COUNTERSTROKE AT SOLTSY - Strategy & Tactics Press

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56 #232 Kojiro’s razor sharp sword fell from his dead hand, it cut through the hem of Musashi’s skirt. Those two near misses made that fight the closest he ever came to being wounded or killed. In 1614, Musashi joined his old foes, the Tokugawas, as a mercenary and fought in the bloody siege of Osaka Castle. He continued to wander for another 20 years plying his deadly trade until in 1634 he returned to Ogura and stayed with Lord Churi in Kumamoto. In 1638, Musashi was present as an officer in the army that fought against the southern lords and the Japanese Christians who had risen in rebellion. The rebellion was ruthlessly crushed. Following that campaign, the Japanese closed their countries to foreigners for the next two centuries. Musashi once again chose his own course, and in 1643 at the age of 59 he sought solitude. He became a recluse living in a mountain cave called Reigendo. Go Rin No Sho –The Book of the Five Rings It was in Reigendo that Musashi dictated Go Rin No Sho, the Book of the Five Rings, to his student Teruo Nobuyuki as a series of letters. Go Rin No Sho is one of those cryptic books in which meaning is to be found in the interpretation of the reader. Beginners and Warrior elite: Samurai in full armor with bow. masters can read the same passage and find different meanings. Musashi himself stated he did not reach a full understanding of the Way until 1634, at the age of 50, and that despite years of training and experience. Musashi wrote: “When you have attained the Way of strategy there will not be one thing that you cannot understand. You will see the Way in everything.” Musashi commanded no great armies and never sought power for himself. His dedication to his warrior skills and his almost mystical seeking of the Way has had influence on the psychology of the Japanese, not unlike the impact the Medieval European quest for the Holy Grail had on Western civilization (though Musashi is much better documented historically than, say, King Arthur). Indeed, the preface to every text on Kendo acknowledges a debt to Go Rin No Sho. Musashi had proved the Way was achievable. The enlightenment it brought was the essence of Musashi’s persona made him invincible in combat. To the Japanese he is ranked among the few who have been given the title of Kinsei, or Sword Saint, and even among that group Musashi stands alone. Musashi was not a brutal man, but his code meant he was merciless. He did not fear death in combat and expected no quarter from his opponents. By the same token, he gave no mercy if the circumstances demanded it. In his 30 years as a wandering ronin and mercenary, Musashi probably killed more than 100 men in combat, yet never suffered a single wound, no matter how many opponents faced him. In May 1645, shortly after dictating his last letter on the concept of void, Musashi died. He left behind no family and no Kendo school to carry on his work. Yet his reputation was such that he was not forgotten, and his book became the core text for those seeking to follow the Way. Musashi had sought only personal enlightenment, but his legacy for the Japanese is that he set such a high standard and laid out a code of behaviour many have sought to follow his example. None has equaled his achievements to this day. Bibliography The Book of the Five Rings – Miyamoto Musashi, Cassell Military Paperbacks, First Published 1994, Reprinted 2001 (Great Britain). A Book of Five Rings – Miyamoto Musashi, Translated by Victor Harris. The Outlook Press, Petere Mayer Publishers Inc, Woodstock, New York First Published 1974. The Book of Five Rings for Executives: Musashi’s Classic Book of Competitive Tactics – Donald G. Krause. W.S. Bookwell, Nicholas Brearley Publishing, 1998. (This is a well known popular book which mangles every idea Musashi championed to suit the business ideas of the author.) Musashi – Eiji Yoshikawa, translated by Charles Terry, ISBN 4-7700- 1957-2 Samurai Warfare – Dr. Stephen Turnbull. Arms and Armour Press (UK), (1998).
Musashi writes Strategy is the craft of the warrior. Commanders must enact the craft, and troopers should know this. There is no warrior in the world today who really understands the Way of strategy In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. In my strategy, the training for killing enemies is by way of many contests, fighting for survival, discovering the meaning of life and death, learning the Way of the sword, judging the strength of attacks and understanding the Way of the “edge and ridge” of the sword. In strategy you must know the Ways of other schools. What is called the spirit of the void is where there is nothing. It is not included in man’s knowledge. Of course the void is nothingness. By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void. strategy & tactics 57
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