Monday, May 21, 2012

A bit of Sword Mysticism from a Japanese monk


“…the true master wields the sword but does not necessarily kill. He wields the sword so as to give life. When he must kill, he kills. When he should give life, he gives life…. Walking on water is like walking on the ground, and walking on the ground is like walking on water. If he achieves this freedom, no one on earth can confuse him. But he will know no friendship.”


Taia-Ki (Chronicles of the Sword of Taia)

Takuan Soho

2 comments:

  1. Hello,

    Nice post. Japanese swords have characters on the tang that give information about the maker and year made. The blades of the sword are made up of a soft and durable iron core enveloped in a hard outer skin of steel. I like the way you start and then conclude your thoughts. Thanks for this information...

    Handmade Swords

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment. The entire process of making swords seems really fascinating. I wonder when the process of "signing" the tang began. It's probably older than the "katana period."

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