies equally to company management and to business.
I believe it is important to keep giving with the mindset that this itself is a form of discipline.
I often find myself calculating what I might gain, or how much I will benefit,
and holding back my own strength as a result.
Yet there is also value in approaching things as training—
committing fully, even before rewards are visible.
Of course, balance matters.
Sensing the right “air” of the moment,
and following the natural flow is, I believe, of the utmost importance.
３. Giving itself is the discipline
Words of Master Sasaki
“Death is the loss of the power to exhale—
a truth preserved in the ancient expression “to breathe one’s last.”
“’Shu(discipline)’ is the practice of giving completely—
giving again and again, until nothing is held back. Like the breathing of vital energy, it is a discipline of exhalation.”
(My comments)
How, then, do we bring forth our wisdom, skills, intentions, emotions, and philosophy?
By sensing the ki of each moment—across all times and spaces— and training ourselves to give.
I believe that business is precisely this kind of practice.
To create harmony with others, we must learn how to exhale—how to give outward.
This is a discipline I wish to deepen further.
In this reflection on the importance of breathing, I am reminded that the essence of both life and business lies in this: turning our attention to what we take for granted,
committing ourselves to giving first, and continually refining how we give through trial and reflection.
*Master Masando Sasaki
Born in 1929 in Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture.
After overcoming many hardships in his youth, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics and the Advanced Course of the Faculty of Law at Chuo University.
After resigning from his post at the Defense Agency, he encountered Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, and devoted himself to martial arts and the cultivation of the human spirit, eventually becoming an Aikido instructor.
While seeking the true path of life, he practiced waterfall austerities, zazen, and trained in groups such as “Ichiku-kai” and “Itsui-kai.”
He later met his life mentor, Nakamura Tempu, and studied under him.
Through a fortunate connection, he became associated with Yamakage Motoo and was ordained as a priest of the Yamakage Shinto tradition, serving as the chief priest of Kamifukuoka Nishimiya Shrine.
In 1977, he was invited by the French Ministry of Culture to Paris as a Shinto instructor at the “Dojo for the Restoration of Human Nature,” and he visited France again in 1985.
Alongside teaching Aikido, he traveled throughout Japan delivering “Sasaki Dharma Talks,” expounding on the traditional Japanese cultural arts—such as martial arts, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement—and on the true path of being human.
Further queries or doubts, please email to ytomizuka@abrilsjp.com
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