Japan during Musashi's lifetime

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Miyamoto Musashi was born in 1584, in a Japan struggling to recover from more than
four centuries of internal strife. he tra!itional rule of the emperors ha! been overthrown
in the twelfth century, an! although each successive emperor remaine! the figurehea!
of Japan, his powers were very much re!uce!. "ince that time, Japan ha! seen almost
continuous civil war between the provincial lor!s, warrior mon#s an! brigan!s, all
fighting each other for lan! an! power. $n the fifteenth an! si%teenth centuries the lor!s,
calle! !aimyo, built huge stone castles to protect themselves an! their lor!s an! castle
towns outsi!e the walls began to grow up. hese wars naturally restricte! the growth of
tra!e an! impoverishe! the whole country.
$n 15&', however, one man, (!a )obunga, came to the fore in Japan. *e became the
"hogun, or military !ictator, an! for nine years succee!e! in gaining control of almost
the whole of the country. +hen )obunga was assassinate! in 158,, a commoner too#
over the government. oyotomi *i!eyoshi continue! the wor# of unifying Japan which
)obunaga ha! begun, ruthlessly putting !own any traces of insurrection. *e revive! the
ol! gulf between the warriors of Japan - the samurai - an! the commoners by
intro!ucing restrictions on the wearing of swor!s. .*i!eyoshi/s swor!-hunt., as it was
#nown, meant that only samurai were allowe! to wear two swor!s, the short one which
everyone coul! wear an! the long one which !istinguishe! the samurai from the rest of
the population.
0lthough *i!eyoshi !i! much to settle Japan an! increase tra!e with the outsi!e worl!,
by the time of his !eath in 1518 internal !isturbances still ha! not been completely
eliminate!. he real isolation an! unification of Japan began with the inauguration of the
great o#ugawa rule. $n 123' o#ugawa $eyasu, a former associate of both *i!eyoshi
an! )obunaga, formally became "hogun of Japan, after !efeating *i!eyoshi/s son
*i!eyori at the battle of "e#i ga *ara.
$eyasu establishe! his government at 4!o, present-!ay o#yo, where he ha! a huge
castle. *is was a stable, peaceful government beginning a perio! of Japanese history
which was to last until the $mperial 5estoration of 1828, for although $eyasu himself !ie!
in 1212 members of his family succee!e! each other an! the title "hogun became
virtually an here!itary one for the o#ugawas.
$eyasu was !etermine! to ensure his an! his family/s !ictatorship. o this en!, he pai!
lip-service to the emperor in 6yoto, who remaine! the titular hea! of Japan, while
curtailing his !uties an! involvement in the government. he real threat to $eyasu/s
position coul! only come from the lor!s, an! he effectively !ecrease! their opportunities
for revolt by !evising schemes whereby all lor!s ha! to live in 4!o for alternate years
an! by placing great restrictions on travelling. *e allotte! lan! in e%change for oaths of
allegiance, an! gave the provincial castles aroun! 4!o to members of his own family.
*e also employe! a networ# of secret police an! assassins.
he o#ugawa perio! mar#s a great change in the social history of Japan. he
bureaucracy of the o#ugawas was all-perva!ing. )ot only were e!ucation, law,
government an! class controlle!, be even the costume an! behavior of each class. he
tra!itional class consciousness of Japan har!ene! into a rigi! class structure. here
were basically four classes of person: samurai, farmers, artisans an! merchants. he
samurai were the highest - in esteem if not in wealth - an! inclu!e! the lor!s, senior
government officials, warriors, an! minor officials an! foot sol!iers. )e%t in the hierarchy
came the farmers, not because they were well thought of but because they provi!e! the
essential rice crops. heir lot was a rather unhappy one, as they were force! to give
most of their crops to the lor!s an! were not allowe! to leave their farms. hen came
the artisans an! craftsmen, an! last of all the merchants, who, though loo#e! !own
upon, eventually rose to prominence because of the vast wealth they accumulate!. 7ew
people were outsi!e this rigi! hierarchy.
Musashi belonge! to the samurai class. +e fin! the origins of the samurai class in the
6on!ei 8."talwart 9outh.: system establishe! in &1, 0;, whereby the Japanese army -
which ha! until then constitute! mainly of spear-wiel!ing foot sol!iers - was revive! by
stiffening the ran#s with permanent training officers recruite! from among the young
sons of the high families. hese officers were mounte!, wore armour, an! use! the bow
an! swor!. $n &8, the emperor 6ammu starte! buil!ing 6yoto, an! in 6yoto he built a
training hall which e%ists to this !ay calle! the <uto#u!en, meaning .*all of the virtues
of war.. +ithin a few years of this revival the fierce 0inu, the aboriginal inhabitants of
Japan who ha! until then confoun!e! the army/s attempts to move them from their wil!
lo!gings, were !riven far off to the northern islan!, *o##ai!o.
+hen the great provincial armies were gra!ually !isban!e! un!er *i!eyoshi an!
$eyasu, many out-of-wor# samurai roame! the country re!un!ant in an era of peace.
Musashi was one such samurai, a .ronin. or .wave man.. here were still samurai
retainers to the o#ugawas an! provincial lor!s, but their numbers were few. he hor!es
of re!un!ant samurai foun! themselves living in a society which was completely base!
on the ol! chivalry, but at the same time they were apart from a society in which there
was no place for men at arms. hey became an inverte! class, #eeping the ol! chivalry
alive by !evotion to military arts with the fervour only the Japanese possess. his was
the time of the flowering of 6en!o.
6en!o, the +ay of the swor!, ha! always been synonymous with nobility in Japan.
"ince the foun!ing of the samurai class in the eighth century, the military arts ha!
become the highest form of stu!y, inspire! by the teachings of =en an! the feeling of
"hinto. "chools of 6en!o born in the early Muromachi perio! - appro%imately 1'13 to
1233 - were continue! through the upheavals of the formation of the peaceful o#ugawa
"hogunate, an! survive to this !ay. he e!ucation of the sons of the o#ugawa
"hoguns was by means of schooling in the >hinese classics an! fencing e%ercises.
+here a +esterner might say .he pen is mightier than the swor!., the Japanese woul!
say .<unbu $chi., or .?en an! swor! in accor!.. o!ay, prominent businessmen an!
political figures in Japan still practise the ol! tra!itions of the 6en!o schools, preserving
the forms of several hun!re! years ago.
o sum up, Musashi was a ronin at the time when the samurai were formally consi!ere!
to be the elite, but actually ha! no means of livelihoo! unless they owne! lan!s an!
castles. Many ronin put up their swor!s an! became artisans, but others, li#e Musashi,
persue! the i!eal of the warrior searching for enlightenment through the perilous paths
of 6en!o. ;uels of revenge an! tests of s#ill were commonplace, an! fencing schools
multiplie!. wo schools e%pecially, the $tto school an! the 9agyu school, were
sponsore! by the o#ugawas. he $tto school provi!e! an unbro#en line of 6en!o
teachers, an! the 9agyu school eventually became the secret police of the o#ugawa
bureaucracy.
Kendo
ra!itionally, the fencing halls of Japan, calle! ;o@o, were associate! with shrines an!
temples, but !uring Musashi/s lifetime numerous schools sprang up in the new castle
towns. 4ach !aimyo or lor! sponsore! a 6en!o school, where his retainers coul! be
traine! an! his sons e!ucate!. he hope of every ronin was that he coul! !efeat the
stu!ents an! master of a ;o@o in combat, thus increasing his fame an! bringing his
name to the ears of one who might employ him.
he samurai wore two swor!s thrust through the belt with the cutting e!ge uppermost.
he longer swor! was carrie! out of !oors only, the shorter swor! was worn at all times.
7or training, woo!en swor!s an! bamboo swor!s were often use!. ;uelling an! other
tests of arms were common, with both real an! practice swor!s. hese too# place in
fencing halls an! before shrines, in the streets an! within castle walls. ;uels were often
fought to the !eath or until one of the contestants was !isable!, but a few generations
after Musashi/s time the .shinai., a pliable bamboo swor!, an! later pa!!e! fencing
armour, came to be wi!ely use!, so the chances of in@ury were greatly re!uce!. he
samurai stu!ie! with all #in!s of weapons: halber!s, stic#s, swor!s, chain an! sic#le,
an! others. Many schools using such weapons survive in tra!itional form in Japan
to!ay.
o train in 6en!o one must sub@ugate the self, bear the pain of gruelling practise, an!
cultivate a level min! in the face of peril. <ut the +ay of the swor! means not only
fencing training but also living by the co!e of honour of the samurai elite. +arfare was
the spirit of the samurai/s every!ay life, an! he coul! face !eath as if it were a !omestic
routine. he meaning of life an! !eath by the swor! was mirrore! in the every!ay
con!uct of the feu!al Japanese, an! he who realise! the resolute acceptance of !eath
at any moment in his every!ay life was a master of the swor!. $t is in or!er to attain
such an un!erstan!ing that later men have followe! the ancient tra!ition of the swor!-
fencing styles, an! even to!ay give up their lives for 6en!o practise.
Kendo and Zen
he +ay of the swor! is the moral teaching of the samurai, fostere! by the >onfucianist
philosophy which shape! the o#ugawa system, together with the native "hinto religion
of Japan. he warrior courts of Japan from the 6ama#ura perio! to the Muromachi
perio! encourage! the austre =en stu!y among the samurai, an! =en went han! in
han! with the arts of war. $n =en the are no elaborations, it aims !irectly at the true
nature of things. here are no ceremonies, no teachings: the priAe of =en is essentially
personal. 4nlightenment in =en !oes not mean a change in behavior, but realisation of
the nature of or!inary life. he en! point is the beginning, an! the great virtue is
simplicity. he secret teaching of the $tto 5yu school of 6en!o, 6iriotoshi, is the first
techniBue of some hun!re! or so. he teaching is .0i Cchi., meaning to cut the
opponent @ust as he cuts you. his is the ultimate training... it is lac# of anger. $t means
to treat your enemy as an honoure! guest. $t also means to aban!on your life or throw
away fear.
he first techniBue is the last, the beginner an! the master behave in the same way.
6nowle!ge is a full circle. he first of Musashi/s chapter hea!ings is Droun!, for the
basis of 6en!o an! =en, an! the last boo# is Eoi!, for that un!erstan!ing which can
only be e%presse! as nothingness. he teachings of 6en!o are li#e the fierce verbal
forays to which the =en stu!ent is sub@ecte!. 0ssaile! with !oubts an! misery, his min!
an! spirit in a whirl, the stu!ent is gra!ually gui!e! to realisation an! un!erstan!ing by
his teacher. he 6en!o stu!ent practises furiously, thousan!s of cuts morning an! night,
learning fierce techniBues of horrible war, until eventually swor! becomes .no swor!.,
intention becomes .no intention., a spontaneous #nowle!ge of every situation. he first
elementary teaching becomes the highest #nowle!ge, an! the master still continues to
practise this simple training, his every!ay prayer.
Concerning the life of Miyamoto Musashi
"hinmen Musashi )o 6ami 7u@iwara )o Denshin, or as he is commonly #nown
Miyamoto Musashi, was born in the village calle! Miyamoto in the province Mimasa#a in
1584. .Musashi. is the name of an area south-west of o#yo, an! the appellation .)o
6ami. means noble person of the area, while .7u@iwara. is the name of a noble family
foremost in Japan over a thousan! years ago.
Musashi/s ancestors were a branch of the powerful *arima clan in 6yushu, the souther
islan! of Japan. *ira!a "ho#an, his gran!father, was a retainer of "hinmen $ga )o
6ami "u!eshige, the lor! of a#eyama castle. *ira!a "ho#an was highly thought of by
his lor! an! eventually marrie! his lor!/s !aughter.
+hen Musashi was seven, his father, Munisai, either !ie! or aban!one! the chil!. 0s
his mother ha! !ie!, <en )o "u#e, as Musashi was #nown !uring his chil!hoo!, was
left in the care of an uncle on his mother/s si!e, a priest. "o we fin! Musashi an orphan
!uring *i!eyoshi/s campaigns of unification, son of a samurai in a violent unhappy lan!.
*e was a boisterous youth, strong-wille! an! physically large for his age. +hether he
was urge! to persue 6en!o by his uncle, or whether his aggressive nature le! him to it,
we !o not #now, but it is recor!e! that he slew a man in single combat when he was @ust
thirteen. he opponent was 0rima 6igei, a samurai of the "hinto 5yu school of military
arts, s#ille! with swor! an! spear. he boy threw the man to the groun!, an! beat him
about the hea! with a stic# when he trie! to rise. 6ihei !ie! vomiting bloo!
Musashi/s ne%t contest was when he was si%teen, when he !efeate! a!ashima
0#iyama. 0bout this time, he left home to embar# on the .+arrior ?ilgimage. which saw
him victor in scores of contests an! which too# him to war si% times, until he finally
settle! !own at the age of fifty, having reache! the en! of his search for reason. here
must have been many ronin travelling the country on similar e%pe!itions, some alone
li#e Musashi an! some en@oying sponsorship, though not on the scale of the pilgrimage
of the famous swor!man su#ahara <o#u!en who ha! travelle! with a retinue of over
one hun!re! men in the previous century.
his part of Musashi/s life was spent living apart from society while he !evote! himself
with a ferocious single-min!e!ness to the search for enlightenment by the +ay of the
swor!. >oncerne! only with perfecting his s#ill, he live! as men nee! not live,
wan!ering over Japan soa#e! by the col! win!s of winter, not !ressing his hair, nor
ta#ing a wife, nor following any profession save his stu!y. $t is sai! he never entere! a
bathtub lest he was caught unawares without a weapon, an! that his appearance was
uncouth an! wretche!.
$n the battle which resulte! in $eyasu succee!ing *i!eyoshi as "hogun of Japan, "e#i
ga *ara, Musashi @oine! the ran#s of the 0shi#aga army to fight against $eyasu. *e
survive! the terrible three !ays !uring which seventy thousan! people !ie!, an! also
survive! the hunting !own an! massacre of the vanBuishe! army.
*e went up to 6yoto, the capital, when he was twenty-one. his was the scene of his
ven!etta against the 9oshio#a family. he 9oshio#as ha! been fencing instructors to the
0shi#aga house for generations. Fater forbi!!en to teach 6en!o by lor! o#ugawa, the
family became !yers, an! are !yers to!ay. Munisai, Musashi/s father, ha! been invite!
to 6yoto some years before by the "hogun 0shi#aga 9oshia#a. Munisai was a
competent swor!sman, an! an e%pert with the .@itte., a #in! of iron truncheon with a
tongue for catching swor! bla!es. he story has it that Munisai fought three of the
9oshio#as, winning two of the !uels, an! perhaps this has some bearing on Musashi/s
behavior towar!s the family.
9oshio#a "ei@iro, the hea! of the family, was the first to fight Musashi, on the moor
outsi!e the city. "ei@iro was arme! with a real swor!, an! Musashi with a woo!en swor!.
Musashi lai! "ei@iro out with a fierce attac# an! beat him savagely as he lay on the
groun!. he retainers carrie! their lor! home on a rain-shutter, where for shame he cut
off his samurai top#not.
Musashi lingere! on in the capital, an! his continue! presence further ir#e! the
9oshio#as. he secon! brother, ;enshichiro, applie! to Musashi for a !uel. 0s a military
ploy, Musashi arrive! late on the appointe! !ay, an! secon!s after the start of the fight
he bro#e his opponent/s s#ull with one blow of his woo!en swor!. ;enshichiro was
!ea!. he house issue! yet another challenge with *anshichiro, the young son of
"ei@iro, as champion. *anshichiro was a mere boy, not yet in his teens. he contest was
to be hel! by a pine tree a!@acent to ricefiel!s. Musashi arrive! at the meeting place
well before the appointe! time an! waite! in hi!ing for his enemy to come. he chil!
arrive! !resse! formally in war gear, with a party of well-arme! retainers, !etermine! to
!o away with Musashi. Musashi waite! conceale! in the sha!ows, an! @ust as they
were thin#ing that he ha! thought better of it an! ha! !eci!e! to leave 6yoto, he
su!!enly appeare! in the mi!st of them, an! cut the boy !own. hen, !rawing both
swor!s, he cut a path through them an! ma!e his escape.
0fter that frightful episo!e Musashi wan!ere! over Japan, becoming a legen! in his
own time. +e fin! mention of his name an! stories of his prowess in registers, !iaries,
on monuments, an! in fol# memory from o#yo to 6yushu. *e ha! more than si%ty
contests before he was twenty-nine, an! won them all. he earliest account of his
contests appears in Niten Ki, or .wo *eavens >hronicle., a recor! compile! by his
pupils a generation after his !eath.
$n the year of the 9oshio#a affair, 1235, he visite! the temple *oAoin in the south of the
capital. *ere he ha! a contest with (#u *oAoin, the )ichiren sect pupil of the =en priest
*oin $nei. he priest was a spearman, but no match for Musashi who !efeate! him
twice with his short woo!en swor!. Musashi staye! at the temple for some time
stu!ying fighting techniBues an! en@oying tal#s with the priests. here is still to!ay a
tra!itional spear fighting form practise! by the mon#s of *oAoin. $t is interesting that in
ancient times the wor! .(sho., which now means priest, use! to mean .spear teacher..
*oin $nei was pupil to $Aumi Musashi no 6ami, a master of "hinto 6en!o. he priest
use! spears with cross-shape! bla!es #ept outsi!e the temple un!er the eaves an!
use! in fire fighting.
+hen Musashi was in $ga province he met a s#ille! chain an! sic#le fighter name!
"hishi!o <ai#in. 0s "hishi!o twirle! his chain Musashi !rew a !agger an! pierce! his
breast, a!vancing to finish him off. he watching pupils attac#e! Musashi but he
frightene! them away in four !irections.
$n 4!o, a fighter name! Muso Donosu#e visite! Musashi reBuesting a !uel. Musashi
was cutting woo! to ma#e a bow, an! granting Donosu#e/s reBuest stoo! up inten!ing
to use the slen!er wan! he was cutting as a swor!. Donosu#e ma!e a fierce attac#, but
Musashi steppe! straight in an! bange! him on the hea!. Donosu#e went away.
?assing through $Aumo province, Musashi visite! lor! Matsu!aira an! as#e! permission
to fight with his strongest 6en!o e%pert. here were many goo! strategists in $Aumo.
?ermission was grante! against a man who use! an eight foot long he%agonal woo!en
pole. he contest was hel! in the lor!/s library gar!en. Musashi use! two woo!en
swor!s. *e chase! the samurai up the two woo!en steps of the library veran!a, thrust
at his face on the secon! step, an! hit him on both arms as he flinche! away. o the
surprise of the assemble! retainers, lor! Matsu!aira as#e! Musashi to fight him.
Musashi !rove the lor! up the library steps as before, an! when he trie! to ma#e a
resolute fencing attitu!e Musashi hit his swor! with the .7ire an! "tones >ut., brea#ing
it in two. he lor! bowe! in !efeat, an! Musashi staye! for some time as his teacher.
Musashi/s most well-#nown !uel was in the seventeenth year of 6eicho, 121,, when he
was in (gura in <unAen province. *is opponent was "asa#i 6o@iro, a young man who
ha! !evelope! a strong fencing techniBue #nown as subame-gaeshi, or .swallow
counter., inspire! by the motion of a swallow/s tail in flight. 6o@iro was retaine! by the
lor! of the province, *oso#awa a!ao#i. Musashi applie! to a!ao#i for permission to
fight 6o@iro through the offices of one of the *oso#awa retainers who ha! been a pupil
of Musashi/s father, one )agao#a "ato (#inaga. ?ermission was grante! for the contest
to be hel! at eight o/cloc# the ne%t morning, an! the place was to be an islan! some few
miles from (gura. hat night Musashi left his lo!ging an! move! to the house of
6obayashi aro =aemon. his inspire! the rumor that awe of 6o@iro/s subtle techniBue
ha! ma!e Musashi run away afrai! for his life. he ne%t !ay at eight o/cloc# Musashi
coul! not be wo#en until a prompter came from the officials assemble! on the islan!.
*e got up, !ran# the water they brought to him to wash with, an! went straight !own to
the shore. 0s "ato rowe! across to the islan! Musashi fashione! a paper string to tie
bac# the sleeves of his #imono, an! cut a woo!en swor! from the spare oar. +hen he
ha! !one this he lay !own to rest.
he boat neare! the place of combat an! 6o@iro an! the waiting officials were
astoun!e! to see the strange figure of Musashi, with his un#empt hair tie! up in a towel,
leap from the boat bran!ishing the long woo!en oar an! rush through the waves up the
beach towar!s his enemy. 6o@iro !rew his long swor!, a fine bla!e ma!e by )agamitsu
of <iAen, an! threw away his scabbar!. .9ou have no more nee! of that. sai! Musashi
as he rushe! forwar! with his swor! hel! to one si!e. 6o@iro was provo#e! into ma#ing
the first cut an! Musashi !ashe! upwar! at his bla!e, bringing the oar !own on 6o@iro/s
hea!. 0s 6o@iro fell, his swor!, which ha! cut the towel from Musashi/s hea!, cut across
the hem of his !ivi!e! s#irt. Musashi note! 6o@iro/s con!ition an! bowe! to the
astoun!e! officials before running bac# to his boat. "ome sources have it that after he
#ille! 6o@iro Musashi threw !own the oar an!, nimbly leaping bac# several paces, !rew
both his swor!s an! flourishe! them with a shout at his fallen enemy.
$t was about this time that Musashi stoppe! ever using real swor!s in !uels. *e was
invincible, an! from now on he !evote! himself to the search for perfect un!erstan!ing
by way of 6en!o.
$n 1214 an! again in 1215 he too# the opportunity of once more e%periencing warfare
an! siege. $eyasu lai! siege to (sa#a castle where the supporters of the 0shi#aga
family were gathere! in insurrection. Musashi @oine! the o#ugawa forces in both winter
an! summer campaigns, now fighting against those he ha! fought for as a youth at "e#i
ga *ara.
0ccor!ing to his own writing, he came to un!erstan! strategy when he was fifty or fifty-
one in 12'4. *e an! his a!opte! son $ori, the waif whom he ha! met in ;ewa province
on his travels, settle! in (gura in this year. Musashi was never again to leave 6yushu
islan!. he *oso#awa house ha! been entruste! with the comman! of the hot seat of
*igo province, 6umamoto castle, an! the new lor! of <unAen was an (gasawara. $ori
foun! employment un!er (gasawara a!aAane, an! as a captain in a!aAane/s army
fought against the >hristians in the "himawara uprising of 12'8, when Musashi was
about fifty-five. he lor!s of the southern provinces ha! always been antagonistic to the
o#ugawas an! were the instigators of intrigue with foreign powers an! the Japanese
>hristians. Musashi was a member of the fiel! staff at "himawara where the >hristians
were massacre!. 0fter this, $eyasu close! the ports of Japan to foreign intercourse, an!
they remaine! close! for over two hun!re! years.
0fter si% years in (gura, Musashi was invite! to stay with >huri, the *oso#awa lor! of
6umamoto castle, as a guest. *e staye! a few years with lor! >huri an! spent his time
teaching an! painting. $n 124', he retire! to a life of seclusion in a cave calle!
.5eigen!o.. *ere he wrote Go Rin No Sho, a!!resse! to his pupil eruo )obuyu#i, a
few wee#s before his !eath on the nineteenth of May, 1245.
Musashi is #nown to the Japanese as .6insei., that is, ."wor! "aint.. Go Rin No Sho
hea!s every 6en!o bibliography, being uniBue among boo#s of martial art in that it
!eals with both the strategy of warfare an! the metho!s of single combat in e%actly the
same way. he boo# is not a thesis on strategy, it is in Musashi/s wor!s .a gui!e for
men who want to learn strategy. an!, as a gui!e always lea!s, so the contents are
always beyon! the stu!ent/s un!erstan!ing. he more one rea!s the boo# the more one
fin!s in its pages. $t is Musashi/s last will, the #ey to the path he tro!. +hen, at twenty-
eight or twenty-nine, he ha! become such a strong fighter, he !i! not settle !own an!
buil! a school, replete with success, but became !oubly engrosse! with his stu!y. $n his
last !ays even, he scorne! the life of comfort with lor! *oso#awa an! live! two years
alone in a mountain cave !eep in contemplation. he behavior of this cruel, hea!strong
man was evi!ently most humble an! honest.
Musashi wrote .+hen you have attaine! the +ay of strategy there will be not one thing
that you cannot un!erstan!. an! .9ou will see the +ay in everything.. *e !i!, in fact,
become a master of arts an! crafts. *e pro!uce! masterpieces of in# painting, probably
more highly value! by the Japanese than the in# paintings of any other. *is wor#s
inclu!e cormorants, herons, *otei the "hinto Do!, !ragons, bir!s with flowers, bir! in a
!ea! tree, ;aruma 8<o!hi!harma:, an! others. *e was a fine calligrapher, evi!ence! by
his piece ."en#i. 8+arspirit:. here is a small woo! sculpture of the <u!!hist !iety 7u!o
Myoo in private han!s. 0 sculpture of 6wannon was lost recently. *e ma!e wor#s in
metal, an! foun!e! the school of swor! guar! ma#ers who signe! .)iten., after him
8see below:. *e is sai! to have written poems an! songs, but none of these survive. $t is
sai! also that he was commissione! by the "hogun $emitsu to paint the sunrise over
4!o castle.
*is paintings are sometimes impresse! with his seal, .Musashi., or his nom !e plume
.)iten.. )iten means .wo *eavens., sai! by some to allu!e to his fighting attitu!e with
a swor! in each haan! hel! above his hea!. $n some places he establishe! schools
#nown as .)iten ryu., an! in other places calle! it .4nmei ryu. 8clear circle:.
*e wrote ."tu!y the +ays of all professions.. $t is evi!ent that he !i! @ust that. *e
sought out not only great swor!smen but also priests, strategists, artists an! craftsmen,
eager to broa!en his #nowle!ge.
Musashi writes about the various aspects of 6en!o in such a way that it is possible for
the beginner to stu!y at beginner/s level, an! for 6en!o masters to stu!y the same
wor!s on a higher level. his applies not @ust to military strategy, but to any situation
where plans an! tactics are use!. Japanese businessmen have use! Go Rin No Sho as
a gui!e for business practice, ma#ing sales campaigns li#e military operations, using
the same energetic metho!s. $n the same way that Musashi seems to have been a
horribly cruel man, yet was following logically an honest i!eal, so successful business
sems to most people to be without conscience.
Musashi/s life stu!y is thus as relevant in the twentieth century as it was on the
me!ieval battlegroun!, an! applies not @ust to the Japanese race but to all nations. $
suppose you coul! sum up his inspiration as .humility an! har! wor#..
The Ground Book
"tategy is the craft of the warrior. >omman!ers must enact the craft, an! troopers
shoul! #now this +ay. here is no warrior in the worl! to!ay who really un!erstan!s the
+ay of strategy.
here are various +ays. here is the +ay of salvation by the law of <u!!ha, the +ay of
>onfucius governing the +ay of learning, the +ay of healing as a !octor, as a poet
teaching the +ay of +a#a, tea, archery, an! many arts an! s#ills. 4ach man practices
as he feels incline!.
$t is sai! the warrior/s is the twofol! +ay of pen an! swor!, an! he shoul! have a taste
for both +ays. 4ven if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by stic#ing
assi!uously to both !ivisions of the +ay. Denerally spea#ing, the +ay of the warrior is
resolute acceptance of !eath. 0lthough not only warriors but priests, women, peasants
an! lowlier fol# have been #nown to !ie rea!ily in the cause of !uty or out of shame, this
is a !ifferent thing. he warrior is !ifferent in that stu!ying the +ay of strategy is base!
on overcoming men. <y victory gaine! in crossing swor!s with in!ivi!uals, or en@oining
battle with large numbers, we can attain power an! fame for ourselves or for our lor!.
his is the virtue of strategy.
he +ay of "trategy
$n >hina an! Japan practitioners of the +ay have been #nown as .masters of strategy..
+arriors must learn this +ay.
5ecently there have been people getting on in the worl! as strategists, but they are
usually @ust swor!-fencers. he atten!ants of the 6ashima 6antori shrines of the
province *itachi receive! instruction from the go!s, an! ma!e schools base! on this
teaching, travelling from country to country instructing men. his is the recent meaning
of strategy.
$n ol!en times strategy was liste! among the en 0bilities an! "even 0rts as a
beneficial practice. $t was certainly an art but as beneficial practice it was not limite! to
swor!-fencing. he true value of swor!-fencing cannot be seen withing the confines of
swor!-fencing techniBue.
$f we loo# at the worl! we see arts for sale. Men use eBuipment to sell their own selves.
0s if with the nut an! the flower, the nut has become less than the flower. $n this #in! of
+ay of strategy, both those teaching an! those learning the way are concerne! with
colouring an! showing off their techniBue, trying to hasten the bloom of the flower. hey
spea# of .his ;o@o. an! .hat ;o@o.. hey are loo#ing for profit. "omeone once sai!
.$mmature strategy is the cause of grief.. hat was a true saying.
here are four +ays in which men pass through life: as gentlemen, farmers, artisans
an! merchants.
he way of the farmer. Csing agricultural instruments, he sees springs through to
autumns with an eye on the changes of season.
"econ! is the +ay of the merchant. he wine ma#er obtains his ingre!ients an! puts
them to use to ma#e his living. he +ay of the merchant is always to live by ta#ing
profit. his is the +ay of the merchant.
hir!ly the gentleman warrior, carrying the weaponry of his +ay. he +ay of the warrior
is to master the virtue of his weapons. $f a gentleman !isli#es strategy he will not
appreciate the benefit of weaponry, so must he not have a little taste for thisG
7ourthly the +ay of the artisan. he +ay of the carpenter is to become proficient in the
use of his tools, first to lay his plans with a true measure an! then perform his wor#
accor!ing to plan. hus he passes through life. hese are the four +ays of the
gentleman, the farmer, the artisan an! the merchant.
>omparing the +ay of the carpenter to strategy
he comparison with carpentry is through the connection with houses. *ouses of the
nobility, houses of warriors, the 7our houses, ruin of houses, thriving of houses, the
style of the house, the tra!ition of the house, an! the name of the house. he carpenter
uses a master plan of the buil!ing, an! the +ay of strategy is similar in that there is a
plan of campaign. $f you want to learn the craft of war, pon!er over this boo#. he
teacher is as a nee!le, the !isciple is as threa!. 9ou must practice constantly.
Fi#e the foreman carpenter, the comman!er must #now natural rules, an! the rules of
the country, an! the rules of houses. his is the +ay of the foreman.
he foreman carpenter must #now the architectural theory of towers an! temples, an!
the plans of palaces, an! must employ men to raise up houses. he +ay of the foreman
carpenter is the same as the +ay of the comman!er of a warrior house.
$n the contruction of houses, choice of woo!s is ma!e. "traight un-#notte! timber of
goo! appearance is use! for the reveale! pillars, straight timber with small !efects is
use! for the innter pillars. imber of the finest appearance, even if a little wea#, is use!
for the threshol!s, lintels, !oors, an! sli!ing !oors, an! so on. Doo! strong timber,
though it be gnarle! an! #notte!, can always be use! !iscreetly in construction. imber
which is wea# or #notte! throughout shoul! be use! as scaffol!ing, an! later for
firewoo!.
he foreman carpenter allots his men wor# accor!ing to their ability. 7loor layers,
ma#ers of sli!ing !oors, threshol!s an! lintels, ceilings an! so on. hose of poor ability
lay the floor @oist, an! those of lesser ability carve we!ges an! !o such miscellaneous
wor#. $f the foreman #nows an! !eploys his men well the finishe! wor# will be goo!.
he foreman shoul! ta#e into account the abilities an! limitations of his men, circulating
among them an! as#ing nothing unreasonable. *e shoul! #now their morale an! spirit,
an! encourage them when necessary. his is the same as the principle of strategy.
he +ay of "trategy
Fi#e a trooper, the carpenter sharpens his own tools. *e carries his eBuipment in his
tool bo%, an! wor#s un!er the !irection of his foreman. *e ma#es culumns an! gir!ers
with an a%e, shapes floorboar!s an! shelves with a plane, cuts fine openwor# an!
carvings accurately, giving as e%cellent a finish as his s#ill will allow. his is the craft of
carpenters. +hen the carpenter becomes s#ille! an! un!erstan!s measures he can
become a foreman
he carpenter/s attainment is, having tools which will cut well, to ma#e small shrines,
writing shelves, tables, paper lanterns, chopping boar!s an! pot-li!s. hese are the
specialities of the carpenter. hings are similar for the trooper. 9ou ought to thin# !eeply
about this.
he attainment of the carpenter is that his wor# is not warpe!, that the @oints are not
misaligne!, an! that the wor# is truly plane! so that it meets well an! is not merely
finishe! in sections. his is essential.
$f you want to learn this +ay, !eeply consi!er the things written in this boo# one at a
time. 9ou must !o sufficient research.
(utline of the 7ive <oo#s of this <oo# of "trategy
he +ay is shown in five boo#s concerning !ifferent aspects. hese are Droun!, +ater,
7ire, ra!ition 8+in!:, an! Eoi!.
he bo!y of the +ay of strategy from the viewpoint of my $chi school is e%plaine! in the
Droun! boo#. $t is !ifficult to realise the true +ay @ust through swor!-fencing. 6now the
smallest things an! the biggest things, the shallowest things an! the !eepest things. 0s
if it were a straight roa! mappe! out on the groun!, the first boo# is calle! the Droun!
boo#.
"econ! is the +ater boo#. +ith water as the basis, the spirit becomes li#e water. +ater
a!opts the shape of its receptacle, it is sometimes a tric#le an! sometimes a wil! sea.
+ater has a clear blue colour. <y the clarity, things of $chi school are shown in this boo#.
$f you master the principles of swor!-fencing, when you freely beat one man, you beat
any man in the worl!. he spirit of !efeating a man is the same for ten million men. he
strategist ma#es small things into big things, li#e buil!ing a great <u!!ha from one foot
mo!el. $ cannot write in !etail how this is !one. he principle of strategy is having one
thing, to #now ten thousan! things. hings of $chi school are written in this the +ater
boo#.
hir! is the 7ire boo#. his boo# is about fighting. he spirit of fire is fierce, whether the
fire be small or bigH an! so it is with battles. he +ay of battles is the same for man to
man fights an! for ten thousan! a si!e battles. 9ou must appreciate that spirit can
become big or small. +hat is big is easy to perceive: what is small is !ifficult to
perceive. $n short, it is !ifficult for large numbers of men to change position, so their
movements can be easily pre!icte!. 0n in!ivi!ual can easily change his min!, so his
movements are !ifficult to pre!ict. 9ou must appreciate this. he essence of this boo# is
that you must train !ay an! night in or!er to ma#e Buic# !ecisions. $n strategy it is
necessary to treat training as a part of normal life with your spirit unchanging. hus
combat in battle is !escribe! in the 7ire boo#.
7ourthly the +in! boo#. his boo# is not concerne! with my $chi school but with other
schools of strategy. <y +in! $ mean ol! tra!itions, present-!ay tra!itions, an! family
tra!itions of strategy. hus $ clearly e%plain the strategies of the worl!. his is tra!ition. $t
is !ifficult to #now yourself if you !o not #now others. o all +ays there are si!e-trac#s.
$f you stu!y a +ay !aily, an! your spirit !iverges, you may thin# you are obeying a goo!
way, but ob@ectively it is not the true +ay. $f you are following the true +ay an! !iverge
a little, this will later become a large !ivergence. 9ou must realise this. (ther strategies
have come to be thought of as mere swor!-fencing, an! it is not unreasonable that this
shoul! be so. he benefit of my strategy, although it inclu!es swor!-fencing, lies in a
separate principle. $ have e%plaine! what is commonly meant by strategy in other
schools in the ra!ition 8+in!: boo#.
7ifthly, the boo# of the Eoi!. <y Eoi! $ mean that which has no beginning an! no en!.
0ttaining this principle means not attaining the principle. he +ay of strategy is the +ay
of nature. +hen you appreciate the power of nature, #nowing the rhythm of any
situation, you will be able to hit the enemy naturally an! stri#e naturally. 0ll this is the
+ay of the Eoi!. $ inten! to show how to follow the true +ay accor!ing to nature in the
boo# of the Eoi!.
he )ame $chi 5yu )i o 8(ne school - wo swor!s:
+arriors, both comman!ers an! troopers, carry two swor!s at their belt. $n ol!en times
these were calle! the long swor! an! the swor!H nowa!ays they are #nown as the
swor! an! the companion swor!. Fet it suffice to say that in our lan!, whatever the
reason, a warrior carries two swor!s at his belt. $t is the +ay of the warrior.
.)ito $chi 5yu. shows the a!vantage of using both swor!s.
he spear an! halber! are weapons that are carrie! out of !oors.
"tu!ents of the $chi school +ay of strategy shoul! train from the start with the swor!
an! long swor! in either han!. his is the truth: when you sacrifice your life, you must
ma#e fullest use of your weaponry. $t is false not to !o so, an! to !ie with a weapon yet
un!rawn.
$f you hol! a swor! with both han!s, it is !ifficult to wiel! it freely to left an! right, so my
metho! is to carry the swor! in one han!. his !oes not apply to large weapons such as
the spear or halber!, but swor!s an! companion swor!s can be carrie! in one han!. $t
is encumbering to hol! a swor! in both han!s when you are on horsebac#, when
running on uneven roa!s, on swampy groun!, mu!!y rice fiel!s, stony groun!, or in a
crow! of people. o hol! the long swor! in both han!s is not the true +ay, for if you
carry a bow or spear or other arms in your left han! you have only one han! free for the
long swor!. *owever, when it is !ifficult to cut an enemy !own with one han!, you must
use both han!s. $t is not !ifficult to wiel! a swor! in one han!H the +ay to learn this is to
train with two long swor!s, one in each han!. $t will seem !ifficult at first, but everything
is !ifficult at first. <ows are !ifficult to !raw, halber!s are !ifficult to wiel!H as you
become accustome! to the bow so your pull will become stronger. +hen you become
use! to wiel!ing the long swor!, you will gain the power of the +ay an! wiel! the swor!
well.
0s $ will e%plain in the secon! boo#, the +ater <oo#, there is no fast way of wiel!ing the
long swor!. he long swor! shoul! be wiel!e! broa!ly, an! the companion swor!
closely. his is the first thing to realise.
0ccor!ing to this $chi school, you can win with a long weapon, an! yet you can also win
with a short weapon. $n short, the +ay of the $chi school is the spirit of winning,
whatever the weapon an! whatever its siAe.
$t is better to use two swor!s rather than one when you are fighting a crow! an!
especially if you want to ta#e a prisoner.
hese things cannot be e%plaine! in !etail. 7rom one thing, #now ten thousan! things.
+hen you attain the +ay of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. 9ou
must stu!y har!.
he <enefit of the wo >haracters rea!ing ."trategy.
Masters of the long swor! are calle! strategists. 0s for the other military arts, those who
master the bow are calle! archers, those who master the spear are calle! spearmen,
those who master the gun are calle! mar#smen, those who master the halber! are
calle! halber!iers. <ut we !o not call masters of the +ay of the long swor!
.longswor!smen., nor !o we spea# of .companionswor!smen.. <ecause bows, guns,
spears an! halber!s are all warriors/ eBuipment they are certainly part of strategy. o
master the virtue of the long swor! is to govern the worl! an! oneself, thus the long
swor! is the basis of strategy. he principle is .strategy by means of the long swor!.. $f
he attains the virtue of the long swor!, one man can beat ten men. Just as one man can
beat ten, so a hun!re! men can beat a thousan!, an! a thousan! men can beat ten
thousan!. $n my strategy, one man is the same as ten thousan!, so this strategy is the
complete warrior/s craft.
he +ay of the warrior !oes not inclu!e other +ays, such as >onfucianism, <u!!hism,
certain tra!itions, artistic accomplishments an! !ancing. <ut even though these are not
part of the +ay, if you #now the +ay broa!ly you will see it in everything. Men must
polish their particular +ay.
he <enefit of +eapons in "trategy
here is a time an! a place for use of weapons.
he best use of the companion swor! is in a confine! space, or when you are engage!
closely with an opponent. he long swor! can be use! effectively in all situations.
he halber! is inferior to the spear on the battlefiel!. +ith the spear you can ta#e the
initiativeH the halber! is !efensive. $n the han!s of one of two men of eBual ability, the
spear gives a little e%tra strength. "pear an! halber! both have their uses, but neither is
very beneficial in confine! spaces. hey cannot be use! for ta#ing a prisoner. hey are
essentially weapons for the fiel!.
0nyway, if you learn .in!oor. techniBues, you will thin# narrowly an! forget the true +ay.
hus you will have !ifficulty in actual encounters.
he bow is tactically strong at the commencement of battle, especially battles on a
moor, as it is possible to shoot Buic#ly from among the spearmen. *owever, it is
unsatisfactory in sieges, or when the enemy is more than forty yar!s away. 7or this
reason there are nowa!ays few tra!itional schools of archery. here is little use
nowa!ays for this #in! of s#ill.
7rom insi!e fortifications, the gun has no eBual among weapons. $t is the supreme
weapon on the fiel! before the ran#s clash, but once swor!s are crosse! the gun
becomes useless.
(ne of the virtues of the bow is that you can see the arrows in flight an! correct your
aim accor!ingly, whereas gunshot cannot be seen. 9ou must appreciate the importance
of this.
Just as a horse must have en!urance an! no !efects, so it is with weapons. *orses
shoul! wal# strongly, an! swor!s an! companion swor!s shoul! cut strongly. "pears
an! halber!s must stan! up to heavy use: bows an! guns must be stur!y. +eapons
shoul! be har!y rather than !ecorative.
9ou shoul! not have a favourite weapon. o become over-familiar with one weapon is
as much a fault as not #nowing it sufficiently well. 9ou shoul! not copy others, but use
weapons which you can han!le properly. $t is ba! for comman!ers an! troops to have
li#es an! !isli#es. hese are things you must learn thoroughly.
iming in strategy
here is timing in everything. iming in strategy cannot be mastere! without a great
!eal of practice.
iming is important in !ancing an! pipe or string music, for they are in rhythm only if
timing is goo!. iming an! rhythm are also involve! in the military arts, shooting bows
an! guns, an! ri!ing horses. $n all s#ills an! abilities there is timing.
here is also timing in the Eoi!.
here is timing in the whole life of the warrior, in his thriving an! !eclining, in his
harmony an! !iscor!. "imilarly, there is timing in the +ay of the merchant, in the rise
an! fall of capital. 0ll things entail rising an! falling timing. 9ou must be able to !iscern
this. $n strategy there are various timing consi!erations. 7rom the outset you must #now
the applicable timing an! the inapplicable timing, an! from among the large an! small
things an! the fast an! slow timings fin! the relevant timing, first seeing the !istance
timing an! the bac#groun! timing. his is the main thing in strategy. $t is especially
important to #now the bac#groun! timing, otherwise your strategy will become
uncertain.
9ou win in battles with the timing in the Eoi! born of the timing of cunning by #nowing
the enemies/ timing, an! this using a timing which the enemy !oes not e%pect.
0ll the five boo#s are chiefly concerne! with timing. 9ou must train sufficiently to
appreciate all this.
$f you practise !ay an! night in the above $chi school strategy, your spirit will naturally
broa!en. hus is large scale strategy an! the strategy of han! to han! combat
propagate! in the worl!. his is recor!e! for the first time in the five boo#s of Droun!,
+ater, 7ire, ra!ition 8+in!:, an! Eoi!. his is the +ay for men who want to learn my
strategy:
;o not thin# !ishonestly.
he +ay is in training.
<ecome aBuainte! with every art.
6now the +ays of all professions.
;istinguish between gain an! loss in worl!ly matters.
;evelop intuitive @u!gement an! un!erstan!ing for everything.
?erceive those things which cannot be seen.
?ay attention even to trifles.
;o nothing which is of no use.
$t is important to start by setting these broa! principles in your heart, an! train in the
+ay of strategy. $f you !o not loo# at things on a large scale it will be !ifficult for you to
master strategy. $f you learn an! attain this strategy you will never lose even to twenty
or thirty enemies. More than anything to start with you must set your heart on strategy
an! earnestly stic# to the +ay. 9ou will come to be able to actually beat men in fights,
an! to be able to win with your eye. 0lso by training you will be able to freely control
your own bo!y, conBuer men with your bo!y, an! with sufficient training you will be able
to beat ten men with your spirit. +hen you have reache! this point, will it not mean that
you are invincibleG
Moreover, in large scale strategy the superior man will manage many subor!inates
!e%trously, bear himself correctly, govern the country an! foster the people, thus
preserving the ruler/s !iscipline. $f there is a +ay involving the spirit of not being
!efeate!, to help oneself an! gain honour, it is the +ay of strategy.
he secon! year of "hoho 81245:, the fifth month, the twelfth !ay.
The Water Book
he spirit of the )i en $chi school of strategy is base! on water, an! this +ater <oo#
e%plains metho!s of victory as the long-swor! form of the $chi school. Fanguage !oes
not e%ten! to e%plaining the +ay in !etail, but it can be graspe! intuitively. "tu!y this
boo#H rea! a wor! then pon!er on it. $f you interpret the meaning loosely you will
mista#e the +ay.
he principles of strategy are written !own here in terms of single combat, but you must
thin# broa!ly so that you attain an un!erstan!ing for ten-thousan!-a-si!e battles.
"trategy is !ifferent from other things in that if you mista#e the +ay even a little you will
become bewil!ere! an! fall into ba! ways.
$f you merely rea! this boo# you will not reach the +ay of strategy. 0bsorb the things
written in this boo#. ;o not @ust rea!, memorise or imitate, but so that you realise the
principle from within your own heart stu!y har! to absorb these things into your bo!y.
"piritual <earing in "trategy
$n strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any !ifferent from normal. <oth in fighting
an! in every!ay life you shoul! be !etermine! though calm. Meet the situation without
tenseness yet not rec#lessly, your spirit settle! yet unbiase!. 4ven when your spirit is
calm !o not let your bo!y rela%, an! when your bo!y is rela%e! !o not let your spirit
slac#en. ;o not let your spirit be influence! by your bo!y, or your bo!y influence! by
your spirit. <e neither insufficiently spirite! nor over spirite!. 0n elevate! spirit is wea#
an! a low spirit is wea#. ;o not let the enemy see your spirit.
"mall people must be completely familiar with the spirit of large people, an! large
people must be familiar with the spirit of small people. +hatever your siAe, !o not be
misle! by the reactions of your own bo!y. +ith your spirit open an! unconstricte!, loo#
at things from a high point of view. 9ou must cultivate your wis!om an! spirit. ?olish
your wis!om: learn public @ustice, !istinguish between goo! an! evil, stu!y the +ays of
!ifferent arts one by one. +hen you cannot be !eceive! by men you will have realise!
the wis!om of strategy.
he wis!om of strategy is !ifferent from other things. (n the battlefiel!, even when you
are har!-presse!, you shoul! ceaselessly research the principles of strategy so that you
can !evelop a stea!y spirit.
"tance in "trategy
0!opt a stance with the hea! erect, neither hanging !own, nor loo#ing up, nor twiste!.
9our forehea! an! the space between your eyes shoul! not be wrin#le!. ;o not roll
your eyes nor allow them to blin#, but slightly narrow them. +ith your features
compose!, #eep the line of your nose straight with a feeling of slightly flaring your
nostrils. *ol! the line of the rear of the nec# straight: instill vigour into your hairline, an!
in the same way from the shoul!ers !own through your entire bo!y. Fower both
shoul!ers an!, without the buttoc#s @utting out, put strength into your legs from the
#nees to the tops of your toes. <race your ab!omen so that you !o not ben! at the hips.
+e!ge your companion swor! in your belt against your ab!omen, so that your belt is
not slac# - this is calle! .we!ging in..
$n all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in every!ay life
an! to ma#e your every!ay stance your combat stance. 9ou must research this well.
he DaAe in "trategy
he gaAe shoul! be large an! broa!. his is the twofol! gaAe .?erception an! "ight..
?erception is strong an! sight wea#.
$n strategy it is important to see !istant things as if they were close an! to ta#e a
!istance! view of close things. $t is important in strategy to #now the enemy/s swor! an!
not to be !istracte! by insignificant movements of his swor!. 9ou must stu!y this. he
gaAe is the same for single combat an! for large-scale combat.
$t is necessary in strategy to be able to loo# to both si!es without moving the eyeballs.
9ou cannot master this ability Buic#ly. Fearn what is written here: use this gaAe in
every!ay life an! !o not vary it whatever happens.
*ol!ing the Fong "wor!
Drip the long swor! with a rather floating feeling in your thumb an! forefinger, with the
mi!!le finger neither tight nor slac#, an! with the last two fingers tight. $t is ba! to have
play in your han!s.
+hen you ta#e up a swor!, you must feel intent on cutting the enemy. 0s you cut an
enemy you must not change your grip, an! your han!s must not .cower.. +hen you
!ash the enemy/s swor! asi!e, or war! it off, or force it !own, you must slightly change
the feeling in your thumb an! forefinger. 0bove all, you must be intent on cutting the
enemy in the way you grip the swor!.
he grip for combat an! for swor!-testing is the same. here is no such thing as a
.man-cutting grip..
Denerally, $ !isli#e fi%e!ness in both long swor!s an! han!s. 7i%e!ness means a !ea!
han!. ?liability is a living han!. 9ou must bear this in min!.
7ootwor#
+ith the tips of your toes somewhat floating, trea! firmly with your heels. +hether you
move fast or slow, with large or small steps, your feet must always move as in normal
wal#ing. $ !isli#e the three wal#ing metho!s #nown as .@umping-foot., .floating-foot. an!
.fi%e!-steps..
"o-calle! .9in-9ang foot. is important to the +ay. 9in-9ang foot means not moving only
one foot. $t means moving your feet left-right an! right-left when cutting, with!rawing, or
war!ing off a cut. 9ou shoul! not move one foot preferentially.
he 7ive 0ttitu!es
he five attitu!es are: Cpper, Mi!!le, Fower, 5ight "i!e, an! Feft "i!e. hese are the
five. 0lthough attitu!e has these five !imensions, the one purpose of all of them is to cut
the enemy. here are none but these five attitu!es.
+hatever attitu!e you are in, !o not be conscious of ma#ing the attitu!eH thin# only of
cutting.
9our attitu!e shoul! be large or small accor!ing to the situation. Cpper, Fower an!
Mi!!le attitu!es are !ecisive. Feft "i!e an! 5ight "i!e attitu!es are flui!. Feft an! 5ight
attitu!es shoul! be use! if there is an obstruction overhea! or to one si!e. he !ecision
to use Feft or 5ight !epen!s on the place.
he essence of the +ay is this. o un!erstan! attitu!e you must thoroughly un!erstan!
the Mi!!le attitu!e. he Mi!!le attitu!e is the heart of the attitu!es. $f we loo# at
strategy on a broa! scale, the Mi!!le attitu!e is the seat of the comman!er, with the
other four attitu!es following the comman!er. 9ou must appreciate this.
he +ay of the Fong "wor!
6nowing the +ay of the long swor! means we can wiel! with two fingers the swor! that
we usually carry. $f we #now the path of the swor! well, we can wiel! it easily.
$f you try to wiel! the long swor! Buic#ly you will mista#e the +ay. o wiel! the long
swor! well you must wiel! it calmly. $f you try to wiel! it Buic#ly, li#e a fol!ing fan or a
short swor!, you will err by using .short swor! chopping.. 9ou cannot cut a man with a
long swor! using this metho!.
+hen you have cut !ownwar!s with the long swor!, lift it straight upwar!s, when you
cut si!eways, return the swor! along a si!eways path. 5eturn the swor! in a reasonable
way, always stretching the elbows broa!ly. +iel! the swor! strongly. his is the +ay of
the long swor!.
$f you learn to use the five approaches of my strategy, you will be able to wiel! a swor!
well. 9ou must train constantly.
he 7ive 0pproaches
he first approach is the Mi!!le attitu!e. >onfront the enemy with the point of your
swor! against his face. +hen he attac#s, !ash his swor! to the right an! .ri!e. it. (r,
when the enemy attac#s, !eflect the point of his swor! by hitting !ownwar!s, #eep your
long swor! where it is, an! as the enemy renews the attac# cut his arms from below.
his is the first metho!.
he five approaches are this #in! of thing. 9ou must train repeate!ly using a long swor!
in or!er to learn them. +hen you master my +ay of the long swor!, you will be able to
control any attac# the enemy ma#es. $ assure you, there are no attitu!es other than the
five attitu!es of the long swor! of )ito.
$n the secon! approach with the long swor!, from the Cpper attitu!e cut the enemy @ust
as he attac#s. $f the enemy eva!es the cut, #eep your swor! where it is an!, scooping
from below, cut him as he renews the attac#. $t is possible to repeat the cut from here.
$n this metho! there are various changes in timing an! spirit. 9ou will be able to
un!erstan! this by training in the $chi school. 9ou will always win with the five long
swor! metho!s. 9ou must train repeate!ly.
$n the thir! approach, a!opt the Fower attitu!e, anticipating scooping up. +hen the
enemy attac#es, hit his han!s from below. 0s you !o so, he may try to hit your swor!
!own. $f this is the case, cut his upper arm8s: horiAontally with a feeling of .crossing..
his means that from the Fower attitu!es you hit the enemy at the instant that he
attac#s.
9ou will encounter this metho! often, both as a beginner an! in later strategy. 9ou must
train hol!ing a long swor!.
$n this fourth approach, a!opt the Feft "i!e attitu!e. 0s the enemy attac#s, hit his han!s
from below. $f as you hit his han!s he attempts to !ash !own your swor!, with the
feeling of hitting his han!s, parry the path of his long swor! an! cut across from above
your shoul!er.
his is the +ay of the long swor!. hrough this metho! you win by parrying the line of
the enemy/s attac#. 9ou must stu!y this.
$n the fifth approach, the swor! is in the 5ight "i!e attitu!e. $n accor!ance with the
enemy/s attac#, cross your swor! from below at the si!e to the Cpper attitu!e. hen cut
straight from above.
his metho! is essential for #nowing the +ay of the long swor! well. $f you can use this
metho!, you can freely wiel! a heavy long swor!.
$ cannot !escribe in !etail how to use these five approaches. 9ou must become well
acBuainte! with my .in harmony with the long swor!. +ay, learn large-scale timing,
un!erstan! the enemy/s long swor!, an! become use! to the five approaches from the
outset. 9ou will always win by using these five metho!s, with various timing
consi!erations !iscerning the enemy/s spirit. 9ou must consi!er all this carefully.
he .0ttitu!e )o-0ttitu!e. eaching
.0ttitu!e )o-0ttitu!e. means that there is no nee! for what are #nown as long swor!
attitu!es.
4ven so, attitu!es e%ist as the five ways of hol!ing the long swor!. *owever you hol!
the swor! it must be in such a way that it is easy to cut the enemy well, in accor!ance
with the situation, the place, an! your relation to the enemy. 7rom the Cpper attitu!e as
your spirit lessens you can a!opt the Mi!!le attitu!e, an! from the Mi!!le attitu!e you
can raise the swor! a little in your techniBue an! a!opt the Cpper attitu!e. 7rom the
Fower attitu!e you can raise the swor! a little an! a!opt the Mi!!le attitu!es as the
occasion !eman!s. 0ccor!ing to the situation, if you turn your swor! from either the Feft
"i!e or 5ight "i!e attitu!e towar!s the centre, the Mi!!le or the Fower attitu!e results.
he principle of this is calle! .4%isting 0ttitu!e - )one%isting 0ttitu!e..
he primary thing when you ta#e a swor! in your han!s is your intention to cut the
enemy, whatever the means. +henever you parry, hit, spring, stri#e or touch the
enemy/s cutting swor!, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. $t is essential to
attain this. $f you thin# only of hitting, springing, stri#ing or touching the enemy, you will
not be able actually to cut him. More than anything, you must be thin#ing of carrying
your movement through to cutting him. 9ou must thoroughly research this.
0ttitu!e in strategy on a larger scale is calle! .<attle 0rray.. "uch attitu!es are all for
winning battles. 7i%e! formation is ba!. "tu!y this well.
o *it the 4nemy .$n (ne iming.
.$n (ne iming. means, when you have close! with the enemy, to hit him as Buic#ly an!
!irectly as possible, without moving your bo!y or settling your spirit, while you see that
he is still un!eci!e!. he timing of hitting before the enemy !eci!es to with!raw, brea#
or hit, is this .$n (ne iming..
9ou must train to achieve this timing, to be able to hit in the timing of an instant.
he .0b!omen iming of wo.
+hen you attac# an! the enemy Buic#ly retreats, as you see him tense you must feint a
cut. hen, as he rela%es, follow up an! hit him. his is the .0b!omen iming of wo..
$t is very !ifficult to attain this merely by rea!ing this boo#, but you will soon un!erstan!
with a little instruction.
)o ;esign, )o >onception
$n this metho!, when the enemy attac#s an! you !eci!e to attac#, hit with your bo!y,
an! hit with your spirit, an! hit from the Eoi! with your han!s, accelerating strongly. his
is the .)o ;esign, )o >onception. cut.
his is the most important metho! of hitting. $t is often use!. 9ou must train har! to
un!erstan! it.
he 7lowing +ater >ut
he .7lowing +ater >ut. is use! when you are struggling bla!e to bla!e with the
enemy. +hen he brea#s an! Buic#ly with!raws trying to spring with his long swor!,
e%pan! your bo!y an! spirit an! cut him as slowly as possible with your long swor!,
following your bo!y li#e stagnant water. 9ou can cut with certainty if you learn this. 9ou
must !iscern the enemy/s gra!e.
he 7ire an! "tones >ut
he 7ires an! "tones >ut means that when the enemy/s long swor! an! your long
swor! clash together you cut as strongly as possible without raising the swor! even a
little. his means cutting Buic#ly with the han!s, bo!y an! legs - all three cutting
strongly. $f you train well enough you will be able to stri#e strongly.
he 5e! Feaves >ut
he 5e! Feaves >ut means #noc#ing !own the enemy/s long swor!. he spirit shoul!
be getting control of his swor!. +hen the enemy is in a long swor! attitu!e in front of
you an! intent on cutting, hitting an! parrying, you strongly hit the enemy/s swor! with
the 7ire an! "tones >ut, perhaps in the !esign of the .)o ;esign, )o >onception. >ut.
$f you then beat !own the point of his swor! with a stic#y feeling, he will necessarily
!rop the swor!. $f you practise this cut it becomes easy to ma#e the enemy !rop his
swor!. 9ou must train repetitively.
he <o!y in ?lace of the Fong "wor!
0lso .the long swor! in place of the bo!y.. Csually we move the bo!y an! the swor! at
the same time to cut the enemy. *owever, accor!ing to the enemy/s cutting metho!, you
can !ash against him with your bo!y first, an! afterwar!s cut with the swor!. $f his bo!y
is immoveable, you can cut first with the long swor!, but generally you hit first with the
bo!y an! then cut with the long swor!. 9ou must research this well an! practise hitting.
>ut an! "lash
o cut an! slash are two !ifferent things. >utting, whatever form of cutting it is, is
!ecisive, with a resolute spirit. "lashing is nothing more than touching the enemy. 4ven
if you slash strongly, an! even if the enemy !ies instantly, it is slashing. +hen you cut,
your spirit is resolve!. 9ou must appreciate this. $f you first slash the enemy/s han!s or
legs, you must then cut strongly. "lashing is in spirit the same as touching. +hen you
realise this, they become in!istinguishable. Fearn this well.
>hinese Mon#ey/s <o!y
he >hinese Mon#ey/s <o!y is the spirit of not stretching out your arms. he spirit is to
get in Buic#ly, without in the least e%ten!ing your arms, before the enemy cuts. $f you
are intent upon not stretching out your arms you are effectively far away, the spirit is to
go in with your whole bo!y. +hen you come to within arm/s reach it becomes easy to
move your bo!y in. 9ou must research this well.
Dlue an! FacBuer 4mulsion <o!y
he spirit of .Dlue an! FacBuer 4mulsion <o!y. is to stic# to the enemy an! not
separate from him. +hen you approach the enemy, stic# firmly with your hea!, bo!y
an! legs. ?eople ten! to a!vance their hea! an! legs Buic#ly, but their bo!y lags
behin!. 9ou shoul! stic# firmly so that there is not the slightest gap between the
enemy/s bo!y an! your bo!y. 9ou must consi!er this carefully.
o "trive for *eight
<y .to strive for height. is meant, when you close with the enemy, to strive with him for
superior height without cringing. "tretch your legs, stretch your hips, an! stretch your
nec# face to face with him. +hen you thin# you have won, an! you are the higher, thrust
in strongly. 9ou must learn this.
o 0pply "tic#iness
+hen the enemy attac#s an! you also attac# with the long swor!, you shoul! go in with
a stic#y feeling an! fi% your long swor! against the enemy/s as you receive his cut. he
spirit of stic#iness is not hitting very strongly, but hitting so that the long swor!s !o not
separate easily. $t is best to approach as calmly as possible when hitting the enemy/s
long swor! with stic#iness. he !ifference between ."tic#iness. an! .4ntanglement. is
that stic#iness is firm an! entanglement is wea#. 9ou must appreciate this.
he <o!y "tri#e
he <o!y "tri#e means to approach the enemy through a gap in his guar!. he spirit is
to stri#e him with your bo!y. urn your face a little asi!e an! stri#e the enemy/s breast
with your left shoul!er thrust out. 0pproach with a spirit of bouncing the enemy away,
stri#ing as strongly as possible in time with your breathing. $f you achieve this metho! of
closing with the enemy, you will be able to #noc# him ten or twenty feet away. $t is
possible to stri#e the enemy until he is !ea!. rain well.
hree +ays to ?arry *is 0ttac#
here are three metho!s to parry a cut:
7irst, by !ashing the enemy/s long swor! to your right, as if thrusting at his eyes, when
he ma#es an attac#.
(r, to parry by thrusting the enemy/s long swor! towar!s his right eye with the feeling of
snipping his nec#.
(r, when you have a short .long swor!., without worrying about parrying the enemy/s
long swor!, to close with him Buic#ly, thrusting at his face with your left han!.
hese are the three ways of parrying. 9ou must bear in min! that you can always clench
your left han! an! thrust at the enemy/s face with your fist. 7or this it is necessary to
train well.
o "tab at the 7ace
o stab at the face means, when you are in controntation with the enemy, that your spirit
is intent on stabbing at his face, following the line of the bla!es with the point of your
long swor!. $f you are intent on stabbling at his face, his face an! bo!y will become
ri!able. +hen the enemy becomes ri!eable, there are various opportunities for winning.
9ou must concentrate on this. +hen fighting an! the enemy/s bo!y becomes as if
ri!eable, you can win Buic#ly, so you ought not to forget to stab at the face. 9ou must
persue the value of this techniBue through training.
o "tab at the *eart
o stab at the heart means, when fighting an! there are obstructions above or to the
si!es, an! whenever it is !ifficult to cut, to thrust at the enemy. 9ou must stab the
enemy/s breast without letting the point of your long swor! waver, showing the enemy
the ri!ge of the bla!e sBuare-on, an! with the spirit of !eflecting his long swor!. he
spirit of this principle is often useful when we become tire! or for some reason our long
swor! will not cut. 9ou must un!erstan! the application of this metho!.
o "col! .ut-CI.
."col!. means that, when the enemy tries to counter-cut as you attac#, you counter-cut
again from below as if thrusting at him, trying to hol! him !own. +ith very Buic# timing
you cut, scol!ing the enemy. hrust up, .utI., an! cut .CI. his timing is
encountere! time an! time again in e%changes of blows. he way to scol! ut-C is to
time the cut simultaneously with raising your long swor! as if to thrust the enemy. 9ou
must learn this through repetitive practice.
he "mac#ing ?arry
<y .smac#ing parry. is meant that when you clash swor!s with the enemy, you meet his
attac#ing cut on your long swor! with a tee-dum, tee-dum rhythm, smac#ing his swor!
an! cutting him. he spirit of the smac#ing parry is not parrying, or smac#ing strongly,
but smac#ing the enemy/s long swor! in accor!ance with his attac#ing cut, primarily
intent on Buic#ly cutting him. $f you un!erstan! the timing of smac#ing, however har!
your long swor!s clash together, your swor!point will not be #noc#e! bac# even a little.
9ou must research sufficiently to realise this.
here are Many 4nemies
.here are many enemies. applies when you are fighting one against many. ;raw both
swor! an! companion swor! an! assume a wi!e-stretche! left an! right attitu!e. he
spirit is to chase the enemies aroun! from si!e to si!e, even though they come from all
four !irections. (bserve their attac#ing or!er, an! go to meet first those who attac# first.
"weep your eyes aroun! broa!ly, carefully e%amining the attac#ing or!er, an! cut left
an! right alternately with your swor!s. +aiting is ba!. 0lways Buic#ly re-assume your
attitu!es to both si!es, cut the enemies !own as they a!vance, crushing them in the
!irection from which they attac#. +hatever you !o, you must !rive the enemy together,
as if tying a line of fishes, an! when they are seen to be pile! up, cut them !own
strongly without giving them room to move.
he 0!vantage when coming to <lows
9ou can #now how to win through strategy with the long swor!, but it cannot be clearly
e%plaine! in writing. 9ou must practise !iligently in or!er to un!erstan! how to win.
(ral tra!ition:.he true +ay of strategy is reveale! in the long swor!..
(ne >ut
9ou can with with certainty with the spirit of .one cut.. $t is !ifficult to attain this if you !o
not learn strategy well. $f you train well in this +ay, strategy will come from your heart
an! you will be able to win at will. 9ou must train !iligently.
;irect >ommunication
he spirit of .;irect >ommunication. is how the true +ay of the )io $chi school is
receive! an! han!e! !own.
(ral tra!ition: .each your bo!y strategy..
5ecor!e! in the above boo# is an outline of $chi school swor! fighting.
o learn how to win with the long swor! in strategy, first learn the five approaches an!
the five attitu!es, an! absorb the +ay of the long swor! naturally in your bo!y. 9ou
must un!erstan! spirit an! timing, han!le the long swor! naturally, an! move bo!y an!
legs in harmony with your spirit. +hether beating one man or two, you will then #now
values in strategy.
"tu!y the contents of this boo#, ta#ing one item at a time, an! through fighting with
enemies you will gra!ually come to #now the principle of the +ay.
;eliberately, with a patient spirit, absorb the virtue of all this, from time to time raising
your han! in combat. Maintain this spirit whenever you cross swor!s with an enemy.
"tep by step wal# the thousan!-mile roa!.
"tu!y strategy over the years an! achieve the spirit of the warrior. o!ay is victory over
yourself of yester!ayH tomorrow is your victory over lesser men. )e%t, in or!er to beat
more s#ilful men, train accor!ing to this boo#, not allowing your heart to be swaye!
along a si!e-trac#. 4ven if you #ill an enemy, if it is not base! on what you have learne!
it is not the true +ay.
$f you attain this +ay of victory, then you will be able to beat several tens of men. +hat
remains is swor!-fighting ability, which you can attain in battles an! !uels.
he "econ! 9ear of "hoho, the twelfth !ay of the fifth month 81245:
eruo Magono@o for "*$)M4) MC"0"*$
The Fire Book
$n this the 7ire <oo# of the )io $chi school of strategy $ !escribe fighting as fire.
$n the first place, people thin# narrowly about the benefit of strategy. <y using only their
fingertips, they only #now the benefit of three of the five inches of the wrist. hey let a
contest be !eci!e!, as with the fol!ing fan, merely be the span of their forearms. hey
specialise in the small matter of !e%terity, learning such trifles as han! an! leg
movements with the bamboo practise swor!.
$n my strategy, the training for #illing enemies is by way of many contests, fighting for
survival, !iscovering the meaning of life an! !eath, learning the +ay of the swor!,
@u!ging the strength of attac#s an! un!erstan!ing the +ay of the .e!ge an! ri!ge. of
the swor!.
9ou cannot profit from small techniBues particularly when full armor is worn. My +ay of
strategy is the sure metho! to win when fighting for your life one man against five or ten.
here is nothing wrong with the principle .one man can beat ten, so a thousan! men
can beat ten thousan!.. 9ou must research this. (f course you cannot assemble a
thousan! or ten thousan! men for every!ay training. <ut you can become a master of
strategy by training alone with a swor!, so that you can un!erstan! the enemy/s
strategies, his strength an! resources, an! come to appreciate how to apply strategy to
beat ten thousan! enemies.
0ny man who wants to master the essence of my strategy must research !iligently,
training morning an! evening. hus can he polish his s#ill, become free from self, an!
realise e%tror!inary ability. *e will come to posess miraculous power.
his is the practical result of strategy.
;epen!ing on the ?lace
4%amine your environment
"tan! in the sunH that is, ta#e up an attitu!e with the sun behin! you. $f the situation
!oes not allow this, yo umust try to #eep the sun on your right si!e. $n buil!ings, you
must stan! with the entrance behin! you or to your right. Ma#e sure that your rear is
unobstructe!, an! that there is free space on your left, your right si!e being occupie!
with your swor! attitu!e. 0t night, if the enemy can be seen, #eep the fire behin! you
an! the entrance to your right, an! otherwise ta#e up your attitu!e as above. 9ou must
loo# !own on the enemy, an! ta#e up your attitu!e on slightly higher places. 7or
e%ample, the 6amiAa in a house is thought of as a high place.
+hen the fight comes, always en!eavour to chase the enemy aroun! to your left si!e.
>hase him towar!s aw#war! places, an! try to #eep him with his bac# to aw#war!
places. +hen the enemy gets into an inconvenient position, !o not let him loo# aroun!,
but conscientiously chase him aroun! an! pin him !own. $n houses, chase the enemy
into the threshol!s, lintels, !oors, veran!as, pillars, an! so on, again not letting him see
his situation.
0lways chase the enemy into ba! foothol!s, obstacles at the si!e, an! so on, using the
virtues of the place to establish pre!ominant positions from which to fight. 9ou must
research an! train !iligently in this.
he hree Metho!s to 7orestall the 4nemy
he first is to forestall him by attac#ing. his is calle! Ken No Sen 8to set him up:.
0nother metho! is to forestall him as he attac#s. his is calle! Tai No Sen 8to wait for
the initiative:.
he other metho! is when you an! the enemy attac# together. his is calle! Tai Tai No
Sen 8to accompany him an! forestall him:.
here are no metho!s of ta#ing the lea! other than these three. <ecause you can win
Buic#ly by ta#ing the lea!, it is one of the most important things in strategy. here are
several things involve! in ta#ing the lea!. 9ou must ma#e the best of the situation, see
through the enemy/s spirit so that you grasp his strategy an! !efeat him. $t is impossible
to write about this in !etail.
he 7irst - 6en )o "en
+hen you !eci!e to attac#, #eep calm an! !ash in Buic#ly, forestalling the enemy. (r
you can a!vance seemingly strongly but with a reserve! spirit, forestalling him with the
reserve.
0lternately, a!vance with as strong a spirit as possible, an! when you reach the enemy
move with your feet a little Buic#er than normal, unsettling him an! overwhelming him
sharply.
(r, with your spirit calm, attac# with a feeling of constantly crushing the enemy, from
first to last. he spirit is to win in the !epths of the enemy.
hese are all Ken No Sen.
he "econ! - ai )o "en
+hen the enemy attac#s, remain un!isturbe! but feign wea#ness. 0s the enemy
reaches you, su!!enly move away in!icating that you inten! to @ump asi!e, then !ash in
attac#ing strongly as soon as you see the enemy rela%. his is one way.
(r, as the enemy attac#s, attac# more strongly, ta#ing a!vantage of the resulting
!isor!er in his timing to win.
his is the Tai No Sen principle.
he hir! - ai ai )o "en
+hen the enemy ma#es a Buic# attac#, you must attac# strongly an! calmly, aim for his
wea# point as he !raws near, an! strongly !efeat him.
(r, if the enemy attac#s calmly, you must observe his movement an!, with your bo!y
rather floating, @oin in with his movements as he !raws near. Move Buic#ly an! cut him
strongly.
his is Tai Tai No Sen
hese things cannot be clearly e%plaine! in wor!s. 9ou must research what is written
here. $n these three ways of forestalling, you must @u!ge the situation. his !oes not
mean that you always attac# firstH but if the enemy attac#s first you can lea! him
aroun!. $n strategy, you have effectively won when you forestall the enemy, so you must
train well to attain this.
o *ol! ;own a ?illow
o *ol! ;own a ?illow means not allowing the enemy/s hea! to rise.
$n contests of stategy it is ba! to be le! about by the enemy. 9ou must always be able to
lea! the enemy about. (bviously the enemy will also be thin#ing of !oing this, but he
cannot forestall you if you !o not allow him to come out. $n strategy, you must stop the
enemy as he attempts to cutH you must push !own his thrust, an! throw off his hol!
when he tries to grapple. his is the meaning of .to hol! !own a pillow.. +hen you have
graspe! this principle, whatever the enemy tries to bring about in the fight you will see in
a!vance an! suppress it. he spirit is to chec# his attac# at the syllable .at...., when he
@umps chec# his a!vance at the syllable .@u...., an! chec# his cut at .cu.....
he important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy/s useful actions but allow his
useless actions. *owever, !oing this alone is !efensive. 7irst, you must act accor!ing to
the +ay, suppress the enemy/s techniBues, foiling his plans, an! thence comman! him
!irectly. +hen you can !o this you will be a master of strategy. 9ou must train well an!
research .hol!ing !own a pillow..
>rossing at a 7or!
.>rossing at a for!. means, for e%ample, crossing the sea at a strait, or crossing over a
hun!re! miles of broa! sea at a crossing place. $ believe this .crossing at a for!. occurs
often in a man/s lifetime. $t means setting sail even though your frien!s stay in harbour,
#nowing the route, #nowing the soun!ness of your ship an! the favour of the !ay. +hen
all the con!itions are met, an! there is perhaps a favourable win!, or a tailwin!, then set
sail. $f the win! changes within a few miles of your !estination, you must row across the
remaining !istance without sail.
$f you attain this spirit, it applies to every!ay life. 9ou must always thin# of crossing at a
for!.
$n strategy also it is important to .cross at a for!.. ;iscern the enemy/s capability an!,
#nowing your own strong points, .cross the for!. at the a!vantageous place, as a goo!
captain crosses a sea route. $f you succee! in crossing at the best place, you may ta#e
your ease. o cross at a for! means to attac# the enemy/s wea# point, an! to put
yourself in an a!vantageous position. his is how to win in large-scale strategy. he
spirit of crossing at a for! is necessary in both large- an! small-scale strategy.
9ou must research this well.
o 6now the imes
.o #now the times. means to #now the enemy/s !isposition in battle. $s is flourishing or
waningG <y observing the spirit of the enemy/s men an! getting the best position, you
can wor# out the enemy/s !isposition an! move your men accor!ingly. 9ou can win
through this principle of strategy, fighting from a position of a!vantage.
+hen in a !uel, you must forestall the enemy an! attac# when you have first recognise!
his school of strategy, perceive! his Buality an! his strong an! wea# points. 0ttac# in an
unsuspecte! manner, #nowing his metre an! mo!ulation an! the appropriate timing.
6nowing the times means, if your ability is high, seeing right into things. $f you are
thoroughly conversant with strategy, you will recognise the enemy/s intentions an! thus
have many opportunities to win. 9ou must sufficiently stu!y this.
o rea! ;own the "wor!
.o trea! !own the swor!. is a principle often use! in strategy. 7irst, in large-scale
strategy, when the enemy first !ischarges bows an! guns an! then attac#s, it is !ifficult
for us to attac# if we are busy loa!ing pow!er into our guns or notching our arrows. he
spirit is to attac# Buic#ly while the enemy is still shooting with bows or guns. he spirit is
to win by .trea!ing !own. as we receive the enemy/s attac#.
$n single combat, we cannot get a !ecisive victory by cutting, with a .tee-!um tee-!um.
feeling, in the wa#e of the enemy/s attac#ing long swor!. +e must !efeat him at the
start of his attac#, in the spirit of trea!ing him !own with the feet, so that he cannot rise
again to the attac#.
.rea!ing. !oes not simply mean trea!ing with the feet. rea! with the bo!y, trea! with
the spirit, an!, of course, trea! an! cut with the long swor!. 9ou must achieve the spirit
of not allowing the enemy to attac# a secon! time. his is the spirit of forestalling in
every sense. (nce at the enemy, you shoul! not aspire @ust to stri#e him, but to cling
after the attac#. 9ou must stu!y this !eeply.
o 6now .>ollapse.
4verything can collapse. *ouses, bo!ies, an! enemies collapse when their rhythm
becomes !erange!.
$n large-scale strategy, when the enemy starts to collapse you must persue him without
letting the chance go. $f you fail to ta#e a!vantage of your enemies/ collapse, they may
recover.
$n single combat, the enemy sometimes loses timing an! collapses. $f you let this
opportunity pass, he may recover an! not be so negligent thereafter. 7i% your eye on
the enemy/s collapse, an! chase him, attac#ing so that you !o not let him recover. 9ou
must !o this. he chasing attac# is with a strong spirit. 9ou must utterly cut the enemy
!own so that he !oes not recover his position. 9ou must un!erstan! utterly how to cut
!own the enemy.
o <ecome the 4nemy
.o become the enemy. means to thin# yourself into the enemy/s position. $n the worl!
people ten! to thin# of a robber trappe! in a house as a fortifie! enemy. *owever, if we
thin# of .becoming the enemy., we feel that the whole worl! is against us an! that there
is no escape. *e who is shut insi!e is a pheasant. *e who enters to arrest is a haw#.
9ou must appreciate this.
$n large-scale strategy, people are always un!er the impression that the enemy is
strong, an! so ten! to become cautious. <ut if you have goo! sol!iers, an! if you
un!erstan! the principles of strategy, an! if you #now how to beat the enemy, there is
nothing to worry about.
$n single combat also you must put yourself in the enemy/s position. $f you thin#, .*ere
is a master of the +ay, who #nows the principles of strategy., then you will surely lose.
9ou must consi!er this !eeply.
o 5elease 7our *an!s
.o release four han!s. is use! when you an! the enemy are conten!ing with the same
spirit, an! the issue cannot be !eci!e!. 0ban!on this spirit an! win through an
alternative resource.
$n large-scale strategy, when there is a .four han!s. spirit, !o not give up - it is man/s
e%istence. $mme!iately throw away this spirit an! win with a rechniBue the enemy !oes
not e%pect.
$n single combat also, when we thin# we have fallen into the .four han!s. situation, we
must !efeat the enemy by changing our min! an! applying a suitable techniBue
accor!ing to his con!ition. 9ou must be able to @u!ge this.
o Move the "ha!e
.o move the sha!e. is use! when you cannot see the enemy/s spirit.
$n large-scale strategy, when you cannot see the enemy/s position, in!icate that you are
about to attac# strongly, to !iscover his resources. $t is easy then to !efeat hin with a
!ifferent metho! once you see his resources.
$n single combat, if the enemy ta#es up a rear or si!e attitu!e of the long swor! so that
you cannot see his intention, ma#e a feint attac#, an! the enemy will show his long
swor!, thin#ing he sees your spirit. <enefiting from what you are shown, you can win
with certainty. $f you are negligent you will miss the timing. 5esearch this well.
o *ol! ;own a "ha!ow
.*ol!ing !own a sha!ow. is use! when can see the enemy/s attac#ing spirit.
$n large-scale strategy, when the enemy embar#s on an attac#, if you ma#e a show of
strongly suppressing his techniBue, he will change his min!. hen, altering your spirit,
!efeat him by forestalling him with a Eoi! spirit.
(r, in single combat, hol! !own the enemy/s strong intention with a suitable timing, an!
!efeat him by forestalling him with this timing. 9ou must stu!y this well.
o ?ass (n
Many things are sai! to be passe! on. "leepiness can be passe! on, an! yawning
canbe passe! on. ime can be passe! on also.
$n large-scale strategy, when the enemy is agitate! an! shows an inclination to rush, !o
not min! in the least. Ma#e a show of complete calmness, an! the enemy will be ta#en
by this an! will become rela%e!. +hen you see that this spirit has been passe! on, you
can bring about the enemy/s !efeat by attac#ing strongly with a Eoi! spirit.
$n single combat, you can win by rela%ing your bo!y an! spirit an! then, catching on the
moment the enemy rela%es, attac# strongly an! Buic#ly, forestalling him.
+hat is #nown as .getting someone !run#. is similar to this. 9ou can also infect the
enemy with a bore!, careless, or wea# spirit. 9ou must stu!y this well.
o >ause Foss of <alance
Many things can cause a loss of balance. (ne cause is !anger, another is har!ship,
an! another is surprise. 9ou must research this.
$n large-scale strategy it is important to cause loss of balance. 0ttac# without warning
where the enemy is not e%pecting it, an! while his spirit is un!eci!e! follow up your
a!vantage an!, having the lea!, !efeat him.
(r, in single combat, start by ma#ing a show of being slow, then su!!enly attac#
strongly. +ithout allowing him space for breath to recover from the fluctuation of spirit,
you must grasp the opportunity to win. Det the feel of this.
o 7righten
7right often occurs, cause! by the une%pecte!.
$n large-scale strategy you can frighten the enemy not by what you present to their
eyes, but by shouting, ma#ing a small force seem large, or by threatening them from the
flan# without warning. hese things all frighten. 9ou can win by ma#ing best use of the
enemy/s frightene! rhythm.
$n single combat, also, you must use the a!vantage of ta#ing the enemy unawares by
frightening him with your bo!y, long swor!, or voice, to !efeat him. 9ou shoul! research
this well.
o "oa# $n
+hen you have come to grips an! are striving together with the enemy, an! you realise
that you cannot a!vance, you .soa# in. an! become one with the enemy. 9ou can win
by applying a suitable techniBue while you are mutually entangle!.
$n battles involving large numbers as well as in fights with small numbers, you can often
win !ecisively with the a!vantage of #nowing how to .soa#. into the enemy, whereas,
were you to !raw apart, you woul! lise the chance to win. 5esearch this well.
o $n@ure the >orners
$t is !ifficult to move strong things by pushing !irectly, so you shoul! .in@ure the corners..
$n large-scale strategy, it is beneficial to stri#e at the corners of the enemy/s force, $f the
corners are overthrown, the spirit of the whole bo!y will be overthrown. o !efeat the
enemy you must follow up the attac# when the corners have fallen.
$n single combat, it is easy to win once the enemy collapses. his happens when you
in@ure the .corners. of his bo!y, an! this wea#en him. $t is important to #now how to !o
this, so you must research this !eeply.
o hrow into >onfusion
his means ma#ing the enemy lose resolve.
$n large-scale strategy we can use our troops to confuse the enemy on the fiel!.
(bserving the enemy/s spirit, we can ma#e him thin#, .*ereG hereG Fi#e thatG Fi#e
thisG "lowG 7astG. Eictory is certain when the enemy is caught up in a rhythm that
confuses his spirit.
$n single combat, we can confuse the enemy by attac#ing with varie! techniBues when
the chance arises. 7eint a thrust or cut, or ma#e the enemy thing you are going close to
him, an! when he is confuse! you can easily win.
his is the essence of fighting, an! you must research it !eeply.
he hree "houts
he three shouts are !ivi!e! thus: before, !uring an! after. "hout accor!ing to the
situation. he voice is a thing of life. +e shout against fires an! so on, against the win!
an! the waves. he voice shows energy.
$n large-scale strategy, at the start of battle we shout as lou!ly as possible. ;uring the
fight, the voice is low-pitche!, shouting out as we attac#. 0fter the contest, we shout in
the wa#e of our victory. hese are the three shouts.
$n single combat, we ma#e as if to cut an! shout .4iI. at the same time to !isturb the
enemy, then in the wa#e of our shout we cut with the long swor!. +e shout after we
have cut !own the enemy - this is to announce victory. his is calle! .sen go no koe.
8before an! after voice:. +e !o not shout simultaneously with flourishing the long
swor!. +e shout !uring the fight to get into rhythm. 5esearch this !eeply.
o Mingle
$n battles, when the armies are in confrontation, attac# the enemy/s strong points an!,
when you see that they are beaten bac#, Buic#ly separate an! attac# yet another strong
point on the periphery of his force. he spirit of this is li#e a win!ing mountain path.
his is an important fighting metho! for one man against many. "tri#e !own the
enemies in one Buarter, or !rive them bac#, then grasp the timing an! attac# further
strong points to right an! left, as if on a win!ing mountain path, weighing up the
enemies/ !isposition. +hen you #now the enemies/ level, attac# strongly with no trace of
retreating spirit.
$n single combat, too, use this spirit with the enemy/s strong points.
+hat is meant by /mingling/ is the spirit of a!vancing an! becoming engage! with the
enemy, an! not with!rawing even one step. 9ou must un!erstan! this.
o >rush
his means to crush the enemy regar!ing him as being wea#.
$n large-scale strategy, when we see that the enemy has few men, or if he has many
men but his spirit is wea# an! !isor!ere!, we #noc# the hat over his eyes, crushing him
utterly. $f we crush lightly, he may recover. 9ou must learn the spirit of crushing as if with
a han!-grip.
$n single combat, if the enemy is less s#ilful than ourself, if his rhythm is !isorganiAe!, or
if he has fallen into evasive or retreating attitu!es, we must crush him straightaway, with
no concern for his presence an! without allowing him space for breath. $t is essential to
crush him all at once. he primary thing is not to let him recover his position even a
little. 9ou must research this !eeply.
he Mountain-"ea >hange
he .mountain-sea. spirit means that it is ba! to repeat the same thing several times
when fighting the enemy. here may be no help but to !o something twice, but !o not
try it a thir! time. $f you once ma#e an attac# an! fail, there is little chance of success if
you use the same approach again. $f you attempt a techniBue which you have
previously trie! unsucessfully an! fail yet again, then you must change your attac#ing
metho!.
$f the enemy thin#s of the mountains, attac# li#e the seaH an! if he thin#s of the sea,
attac# li#e the mountains. 9ou must research this !eeply.
o ?enetrate the ;epths
+hen we are fighting with the enemy, even when it can be seen that we can win on the
surface with the benefit of the +ay, if his spirit is not e%tinguishe!, he may be beaten
superficially yet un!efeate! in spirit !eep insi!e. +ith this principle of .penetrating the
!epths. we can !estroy the enemy/s spirit in its !epths, !emoralising him by Buic#ly
changing our spirit. his often occurs.
?enetrating the !epths means penetrating with the long swor!, penetrating with the
bo!y, an! penetrating with the spirit. his cannot be un!erstoo! in a generalisation.
(nce we have crushe! the enemy in the !epths, there is no nee! to remain spirite!. <ut
otherwise we must remain spirite!. $f the enemy remains spirite! it is !ifficult to crush
him. 9ou must train in penetrating the !epths for large-scale strategy an! also single
combat.
o 5enew
.o renew. applies when we are fighting with the enemy, an! an entangle! spirit arises
where there is no possible resolution. +e must aban!on our efforts, thin# of the
situation in a fresh spirit then win in the new rhythm. o renew, when we are !ea!loc#e!
with the enemy, means that without changing our circumstance we change our spirit
an! win through a !ifferent techniBue.
$t is necessary to consi!er how .to renew. also applies in large-scale strategy. 5esearch
this !iligently.
5at/s *ea!, (%/s )ec#
.5at/s hea! an! o%/s nec#. means that, when we are fighting with the enemy an! both
he an! we have become occupie! with small points in an entangle! spirit, we must
always thin# of the +ay of strategy as being both a rat/s hea! an! an o%/s nec#.
+henever we have become preoccupie! with small !etails, we must su!!enly change
into a large spirit, interchanging large with small.
his is one of the essences of strategy. $t is necessary that the warrior thin# in this spirit
in every!ay life. 9ou must not !epart from this spirit in large-scale strategy nor in single
combat.
he >omman!er 6nows the roops
.he comman!er #nows the troops. applies everywhere in fights in my +ay of strategy.
Csing the wis!om of strategy, thin# of the enemy as your own troops. +hen you thin# in
this way you can move him at will an! be able to chase him aroun!. 9ou become the
general an! the enemy becomes your troops. 9ou must master this.
o Fet Do the *ilt
here are various #in!s of spirit involve! in letting go the hilt.
here is the spirit of winning without a swor!. here is also the spirit of hol!ing the long
swor! but not winning. he various metho!s cannot be e%presse! in writing. 9ou must
train well.
he <o!y of a 5oc#
+hen you have mastere! the +ay of strategy you can su!!enly ma#e your bo!y li#e a
roc#, an! ten thousan! things cannot touch you. his is the bo!y of a roc#.
9ou will not be move!. (ral tra!ition.
+hat is recor!e! above is what has been constantly on my min! about $chi school
swor! fencing, written !own as it came to me. his is the first time $ have written about
my techniBue, an! the or!er of things is a bit confuse!. $t is !ifficult to e%press it clearly.
his boo# is a spiritual gui!e for the man who wishes to learn the +ay.
My heart has been incline! to the +ay of strategy from my youth onwar!s. $ have
!evote! myself to training my han!, tempering my bo!y, an! attaining the many spiritual
attitu!es of swor! fencing. $f we watch men of other schools !iscussing theory, an!
concentrating on techniBues with the han!s, even though they seem s#ilful to watch,
they have not the slightest true spirit.
(f course, men who stu!y in this way thin# they are training the bo!y an! spirit, but it is
an obstacle to the true +ay, an! its ba! influence remains for ever. hus the true +ay
of strategy is becoming !eca!ent an! !ying out.
he true +ay of swor! fencing is the craft of !efeating the enemy in a fight, an! nothing
other than this. $f you attain an! a!here to the wis!om of my strategy, you nee! never
!oubt that you will win.
he secon! year of "hoho, the fifth month, the twelfth !ay 81245:
eruo Magono@o for "*$)M4) MC"0"*$
The Wind Book
$n strategy you must #now the +ays of other schools, so $ have written about various
other tra!itions of strategy in this the +in! <oo#.
+ithout #nowle!ge of the +ays of other schools, it is !ifficult to un!erstan! the essence
of my $chi school. Foo#ing at other schools we fin! some that specialise in techniBues of
strength using e%tra-long swor!s. "ome schools stu!y the +ay of the short swor!,
#nown as kodachi. "ome schools teach !e%terity in large numbers of swor! techniBues,
teaching attitu!es of the swor! as the .surface. an! the +ay as the .interior..
hat none of these are the true +ay $ show clearly in the interior of this boo# - all the
vices an! virtues an! rights an! wrongs. My $chi school is !ifferent. (ther schools ma#e
accomplishments their means of livelihoo!, growing flowers an! !ecoratively colouring
articles in or!er to sell them. his is !efinately not the +ay of strategy.
"ome of the worl!/s strategists are concerne! only with swor! fencing, an! limit their
training to flourishing the long swor! an! carriage of the bo!y. <ut is !e%terity alone
sufficient to winG his is not the essence of the +ay.
$ have recor!e! the unsatisfactory points of other schools one by one in this boo#. 9ou
must stu!y these matters !eeply to appreciate the benefit of my )i o $chi school.
(ther "chools Csing 4%tra-Fong "wor!s
"ome other schools have a li#ing for e%tra-long swor!s. 7rom the point of view of my
strategy these must be seen as wea# schools. his is because they !o not appreciate
the principle of cutting the enemy by any means. heir preference is for the e%tra-long
swor! an!, relying on the virtue of its length, they thin# to !efeat the enemy from a
!istance.
$n this worl! it is sai!, .(ne inch gives the han! a!vantage., but these are the i!le
wor!s of one who !oes not #now strategy. $t shows the inferior strategy of a wea# sprit
that men shoul! be !epen!ant on the length of their swor!, fighting from a !istance
without the benefit of strategy.
$ e%pect there is a case for the school in Buestion li#ing e%tra-long swor!s as part of it/s
!octrine, but if we compare this with real life it is unreasonable. "urely we nee! not
necessarily be !efeate! if we are using a short swor!, an! have no long swor!G
$t is !ifficult for these people to cut the enemy when at close Buarters because of the
length of the long swor!. he bla!e path is large so the long swor! is an encumbrance,
an! they are at a !isa!vantage compare! to the man arme! with a short companion
swor!.
7rom ol!en times it has been sai!: .Dreat an! small go together.. "o !o not
uncon!itionally !isli#e e%tra-long swor!s. +hat $ !isli#e is the inclination towar!s the
long swor!. $f we consi!er large-scale strategy, we can thin# of large forces in terms of
long swor!s, an! small forces as short swor!s. >annot few men give battle against
manyG here are many instances of few men overcoming many.
9our strategy is of no account if when calle! on to fight in a confine! space your heart is
incline! to the long swor!, or if you are in a house arme! only with your companion
swor!. <esi!es, some men have not the strength of others.
$n my !octrine, $ !isli#e preconceive!, narrow spirit. 9ou must stu!y this well.
he "trong Fong "wor! "pirit in (ther "chools
9ou shoul! not spea# of strong an! wea# long swor!s. $f you @ust wiel! the long swor!
in a strong spirit your cutting will become coarse, an! if you use the swor! coarsely you
will have !ifficulty in winning.
$f you are concerne! with the strength of your swor!, you will try to cut unreasonably
strongly, an! will not be able to cut at all. $t is also ba! to try to cut strongly when testing
the swor!. +henever you cross swor!s with an enemy you must not thin# of cutting him
either strongly or wea#lyH @ust thin# of cutting an! #illing him. <e intent solely on #illing
the enemy. ;o not try to cut strongly an!, of course, !o not thin# of cutting wea#ly. 9ou
shoul! only be concerne! with #illing the enemy.
$f you rely on strength, when you hit the enemy/s swor! you will inevitably hit too har!. $f
you !o this, your own swor! will be carrie! along as a result. hus the saying, .he
strongest han! wins., has no meaning.
$n large-scale strategy, if you have a strong army an! are relying on strength to win, but
the enemy also has a strong army, the battle will be fierce. his is the same for both
si!es.
+ithout the correct principle the fight cannot be won.
he spirit of my school is to win through the wis!om of strategy, paying no attention to
trifles. "tu!y this well.
Cse of the "horter Fong "wor! in (ther "chools
Csing a shorter long swor! is not the true +ay to win.
$n ancient times, tachi an! katana meant long an! short swor!s. Men of superior
strength in the worl! can wiel! even a long swor! lightly, so there is no case for their
li#ing the short swor!. hey also ma#e use of the length of spears an! halber!s. "ome
men use a shorter long swor! with the intention of @umping in an! stabbing the enemy at
the unguar!e! moment when he flourishes his swor!. his inclination is ba!.
o aim for the enemy/s unguar!e! moment is completely !efensive, an! un!esirable at
close Buarters with the enemy. 7urthermore, you cannot use the metho! of @umping
insi!e his !efense with a short swor! if there are many enemies. "ome men thin# that if
they go against many enemies with a shorter long swor! they can unrestricte!ly fris#
aroun! cutting in sweeps, but they have to parry cuts continuously, an! eventually
become entangle! with the enemy. his is inconsistant with the true +ay of strategy.
he sure +ay to win thus is to chase the enemy aroun! in a confusing manner, causing
him to @ump asi!e, with your bo!y hel! strongly an! straight. he same principle applies
to large-scale strategy. he essence of strategy is to fall upon the enemy in large
numbers an! to bring about his spee!y !ownfall. <y their stu!y of strategy, people of
the worl! get use! to countering, eva!ing an! retreating as the normal thing. hey
become set in this habit, so can easily be para!e! aroun! by the enemy. he +ay of
strategy is straight an! true. 9ou must chase the enemy aroun! an! ma#e him obey
your spirit.
(ther "chools with many Metho!s of using the Fong "wor!
$ thin# it is hel! in other schools that there are many metho!s of using the long swor! in
or!er to gain the a!miration of beginners. his is selling the +ay. $t is a vile spirit in
strategy.
he reason for this is that to !eliberate over many ways of cutting !own a man is an
error. o start with, #illing is not the +ay of man#in!. 6illing is the same for people who
#now about fighting an! for those who !o not. $t is the same for women or chil!ren, an!
there are not many !ifferent metho!s. +e can spea# of !ifferent tactics such as
stabbing an! mowing !own, but none other than these.
0nyway, cutting !own the enemy is the +ay of strategy, an! there is no nee! for many
refinements of it.
4ven so, accor!ing to the place, your long swor! may be obstructe! above or to the
si!es, so you will nee! to hol! your swor! in such manner that it can be use!. here are
five metho!s in five !irections.
Metho!s apart from these five - han! twisting, bo!y ben!ing, @umping out, an! so on, to
cut the enemy - are not the true +ay of strategy. $n or!er to cut the enemy you must not
ma#e twisting or ben!ing cuts. his is completely useless. $n my strategy, $ bear my
spirit an! bo!y straight, an! cause the enemy to twist an! ben!. he necessary spirit is
to win by attac#ing the enemy when his spirit is warpe!. 9ou must stu!y this well.
Cse of 0ttitu!es of the Fong "wor! in (ther "chools
?lacing a great !eal of importance on the attitu!es of the long swor! is a mista#en way
of thin#ing. +hat is #nown in the worl! as .attitu!e. applies when there is no enemy.
he reason is that this has been a prece!ent since ancient times, that there shoul! be
no such thing as .his is the mo!ern way to !o it. !uelling. 9ou must force the enemy
into inconvenient situations.
0ttitu!es are for situations in which you are not to be move!. hat is, for garrisoning
castles, battle array, an! so on, showing the spirit of not being move! even by a strong
assault. $n the +ay of !uelling, however, you must always be intent upon ta#ing the lea!
an! attac#ing. 0ttitu!e is the spirit of awaiting an attac#. 9ou must appreciate this.
$n !uels of strategy you must move the opponent/s attitu!e. 0ttac# where his spirit is la%,
throw him into confusion, irritate an! terrify him. a#e a!vantage of the enemy/s rhythm
when he is unsettle! an! you can win.
$ !isli#e the !efensive spirit #nown as .attitu!e.. herefore, in my +ay, there is
something calle! .0ttitu!e-)o 0ttitu!e..
$n large-scale strategy we !eploy our troops for battle bearing in min! our strength,
observing the enemy/s numbers, an! noting the !etails of the battlefiel!. his is at the
start of the battle.
he spirit of attac#ing is completely !ifferent from the spirit of being attac#e!. <earing
an attac# well, with a strong attitu!e, an! parrying the enemy/s attac# well, is li#e
ma#ing a wall of spears an! halber!s. +hen you attac# the enemy, your spirit must go
to the e%tent of pulling the sta#es out of a wall an! using them as spears an! halber!s.
9ou must e%amine this well.
7i%ing the 4yes in (ther "chools
"ome schools maintain that the eyes shou!l be fi%e! on the enemy/s long swor!. "ome
schools fi% the eye on the han!s. "ome fi% the eyes on the face, an! some fi% the eyes
on the feet, an! so on. $f you fi% the eyes on these places your spirit can become
confuse!, an! your strategy thwarte!.
$ will e%plain this in !etail. 7ootballers !o not fi% their eyes on the ball, but by goo! play
on the fiel! they can perform well. +hen you become accustome! to something, you
are not limite! to the use of your eyes. ?eople such as master musicians have the
music score in front of their nose, or flourish the swor! in several ways when they have
mastere! the +ay, but this !oes not mean that they fi% their eyes on these things
specifically, or that they ma#e pointless movements of the swor!. $t means that they can
see naturally.
$n the +ay of strategy, when you have fought many times you will easily be able to
appraise the spee! an! position of the enemy/s swor!, an! having mastery of the +ay
you will see the weight of his spirit. $n strategy, fi%ing the eyes means gaAing at the
man/s heart.
$n large-scale strategy the area to watch is the enemy/s strength. .?erception. an!
.sight. are the two metho!s of seeing. ?erception consists of concentrating strongly on
the enemy/s spirit, ovserving the con!ition of the battle fiel!, fi%ing the gaAe strongly,
seeing the progress of the fight an! the changes of a!vantage. his is the sure way to
win.
$n single combat you must not fi% the eyes on !etails. 0s $ sai! before, if you fi% your
eyes on !etails an! neglect important things, your spirit will become bewil!ere!, an!
victory will escape you. 5esearch this principle well an! train !iligently.
Cse of the 7eet in (ther "chools
here are various metho!s of using the feet: floating foot, @umping foot, springing foot,
trea!ing foot, crow/s foot, an! such nible wal#ing metho!s. 7rom the point of view of my
strategy, these are all unsatisfactory.
$ !isli#e floating foot because the feet always ten! to float !uring the fight. he +ay
must be tro! firmly.
)either !o $ li#e @umping foot, because it encourages the habit of @umping, an! a @umpy
spirit. *owever much you @ump, there is no real @ustification for it, so @umping is ba!.
"pringing foot causes a springing spirit which is in!ecisive.
rea!ing foot is a .waiting. metho!, an! $ especially !isli#e it.
0part from these, there are various fast wal#ing metho!s, such as crow/s foot, an! so
on.
"ometimes, however, you may encounter the enemy on marshlan!, swampy groun!,
river valleys, stony groun!, or narrow roa!s, in which situations you cannot @ump or
move the feet Buic#ly.
$n my strategy, the footwor# !oes not change. $ always wal# as $ usually !o in the street.
9ou must never lose control of your feet. 0ccor!ing to the enemy/s rhythm, move fast or
slowly, a!@usting your bo!y not too much an! not too little.
>arrying the feet is important also in large-scale strategy. his is because, if you attac#
Buic#ly an! thoughtlessly without #nowing the enemy/s spirit, your rhythm will become
!erange! an! you will not be able to win. (r, if you a!vance too slowly, you will not be
able to ta#e a!vantage of the enemy/s !isor!er, the opportunity to win will escape, an!
you will not be able to finish the fight Buic#ly. 9ou must win by seiAing upon the enemy/s
!isor!er an! !erangement, an! by not accor!ing him even a little hope of recovery.
?ractise this well.
"pee! in (ther "chools
"ppe! is nor part of the true +ay of strategy. "pee! implies that things seem fast or
slow, accor!ing to whether or not they are in rhythm. +hatever the +ay, the master of
strategy !oes not appear fast.
"ome people can wal# as fast as a hun!re! or a hun!re! an! twenty miles in a !ay, but
this !oes not mean that they run continuously from morning till night. Cnpractise!
runners may seem to have been running all !ay, but their performance is poor.
$n the +ay of !ance, accomplishe! performers can sing while !ancing, but when
beginners try this they slow !own an! their spirit becomes busy. he .ol! pine tree.
melo!y beaten on a leather !rum is tranBuil, but when beginners try this they slow !own
an! their spirit becomes busy. Eery s#ilful people can manage a fast rhythm, but it is
ba! to beat hurre!ly. $f you try to beat too Buic#ly you will get out of time. (f course,
slowness is ba!. 5eally s#ilful people never get out of time, an! are always !eliberate,
an! never appear busy. 7rom this e%ample, the principle can be seen.
+hat is #nown as spee! is especially ba! in the +ay of strategy. he reason for this is
that !epen!ing on the place, marsh or swamp an! so on, it may not be possible to
move the bo!y an! legs together Buic#ly. "till less will you be able to cut Buic#ly if you
have a long swor! in this situation. $f you try to cut Buic#ly, as if using a fan or short
swor!, you will not actually cut even a little. 9ou must appreciate this.
$n large-scale strategy also, a fast busy spirit is un!esirable. he spirit must be that of
hol!ing !own a pillow, then you will not be even a little late.
+hen you opponent is hurrying rec#lessly, you must act contrarily, an! #eep calm. 9ou
must not be influence! by the opponent. rain !iligently to attain this spirit.
.$nterior. an! ."urface. in (ther "chools
here is no .interior. nor .surface. in strategy.
he artistic accomplishments usually claim inner meaning an! secret tra!ition, an!
.interior. an! .gate., but in combat there is no such thing as fighting on the surface, or
cutting with the interior. +hen $ teach my +ay, $ first teach by training in techniBues
which are easy for the pupil to un!erstan!, a !octrine which is easy to un!erstan!. $
gra!ually en!eavour to e%plain the !eep principle, points which it is har!ly possible to
comprehen!, accor!ing to the pupil/s progress. $n any event, because the way to
un!erstan!ing is through e%perience, $ !o not spea# of .interior. an! .gate..
$n this worl!, if you go into the mountains, an! !eci!e to go !eeper an! yet !eeper,
instea! you will emerge at the gate. +hatever is the +ay, it has an interior, an! it is
sometimes a goo! thing to point out the gate. $n strategy, we cannot say what is
conceale! an! what is reveale!.
0ccor!ingly $ !isli#e passing on my +ay through written ple!ges an! regulations.
?erceiving the ability of my pupils, $ teach the !irect +ay, remove the ba! influence of
other schools, an! gra!ually intro!uce them to the true +ay of the warrior.
he metho! of teaching my strategy is with a trustworthy spirit. 9ou must train !iligently.
$ have trie! to recor! an outline of the strategy of other schools in the above nine
sections. $ coul! now continue by giving a specific account of these schools one by one,
from the .gate. to the .interior., but $ have intentionally not name! the schools or their
main points. he reason for this is that !ifferent branches of schools give !ifferent
interpretations of the !octrines. $n as much as men/s opinions !iffer, so there must be
!iffering i!eas on the same matter. hus no one man/s conception is vali! for any
school.
$ have shown the general ten!encies of other schools on nine points. $f we loo# at them
from an honest viewpoint, we see that people always ten! to li#e long swor!s or short
swor!s, an! become concerne! with strength in both large an! small matters. 9ou can
see why $ !o not !eal with the .gates. of other schools.
$n my $chi school of the long swor! there is neither gate nor interior. here is no inner
meaning in swor! attitu!es. 9ou must simply #eep your spirit true to realise the virtue of
strategy.
welfth !ay of the fifth month, the secon! year of "hoho 81245:
eruo Magono@o for "*$)M4) MC"0"*$
The Book of the oid
he )i o $chi +ay of strategy is recor!e! in this the <oo# of the Eoi!.
+hat is calle! the spirit of the voi! is where there is nothing. $t is not inclu!e! in man/s
#nowle!ge. (f course the voi! is nothingness. <y #nowing things that e%ist, you can
#now that which !oes not e%ist. hat is the voi!.
?eople in this worl! loo# at things mista#enly, an! thin# that what they !o not
un!erstan! must be the voi!. his is not the true voi!. $t is bewil!erment.
$n the +ay of strategy, also, those who stu!y as warriors thin# that whatever they
cannot un!erstan! in their craft is the voi!. his is not the true voi!.
o attain the +ay of strategy as a warrior you must stu!y fully other martial arts an! not
!eviate even a little from the +ay of the warrior. +ith your spirit settle!, accumulate
practice !ay by !ay, an! hour by hour. ?olish the twofol! spirit heart an! min!, an!
sharpen the twofol! gaAe perception an! sight. +hen your spirit is not in the least
clou!e!, when the clou!s of bewil!erment clear away, there is the true voi!.
Cntil you realise the true +ay, whether in <u!!hism or in common sense, you may thin#
that things are correct an! in or!er. *owever, if we loo# at things ob@ectively, from the
viewpoint of laws of the worl!, we see various !octrines !eparting from the true +ay.
6now well this spirit, an! with forthrightness as the foun!ation an! the true spirit as the
+ay. 4nact strategy broa!ly, correctly an! openly.
hen you will come to thin# of things in a wi!e sense an!, ta#ing the voi! as the +ay,
you will see the +ay as voi!.
$n the voi! is virtue, an! no evil. +is!om has e%istence, principle has e%istence, the
+ay has e%istence, spirit is nothingness.
welfth !ay of the fifth month, secon! year of "hoho 81245:
eruo Magono@o for "*$)M4) MC"0"*$