Going up to the Sensei After Class

[Old Warrior]

"As for "OSSS" or "Ous" ... I have only seen or should I say I usually only hear "Ous" commonly used in Karate Classes and usually outside of Japan. ... Also used when greeting other karateka."

I began the study of Shotokan Karate in 1966 in a very traditional school in NYC. I can state with certainty that when you bowed, other than when beginning kumite (sparring) you were told to say "oussss". It was not used as a general assent, "hai" was required.

[swrdply400mrela]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

My sensei is actually Korean, so I guess I should have mentioned that. He is only 30 something (I think he has been practicing Kumdo for about 20 years), about a 4th dan rank is what some of the senior members guess. This is a university dojo in a little town called College Station, home of Texas A&M, which explains why we don't have a higher ranking sensei. Don't get me wrong though, I am very grateful of my sensei.

I didn't know if it was a faux paus to go line up in front of him after class if you sparred with him or not, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't just because he always gives everyone great advice. Therefore I go line up in front of him anyway.

Mike

[Koori]

As Charlie mentioned tradition at Detroit Dojo has been you go to each sensei after practice and bow in seiza in thanks. I am a beginner and I am not in bogu yet, but each sensei spends at least some time with us beginners, including Tagawa-san. I have noticed subtle differences in teaching and techniques between all of them. I like having the variety of instruction in class. Personally I have a couple of favorite sensei's to work with, Tagawa-san most certainly included.

-Koori

Ps
Charlie how goes fatherhood?-- email me!

[Jagaimo]

I looked up the word Ossu in my Japanese Word Processor and I got two Kanji for it. The first has the definition of: push, stop, check, subdue, attach, seize, weight, shove, press, seal, do in spite of. The second kanji means to endure, bear, put up with, conceal, secrete, spy, and/or sneak.

So to me it would seem that the term Ossu could mean several things. For one, it could mean something similar to "ganbaru" (to persist), or upon striking an opponent it could be similar to a grunting noise or kiai. In a martial arts context, the dictionary says that it is used as a greeting, but not one that you would use to someone that sits to your right in kendo.

I takled to my Japanese friends about it too and they say its like a macho way of saying hello.

Hope this helps

[aru-ma]

I looked up the word Ossu in my Japanese Word Processor and I got two Kanji for it. The first has the definition of: push, stop, check, subdue, attach, seize, weight, shove, press, seal, do in spite of. The second kanji means to endure, bear, put up with, conceal, secrete, spy, and/or sneak.

That would be osu, not ossu

the other "ossu" (the macho greeting one) can be compared to the english "Yo!"

[Jagaimo]

That would be osu, not ossu

the other "ossu" (the macho greeting one) can be compared to the english "Yo!"

One version of said word is made of two characters which I have described. The reason I spelled it with two S's was that in order to get the small "tsu" character in the word processor, I have to hit a constanant twice in succession. I thought I had put the subject as "O-small tsu-su" for further clearification as for the correct way to write said word in hiragana.

However, if you spell said word as "osu" in the dictionary or the program, You have a verb that shares the same first kanji that I described but it does not relate to martial arts. The definition it gives is as follows, "(vt) to push, to press, to stamp (i.e. a passport)."

As for the previous post I made on this subject, I was refering to the spelling with a small "tsu" before the "su" character.

Perhaps being that you are located in Indonesia you may have a better understanding of asian culture and the use of said word. Until girlfriend calls me from japan this weekend, my only source of information on this word is my electronic dictionary on my computer and various japanese friends on the college campus. So for the time being I shall admit that you are correct and I am misguided on the term.

But then again, in the context of kendo, either term would be suitable as one could be refering to the "stamping" of the foot as one strikes men.

Sincerely,

Potatos

[aru-ma]

Perhaps being that you are located in Indonesia you may have a better understanding of asian culture and the use of said word. Until girlfriend calls me from japan this weekend, my only source of information on this word is my electronic dictionary on my computer and various japanese friends on the college campus. So for the time being I shall admit that you are correct and I am misguided on the term.

But then again, in the context of kendo, either term would be suitable as one could be refering to the "stamping" of the foot as one strikes men.

That damn small tsu! it annoys me to no end, especially when trying to explain things like this

FYI I'm living in melbourne at the moment, and my only source of japanese culture is:

1. my japanese teacher
2. like you, my japanese friends around campus
3. dictionaries

and being from Indonesia doesn't mean I have more understanding of the japanese culture than you.

I wish the Kanji script work here, it makes explaining stuff like this easier then again it might just be my OS

[ben]

When I trained in Japan at Kagoshima University, the kendo guys there said "ous" which surprised me cos like eveyone else I thought it was mostly a gaijin karate thing. Maybe it was because this club shared a dojo with the judo and karate guys and they all seemed to hang out together a bit.

Personally I assumed the meaning of "ous" was that it was a supercontraction of both onegaishimasu and arigato gozaimasu, hence it covers all bases.

Re the bowing to sensei thing: I read an old dojo kun somewhere that stated upon ariving at the dojo you should acknowledge the most senior sensei before anyone else. Similarly, thanking him (or her) afterwards before all others. You should also be first to line up for jigeiko against the most senior sensei. I think this is actually a good kind of practice because it's always hard to front up like that: it's another way of putting everything on the line.

b

[Charlie]

Is there a difference between OSU! and "yoosh!" or are they the same thing? I have heard of a kind of weary "yoosh" being exclaimed when undertaking a boring task.

BTW, fatherhood has been wonderful! The kid's already started int he martial arts: he's working on his kiai.

I'll drop you a line, Hope!

[supernils]

#1: Figure out for yourself WHY you bow to people.
#2: Act acording to #1

[mingshi]

#1: Figure out for yourself WHY you bow to people.

AArrrgh!! It's a reflex !!!

And I am replacing all the yes with "Hai~!" all the time!!! This is infectious!

[kendokamax]

ossu is just a greeting just like konnichiha.
Only guys uses it. Girls just say konnichiha, or ohayou gozaimasu

It is used anywhere, not only kendo but in differnet clubs too.

I heard something like oissu too sometimes. but thats more like a joke i think?

dunno

[ben]

Is there a difference between OSU! and "yoosh!" or are they the same thing? I have heard of a kind of weary "yoosh" being exclaimed when undertaking a boring task.

"Yosh!" is an exclamation used when an effort is required (like the European "hopla!"), like when lifting something heavy or, as you said, doing something uninspiring. Slightly different is "Yoi!", which is like a command "Let's go!", used sometimes by old sensei instead of "hajime".

b

[xvikingx]

Is there a difference between OSU! and "yoosh!" or are they the same thing? I have heard of a kind of weary "yoosh" being exclaimed when undertaking a boring task.

There is alot of gender based words and phrases in Japanese. "osu" is a masculine way of saying hello. Its also informal, so I tend not to use it unless someone says it to me. Yoshi is somewhere along the lines of "great, alright, lets go". "Yoi" means preparation, when someone yells that they are telling you to get ready. I have never heard it used as substitution for hajime.

[eKenshi]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

My sensei is actually Korean, so I guess I should have mentioned that. He is only 30 something (I think he has been practicing Kumdo for about 20 years), about a 4th dan rank is what some of the senior members guess. This is a university dojo in a little town called College Station, home of Texas A&M, which explains why we don't have a higher ranking sensei. Don't get me wrong though, I am very grateful of my sensei.

I didn't know if it was a faux paus to go line up in front of him after class if you sparred with him or not, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't just because he always gives everyone great advice. Therefore I go line up in front of him anyway.

Mike

how beautiful,the diversity of cultures being united by the graceful martial art of Kendo...Korean,American,and many others
i can say that every sensei is good in nature and wont refuse any questions about his lessons,it tried going to my sensei after training and i thanked him for his lesson on that particular day,well he just nodded.