The Essence of Swordsmanship: Part 1

[sirdarksol]

There once was a man who was seeking to learn to become a great swordsman. He was a samurai, though he had never been taught to handle a sword. He mostly just knew how to keep track of finances on the land he would inherit from his father. He sought out an old hermit, a man who had once been one of the greatest samurai of his generation, and begged the old man to teach him how to wield a sword.
The old man told him that he no longer used a sword, and that he could not teach the younger man anything. Still, the young samurai persisted, camping near the hermit's cottage and asking every day to be taught the way of the sword.
Finally, the old man agreed, and immediately set the young man to work cleaning the cottage. As he swept the floor of the cottage, the hermit leapt out from a nook and battered the young man with a bokken.
At first the young man was humiliated and prepared to leave. "No," he thought to himself. "This must be a test. I will stick it out."
Day after day this happened, and day after day the young samurai asked when he would learn to use the sword. "Only when you are ready may you pick up a weapon," the teacher replied.

Then, one day, as the samurai was preparing a meal for the two of them, the hermit crept up behind the samurai, bokken ready to attack. As the weapon sliced through the air, the samurai calmly picked up the lid of his pot and, without turning around, blocked the attack with the lid, which he then replaced on the pot.

The hermit went to a chest, pulled out his writing supplies, and immediately wrote up a certificate of the young man's mastery of kenjutsu.

[disgruntled]

interesting story... it made me go back and read your post on kenjutsu. and one line struck me from that post "Thus, kenjutsu centered around staying alive long enough to strike one of these vital areas".... guess he did master it

[DOCBROWN1705]

That is a nice story... and one I have heard from many cultures... it not only applies to the sword, but to life in general.... to master anything, you must first make it a part of you.

Swordsmanship, Kendo, Fencing, Kenjustu, and any other armed combat.... all have one very important philosophy in common.... BECOME ONE WITH YOUR WEAPON.

The sword must be an extension of your being, every movement fluid, and synonymous.
It is as much spiritual, as it is physical. The sword, must not be seen as the weapon... the man (or woman) is the weapon, and the sword is only an extension of the warrior.

Understanding the bio mechanics, and the techniques, is of course essential, but like with anything, true mastery can only come from, understanding all sides.

Always remember that no matter how great the weapon, it is nothing without the warrior behind it!

[chokdee]

very interesting story, any more?

[sirdarksol]

Yes, I do. I'll be posting them periodically, though I want to give enough time for a decent discussion to happen, should any of these trigger one.

One of the biggest reasons this story is told is this: If a swordsman can't be hit, he can't be killed. No point in being able to cut through a tree if you're already dead. (Note; this is not to say that any other answers are wrong, just that this is the explanation that I have heard/read)

There are many variants of this story, and this is actually a common method of training in some styles. David Lowry, for example, an American "heir" of the Yagyu Shinkage style of kenjutsu, started his training in his sensei's home, cleaning the floors and such. His sensei would ambush him and beat him with a bokken. Only once he could avoid being hit and easily resume his task was he allowed to pick up a bokken.