五指輪一の人形
Go Yubiwa Ichi No NingyōThe Kokeshi Project
Nikkei National Museum
Burnaby, BC
Fir wood base, acrylic paint, oil based wood stain,
twine, incorporated objects
8” tall x variable dimensions.
Neal E. Nolan
2013
5 Rings, One Doll both incorporates and conceptualizes the teachings of the legendary samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (The Book of Five Rings.) The piece additionally acknowledges the philosophies of the Shinobi- whom, both coincidently and transcendently (see research disambiguation), shared in these principals and philosophies; incorporating them in martial and everyday practical use.
According to research, despite popular belief and
the depiction of folklore, the ninja weren’t a separate martial force from the
Samurai but a subgroup generally made up of foot soldiers (Ashigaru) and samurai retainers- hired by feudal lords and others
as spies and mercenaries.
By the way of disambiguation of these two warrior
classes, and in illustrating the dichotomy of these two precepts- 5 Rings, One Doll intends to illustrate
the falsehood within the hierarchy of class and express human equality both
historically and contemporary.
Disambiguation
The Book of 5 Rings*(1) is a text on kenjutsu and the martial
arts in general which incorporates general sociology and
psychology- both directly in relation to life in its general essence and in
metaphor. The text relates the idea that there are different elements of
battle, just as there are different physical elements in life, as described by Buddhism, Shinto, and other Eastern religions.
The text is broken up into 5 “books:”
Earth. Water, Fire, Wind, Sky and relates the tactical
aspects of each book in metaphorical connection to the attributes of each
element.
The Shinobi also followed a philosophy based on
the 5 rings founded in the five elements, Earth (Chi)
representing stability and confidence - Water (sui) representing adaptability -
Fire (ka): energy and commitment of spirit - Wind (fu) is freedom, both of mind
and body, and finally the void or sky (ku) which represents the things beyond
our everyday existence, the unseen power and creative energy of the universe.
The breakdown of these two precepts is incorporated
both aesthetically and tangibly within the development of 5 Rings, One Doll.
The Ring of Earth is represented by the Sakura branches
extruding from the Kokeshi. Bound with rigging, they represent the ring of
earth philosophy as it expresses the use of one’s natural environment in martial
strategy and everyday effort.
Arranged asymmetrically, a Wabi-Sabi aesthetic was
incorporated in leaving the structural composition of the Sakura branches open
with the possibility of rearrangement- not only embracing the potential for
desired compositional adaptation and reconstruction, but as a nod to the
transience associated with the Buddhistic
influence of mono no aware connected to the blossoms
of the Sakura. This approach was taken in connection to the elemental teachings
represented by the ring of water in embracing its formidability.
A flame was used to aesthetically condition the twine
incorporating the ruing of fire.
The use of an airbrush incorporates the propulsion of air in delivering
the pigment to its surface. (Wind).
And finally, the Tanuki (狸, 貉) (“Racoon Dog”) painted on both
the front and back of the Kokeshi.. The Tanuki is a mischievous figure in Japanese
mythology commonly associated with excessive drinking, gluttony, good fortune
and prosperity - also a bringer of good luck.
Bake-danuki (化け狸)
are a kind of tanuki yōkai – a Racoon Dog possessing mystical attributes.
In some regions of Japan, bake-danuki is reputed to have
abilities similar to those attributed to kitsune (foxes): they can shape-shift
into other things, shape-shift
people, and possess human beings. The Tanuki is also said to be
evasive, it’s habits are not only nocturnal but it also hibernates through the
winter months.
In all of its illusory, vague aspects, the Tanuki is
incorporated, not only in representation of the Shinoibi, but its mystical
connection to folklore embraces the 5th element of Sky/ Void.
The origins of the Shinobi carry much historical
conjecture as, despite pop-cultural reference, historical accounts of the ninja
are scarce. Ninja were mostly recruited from the lower class, and therefore
little historical literary interest was taken in them.
Historian Kiyoshi
Watatani states that the ninja were trained to be particularly
secretive about their actions and existence(2) so this could also contribute to their vague
origins.
“The origin of the ninja is considered a “Dark
Age” in Japanese history as no historical documentation of its creation is
contemporary to the first records of ninja activity. This means that all ideas
aimed at the ninja origins, are open to theory and are not supported in any way
by documentation that was written when the ninja first appeared.” (3)
One widely opposed theory(3) claims that Ninjitsu came to Japan by way of
Chinese refugees fleeing from the Chinese totalitarian system. These theories
are heavily supported by what is known of Ninja mysticism and military tactics.
Romantic folklore depicts the ninja as a
counter-culture of peasants that were based in
Iga and Kōka that developed special skills to defend against samurai
oppression. The refuges settling amongst the Japanese Iga and Kōka mountains as early as the 12th
century, adopted by the Japanese farmers as part of their community, this
romanticism believed Ninjutsu was honed and refined (along with a 5 rings
paradigm similar to that illustrated in Miyamoto’s teachings) by the establishment of these inter-cultural Chinese/
Japanese families and villages and passed along as the two cultures merged.
Being that the Iga and Kōka mountains were
populated by land owning Samurai class, the popular belief of the Iga farmer/
ninja subculture has been, in ways, disproven. Though, in truth, the medieval
documents that express the origins, traditional philosophies and practices of
the Ninja have never been seen in full in the west and are rarely seen outside
of certain circles in Japan.
What is known is that following the unification
of Japan under the Tokugawa
shogunate (17th century), the ninja faded into obscurity, being
replaced by the Oniwabanshū body of secret agents. A number of shinobi manuals, often centered on Chinese military philosophy, were written in the 17th and 18th centuries, most notably
the Bansenshukai (1676). Speculating further the
connection to the dichotomy differing the Shinobi and Samurai in both Folk and
pop-cultural depiction- the section of Bansenshukai that outlines philosophy (Seishin {correct heart/ mind})*(4) is very closely comparable to the Samurai code
of Bushido. It is said that these manuals were written by shinobi in the
development of the Oniwabanshū principal discipline.
Author:
Miyamoto Musashi c. 1645
Translated:
William Scott Wilson, 2002
*(2) Bugei Ryuha 100 Sen (武芸流派100選) (Selection of 100 Martial Arts.)
Watatani
Kiyoshi (1972)
*(3) Various writings and books
Antony Cummins, MA, BA – Historian
*(4) Bansenshukai (萬川集海)
Fujibayashi
Sabuji (1676)
The
three Shinobi Scrolls of the Gunpo Jiyoshu samurai manual
Document
un-authorized and written upon approval: Tokugawa Ieyasu (Shogun 1603 – 1605)
c.1612
Shinobi-uta
Authorship
contributed to: 12th Century tactician, Yoshimori
Ninpiden
Author:
Hattori Hanzo and various others
c.
1560
