Have you ever heard about Musashi’s last duel before he wrote the Book of 5 Rings? Then the second half talking about showing appreciation for those that support you and help you grow.
Miyamoto Musashi vs. Sasaki Kojirō
Musashi’s final duel before he sequestered himself in a cave to write his Book of 5 Rings is a thing of legend. I think it’s definitely worthy of study and reflection.
Via WIkipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasaki_Kojir%C5%8D
Story From WikiPedia:
According to the legend, Musashi arrived more than three hours late and goaded Sasaki by taunting him. When Sasaki attacked, his blow came so close as to sever Musashi’s chonmage. He came close to victory several times until, supposedly, he was blinded by the sunset behind Musashi, who struck him on the skull with his oversized bokken, or wooden sword, which was 110 centimetres (43 in) long. Musashi had supposedly fashioned the long bokken, a type called a suburitō due to its above-average length, by shaving down the spare oar of the boat in which he arrived at the duel with his wakizashi. Musashi came late on purpose in order to psychologically unnerve his opponent, a tactic he had used on previous occasions, such as during his series of duels with the Yoshioka swordsmen.
Another version of the legend recounts that when Musashi finally arrived, Sasaki shouted insults at him, but Musashi just smiled. Angered even further, Sasaki leapt into combat, blind with rage. Sasaki attempted his famous “swallow’s blade” or “swallow cut”, but Musashi’s oversized bokken hit Sasaki first, causing him to fall down; before Sasaki could finish his swallow cut, Musashi smashed Sasaki’s left rib, puncturing his lungs and killing him. Musashi then hastily retreated to his boat and sailed away. This was Musashi’s last fatal duel.
Among other things, this conventional account, drawn from the Nitenki, Kensetsu, and Yoshida Seiken’s account, has some problems. Kenji Tokitsu discusses a number of obscurities and counterintuitive claims that have been identified in the account by him and previous scholars. Would Musashi only prepare his bokuto while going to the duel site? Could he even have prepared it in time, working the hard wood with his wakizashi? Would that work not have tired him as well? Further, why was the island then renamed after Sasaki, and not Musashi? Other texts completely omit the “late arrival” portion of the story or change the sequence of actions altogether. Harada Mukashi and a few other scholars believe that Sasaki was actually assassinated by Musashi and his students – the Sasaki clan apparently was a political obstacle to Lord Hosokawa, and defeating Sasaki would have been a political setback to his religious and political foes.
The debate still rages today as to whether or not Musashi cheated in order to win that fateful duel or merely used the environment to his advantage. Another theory is that Musashi timed the hour of his arrival to match the turning of the tide. He expected to be pursued by Sasaki’s supporters in the event of a victory. The tide carried him to the island, then it turned by the time the fight ended. Musashi immediately jumped back in his boat and his flight was thus helped by the tide.
Jadi Tention: On Appreciation
If anyone has invested in you with their time and energy,make sure you DEMONSTRATE your appreciation for their time.
Coach Talk
My own post reflecting on these thoughts:
https://medium.com/the-warrior-mindset/never-quit-from-a-coachs-perspective-f2c24fadea48
“I really hate seeing people not get what they want out of life because they can’t stick with the work long enough and can’t fight through the pain long enough to achieve it. Average people do that, they start along a path and then when it gets tough they quit. They walk away.”
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