Zanshin
Channel: Goju Ryu Philosopher
Date: 20/02/2021

Zanshin: What is it, where is it, how it affect me?


The term Zanshin is often used in karate dojos all around the world, and is one of the most important criteria for judging kumite competitions, but surprisingly, very few people seem to know what it is. The common translations of "awareness" and "remaining mind" seem to ask more questions than they answer, and the whole thing suggests a complicated connection with Buddhism, despite karate not being a Buddhist sport! So I decided to look into what Zanshin is, why it's so important in kumite, and whether your waza-aris and ippons should really be called yuko datotsu. We're gonna be learning about kyudo and kendo along the way too, so don't blink or you'll miss it.


00:00 Introduction
02:58 The Definition

14:48 Zanshin is a Buddhist Mental State
23:11 Zanshin is Really Political
29:51 In Conclusion

Sources:
Internet Articles
https://www.karatebyjesse.com/zanshin-mushin-shoshin-fudoshin/
https://www.karatebyjesse.com/awareness/
https://www.eindhovenaikido.com/states-of-mind-in-budo-shosin-mushin-fudoshin-and-zanshin/
https://zenhabits.net/mentalstates/
https://www.zenlightenment.net/zanshin/
http://the-martial-way.com/zanshin-the-remaining-mind-in-karate/ 
https://tlayt.org/isshin-and-zanshin/ 
https://www.zenlightenment.net/mushin/
https://www.zenlightenment.net/fudoshin/
https://www.wkf.net/ranking
Attribution of Part of Thumbnail: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NOR_vs_IRI_girls%27_kumite_%2B59_kg_-_Semifinal_2_Karate_2018_YOG_20.jpg 

Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ryYtXAVDA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucVq80_21x0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWeUC_1pM8I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56CZigBX-2o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXrlZ_PH4X8 (In Japanese)

Academic Articles and Books
Morris, Vince. Zanshin: Meditation and the Mind in Modern Martial Arts
Sanchez Garcia, Raul. The Historical Sociology of Japanese Martial Arts
Donahue, John. The Ritual Dimension of Karate-do (1993)
Hamaguchi, Mayasuki & Asada, Hiroshi & Aramaki, Yu & Kitagawa, Kaoru. Characteristics of Zanshin of Kendo Practitioners: Examination of the Relationship between Eye Blinking and CNV Resolution Time