前言: 大東流合氣柔術和合氣道之間的關係密不可分,而大東流的中興之祖武田忽角 ("忽"字應為上面一個物下面一個心,BBS打不出來)更是當時日本數一數二的高手, 以下文章是在1930年代一名朝日新聞社的記者遠赴北海道訪問武田忽角後所寫的, 從這篇文章裡我們可以一窺武田忽角的風采. 本文譯自Yoichi Ozaka在1930年8月所寫的文章,英文原文刊登於aiki news第68期, 取自http://www.aikidojournal.com Face to Face with Sokaku Takeda 與武田忽角的面對面 Many years ago Daito-ryu aikijujutsu existed as a secret martial art school of the Aizu Clan. However, beginning in the Meiji Period this veil of mystery shrouding the art for hundreds of years had been lifted due to the efforts of Master Sokaku Takeda (1859-1943), legitimate heir of the school. Daito-ryu is considered the most advanced self-defense art and is unequaled by traditional martial arts such as kendo and judo. For some unknown reason, Master Takeda, an extraordinary martial artist, went to Hokkaido to renounce the world some 20 years ago. He began to lead a life in complete seclusion while engaging in farming in Shirataki (the text actually reads "Shirahama", a mistake on the part of the writer as the kanji for "taki" and "hama" are quite similar) in Kitami, the back country of Hokkaido. Although it seems that he has some thirty thousand students all over Japan, the Master is living in isolation in order to avoid all worldly troubles. 多年以前,大東流合氣柔術以不外傳的祕密武術形式存在於會津藩內.然而在明治初年, 終於由大東流正統繼承人武田忽角(1859-1943)揭開籠罩在這項神祕武術上有數百年之久 的面紗.大東流被認為是最先進的防身武術,像劍道及柔道之類的傳統武術無法與之比擬. 為了某些不明的原因,武田老師,身為出類拔萃的武術家,在20多年前前往北海道避世而居. 他在北海道偏遠的北見巿白瀧村耕種時過著不問世事的生活,雖然在全日本有多達三萬名 學生,但武田老師卻與世隔絕以避免所有世俗的紛爭. I spent seven hours travelling by train to the east after transferring at Nayori, close to the northern extremity of Hokkaido, to arrive at the Master's secluded house where he is living in retirement in Shirataki in Kitami-no-kuni. His house has two ten-mat tatami rooms with no sliding doors between them. Besides these rooms there is one large room of about 20 mats containing a five- foot sunken hearth surrounded by a lustrous black wooden hem. Although it was midsummer, I found a large cauldron hanging from a pot hanger and two pairs of iron tongs about 16 or 17 inches in length randomly thrown into the pot. The room reminded me of the secluded house of Tsukahara Bokuden (sword expert and founder of Bokuden-ryu (Shinto-ryu) (1489-1571)) or Mataemon Araki (sword expert and founder of Araki-ryu (1597?-1638?)) in every way. 我在到達北海道最北邊的名寄市後坐了七個小時的火車往東,才到達武田老師在北見巿白瀧 村隱居的住所.他的居所有二間十疊(十張榻榻米大)的房間,中間沒有門隔開.除了這些房間 外還有一間大約二十張榻榻米大的房間,中庭裡面有一片五平方呎的草地,被華美的黑木柱 包圍著.雖然時值仲夏,我看到一口大鍋子掛在勾子上,裡面隨意丟著二支16或17吋長的火鉗. 這個房間在各方面讓我想起塚原卜傳(劍術高手,卜傳流(神道流)創始人,1489-1571)或是 荒木又衛門(劍術高手,荒木流創始人,1597?-1638?)的小屋. His wife greeted me saying, "Many thanks for your kind visit but my husband wandered off at the beginning of June and has not yet come back." 他的太太接待我,並說"謝謝你特地來拜訪,但我丈夫六月初就雲遠四方去了, 現在還沒回來." "What an easygoing attitude she has," I thought to myself. If this were Tokyo, one would immediately call the police to search for him. "Oh yes," she added, "I received a letter from him three or four days ago. He said he was staying in a place called Koshimizu located behind Abashiri. But he will go off again somewhere from there and I have no idea when he will return home. I hope you'll find him in Koshimizu but he may already have left." I felt very much discouraged but decided to forget about it and again spent seven hours on a train and got off at Furuoke Station, four stops from Abashiri, famous as the site of a prison. Then I walked along a mountain path crossing a ridge for some 2 1/2 miles. It was about midnight when I finally arrived in the town of Koshimizu. "她的態度真是瀟灑,"我心想.要是在東京的話,應該早就報警去找他了."喔對了,"她說, "我三四天前收到他的信,他說他待在網走巿的小清水町.但他之後又要離開,我不知道他何 時才會回家.希望你能在小清水町找到他,但他可能已經離開了."我覺得很沮喪,但決定忘掉 這回事,又花了七個小時坐火車,在Furuoke車站下車,離網走巿四站的距離,以監獄的所在地 而聞名.之後我沿著山路穿過山脊,走了大約二英哩半,到達小清水町時已將近午夜時分. When I at last found an inn an old man of 67 or 68 who looked like a samurai of yesteryear came out and asked what business had brought me there and where I came from. I handed him my name card and followed after him. At that point I heard someone beyond the "shoji" sliding door say: "What? A newspaperman? What a nuisance! What does he want of an old farmer like me? It's no use talking about it. If he is already here, tell him to come in." He greeted me with the following words: "I didn't want to see you because it's a bother to me, but I suppose it can't be helped." 當我總算找到旅店時,一個年紀大約67或68歲的老人,看起來像昔日的武士,問我來自何方, 來意為何.我奉上名片,並隨他進屋.在門口我聽到某人的聲音:"什麼?新聞記者? 真是討人厭!他找我這個老農夫想做什麼?說也沒用,如果他已經到了,就叫他進來. "那人用以下的話迎接我:"我不想見你,因為這是在打擾我,但我想說這些話也沒用." He was wearing a checkered summer cotton kimono with a belt wound around his waist. Anyone would think he was a poor peasant judging merely by his appearance. He didn't look his age which was 72 years. He looked younger and appeared vigorous. He was small, probably less than five-feet tall. I found out later that he weighed only about 100 pounds. Nonetheless, his eyes stared at me fiercely and I had the distinct impression they wouldn't be satisfied until having penetrated to the depths of my soul. 他穿有格子花紋的夏季和服,繫著腰帶.只從外表來看,任何人都會以為他是個貧窮的農夫. 他看起來不像72歲的人,比較年輕而且精力充沛.個頭很小,大概不到五呎高(150公分), 我後來發現他大概只有100磅重(45公斤).無論如何,他用銳利的眼神注視著我,讓我留下 除非用眼神貫穿我的靈魂深處時才會滿足的印象. "What do you want from an old man like me?" he asked. "你找我這個老人想做什麼?"他問. "I want to talk to you about martial arts." "我想和你談談武術." "If it's farming you want to hear about, I have a general knowledge. I can cultivate a 2-hectare field myself. I can dig up the roots of about 30 big trees. Ha, ha, ha..." "如果你想聽的是耕田的話,我懂一些.我可以自己種二畝地.我可以挖起30顆大樹的根. 哈哈哈...." After a while the conversation naturally turned to Takeda Sensei's preferred subject of martial arts beginning with each school then moving on to other topics. The Master, who gradually had become excited while talking, had his best student (the old man I first met) stand in the middle of the eight-mat room opposite him. It seems that this old man is an ardent admirer of Sokaku and had been studying with him for twenty years. 뤊過了一會,話題自然地轉到武田老師最愛的武術,開始談論各個流派,之後轉到其他話題. 武田老師在談話時興致越來越高,叫他最好的學生(我一開始遇見的老人)站在八塊榻榻米 大的房間中央和他面對面.這個老人似乎是忽角的忠實仰慕者,並且在他門下學了二十年. "Since the conversation has livened up a bit, let me show you some techniques. Come on! Attack me from any direction!" "既然話匣子打開了一點,讓我表演幾招吧.來吧!從任何方位攻擊我!" His strong posture with his feet spaced a little apart made him appear really large. His eyes were blood-curdling as they stared at his best student. A moment later his opponent attacked him with all his might. He ended up on the floor having been thrown easily by Takeda Sensei whose shout was like a bolt of lightening. 他穩固的站姿,雙腳微微分開,讓他看起來十分巨大.他的雙眼注視他最好的學生時似乎讓人 血液為之凝結.過了一會他的對手用全力攻擊他,最後輕易地被武田老師摔倒在地上, 老師並且發出如閃電般的怒吼. The student then uttered, "I surrender." 學生接著喊,"我認輸." The technique was so perfectly executed it left one somewhat unsatisfied. I was shown about ten matches of this type but the techniques were so quickly applied I couldn't see how he managed the throws or pinned his adversary to the point he wasn't even able to moan. 招式施展如此地完美,讓人覺得不夠滿足.我看了大概十次這樣的對決,但是武田老師施展的 技法快到讓我看不出他是如何摔倒或壓制對手,甚至讓對手無法哀嚎求饒. "It looks like a rigged match, doesn't it." "看起來很像套好招的,對吧." "Yes, it does," I blurted out without thinking. "是的."我想也不想就脫口而出. "Have you ever practiced ‘yawara' (jujutsu techniques)? Stand up." "你練過"yawara"(柔術)嗎?站起來吧. I stood up. 我站了起來. "Squeeze my neck tightly." "用力掐我的脖子." I am a pretty large fellow and I strangled him with all my might. Then, he said, "Are you ready now?" As soon as I heard him shout, my hands, which were around his neck, felt as if they were broken. He then asked me to grab his right arm with both my hands and to push against his chest and various other things. I did as I was told and was thrown without understanding how he did it. He pinned my neck and both arms with his legs as if tying a knot. My arms felt almost like they were broken and I was out of breath. 我體格蠻魁梧的,而且用全力勒住他.接著他說,"你準備好了嗎?"我一聽到他的叫聲, 本來纏著他脖子的雙手,覺得好像要斷了一般.他接著要我用雙手抓住他的右手, 並且推向他的胸口,還有一些其他的東西.我依指示做,然後在完全不了解他怎麼辦到的情況 下被摔倒.他用雙腿壓住我的脖子和雙手,就像在打結一樣.我的雙手覺得好像快斷了, 而且無法呼吸. When I looked up at Master Takeda from my vantage point on the floor he had his arms folded across his chest and was saying to his student, "Hey, the tea has been spilt!" I couldn't believe it! 當我從地板上看著武田老師時,他雙手抱在胸前,而且對學生說"嘿,茶打翻了!" 我真是無法相信! A little later he drew a live blade and showed me various kata (forms). He swung the unsheathed sword before my eyes, under my nose and around my shoulders creating an ominous swishing sound. 之後他拔出真刀,表演各個不同的形(套路).他在我的眼前,鼻子下方和肩膀附近揮動, 發出很大的風切聲. "It is quite difficult to make this swishing sound with the sword. You can't cut a person properly unless you can produce this sound when swinging a sword. It is very hard to make this 14-inch sword sing." The 72 year-old man didn't look at all tired. "用劍發出風切聲是很難的一件事.除非你在揮劍時可以發出風切聲,才能正確地砍倒別人. 要讓這把14吋長的劍唱歌可是很難的."這位72歲的老人看起來一點也不疲倦. He next talked about how quickly Marquis Tsugumichi Saigo learned techniques and having met and talked with General Nogi in Nasuno (in Tochigi Prefecture) and how much he liked it when the latter dressed up like a farmer. He also told me that since his martial art style was very easy to learn, he had never demonstrated in front of people. Takeda Sensei said that his father cauterized the nails of both his hands everyday as punishment for his not being able to learn techniques fast enough. He showed me the burn marks still remaining after so many years. Even when the hour reached two o'clock in the morning he continued to talk endlessly. 他接下來說到西鄉從道學技法是多麼快,而且提到他在那須野會見乃木希典將軍的事, 並且說到他很喜歡乃木將軍作農夫打扮的樣子.他也告訴我,因為他的武術很容易學, 他從未公開在別人面前表演.武田老師說他父親會因為他學技法不夠快而燙他的手指甲, 經過了那麼多年這些傷痕都還在.即使時間已經接近半夜二點,他還是不斷地訴說著. "Have these techniques ever been useful to you in a real situation?", I asked, purposely changing the subject to draw more information out of him. At first he just laughed and didn't answer my question but finally he told me about one incident. According to his story, he was attacked by 40 or 50 construction workers in Fukushima Prefecture in the beginning of the Meiji Period and killed 8 or 9 people.** “你曾在實際的場合裡用過這些技法嗎?”,我如此問,有意地轉移話題以從他身上得到 更多資訊.一開始他只是大笑,並未回答我的問題,但最後他告訴我一件事.據他所述, 明治初年他曾在福島縣被40或50個建築工人圍攻,並且殺了8到9個人.* "This technique is a perfect self-defense art where you avoid being cut, hit or kicked while at the same time you don't hit, kick or cut. As the attack comes you handle it expediently using the power of your opponent. So even women and children can execute these techniques. But I make it a rule not to teach the techniques to anyone without proper references because they are frightening if misused. I understand that there are people teaching these techniques in Tokyo [probably a reference to Morihei Ueshiba who was teaching in Tokyo at this time], but I don't think you can teach other people well unless you are very skilled yourself."" “大東流的技法是完美的防身武術,在避免遭到劈砍或踢打的同時,自己也不用去劈砍 或踢打對方.當對方攻擊時,適當地運用他的力量.所以就算是女人或小孩也能施展 這些技法.但是我絕不教那些沒有適當介紹函的學生,因為技法一旦被濫用將會是很可怕 的事.我知道有些人在東京教這些技法(可能指的是當時在東京教學的植芝盛平), 但除非在自己變的很厲害前,否則我不認為可以教其他人.” It seemed that his talk would never come to an end even after the day had dawned. 直到天亮以後,他還是滔滔不絕地談論著. (全文完) *Donn Draeger in Modern Bujutsu and Budo records this incident as having taken place when Sokaku was 23 in 1881 and gives the location as Tokyo. Also the number of dead is reported as 12 persons. Don Draeger在”現代武術與武道”一書中記錄了此一事件,發生在1881年,當時忽角23歲, 地點在東京.而死亡人數據報導為12人. (全文由台大椰林合氣道社JCDenton翻譯) --

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