''Zanshin'' ( ja, 残心) is a state of awareness, of relaxed alertness, in

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

. A literal translation of ''zanshin'' is "remaining mind"."One arrow, one life: Zen, archery, enlightenment" by Kenneth Kushner

Tuttle Publishing Tuttle Publishing, originally the Charles E. Tuttle Company, is a book publishing company that includes Tuttle, Periplus Editions, and Journey Editions.

, 2000, page 73"The complete idiot's guide to karate" by Randall G. Hassell, Edmond Otis

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

, 2000, p. 26-27 In several martial arts, ''zanshin'' refers more narrowly to the body's posture after a technique is executed."The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do" by Shōshin Nagamine
Tuttle Publishing, 1998, page 100"Complete Kendo" by John J. Donohue
Tuttle Publishing, 1999, page 89

In various martial arts

In ''

kyūdō ''Kyūdō'' ( ja, 弓道) is the Japanese martial art of archery. Kyūdō is based on '' kyūjutsu'' ("art of archery"), which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan. In 1919, the name of kyūjutsu was officially changed to kyūdō, a ...

'', ''zanshin'' means the body posture after the loosing of an arrow; the posture is intended to reflect the higher meaning of ''zanshin'', which is a mental aspect maintained before, during, ''and'' after an action. In ''

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

'', ''zanshin'' is the state of total awareness. It means being aware of one's surroundings and enemies, while being prepared to react. In the ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

'' episode "

The One with Unagi "The One with Unagi" is the seventeenth episode of '' Friends'' sixth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on February 24, 2000. Plot When Joey is struggling to make ends meet by working at Central Perk, Ross suggests ...

" Ross confuses the concept with ''

unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, particularly the Japanese eel, . Unagi is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking, often as '' kabayaki''. It is not to be confused with saltwater eel, which is known as '' anago'' in Japanese. ...

'' in an attempt to teach Rachel and Phoebe about self-defense. In the context of ''

kendō is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

'', ''zanshin'' is the continued state of spirit, mental alertness and physical readiness to meet the situation (such as an opposing attack) that must be maintained when one returns to ''

kamae is a Japanese term used in martial arts and traditional theater. It translates approximately to "posture". The Kanji of this word means "base". The implied meaning is 'readiness' or 'be ready'. Kamae is to be differentiated from the word , used ...

'' after attacking. It is one of the essential elements that define a good attack. During the practice of ''

aikidō Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in aroun ...

'', the usual method of practicing ''zanshin'' is to focus on the just-thrown ''uke'', or opponent, while holding ''

'' and maintaining awareness in case there are additional attacks or attackers."Dynamic Aikido" by Gōzō Shioda
Kodansha International, 1977, page 107 In

Iwama Style Iwama-style Aikido is the style of aikido that was taught in Iwama by the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, and especially the lineage passed on through Morihiro Saito, a close disciple who was given responsibility over Iwama dojo by Ueshiba. I ...

training, zanshin is practiced as general awareness of one's surroundings, of which uke is just a small part. In Yōseikan-style aikidō, students are trained to maintain that continued state of mental awareness and physical readiness beyond the dōjō walls and into daily life.

References

{{Japanese martial arts Aikido Japanese aesthetics Japanese martial arts terminology Karate

In various martial arts

See also

References