What can I say about the latest addition to my collection, aside from-- is this KOOL or WHAT!? Kakkoiiiiii! Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵) is, of course, one of the greatest, strongest swordsmen of all time and I can definitely describe him as my hero (yes, I still have heroes!). Starting his life as Shinmen Takezō, he lived a life of mushashugyō (warrior's journey), continuously searching for the meaning of true strength and invincibility. Along the way he, of course, learned a hell of a lot about life, humanity and the self. He eventually became one of the most respected and famous swordsmen in the all the world. You can read all about him in the award-winning manga series, Vagabond, by Inoue Takehiko (who also did the art-work for the recent XBOX 360 title, Lost Odyssey).
6 comments:
Wow, very cool site, and very cool Musashi figure! He is also my hero.
Do you know where I can buy this figure? I have looked around the net, but, nothing so far.
Thanks alot! Keep up the good work!
Hi Martin, thank you for visiting and for encouraging me! I'm sorry that I haven't updated my site recently, but I do have some new things to post so I'll do it soon. I actually found all of these Fewture figures on eBay. I just looked and some are available there now! Good luck!
I find it ironic that you think Musashi was the greatest swordsman who ever lived.
The manga made a point that striving for this kind of acknowledgement is just pointless vanity that acts as obstruction to learning.
Japan is a tiny-ass island and it is by no means has a monopoly on swordsmanship in history. It just has the best-preserved traditions of practice; although many scholars are trying to reproduce the heritage of other cultures.
Hi Christopher,
Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment!
I fully agree with you regarding this very important point made in the manga. Having said that, "Striving for" acknowledgment, and receiving it are two different things, are they not?
I will agree, but I am simply hanging my reservation on the idea that Musashi was the "greatest ever" and cannot share your sentiment.
Johannes Liechtenauer is another fabled "master" of the sword; but from the Germanic world. And it would be fruitless and impossible to compare him to Musashi.
Again, the manga was pretty big on this theme. A lot of who Musashi actually is, is distorted by urban legend and preconception; to the point that it poisons his friendship with Matahachi. Even his contemporaries are shown to be obsessed with the idea that there can only ever be one "kensai."
Nietzsche once said that if you train other men to be masters, instead of training them to be good students, then they will not be good students. They will not be slavish or obedient as they very quickly become independent thinkers and have no need of you or your school of thinking.
Hello Christopher,
I'm glad you were able to stop by again; I really appreciate your comments! Your reference to Nietzsche here is quite fascinating! It sounds a little bit like a summarized composite of what Hōzōin In'ei and Takuan Sōhō wanted Musashi to learn (at least in part). Very interesting indeed!
I fully respect your reservation about my grand, sweeping statement. I have no expertise in swordsmanship, especially that which originates outside Japan. My blog is merely a collection of my own (often highly romanticised) opinions. In all honesty, Musashi is a "hero" to me much in the way that Spiderman is a hero my friend's 6-year old son. Heh!
So-- thank you for bringing some perspective to my site! Your comments are welcome any time!
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