True meaning of the term "Sensei" to Japanese TMA?

Question

Everyone has been told that Sensei means teacher, or instructor. but for traditional martial arts that is not really what it means. The meaning is much deeper than that. Do you know what it means to the Japanese TMA?

Answer 1

I have been told it means "the one who has gone before." I think this is to do with the Japanese culture of respecting elders and anyone born before you. The sensei has already walked the path that you are travelling along, so he/she has knowledge and life experience to guide you on your way.

There is an interesting analogy comparing a true sensei to a vintner- one who produces wine. He is the one who is responsible for it, from the planting of the grape vines, all the way until the raw wine is poured into casks to age. The vintner is the talented individual who can look at a particular hillside or a handful of soil and can tell you which kinds of grapes will grow best there, what kind of yield you can expect. He knows when the grapes need to be pruned. He makes vital decisions throughout the growing season, to fertilize, to spray for bugs. He must decide when to pick them in the autumn, to wait for a few more days to let them fully ripen or to pick now and beat out the rain that can adversely affect the whole harvest.

I think that a sensei has to have much more than simply knowing all the techniques required to teach them, there needs to be a huge element of respect and humility involved.

Just my uninformed opinion though. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts :)

Answer 2

Translating words from one language to another is really difficult.  The characters mean "born first" although the accepted translation is still "teacher."  I've heard some people opine that it has a deeper meaning more like "father" or "mentor" but I have never seen proof of that.

It is also used outside the martial arts in business, medicine, and the fine arts as a title.