Sword and Brush (eBook)

Fromthe Introduction 'Thestroke is executed by cutting back, then down' is the teaching given in anancient scroll, 'followed by a swift, slight rise to the right like themovement of striking with a whip.' Anotherscroll, almost equally antique, contains poetic, if enigmatic, advice about thepractitioner's state of mind, likening it to 'a flower scattering, fallingwithout sound on moss, a flower scattering to be heard through the depths ofmountains.' Onlythose unacquainted with the paradoxes of art in Japanese culture would besurprised to learn that the first commentary is concerned with the gentleskills of calligraphy, the second devoted to the perfection of warriorship withthe sword. At the core, the particulars of instruction, the matters of detailin effectuation contained in these old scrolls, are secondary to learningeither art. It is the underlying principles that are of utmost concern, andthese principles, in a broad range of Japanese arts—,fine, folk, performing,and martial—,are fundamentally synonymous. These principles are crucial to themastery of any and all. Theactor in the Noh drama strives to make his way across the stage without a gapin his concentration, without a single superfluous movement. There is a senseof awareness of self and place surrounding the Noh actor that is understoodperfectly by the warrior in the perilous arena where he performs. The shakuhachiflutist plays his instrument from his body center and perfects his breathing.The swordsman strikes from his center and the efficacy of his blow is assuredby a proper attention to his own respiration. The goals differ, the attitude isidentical. Itis not only in technical aspects that the varied endeavors of the traditionalJapanese arts converge. From flower arranging to tea ceremony to archery, theaesthetics, the spirituality, and the motivations of these apparently disparatearts have a marvelous commonality. The unity of these artistic forces isexemplified in two disciplines, seemingly discrete, both at the very heart ofJapan: the Way of the sword and the Way of the brush. ABackground Theappearance of the blade predates that of the writing implement in prehistoricJapan (a commentary on the evolution of our species, for where has it not?).Unearthed from tumuli built around the fourth century CE are short,double-edged swords based obviously on Chinese prototypes. We know almostnothing of the methods with which these weapons, and those that followed forthe next four or five centuries, were used. No instruction in theirimplementation on the battlefield has survived. Yet by the eighth century, thebeginnings of the elegant Heian Period, a distinctly native Japanese sword hadevolved that appears to have been fearsomely effective. Its long handleindicates a two-handed grip. From its overall length we can infer that it wasoften swung from horseback. Its curve hints that, unlike older versions, theHeian sword was a weapon more for cutting than for thrusting. Concurrentwith the refinement of the sword was the rise of the warrior class, the samurai,orbushi.Thebushi originated in the hinterlands of Japan, familial clans gathered aroundprovincial lords, whose power was descended from primitive chieftainships. Asthe word indicates, the samurai were 'retainers.' Loyal servants,they were officials of local, completely self-contained governments ofindividual fiefdoms. Bythe end of the tenth century these lords, or daimyo,hadassembled sufficient fortune, ambition, and means to begin casting covetouseyes toward the possessions of their neighbors. The fortunes were...