Defending the Nation 81
This floating community of “rivers and lakes” was made of itinerant martial
artists who traveled in search of teachers, students, and spectators. Whether
they belonged to the clergy or the laity, members of this community often re-
sided, performed, and taught in temples—Buddhist, Daoist, and those of the
popular religion. Considerations of time and space created an inextricable
link between temples and the martial arts. Whatever his beliefs, whichever the
temple, the martial artist found there the festival occasion and the public space
necessary for the performance of his art.