Miyamoto Musashi Killing a Giant Nue by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
‘I have not followed the paths of other men. I have lived without the benefit of a teacher and by my own devices I became master of myself and thereby master of the sword and the brush never differentiating between any of these arts.’ – Musashi (1584-1645), Japanese Kensei, author of the Book of Five Rings
Fierce Shout: Before battle to unsettle the enemy!
Book of Earth
No man is invincible
there is only honor and dishonor,
his death written in the calligraphic ink of his study
Endeavor to know all things
becoming more aware of the world
an essential strategy to defeat the enemy
The work is more important than the worker
you are the spiritual conduit
become one who sees what cannot be seen
Book of Water
All life is the battlefield, focus your intent
the brushstrokes and strikes of practice
are not separate from their execution in life
Man and brush have one purpose
communion with the spirit of the thing, this is the
way of the warrior, sword embodying the soul of the samurai
Be as falling leaves, with no preconceived notions
Stab the heart with your expansive mind
Extend your spirit above the enemy
Fierce Shouts: Each time you strike, to maintain your resoluteness of spirit!
Book of Fire
In mortal combat you must fight to win
mean what you are doing, otherwise
you are performing tricks
Always control the enemy
keep him on the defensive, draw him to you,
be stronger in spirit and resolve
Cross the ravine with the courage of your convictions
impress your attitude upon the world
force imbalance, taking others by surprise
Book of Wind
Clever people do not understand
temperance of spirit, their tricks and false attitudes
are very dangerous to the uninformed mind
Do not be afraid to get in close
attack with power not strength
with quickness not speed
Your attitude at all times is to attack
practice with the spirit of killing the enemy
meditate on this way of strategy
Fierce Shout: In victory to honor the spirit of the thing itself!
Book of Mu (No-Thing)
The spirit of the universe is an emptiness
which is no-thing, man can have no
understanding of this place
Everything is revealed
to all men as they desire it to be revealed,
by their own definitions alone
True no-thing-ness is Mu,
the universe in relation to your art
and your art in relation to the universe
Everything is within, everything exists,
seek nothing outside yourself,
you are the spirit of the thing itself!
Tomb on Mount Iwato
‘With every note
of the mountain temple
sunset bell
sorrow arises as
day turns dark’*
*Japanese Woman Poet,
10th Century
Connected to the best pub on the web for poetic delights: http://dversepoets.com/2012/09/04/open-link-night-week-60/
Chromapoetica 
oh nice…each stanza is like a kernel of wisdom…some like…Your attitude at all times is to attack
practice with the spirit of killing the enemy
meditate on this way of strategy…even remind me a bit of The Art of War…i like the namesake of the post…the one of falling leaves…cool stuff ma’am
Thanks, I was excited for OLN so it’s up super early. Hope you are enjoying the holiday.
You are back! I am delighted. This is a wonderful piece full of nuggets and skeins of knowing and believing. “become one who sees what can not be seen.” “quickness not speed”
Thank you, Jane; it is lovely to be back and wonderful to see you here :).
japanese clarity and passion. balance. i like the connection to calligraphy. it would be wonderful if that kind of grace was learned as a means to be creative, constructive, collaborative. something to work towards. =)
Yes, probably why I’m an artist not a Samurai/Ronin :). It was difficult to wrap my head around this piece. In the end I decided surrender was a better path than trying to fight a sword saint. His words won out and I do think it is a better poem for it. He studied painting and poetry among other ‘peaceful’ arts.
it is frightening.
Musashi…what a wonderful, almost mythic figure. I love that you paired the book of war with a woman’s tanka on sorrow. Really enjoyed reading this post.
I’m happy you appreciated the contrast, I felt it would be an effective end. Almost mythic, precisely. Thank you for stopping in to read!
I was delighted to read the post. He reminds me a bit of Paul Bunyan and John Henry…larger than life and filled with the character we long for, especially John Henry. My pleasure, I assure you. 🙂
Nice comparisons :)!
oh, this is fabulous, all of it. I especially love:
“The work is more important than the worker
you are the spiritual conduit
become one who sees what cannot be seen”
but all of it is beautiful and insightful and magical… and filled with truth:
“Everything is revealed
to all men as they desire it to be revealed,
by their own definitions alone”
yes.
Thanks Kelly, there’s a reason he’s revered. I was simply a conduit (with a little voice piping in here and there) :).
Tru Dat ! 😀
😀
and . . . this is blooming brilliant . . .
i know when i have just read something good
because i feel filled by the light of another . . .
I am
Positively Beaming
( ( fully charged ) )
nice work anna 😀
I thought this one would resonate with you; happy to know it did and that you are fully charged (look out world :D)!
Not only do I love the tapestry of words here, but I love the constructs, the odes to the elements and no-thing-ness. It produces an atmosphere of invocation, but not of meditative prayer – of the contemplation before a battle whose armies may not necessarily be of flesh and bone and sinew, but of spirit and will. Beautiful work.
Precisely, for we all engage in the battles of spirit and will. Thank you for your kind words.
what a cool quote to start with.. book of earth, fire, water, wind…love how you divide this..each with its own wisdom…the universe in relation to your art
and your art in relation to the universe….so much to know …so much to learn…love this anna
That quote is at the front of my writing notebook and has been for some 15 years. It seemed time to honor its author. Thank you Claudia, your feedback means a lot to me :).
Anna, this is perfect. So much here to love.
Aw Susan, there you go making my day :).
I don’t know where to begin because, no-thing I say will adequately express the excellence of this writing. I loved every line, and its message. Fierce shout to be sure you hear it. I am in awe of this Anna. It is truly one of your best. Maybe it is from the surrender and allowing it to lead you the way of the warrior with the pen. Amazing!
Well, this is humbling, thank you!
i’ve read and re-read it, absorbing the energy of your words, and am speechless about your skill, about your ability to take a reader on the wonderful journey through realms of fundamental wisdom.
‘Be as falling leaves, with no preconceived notions
Stab the heart with your expansive mind
Extend your spirit above the enemy..’ – this should be one of the most striking and inspiring lines i’ve ever read. and as a whole, your poem is worth to be carved in eternal marble. thank you, Anna~~~
Heavens Yelena, I am now speechless!
A riveting call to arms and introspection!
Thank you, very nice to meet you.
Just one piece of wisdom after another after another, all provoking me to dig for meaning. And I very much love the quote at the end. It puts a melancholy stop to the whole piece. Wonderful writing.
I came across that gem in reading an anthology of women poets across the ages. It immediately spoke to me, connecting to Mushashi. Thank you!
This is wonderful, filled with wisdom and beauty.
Thank you, Ayala :)!
Anna–I love this on so many levels–I lived in Japan for a fair amount of time and speak the language–and love the culture—Your writing is excellent, but beyond that, the piece just resonates with me, over and over—
Wonderful to hear it transcends the writing for you and resonates – that you have lived, spoken, and loved the culture!
You are such a clever and inspiring writer Anna ~ I read your words in wonderment at your style.
Thanks Polly! I try to experiment a lot, it helps keep me challenged and hopefully fresh.
Loved the weave of the elements, each their own tune of sorts but can only be in tune when all work as one, wonderfully spun.
Thanks Pat, nice to see you again and thanks for the laughs at your show.
It’s all good.
The progression through the elements, the word choices, the picture, the quotes. Everything’s here.
It’s all good. So very brilliantly awesomely good.
Nice build up to the best part of the comment :)! I’m smiling with extra vim!
What a wonderful balance you’ve found here. Each progression exact as we (the reader) move from the outer antagonists to the inner protagonist..where art is conceived and executed and enlightenment is achieved. It pushes out the emptiness and chaos. Quite exemplary work. I will return to read it again.
Yes, I thought that would be helpful as the book takes a wending path, sometimes circling back, sometimes exploring tributaries, etc. I really appreciate your kind words Gay.
You had cleverly weaved through a beautiful verse. These can be advice,strategy and principles all rolled into one!, Great write, Anna!
Musashi was very wise, thanks so much for reading.
The precision is wonderful.. clean and balanced. I so enjoyed the wisdoms and incremental flow of the whole. It feels carved.. lovely work, Anna
It felt right for the Japanese aesthetic; so glad you enjoyed it!
Oh dear, how I’ve missed your wonderful poetry! Love this so much and the ending reflection of the Japanese women poets I’ve become so fond of (Akiko Yosano my favourite :). The building of this piece and the beat of contrast…amazing!
Eva :)! I appreciate the reintroduction to Akiko, I read controversial, feminist, and prolific and thought I must get to know her much better (sadly I’d only read two of her poems). So lovely to see you!
Very intense cool poem – the books work very well – of course, the last has a simplicity that I love, but they are all very interesting – in the fire, I especially liked:
In mortal combat you must fight to win
mean what you are doing, otherwise
you are performing tricks
Good advice for life – I don’t think win is the exact word for it there, but perhaps conviction.
And the book of Mu – well, solipsistic but perhaps true enough! Certainly a little looking within never hurt anyone! k
Yes, I see how it could lead to solipsism but as I said to another reader when I found myself fighting him, the poem didn’t work. In the end his voice won out :). Thank you, I think conviction is a better word but he was literally referencing duels. There, there is only win or lose, life or death in that arena.
Anna, this is The Best Piece Ever. Holy cow, I got so much out of this. It’s the work that matters, not the worker would’ve sufficed just fine for wisdom but you just went on and on and on with deeper insight. I am taking it today that it’s the song that matters, and not the singer.
I LOVE and couldn’t agree that all is within, seek nothing outside yourself.
Anna, you just went up a few more notches on my personal awesome meter — and you were already scoring high. So many layers and incredible DEPTH to your talent and wisdom.
AMAZING!! Inspiring. Thank you!
xoxo
Jannie, you have done an excellent job of brightening up my Saturday morning with your generous and lovely comment. I find being a conduit takes the pressure off of me to be or do something and only requires me to show up and try :). You have a personal awesome meter? I’m so honored to be on your scoreboard. Again, thank you, I’ve got a spring in my step that has your beautiful self written all over it – xoxo!