Basically he said to walk over and kill the other guy.
Well..... sometimes you make them walk to you first....
First, to Chris, yeah, im not a Musashi follower. That kind of literature doesnt interest me, so i lack experience in interpreting it
It's cool that you're not a "Musashi follower" (whatever that means...), but honestly, if you're going to comment on something like the Gorin no Sho without knowing about it, and instead to give what comes across as a rather dismissive appraisal (which missed entirely what was said), I'm gonna pick it up.
Now onto Miyomoto Musahshi. He wrote some pretty interesting things. The Book of Five Rings is some thing that I feel every martial practitioner should read. However, I also think people should look carefully beyond the writing and look at this man's history. I feel that to call him a saint is pretty ridiculous. He was great with a sword by all counts but not very saintly! Unless you consider dueling and killing people saintly. I would characterize Miyomoto Mushashi as someone who was good at what he did, maybe even obsessed to a point that it ruined a normal life for him and then in the end he was coping or trying to deal with that when he was a hermit and writing. On many levels he is someone to be pitied for the life he lead. I know this is not the norm in peoples perception of him and maybe I have been influenced by a few trusted Japanese instructors but in the end this is my opinion! For what it's worth!
A couple of things here, Brian. First, thanks for the welcome back... life's been a little... disruptive... for a while. Now, onto the topic at hand. I'm not sure that I'd say that every martial practitioner should read Gorin no Sho... sure, most can get something out of it, but few will get what is actually meant. The main reason is why the book was written in the first place... it wasn't for anyone outside of the tradition. In fact, it wasn't even for many inside it... it was specifically for one student, to give them a deeper appreciation of the strategies and tactics of his hyoho... if you're not following Musashi's Hyoho, then it has limited value, honestly. Many passages are incredibly specific to parts of the Ryu (waza, riai etc), and not to others... some downright argue with other approaches/hyoho found in other ryu-ha. So sure, read it, find what you can... but unless you train Musashi's hyoho, you won't see what is being said.
Next, the idea of referring to Musashi as Kensei (Sword Saint) isn't a reference to a "saint" in a Western/Christian form... quite separate, really... and to try to equate the two due more to a lack of proper translation within English I feel is a bit unfair. In the sense the term is used, it refers to someone whose skill and application of the weapon approached what we might call superhuman (beyond the normal skill level attainable by most people). And, in that sense, he most certainly is a "saint"... along with Tsukahara Bokuden, Itto Ittosai, Kamizume Ise no Kami, and many others. Their skill was considered almost "divine"... which is the nuance the English affectation of "saint" really refers to. Mind you, when it comes to bloodshed and violence, many Western saints have a claim as well... such as Saint Louis (embarking on two Crusades in his life), Saint George (who was a Roman soldier), Saint Ignatius (founder of the Jesuit movement, it's first Supreme General, and a career soldier who founded his movement based on readings while recovering from battle wounds), Joan of Arc (yep, a saint as well... and that was a lady who didn't shy away from swinging steel!), ooh, Saint Vladimir was a good one... polygamist, partaker of human sacrifice, and more... Saint Moses, a former slave released after suspicion of theft and murder, he would go on to lead a violent gang. Seriously, these are the saints here! Why doesn't Musashi fit in? Oh, yeah... no conversion to Christianity....
I'd also argue against the idea that he was "coping or trying to deal with" his former life living as a hermit... that doesn't really fit with the descriptions of his motivations and movements. There is, in fact, no indication of any such feelings in his writings, the stories passed down, or anything else. Hell, in the introduction to Gorin no Sho, he states that after he had his final duel (at the age of 29, against Sasaki Kojiro), he reflected on why he'd managed to be successful so consistently, and determined that it wasn't due to skill on his part... so he devoted himself to a deeper study. He didn't shy away from his past, he sought to improve upon the experiences and lessons he gained. As ever, you're more than welcome to your opinion, but I haven't seen any evidence that actually supports it, so I'm not sure who you've been listening to...
Not Miyamoto Muhashi in his day, not a whole lot of people made fun of him. It wa sa quick and easy way to get yourself killed
It aint his day any more.
No, but the principles still stand. Having a basic understanding of social convention, appropriate etiquette, manners, what could set off a confrontation, and what could avoid one, are still important. In a way, that is where a lot of the etiquette in martial arts stems from... the particulars might change from culture to culture, but the lessons are consistent. If you don't believe me, head up to a biker gang and call them all fairies, then ask them if their beards tickle when they kiss each other... see if the "day" has really changed that much.
Basically that is what Musashi said. He is talking about understanding your opponent so you can defeat him
Im cool with that. Its the idea of analyzing your particular opponent as he attacks you i take issue to
Hmm. Honestly, my friend, that is possibly one of the most short-sighted and (well, I am being blunt here) ignorant comments I've seen in a long time. What do you think martial techniques are based on? Hope? All martial approaches are based on analyzing the opponent... whether sporting systems, where you develop a range of counters and attacks (and, in the higher levels, study the records and tapes of your opponents... why do you think that they do that?), self defence systems, where the approach is designed around an understanding of common attacks, high probabilities, realistic scenarios and so forth, or traditional arts, which are applied against (commonly) stylized attacks to teach methods of identifying particular attacks, to the point where you can readily analyze them and respond powerfully and immediately. You might want to start reading a little broader... Sun Tzu, for instance (If you know yourself, but not your enemy, you will be victorious in only half of the battles you fight. If you know the enemy, but not yourself, you will be victorious in only half of the battles you fight. If you know not yourself, nor your enemy, you have no hope of victory, and if you know yourself, and know your enemy, you will not be defeated, even if you face 10,000 battles). Same thing.
