Life Giving Sword

"...Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not a wise man's tools. He uses them only when he has no choice…"
Lao Tzu Section 31

The above captioned saying holds true for all but one sword; the Katsujin-ken (Japanese). The "Life-Giving Sword". Around the 1600's there lived a great sword master named Yagyu. He was the head trainer to the Shogun. He is a key historical figure in martial arts. His teaching and training methods espoused killing sparingly. Sustaining life and protecting the weak were held in high regard within his teaching philosophy.

For many, even students training in martial arts, this is a difficult concept to grasp. Fear rules conflict when unchecked. It is human nature to react when we embrace conflict. Instinctively we tend to either run or fight. It takes considerable time in arduous training to take control of our instincts when facing conflict. It is not an easy path.

Martial arts training runs the gamut from the physical to the cerebral as a practitioner progresses. As one matures in their training they can develop approaches and strategies that mitigate conflict and thus giving life to new opportunities. This is the essence of the life giving sword.

I believe that in many ways Zhang Sah is a life giving sword!

Suggested reading " The Life Giving Sword", Munenori Yagyu.