17「上段は吾も上段このままに打突く槍をくつして勝つべし。」- 植芝盛平
Original Waka
上段は
植芝盛平 (Ueshiba, 1977)
吾も上段
このままに
打突く槍を
くつして勝つべし
Translation
“Regarding the high guard, I likewise take high guard—here just as I am—the spear comes to strike and thrust; bent, it yielded, one ought prevail!” – Morihei Ueshiba
Waka Translation
Regarding high guard:
I likewise take the high guard
here, just as I am—
the spear comes to strike and thrust;
bent, yielded, one ought prevail!
Morihei Ueshiba
歴史的仮名遣い（語構成を明示）
上段は（じょうだんは）
吾も上段（われもじょうだん）
このままに（このままに）
打ち突く槍を（うちつくやりを）
屈し勝つべし（くっしかつべし）
植芝盛平
Bungo Romanization
jōdan wa
ware mo jōdan
kono mama ni
uchi‑tsuku yari o
kusshi katsu beshi
Ueshiba Morihei
Translation, Notes, Commentary, and Research by Latex G. N. R. Space-Coyote
Ueshiba, M. (2025). 植芝盛平道歌–017: Bend the line (L. G. N. R. Space-Coyote, Trans.; OpenAI ChatGPT-5 Pro, Ed.). Shugyokai.org. (Original work published 1977) https://shugyokai.org/9qb8
上段（じょうだん; jōdan）— upper rank, position, step; “high guard”; classical sword posture with the blade raised overhead, familiar across kenjutsu and kendo. It is often treated as an aggressive, initiative‑seizing stance; Ueshiba’s line begins by mirroring that posture (“I too [am] in jōdan”). Topic marker は introduces the high guard (jōdan), the “heaven/fire” posture in sword arts.
吾（われ; ware）— “I” (classical 1st‑person pronoun); this has a Buddhist meaning [REDACTED].
吾も上段（われもじょうだん; ware mo jōdan）— “I likewise [take] high guard”: parallelism stresses mirroring the opponent’s line.
このままに（ko no mama ni）— “just as [I am],” i.e., without changing posture; adverbial に marks manner; 懸詞 (kakekotoba) (a) for こ can be a tree, and ま can be gap, space, interval, timing, so the tree’s ma…ma, between の and に (possessive and locator in time or space), and looser ones being (b) 言の真間に, and (c) 野真間に.
打ち （うち; uchi）— hit, strike, slap; beat up; act of beating up; changes noun to verb.
突（つく; tsuku）— to dash forward; to stick out; suddenly, abruptly, unexpectedly, chug, pit-a-pat (hole, grave, cave, cavern, lair, den + man with arms stretched out as far as possible).
打突く槍（うちつくやりを）— literally “the spear that strikes / thrusts.” In bujutsu / kendo usage 打突 (datotsu) covers striking and thrusting; here 槍 (yari) functions both concretely (spear) and metonymically for a straight, piercing attack line (tsuki). Thus “make the thrusting spear yield” conveys deflect / neutralize the incoming linear force before entering.
を（o / wo）— accusative / perlative case; the accusative marks the place through, along, or past which a verb of motion is carried out. This use also applies to verbs which refer to motion through time (Ono, 2018).
打ち突く槍を（うちつくやりを; uchi tsuku yari o）— “the spear that comes to strike‑thrust”; 打突 (datotsu) is the technical ‘strike / thrust’ in kendō; here verbalized as the compound 打ち突く modifying 槍.
屈し（くっしかつべし; ）— “(having) made [it] yield / bend” (連用中止 of 屈す).
くつして（kutsushite）— reflects historical kana usage (pre‑1946 orthography), where sokuon (today’s small っ) was commonly written with つ. It parses as 屈して (“to make [it] bend / yield; to subdue”). Hence the tactical sense: do not meet it head‑on; cause it to give.
勝つべし（かつべし; katsubeshi）— carries a normative imperative (“ought / must prevail”), a tone typical of Ueshiba’s 道歌 (dōka). This specific line appears in standard lists of his dōka.
屈し勝つべし（くっしかつべし; kusshi katsu beshi）— “make it yield and win / one ought to prevail.” 屈す ‘to bend / subdue, to cause to yield’; べし gives deontic / normative force (“ought / must”).
解説; Commentary
第17首のこのページは、見出しどおり “Bend the Line”（線を曲げる）を要に据え、「相手が上段なら、自分も上段に立ち（このままに）、突き出てくる“槍＝攻撃線”を曲げて制し、勝ちを得よ」という運用原理を一行で言い切っている、と読める。ここでの肝は三点――①相手の構え（上段）に合わせて立つ、②心身をこのままに（動揺なく）保つ、③攻撃の“線”を折れずに曲げる**――で、ページの英題と訳文（「Where there is jōdan, I take jōdan; as I am…」）もこの三拍子をまっすぐ補強している。真正面からぶつからず、線そのものを変調させて勝つ、というわけだ。
この読みを六つのプライマーに通すと、設計図がさらにくっきりする。プライマーの第一原理〈の〈武＝宇宙原理〉は「ぶつからずに整合させて動かす」という世界観を与え、プライマーの第二原理の〈人との合気〉は相手の構えに合わせて立つ起点になる。プライマーの第三原理の〈心魂一如〉は「このままに」の無隙を支え、プライマーの第四原理の〈和合美化〉は線を壊さず“美しく曲げる”方向づけを担う。プライマーの第五原理の〈体＝道場、心＝修業者／修行者心／学び手〉は日々の所作で攻撃線を“受け止めずに曲げる”稽古を可能にし、プライマーの第六原理の〈「至愛」の源に順う〉は勝ち方の質（折らず、傷めず、ただ曲げて済ます）を測る最上位の拠りどころになる。第17首は、この六つの骨組みを一本の“線の運転法”として結んでいる。
直前の三首とも噛み合う。第14首は「極意探しに走るな、答えは目の前にある」と視座を正し、第15首は「左右の応酬は捨て、“人の心”を一直線に送れ」とベクトルを一本化し、第16首は「上段に立ち、陰を陽として見極めよ」と見（まなこ）と構えを決めた。その延長で第17首は、相手の上段に自分の上段を“そのまま”合わせ、突きのラインをほんのわずかに外し＝曲げて、相手の意図を空振りへと変調させる作法を示す。つまり――見る（第16首）→出す（第15首）→いま目の前で調える（第14首）の流れを、“線を曲げる”という具体の一手で完成させるページだ。
口語要約のひとこと
「相手が上段なら、こっちもそのまま上段で、突きの線を曲げて勝て。」
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Appendix I: Change Modification Log
02 FEB 26 - Updated APA reference list formatting. 21 DEC 25 - Phase V styling applied to waka.22 OCT 25 - Updated translation in critical translation step of Phase IV; has better pivot, grab, is less "clacky", and more "grrrrrr!".10 OCT 25 - Phase III completion.14 APR 20 - Initial notes transferred.