Musashi #1

 ‘To study the sword you must study war, weapons, and men.’

Miyomoto Musashi, Book of Five Rings.

Something a little more esoteric. Like many long-term martial artists I enjoy reading the Book of Five Rings penned by sixteenth century Japanese swordmaster Musashi. It’s enjoyable in-and-of-itself for its literary style and as a cultural icon. But it’s also valuable for what it tells us about violent combat. Stripped of all its trappings and adornments violent struggle is pretty-much founded upon timeless truths. What Musashi writes about – what he uncovers – is as true today as it was then.

There are lots of choice insights in Musashi’s little book – about mindset, tactics, technique and so forth – but for me the most profound and enlightening insight is the above quote regarding what is necessary for studying the sword, which, for us, is our self-protection system of choice.

At its very basic level Musashi’s statement tells us that a martial art or self-defence system cannot be studied in isolation; it is not something that stands alone or apart from the world. Just waving a sword around – however beautiful the action or perfect the technique – is no more than a set of body movements if it is dislocated from the enterprise of using a sword for its intended purpose – as an instrument for killing an opponent. Similarly, punching a set of pads, or practising strikes in thin air is no more than aesthetically pleasing movements if disconnected from its intended purpose of striking another human being; it is just a dance-like enterprise.

Musashi’s context for the study of the sword is war, weapons, and men. Little has changed in today’s environment. Musashi’s terms are specific examples of more general notions of context, tools, and actors. If we undertake the study of self-protection then we must study the context in which the need for self-protection arises, i.e., violent situations; the tools by which such situations are perpetrated and successfully resisted, and the systems of their use; and the actors who take their various parts in the situation, including their motivations and methods.

Context, tools, and actors are necessary components for the full study of self-protection and, collectively, they are sufficient. They may even form an exhaustive set, for I can think of nothing else that falls outside this set which would be relevant.

I'll look at context, tools, and actors in relation to modern day combatives in forthcoming posts.

D