Musashi Kickstarter
- Thread starter Gyakuto
- Start date
windwalker099
2nd Black Belt
OP
OP
Musashi specifically place his Fudo Myoō in a realistic position known as hasso no kamae (‘all eight directions’) an offensive stance, named for one's ability to respond to a situation in any direction when adopting it. I can imagine Musashi’s motivation to depict Him as an authentic swords-deity
OP
OP
No. What have you spotted?
Hyoho
2nd Black Belt
Lots of talk about Fudo Myõ. The Buddhist Deity respected by Miyamoto Musashi. But little mention of his main belief in Kanzeon.
Hokki Jo (Initiation Prologue) and Kikei Jo (Prologue of total self devotion to Buddhist Law)
In Hokki Jo, Miyamoto explains why he wrote the book. The Kie in Kikei Jo means to believe in, worship and respect (the Buddhist Law or a Buddhist saint). It means something spiritual that one embraces and respects and depends on. It means attitude (form) as when one bows ones head with ones hands clasped in prayer showing respect to a spiritual being. Miyamoto regarded himself as being in spiritual dependency with Tendo (the natural law) and Kanzeon (the Merciful Goddess) as his mirrors. As he began to write the book he devoted himself to them with hands clasped in prayer.
The Prologue: It presents Miyamoto as a person who depended upon Kie, realizing Hyoho (the path to enlightenment) as a means, he stood up in the absolute world and succeeded in developing himself . Although the Prologue states, The way to heaven and the Merciful Goddess as a mirror: The meaning of this phrase refers to not understanding as, Certain as the mind by reflecting on it. Also by uniting with the merciful goddess through everyday life and believing in heaven and the Merciful Goddess. The mirror means teaching. When we are given the teaching. It is like a mirror, and we recognize ourselves for the first time. The next statement that we must not miss in the Prologue is, I came to the realization that I had won, not because I had attained the full secrets of swordsmanship. Miyamoto had aspired to Hyoho since his youth, overcome various difficulties, won almost sixty fights at the risk of his life, relentlessly trained himself by risking death. He won the fight against Koijiro Sasaki on Ganryu when he was twenty nine years old. © Hyakutake-Watkin 1996
Hokki Jo (Initiation Prologue) and Kikei Jo (Prologue of total self devotion to Buddhist Law)
In Hokki Jo, Miyamoto explains why he wrote the book. The Kie in Kikei Jo means to believe in, worship and respect (the Buddhist Law or a Buddhist saint). It means something spiritual that one embraces and respects and depends on. It means attitude (form) as when one bows ones head with ones hands clasped in prayer showing respect to a spiritual being. Miyamoto regarded himself as being in spiritual dependency with Tendo (the natural law) and Kanzeon (the Merciful Goddess) as his mirrors. As he began to write the book he devoted himself to them with hands clasped in prayer.
The Prologue: It presents Miyamoto as a person who depended upon Kie, realizing Hyoho (the path to enlightenment) as a means, he stood up in the absolute world and succeeded in developing himself . Although the Prologue states, The way to heaven and the Merciful Goddess as a mirror: The meaning of this phrase refers to not understanding as, Certain as the mind by reflecting on it. Also by uniting with the merciful goddess through everyday life and believing in heaven and the Merciful Goddess. The mirror means teaching. When we are given the teaching. It is like a mirror, and we recognize ourselves for the first time. The next statement that we must not miss in the Prologue is, I came to the realization that I had won, not because I had attained the full secrets of swordsmanship. Miyamoto had aspired to Hyoho since his youth, overcome various difficulties, won almost sixty fights at the risk of his life, relentlessly trained himself by risking death. He won the fight against Koijiro Sasaki on Ganryu when he was twenty nine years old. © Hyakutake-Watkin 1996
Haruhiko
Green Belt
The statue of Sasaki Kojiro and Musashi's duel shows Kojiro gripping the nōdachi in a similar way as Fudō Myō-ō seems to be in the wood carving. Wonder if the artist mixed up who was who while he used the statue as a reference...
It's an artist's impression of how Kojiro's 燕返し ("Reverse Swallow Cut") would have been executed. Musashi is on the right.
The statue depicts the moment before Musashi's winning blow, and a turning point in his philosophy on strategy, realising that he came so close to death after defeating the only swordsman he considered an equal.
Last edited:
Sammy Naur
Green Belt
If this was a joke it went totally over my head.
This thread is turning out to be very informative.
So, it's the consensus that the Kickstarter is probably not selling legitimate works, but sort of copycat art? That would jive with my experience seeing these sorts of figurines in the city shops, online, etc.
Last edited:
Haruhiko
Green Belt
They're made in China but the craftsmanship is still impressive. No shortcuts when it comes to wood carving. The artist is apparently quite famous, but other than that I can't comment with certainty on how faithful a recreation it is.
From the shop page:
"The creation of a replica of this statue was commissioned to Ye Zhiyuan, a master in the Chinese carving world, and painted with supervision by Chihiro Takamura, one of the leading practitioners of Buddhist statue painting, to replicate its ancient feel...
... About Ye Zhiyuan: Born in Zhejiang, China in 1967, Ye Zhiyuan began studying under a private woodcarver beginning at the age of 7, developing a profound interest in woodcarving based on Buddhist statues. In 1985, he began taking lessons from Ye Runzhou, a master in fine arts."
OP
OP
Oh it’s not an uncommon position in many schools of swordsmanship.
Nobody is really sure what comprised tsubame-gaeshi but there are some guesses out there.
OP
OP
There are some great pieces of art made in China at much more reasonable prices than in Japan. I bought this from Ebay!
Haruhiko
Green Belt
I've read it came from Chujo Ryū, or Toda Ryū, or Ittō Ryū, but Kojiro adapted it for the length of his blade.
I think this scene (skip to 3m if you like) does a good job of interpreting Kojiro's technique (notice the cut down then the blade flick in anticipation for the following upwards cut):
Now there's the Fudō Myō-ō I'm more familiar with! Noose to wrangle in demons, sword to cut through good and evil, and sitting on a rock - in compassionate wisdom.
Last edited:
OP
OP
It’s rather like ‘kesagiri’
Well even once-demons-now-deities like to change things up a bit.
OP
OP
I have a couple of Noh masks of Fudo Myoō which depict him in different manners.
The blue one is known as Kiba Fudo Myoō. The upper tooth is pointed downward and represents his bestowing unlimited compassion who are suffering in body and spirit. His lower tooth is pointed upward representing the strength of his desire to progress upward in his service for the Truth.
One is roughly carved and unfinished and again has a slightly different appearance.
The blue one is known as Kiba Fudo Myoō. The upper tooth is pointed downward and represents his bestowing unlimited compassion who are suffering in body and spirit. His lower tooth is pointed upward representing the strength of his desire to progress upward in his service for the Truth.
One is roughly carved and unfinished and again has a slightly different appearance.
windwalker099
2nd Black Belt
very interesting threadGood read.
THE UNFETTERED MIND
WRITINGS OF THE ZEN MASTER TO THE SWORD MASTER
Pictures taken in Taiwan, visiting the many temples there.
Last edited:
Haruhiko
Green Belt
Good read.
THE UNFETTERED MIND
WRITINGS OF THE ZEN MASTER TO THE SWORD MASTER
Pictures taken in Taiwan, visiting the many temples there.
Here's one I took of Fudō Myō-ō at Koyasan near Kongō-buji:
And the Tokugawa mausoleum:
Last edited:
Sammy Naur
Green Belt
And these also much more closely resemble the wood carving, and not the Kickstarter versions.
It's kind of like that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when they're trying to figure out which cup among dozens is the actual Holy Grail. It ends up being the most mundane, least impressive, until you really examine it.
"This is the cup of a carpenter".
Attachments
Hyoho
2nd Black Belt
The Tateshi (fight arranger) for this was Hayashi Kunishiro who had no connection whatsoever with any of these Ryu. I travelled around Japan with the Soke of HNIR doing demonstrations for NHK to publicize this Taiga Drama.
Haruhiko
Green Belt
Hyakutake-sama, pleasure to hear from you!
Fascinating about your travels with (Iwami?) sokē for this drama. I hope to meet and have the privilege of training with Kajiya-sokē at some point in the future. Maybe next year if all goes smoothly.
I'd love to know more about this dramatisation from the point of view of the ryū, including the embellishments in the story as well as sokē's thoughts about the adaptation. It looks like Musashi, in this scene, performs some variation of 虎振/Tora Buri.
Do you recall which koryūha the tateshi was familiar with when arranging the choreography?
Thanks in advance.
Last edited:
opr1945
Black Belt
Similar threads
