The Tao of Tendo Kasumi

        If is ever being conjectured that Tendo Kasumi is not
 burdened by the weight of a great intellect.  This assumption is
 pure conjecture.  It seems that one presumes simplicity on those
 who value its, well...simplicity.  The character played by Kasumi is
 Ranma 1/2 is full of joy and well-wishing for others.  Not only that,
 but she sees it as her duty to arrange the comfort of others.  One
 could almost say that her joy is in taking care of others.

        Kasumi is the unruffled Bird of Paradise.  She does not
 become indignant, she exhibits only little surprise on rare
 occasions, and then her immediate reaction is to see to the welfare
 of the people surrounding her.  Kasumi does not become angry,
 though she can be firm.  She rarely takes a thought for herself, and 
seems to see matters in the simplest of ways. 

        Let us not presume that this appreciation of simplicity is a
 result of a deficient intellect.  Let us not say that Kasumi's near
 obliviousness and cheerful calm are the result of apathy, or lack
 of awareness, let us instead look at Kasumi-sempai from the
 traditional Taoist viewpoint.  It is only when we see Kasumi in this
 light that we will realize the depth and wonder of her studied
 persona.

        Taoism is based upon "The Way," which is what "Tao"
 means.  The way of Tao is Wu-Wei, the path of not acting, or the
 path of acting through inaction.  The concept of Tao is based upon
 harmony, the lack of contention, and inertia.  The Way is based
 largely on a book called the Tao Te Jing, which spells out the
 precepts of how to walk the way. These are some excerpts:

   VIII The highest good is like water. Because water excels in
        benefiting the myriad creatures without contending with
        them and settles where none would like to be, it comes
        close to the Way.

        When we compare this verse to Kasumi-sempai, we see her 
 likeness to the perfect Way of the Tao. Kasumi excels in benefiting
 those around her, even if they are the enemies of her friends,
 without contending with them.  She settles where none would like
 to be settled.  She calms those around her who would not like to
 be calmed.  

  IIXL Turning back is how the way moves; weakness is the means
        the way employs.  

        Kasumi is arguably the weakest character in the series in terms of
 physical strength, yet who would contend with Kasumi?  Many
 times I have heard it said that off all the characters in the series, the
 one that people would least like to be angry with them would be
 Kasumi. In terms of the Way, Kasumi fits the sandles of the Sage. 
 She is weak, yet people would be more threatened by her anger. 
 She lacks violence, yet people would not dare to fight her.  She is
 weak, but that is her strength, as is also with water, and the Way.
 In fact, the very name "Kasumi" means "mist" or "vague;" how fitting. 
 Kasumi could likely get anything that she requires by simply asking
 anyone in the series.  She is much respected and thought well of.

  IILXI The female always gets the better of the male by stillness. 
        Because she is still, it is fitting for her to lie low.

   XVI  I do my utmost to attain emptiness; I hold firmly to    
        stillness.

      Kasumi is the epitome of this method of the Way.  She is schooled
 to stillness and non-frivolous movement and thought.  Her mind is
 still as the reflecting pond, showing forth peace and wisdom in her
 lack of action and cleverness.  So, she lies low in the series, yet she
 is perhaps the most important character there.

        Kasumi is not distracted with clever thoughts, or anxiety
 because of situations or troubles. She is like the forest pool, calm
 surface, reflecting the world around her, but deep. There are times
 when circumstances provoke panic and frantic activity in the other
 characters.  Soun is the epitome of this.  The episode when Ranma
 is chasing Akane down the street and they are yelling at each other
 because Akane has forgotten Ranma, Kasumi observes this but is
 not disturbed.  The peaceful pond does not ripple, the swirling
 bubble is not pricked and burst, but rather she calmly asserts her
 practical wisdom, "Be home in time for dinner," interjecting into
 the situation all the placidity of the Tao.  Like water can not be
 crushed or broken, as it flows around obstacles instead of
 confronting or attacking them, or even stopping, so Kasumi allows
 herself to flow peacefully through life, flowing slowly and placidly
 around obstacles and surprises.  When first she found that Ranma
 was cursed, she turned it to a positive situation, pointing out to
 Akane that he was perfect for her, being half-girl.

        Ranma, on the other hand, is the opposite of Kasumi. As
 she is the very embodiment of Yin, the female half of Tao, the soft,
 weak, mysterious, and passiveness, he is Yang.  He represents the
 strong, light, hard, aggressiveness that chacterizes that half of the
 Way.  He seeks to best obstacles through strength and cleverness,
 relying on the hard battle instead of the soft passiveness.  His
 troubles are all the examples that we need to see the result of that
 approach.

  IIXXVIII Know the male, but keep to the role of the female.

        Ranma follows the way of Yang, he seeks to follow the male way,
 perhaps especially in rebellion to his half-female self.  Kasumi is the
 essence of the female half, Yin.  She is not surprised or agitated.
 For example, when Ranma and Genma are sparring in the mornings,
 Ranma pushed Genma into the pond.  This was right as they were
 going to breakfast.  Kasumi, witnessing this, is not disturbed or
 confounded.  She placidly utters, "Oh my, now Mr. Saotome will
 need something else for breakfast."  With this, she reveals a large
 plate of Bamboo shoots, just the kind that Pandas like.  As the
 water defeats the rock by not acting, Kasumi overcomes life and
 circumstances by flowing around obstacles, taking them in stride
 without contention or complaint. Kasumi is the only character in
 the series who does not have an ambition, or aggresive nature. For
 Nabiki is is money, for Akane, it is the need to prove herself.
 For Ranma, it is the need to be the best.  For Genma, it is the
 need for Ranma to be the best, for Soun it is to see his daughter
 happily married.  For Shampoo and Ukyo, it is to possess Ranma.
 For Ryouga, it is to defeat Ranma and get Akane.  For the Kunou
 it is to have the Pig-tailed goddess AND Akane.  The ambitions of
 all of these characters is what causes them to do aggresive things
 that violate the Way.  Kasumi has none of these desires.  She just
 floats along downstream, doing things to make other people happy.
 It is Kasumi who is the head of the Tendo household.  People may
 think that it is Soun, but he is not at peace, and therefore not in
 control of himself enough to lead the household.  He lost the rights
 to the Tendo land to Nabiki in a game of Go.  The dojo will go to
 Ranma and Akane.  Kasumi takes care of him as if he were a brother to
 the other two sisters. He does not follow Wu-Wei, and can not rule.

        So, as we see, Kasumi-semapi is the embodiment of the
 Taoist Sage. Thus is it any wonder that I chose her as the founder
 and inspiration of a School of Philosophy.  She is perhaps the
 wisest and most positive person in the Ranma series.  She and
 Belldandy are perhaps in competition, if she were competitive that
 is, for the most inspiring woman in any culture.  Kasumi embodies
 the principles of the Way and the eternal Tao.


        Mortal

Proprietor of the Tendo Kasumi School of Philosophy