Translator: Masako Kigami Reviewer: Claire Ghyselen
Today, I have a big message for you.
Japan is pretty cool, actually,
but many of us Japanese don't know much about it.
My shows are designed to express the essence of the Japanese cool spirit.
I've performed shows all over the world.
In 39 counties! Amazing, isn't it?
I've already performed in 39 nations.
You don't really look impressed!
(Laughter)
(Applause) (Cheers)
I can't even remember all the countries I've visited.
I can remember up to 25 countries at best.
It was worth doing it.
Today I'd like to talk about the reason that made me travel so much.
There are three pretty cool aspects of the Japanese tradition
that I am showing off in my performances.
Japan is cool when it comes to movement, rhythms and spirit.
Shall I start with movements?
Please look at two movements that I will show you.
Which one comes from karate?
The first one.
Why are you laughing just right now?
(Laughter)
And now, watch the second one.
Which one?
It's very obvious.
Everyone knows.
The second one of course!
Even if you have no interest in combat sports,
you can see the difference.
But why?
Because there lies the foundation of Japanese coolness.
In boxing, the power is generated
by rotating motions of each part of the body.
Twist the hip. Twist the chest.
Boxing is made of twisting movement.
On the other hand, karate is quite different.
You keep your hip straight. You keep your chest straight.
You release your energy in a straightforward way.
The opposite hand is called "the pulling hand."
You lock your body by retracting your arm.
The very fact of not rotating your body enables you to control your arms sharply.
By pulling your hand back,
you can stop the sharp movement.
Isn't it cool?
No way to avoid it in my shows!
All my movements come from here.
Let's now consider rhythm, or rather, how we use music.
In Japan, we have this concept called "ma,"
that is super difficult to explain.
"Ma" means liminal time and space.
We think about liminal time and space a great deal.
We use it in expressions such as "missing the timing" or "taking the time."
There is one typical thing that attracts my curiosity.
It is called "ippon jime," a single clap of the hand.
We shout "Yoo O" and clap our hands one time.
We Japanese can clap our hands in synch,
while foreigners can't do it.
They can't synchronise. It sounds like a rain shower.
Isn't it strange?
We, Japanese people, don't need to practice a single clap very hard,
but we are able to do this.
Now, shall we do an ippon jime together?
As there are some foreigners here,
I am looking forward to the result.
Ready?
Yoo O!
(A single clap.)
See?
(Laughter)
(Applause)
Thank you.
It's amazing, isn't it?
Foreigners don't understand the timing
because there is this liminal silence between Yoo O and the clapping.
So they don't know when to start moving their hand
and clap them together.
They think hard about the right timing, but we don't think about it at all.
We can control the sound of liminal silence properly.
I've embedded this "ma" in my performances.
I deleted "sound."
After the sound of this liminal silence, I synchronise my movements
with the music and the animation that I use in my show.
At that moment, foreign audience acclaims: "Oh, Japanese cool."
Words are not enough to explain movements and rhythm.
So I'll show you.
After the performance, I'll talk some more, though.
I tell you this
because otherwise you will applaud me as if the show was over.
(Laughter)
See? So, there is a follow-up.
(Music starts)
(Music ends)
(Applause)
(Laughter)
I told you so ...
(English) Patrick Newell : Taken it to a whole new level, it isn't, huh?
Katsumi Sakakura: Thank you.
This dance I've just performed depicts the concept of "onore ni katsu,"
"conquering myself" found in martial art.
If I focus on training hard,
I can break the walls of my heart to reach perfection.
Then, I notice that ...
my opponent is only in my mind.
So I start a fight against myself.
By the way, my name "Katsu-Mi," comes from "conquering myself."
My parents gave me this name.
(Applause)
Finally, let me explain to you why conquering yourself is so cool.
I'd like to share another idea.
There is an unique way of thinking in martial arts.
Do you know it is prohibited to rejoice
after you win a fight in Japanese martial arts?
It's strange, isn't it?
Although you've trained very hard to win,
you may not be happy when you do.
Why?
Because every martial art originated from real combat.
You winning the fight means that your opponent has lost it.
When it was a duel for real,
your opponent would be seriously injured,
or he could even have lost his life.
So the winner should feel empathy for his opponent.
This is why you cannot feel happiness when you win.
That's a pretty cool idea, isn't it ?
We call this "sokuin," which means compassion for the weak.
If you enter "sokuin" in your cell phone,
you will find these kanji letters.
You imagine the result of the combat
before you start fighting.
You imagine the result from the eyes of your opponent.
As you are going to bring him trouble and bad feelings,
it is better to avoid combat if you can.
That is the compassion for the weak.
I think it's so cool.
I thought this cool idea was limited to martial art, but I was wrong.
It's different.
Actually, we Japanese have this underlying feeling.
I witnessed it
after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Victims were queuing for water rationing in an orderly manner.
This made the news in all foreign media,
while for us, there was nothing special worthy of any Japanese news coverage.
As a refugee, I think that my neighbor is also a refugee,
that the tsunami destroyed his home too, that his family has perished in the flood.
But being parched with thirst
does not give me any right to push my neighbor away to get water before him.
I think that I may be thirsty but so is my neighbor.
He might even be more thirsty than me.
I put myself in the shoes of my neighbor.
When I do that,
our hearts connect and we queue.
When I noticed this,
I thought, "Japan is Cool."
Very cool.
Through my performance, I want to express this empathy.
I'd like to share it all over the world.
Please think about others before taking any action.
This simple idea makes you change.
I spread this idea with my shows,
so now you too can spread the idea of compassion for the weakest around you.
Would you please convey it to many people?
With the Olympic Games coming to Japan in 2020,
many foreigners will visit Japan.
They will ask us:
"What are the good aspects of Japan?"
You all have your ideas about what makes Japan so attractive.
So now, you can add the idea of compassion to your list.
Thank you very much.
(Applause)