In the words of Harigaya Sekiun, a great swordsman who lived in the 17th century and founder of Mujushinken ryu: “Those who are less than I, I will defeat. Those whose ability is greater than mine will defeat me. If my opponent and I are of similar ability, ai uchi will occur.”
In classical Japanese swordmanship, practitioners were often encouraged to enter a duel with the goal of achieving at least an ai uchi. The resolution to win the duel even at the cost of one’s own life was thought to aid in cultivating an attitude of single-minded focus on the task of cutting down one’s opponent. While many regarded ai uchi as an attitude of enlightenment, Sekiun did not. He compared this attitude to the law of the jungle: “It employs the same tactics and mentality as that of the beasts, that of tigers, wolves, and other wild things fighting for survival. I completely renounce this way. This is not the way of the sword, nor should it be the behavior of human beings.”
Sekiun introduced the concept of ai nuke which can be translated as “mutual escape” or “mutual preservation [of life].” He said, “The way of the sword is rooted in the consciousness of the sage… [he] has no thought as to who is greater or lesser. If two sages meet in a situation of confrontation, the result will inevitably be ai nuke.”
Zitat von DatOlli
Mit Zitat antworten