Craft and Combat

Average reading time: 3-5 minutes

In the first part of our series on pattern design we discovered, that in feudal Japan the koji-tsunagi pattern wasn’t used in a martial context per se. It was, fittingly, a pattern of the working class not of the warrior or the court. That means, that on armor, family crests or other decorated elements from the samurai class you would find symbols of protective or direct military implications like the tortoise-shell kikkō, the scale-like uroko, or the arrow-feather yabane. Societal classes back then had strict rules. The usage of lower class symbols — like those of the craftsmen — would have gone completely against the norms, even though they would carry a relatable meaning.

So even though the worlds of craftsmen and samurai rarely seem to mix, they shared a crucial understanding: Both believed that repetition, precision and refinement are the foundation to transcend your techniques and truly master what you are learning to do.

Craft, Combat, and Continuous Practice

The lifelong rhythm of improvement, the effort of doing so, is to us the bridge between craftsmanship and martial arts. Both embody the artisan’s spirit shokunin kishitsu (職人気質) and both align with the martial path budō (武道). Each values patience, humility, and the belief that true skill has no real endpoint.

If you imagine each 工 in the koji-tsunagi pattern as a moment of focused work, then the design becomes the embodiment of continuous growth. That is at least how we like to see it.

The Space Between

Negative space — as found in western and eastern minimalism alike — plays a significant role in creating the rhythm of the pattern. In music it's silence that shapes the sounds, in between breaths it's our pauses. The little voids in koji-tsunagi give form to its repetition.

Every 工 is identical, yet each relationship between lines is unique, reminding us of ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会), meaning “one encounter, one opportunity”. Translated back to martial arts, even repeated movements are never truly the same. Every session and every breath is another unique connection in an infinite pattern.

The creative process, whether it be in the design studio, the workshop or the dojo, resonates the spirit of koji-tsunagi. It's a feeling the pattern provides, that is grounded in relatable values. It visualizes the idea that evolution happens through action and that mastery, whether physical or mental, is built from small, consistent efforts that interlock over time.