The master and the apprentice
The
relationship between master and apprentice is personal, and for life. It is not that of a
teacher and his student, for the master isn't expected to teach
anything. It is rather expected of the apprentice that he assimilates
as much knowledge as possible while he shares his master's life. It is
not a superior and his subordinate either, as there is neither
remuneration nor contract. There is no exchange: the relationship is
autoritarian and one-way, from master to apprentice. It is not a
partnership! It shall be the apprentice's duty to pass down his
knowledge to the next generation.
Upon entering apprenticeship,
Kawachi tells the freshman that, if the master looks at a black crow
and says the crow's head is white, the apprentice's only response
should be "yes sir!". In other words, it is by default that what the
apprentices think is wrong, and what the master thinks is right, even
if the truth is different, or even when apprentices and master think
alike.
The master is a craftsman at work. The apprentice is the
person who comes to his side, and who watches, mostly, and assists,
depending on his abilities. Kiyota often says that the apprentice's
only real task is to be scolded.
It is interesting to note that
master and apprentice, like any other denomination, have their worth
only within a given relationship. In other words, the master is not a
Master, but his apprentice's master. Thus, the master is himself
apprentice in front of his own master. There is no absolute
denomination! There is no such thing as a Master. Beware those who
pretend otherwise.
- -
Conditions
To
be accepted as an apprentice in a given traditional japanese craft,
considerations of race, nationality, social status, money, experience,
abilities, talents, academic background, language, one's curriculum
vitae, and in most cases gender have no importance (certain crafts are
still reserved for a given gender, although this is changing rapidly).
What,
then, is necessary?
What follows could easily constitute an exhaustive list of the required
criterias:
- Be liked by the master
Not
by consciously charming him, but rather simply with one's nature, just
as strangers who like or dislike each other at first sight; the
apprentice-to-be does not have much control over this.
- Patience
- Honesty
- Modesty
- Silence
- Devotion and sustained effort
- Open mindness and flexibility
(mostly related to unavoidable cultural
tensions)
That's
it. If only one was to be isolated, it would be patience. A key element
of all japanese successes and of the japanese culture in general.
Patience as no Westerner can conceive it. In fact, even for the young
Japanese, patience is developped along their education. In Japanese
this is expressed as "gaman". This word has no direct
equivalent
in English, but could explained through the words endurance, restraint,
patience and tolerance.
Although the conditions are enumerated above, the method isn't yet
provided!
Read on... |
