古人の跡を求めず
古人の求めしところを求めよ

Ancient humans’ traces, seek not—
ancient humans’ soughts, seek that!

芭蕉(1693); Basho (1693)

かつて十代の若き日、この言葉に触れた瞬間、私の全存在を懸けた人生の旅路は、その均衡を失い、真理へと大きく傾いたのだ。

……ならば、改めて問おう。我らが日々没頭する『稽古(けいこ)』の本質とは、一体何であるか?

Back in my teenage years, the moment I encountered this phrase, the journey of my life—on which I had staked my very existence—lost its balance and tilted sharply towards truth.

……If so, let me ask once more. What, exactly, is the essence of the ‘keiko’ to which we devote ourselves day in, day out?