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Miyamoto Musashi is a warrior of Harima province. He has been training many years in the Way of strategy caiied Ni Ten Ichi Ryu. In writing this book he did not use the iaw of Buddha or the teachings of Confucius.
Miyamoto Musashi is a warrior of Harima province. He has been training many years in the Way of strategy caiied Ni Ten Ichi Ryu. In writing this book he did not use the iaw of Buddha or the teachings of Confucius.
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Miyamoto Musashi is a warrior of Harima province. He has been training many years in the Way of strategy caiied Ni Ten Ichi Ryu. In writing this book he did not use the iaw of Buddha or the teachings of Confucius.
Droits d'auteur :
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Formats disponibles
Téléchargez comme DOC, PDF, TXT ou lisez en ligne sur Scribd
Written by Miyamoto Musashi Introdution It s now durng the rst ten days of the tenth month n the twenteth year of Kane (1645). I am sxty years od and I have been tranng many years n the Way of strategy caed N Ten Ich Ryu. I w now expan t n wrtng for the rst tme. I have cmbed mountan Iwato of Hgo n Kyushu to pray to Kwannon and knee before Buddha. I am a warror of Harma provnce, Shnmen Musash No Kam Fu|wara No Geshn.
Snce I was a youth my heart has been drawn toward the Way of strategy. My rst due took pace at age thrteen when I struck down a strategst of the Shnto schoo, one Arma Khe. I was sxteen when I struck down an abe strategst, Tadashma Akyama, and when I was twenty-one I went up to the capta and met a manner of strategsts, never once fang to wn n many contests. After that I went from provnce to provnce, dueng wth strategsts of varous schoos, and not once dd I fa to wn though I had as many as sxty encounters. When I reached age thrty I ooked back on my past and reazed the prevous vctores were not due to my havng mastered strategy. Perhaps they resuted from natura abty, or the order of heaven, or n that other schoos' strategy was nferor. After ths I studed mornng and evenng searchng for the prncpe, and came to reaze the Way of strategy when I was fty.
Snce then I have ved wthout foowng any partcuar Way. Thus wth the vrtue of strategy I can now practce many arts and abtes wthout the need for a teacher. In wrtng ths book I dd not use the aw of Buddha or the teachngs of Confucus, nether od war chronces nor books on marta tactcs. My purpose n wrtng s to expan the true sprt of ths Ich Schoo as t s mrrored n the Way of heaven and Kwannon. The tme s the nght of the tenth day of the tenth month, at the hour of the tger (3-5 a.m.) !he Ground Book Strategy s the craft of the warror. Commanders must enact the craft, and troopers shoud know ths Way. There s no warror n the word today that reay understands the Way of strategy. There are varous Ways. There s the Way of savaton by the aw of Buddha, the Way of Confucus governng the Way of earnng, the Way of heang as a doctor, the Way of Waka teachng as a poet, as we as tea, archery, and many arts and sks. Every man shoud practce as he fees ncned. It s sad that the warror's way s the twofod Way of pen and sword, and he shoud have a taste for both Ways. Even f a man has no natura abty, he can be a warror by stckng assduousy to both dvsons of the Way. Generay speakng, the Way of the warror s to determnedy accept death. Athough others (women, peasants and ower fok) have been known to de ready n the cause of duty or out of shame, the warror s dherent. The warror s dherent n that studyng the Way of strategy s based on overcomng men. By wnnng n crossng swords wth ndvduas, or en|onng batte wth arge numbers, the warror attans power and fame for hmsef and for hs ord. Ths s the vrtue of strategy. !he Way of Strategy In Chna and |apan practtoners of the Way have been known as "masters of strategy". Warrors must earn ths Way. Recenty there have been peope camng to be strategsts, but they are usuay |ust sword-fencers. In oden tmes, strategy was sted among the Ten Abtes and Seven Arts as a beneca practce. Strategy was certany an art but as a beneca practce t was not mted ony to sword fencng. Indeed, the true vaue of sword fencng cannot be seen wthn the connes of sword-fencng technque. If we ook at the word we see that men use equpment to se themseves. In ths type of Way of strategy, they are ookng for prot, and both those teachng and those earnng the way are concerned wth coorng and showng oh ther technque. Someone once sad "Immature strategy s the cause of gref". That was a true sayng. There are four Ways n whch men pass through fe: as gentemen, farmers, artsans and merchants. Frst s the way of the farmer. Usng agrcutura nstruments, he sees sprngs through to autumns wth an eye on the changes of season. Second s the Way of the merchant. The wne maker obtans hs ngredents and puts them to use to make hs vng. The Way of the merchant s aways to ve by takng prot. Thrd s the genteman warror, carryng the weaponry of hs Way. The Way of the warror s to master the vrtue of hs weapons. He must have a eanng toward strategy, for f a genteman dskes strategy he w not apprecate the benet of weaponry.
Fourth s the Way of the artsan. The Way of the carpenter s to become procent n the use of hs toos, rst to ay hs pans wth a true measure and then perform hs work accordng to pan. Thus he passes through fe. These are the four Ways of the genteman, the farmer, the artsan and the merchant. "om#aring the Way of the "ar#enter to Strategy The comparson wth carpentry s through the connecton wth houses. The carpenter uses a master pan of the budng, and the Way of strategy s smar n ths manner of pannng. If you want to earn the craft of war, study ths book wth a vew of the teacher as a neede, the dscpe as thread. You must practce constanty. Lke the foreman carpenter, the commander must know natura rues, and the rues of the country, and the rues of houses. Ths s the Way of the foreman. The foreman carpenter must know the archtectura theory of towers and tempes, the pans of paaces, and must empoy men to bud houses. The Way of the foreman carpenter s the same as the Way of the commander of a warror house. In the constructon of houses, one must choose the wood. Straght, unknotted tmber of good appearance s used for reveaed pars; straght tmber wth sma defects s used for the nner pars. Tmber of the nest appearance, even f a tte weak, s used for the threshods, ntes, doors, sdng doors, and so on. Good strong tmber, though t be gnared and knotted, can aways be used dscreety n constructon. Tmber whch s weak or knotted throughout shoud be used as scahodng, and ater for rewood. The foreman carpenter aots hs men work accordng to ther abty. Foor ayers, makers of sdng doors, threshods and ntes, cengs and so on. Those of poor abty ay the oor |ost, and those of esser abty carve wedges and do such msceaneous work. If the foreman knows and depoys hs men we, the nshed work w be good. The foreman shoud take nto account the abtes and mtatons of hs men, crcuatng among them and askng nothng unreasonabe. He shoud know ther morae and sprt, and encourage them when necessary. Ths s the same as the prncpe of strategy. !he Way of Strategy Lke a trooper, the carpenter sharpens hs own toos. He carres hs equpment n hs toobox, and works under the drecton of hs foreman. He makes coumns and grders wth an axe, shapes oorboards and sheves wth a pane, cuts ne openwork and carvngs accuratey, gvng as exceent a nsh as hs sk w aow. Ths s the craft of carpenters. When the carpenter becomes sked and understands measures, he can become a foreman. These are the specates of the carpenter. Thngs are smar for the trooper. You ought to thnk deepy about ths. The attanment of the carpenter s that hs work s not warped, that the |onts are not msagned, and that the work s truy paned so that t meets we and s not merey nshed n sectons. Ths s essenta. If you want to earn ths Way, deepy consder the thngs wrtten n ths book one at a tme. You must do sumcent research. $ut%ine of the Five Books of this Book of Strategy The Way s shown n ve books concernng dherent aspects. These books are Ground, Water, Fre, Tradton (Wnd) and Vod.
In the Ground book, the body of the Way of strategy s expaned from the vewpont of my Ich Schoo. The true Way s not reazed through sword fencng aone. One must know the smaest thngs and the bggest thngs, the shaowest thngs and the deepest thngs. As f t were a straght road mapped out on the ground, the rst book s caed the Ground book. Second s the Water book. Wth water as the bass, the sprt becomes ke water. Water adopts the shape of ts receptace; sometmes t s a trcke, sometmes a wd sea. Water has a cear bue coor, and through ts carty the truths of my Ich Schoo are reveaed n ths book. If you master the prncpes of sword fencng, when you freey beat one man, you can beat any man n the word. The sprt of defeatng a man s the same for ten mon men. The accompshed strategst makes sma thngs nto bg thngs; the prncpe of strategy s that knowng one thng s to know ten thousand thngs. I cannot wrte n deta how ths s done. Thrd s the Fre book. Ths book s about ghtng. The sprt of re s erce whether the re be sma or bg; and so t s wth battes. The Way of battes s the same for ghts between two men as for ten thousand to-a-sde battes. You must apprecate that sprt can become bg or sma. What s bg s easy to perceve; what s sma s dmcut to perceve. In short, t s dmcut for arge numbers of men to change poston, so ther movements can be easy predcted. An ndvdua can easy change hs mnd, so hs movements are dmcut to predct. It s mportant to grasp ths. The core of ths book s that you must tran day and nght n order to make quck decsons. Strategy entas treatng tranng as a part of norma fe wth your sprt unchangng. Thus combat n batte s descrbed n the Fre book. Fourth s the Wnd book. Ths book s not concerned wth the Ich Schoo but wth other schoos of strategy. By Wnd I mean od tradtons, present-day tradtons, and famy tradtons of strategy. Thus I ceary expan the strateges of the word. It s dmcut to know yoursef f you do not know others. There are sdetracks to a Ways. If you study a Way day, and your sprt dverges, you may thnk you are obeyng a good way, but ob|ectvey t s not the true Way. If you are foowng the true Way and dverge a tte, ths w ater become a arge dvergence. Other strateges have come to be thought of as mere sword fencng, however the benet of my strategy, athough t ncudes sword fencng, es n a separate prncpe. Thus I expan what s commony meant by strategy n other schoos n the Tradton (Wnd) book. Ffth s the book of the Vod. By Vod I mean that whch has no begnnng and no end. Attanng ths prncpe means not attanng the prncpe. The Way of strategy s the Way of nature. When you apprecate the power of nature and are n tune wth the rhythm of any stuaton, you w be abe to ht the enemy naturay and strke naturay. A ths s the Way of the Vod. I ntend to show how to foow the true Way accordng to nature n the book of the Vod. !he Name Ihi Ryu Ni !o ($ne shoo% & !'o s'ords) Warrors, both commanders and troopers, carry two swords at ther bet. In the oden days these were caed the ong sword and the sword; nowadays they are known as the sword and the companon sword. "Nto Ich Ryu" shows the advantage of usng both swords. Students of the Ich Schoo Way of strategy shoud tran from the start wth the sword and ong sword n ether hand. Ths s the truth: when you sacrce your fe, you must make fuest use of your weaponry. Not to do so, and to de wth a weapon not yet drawn, s fase. If you hod a sword wth both hands, t s dmcut to wed t freey to eft and rght, so my method s to carry the sword n one hand. Ths does not appy to arge weapons such as the spear or haberd (weapons that are carred out of doors), but swords and companon swords can be carred n one hand. It s encumberng to hod a sword n both hands when you are on horseback, when runnng on uneven roads, on swampy ground, muddy rce eds, stony ground, or n a crowd of peope. To hod the ong sword n both hands s not the true Way, for f you carry a bow or spear or other arms n your eft hand you have ony one hand free for the ong sword. However, when t s dmcut to cut an enemy down wth one hand, you must use both hands. It s not dmcut to wed a sword n one hand; the Way to earn ths s to tran wth two ong swords, one n each hand. It w seem dmcut at rst, but everythng s dmcut at rst. Note that bows are dmcut to draw, haberds are dmcut to wed; as you become accustomed to the bow so your pu w become stronger. When you become used to wedng the ong sword, you w gan the power of the Way and wed the sword we. As I w expan n the second book, the Water Book, there s no fast way of wedng the ong sword. The ong sword shoud be weded broady, and the companon sword cosey. Ths s the rst thng to earn. Accordng to the Ich Schoo, you can wn wth a ong or wth a short weapon. The Way of the Ich Schoo s the sprt of wnnng, whatever the weapon and whatever ts sze. It s better to use two swords rather than one when you are ghtng a crowd and especay f you want to take a prsoner. These thngs are dmcut to expan n deta, but when you attan the Way of strategy there w not be anythng you cannot see; from one thng, you w know ten thousand thngs. You must study hard. !he Bene(t of the !'o "haraters reading )Strategy) Masters of the ong sword are caed strategsts. As for the other mtary arts, those who master the bow are caed archers, those who master the spear are caed spearmen, those who master the gun are caed marksmen, and those who master the haberd are caed haberders. But we do not ca masters of the Way of the ong sword "ongswordsmen", or "companonswordsmen". Bows, guns, spears and haberds are a warrors' equpment and they are certany part of strategy. However, to master the vrtue of the ong sword s to govern the word and onesef; thus the ong sword s the bass of strategy. The prncpe s "strategy by means of the ong sword". If one attans the vrtue of the ong sword, one man can beat ten men. As one man can beat ten, so a hundred men can beat a thousand, and a thousand men can beat ten thousand. In my strategy, one man s the same as ten thousand, so ths strategy s the compete warror's craft. The Way of the warror does not ncude other Ways, such as Confucansm, Buddhsm, certan tradtons, artstc accompshments and sword dancng. But even though these are not part of the Way, f you know the Way broady you w see t n everythng. Men must posh ther partcuar Way. !he Bene(t of Wea#ons in Strategy There s a tme and a pace for use of weapons. The best use of the companon sword s n a conned space, or when you are engaged cosey wth an opponent. The ong sword can be used ehectvey n a stuatons. The haberd s nferor to the spear on the batteed. Wth the spear you can take the ntatve; the haberd s defensve. In the hands of one of two men of equa abty, the spear gves a tte extra strength. Spear and haberd both have ther uses, but nether s very beneca n conned spaces. They cannot be used for takng a prsoner. They are essentay weapons for the ed. If you earn "ndoor" technques, you w thnk narrowy and forget the true Way. Then you w have dmcuty n actua encounters. The bow s tactcay strong at the commencement of batte, especay battes on a moor, as t s possbe to shoot qucky from among the spearmen. However, t s unsatsfactory n seges, or when the enemy s more than forty yards away. For ths reason there are now few tradtona schoos of archery and there s tte use nowadays for ths knd of sk. From nsde fortcatons, the gun has no equa among weapons. It s the supreme weapon on the ed before the ranks cash, but once swords are crossed the gun becomes useess. One of the vrtues of the bow s that you can see the arrows n ght and correct your am accordngy, whereas gunshot cannot be seen. You must apprecate the mportance of ths dherence. Weapons shoud be endurng and wthout defects. Swords and companon swords shoud cut strongy. Spears and haberds must stand up to heavy use. Bows and guns must be sturdy. Weapons shoud be hardy rather than decoratve. You shoud not have a favorte weapon, nor kes and dskes. To become over-famar wth one weapon s as much a faut as not knowng t sumcenty we. You shoud not copy others, but use those weapons you can hande propery. These are thngs you must know competey. !iming in strategy There s tmng n everythng. Tmng n strategy cannot be mastered wthout a great dea of practce. |ust as tmng s mportant n dancng and ppe or strng musc - as they are n rhythm ony f tmng s good - tmng and rhythm are aso nvoved n the mtary arts, shootng bows and guns, and rdng horses. In fact, a sks and abtes nvove tmng, and there s aso tmng n the Vod. There s tmng n the whoe fe of the warror, n hs thrvng and decnng, n hs harmony and dscord. Smary, there s tmng n the Way of the merchant, n the rse and fa of capta. A thngs enta rsng and fang tmng. You must be abe to dscern ths. In strategy there are varous tmng consderatons. To begn you must know the appcabe tmng and the nappcabe tmng, the fast and sow tmngs, and nd the reevant tmng from among arge and sma thngs. Studyng tmng s an essenta thng n strategy. It s especay mportant to know the background tmng, otherwse your strategy w become uncertan. You wn n battes wth the tmng of cunnng by knowng the enemes' tmng, and usng a tmng whch the enemy does not expect. A the ve books are chey concerned wth tmng. You must tran sumcenty to apprecate a ths. If you practce day and nght n the above Ich Schoo strategy, your sprt w naturay broaden. Ths Way of strategy s recorded for the rst tme n the ve books of Ground, Water, Fre, Tradton (Wnd), and Vod. For men who want to earn my strategy, ths s the Way: Do not thnk dshonesty. The Way s n tranng. Become acquanted wth every art. Know the Ways of a professons. Dstngush between gan and oss n wordy matters. Deveop ntutve |udgment and understandng for everythng. Perceve those thngs that cannot be seen. Pay attenton even to tres. Do nothng useess It s mportant to start by settng these broad prncpes n your heart. You must tran n the Way of strategy. If you do not ook at thngs on a arge scae, t w be dmcut for you to master strategy; however f you earn and attan ths strategy, you w never ose even to twenty or thrty enemes. More than anythng, you must set your heart on strategy and earnesty stck to the Way. By tranng you w be abe to freey contro your own body, conquer men wth your body, and wth sumcent tranng you w be abe to beat men n ghts, be abe to wn wth your eye, and beat ten men wth your sprt. When you have reached ths pont, w t not mean that you are nvncbe? Further, n arge scae strategy the superor man w manage many subordnates dexterousy, bear hmsef correcty, govern the country and foster the peope, thus preservng the ruer's dscpne. Hence foowng the Way of strategy nvoves the sprt not beng defeated, hepng onesef and ganng honor. The second year of Shoho (1645), the fth month, the twefth day. !he Water Book The sprt of the N Ten Ich Schoo of strategy s based on water, and ths Water Book expans methods of vctory n the ong-sword form of the Ich Schoo. Whe anguage s nadequate to expan the Way n deta, t can be grasped ntutvey. Thnk about each word as you study ths book. If you nterpret the meanng oosey you w mstake the Way. Whe prncpes of strategy are wrtten here n terms of snge combat, you must thnk broady so that you attan an understandng for ten- thousand-a-sde battes. Strategy s dherent from other thngs n that f you mstake the Way even a tte, you w become bewdered and fa nto bad ways. You w not reach the Way of strategy by merey readng ths book. Ths book s meant to be studed, absorbed, memorzed and mtated, so that you may truy grasp ts prncpes from wthn your heart and absorb them nto your body. S#iritua% Bearing in Strategy In strategy your sprtua bearng must not be any dherent from norma. Both n ghtng and n everyday fe you shoud be determned though cam. Meet stuatons wthout tenseness yet not reckessy, your sprt setted yet unbased. Even when your sprt s cam do not et your body reax, and when your body s reaxed do not et your sprt sacken. Do not et your sprt be nuenced by your body, nor your body be nuenced by your sprt. Be nether nsumcenty sprted nor over sprted. An eevated sprt s weak and a ow sprt s weak. Do not et the enemy see your sprt. Sma peope must be competey famar wth the sprt of arge peope, and arge peope must be famar wth the sprt of sma peope. Whatever your sze, do not be msed by the reactons of your own body. Wth your sprt open and unrestrcted, ook at thngs from a hgh pont of vew. Cutvate and posh your wsdom: earn pubc |ustce, dstngush between good and ev, and study the Ways of dherent arts one by one. When you are not deceved by men you w have reazed the wsdom of strategy. The wsdom of strategy s dherent from other thngs. You shoud ceaseessy research the prncpes of strategy so that you can deveop a steady sprt. Stane in Strategy Adopt a stance wth the head erect, nether hangng down, nor ookng up, nor twsted. Your forehead and the space between your eyes shoud not be wrnked. Do not ro your eyes nor aow them to bnk, rather sghty narrow them. Wth your features composed, keep the ne of your nose straght wth a feeng of sghty arng your nostrs. Hod the ne of the rear of the neck straght; nst vgor nto your harne and from the shouders down through your entre body. Lower both shouders and, wthout the buttocks |uttng out, put strength nto your egs from the knees to the tops of your toes. Brace your abdomen so that you do not bend at the hps. Wedge your companon sword n your bet aganst your abdomen, so that your bet s not sack - ths s caed "wedgng n". In a forms of strategy, t s necessary to mantan the combat stance n everyday fe and to make your everyday stance your combat stance. You must grasp ths we. !he Ga*e in Strategy The gaze shoud be arge and broad. Ths s the twofod gaze - "Percepton and Sght". Percepton s strong and sght weak. In strategy t s mportant to see dstant thngs as f they were cose and to take a dstanced vew of cose thngs. It s mportant to know the enemy's sword and not to be dstracted by nsgncant movements of hs sword. You must study ths. The gaze s the same for snge combat and for arge-scae combat. It s necessary n strategy to be abe to ook to both sdes wthout movng your eyebas. You cannot master ths abty qucky. Learn what s wrtten here: use ths gaze n everyday fe and never vary from t. +o%ding the ,ong S'ord Grp the ong sword wth a oatng feeng n your thumb and forenger, wth the mdde nger nether tght nor sack, and wth the ast two ngers tght. When you take up a sword, you must fee ntent on cuttng the enemy. As you cut an enemy you must not change your grp, and your hands must not "cower". When you dash the enemy's sword asde, or ward t oh, or force t down, you must sghty change the feeng n your thumb and forenger. Above a, you must be ntent on cuttng the enemy n the way you grp the sword. The grp durng combat and durng sword-testng s the same. Generay, I dske xedness n both ong swords and hands. Fxedness means a dead hand. Pabty s a vng hand. You must bear ths n mnd. Foot'ork Wth the tps of your toes somewhat oatng, tread rmy wth your hees. Whether you move fast or sow, wth arge or sma steps, your feet must aways move as n norma wakng. I dske the three wakng methods known as "|umpng-foot", "oatng-foot" and "xed-steps". So-caed "Yn-Yang foot" s mportant to the Way. Yn-Yang foot means movng both feet; t means movng your feet eft-rght and rght-eft when cuttng, wthdrawng, or wardng oh a cut. You shoud not move one foot preferentay. !he Five Attitudes There are ve dmensons of atttude, and there are no atttudes but these ve. The ve atttudes are: Upper, Mdde, Lower, Rght Sde, and Left Sde. The one purpose of a atttudes s to cut the enemy. Whatever atttude you are n, do not be conscous of makng the atttude; thnk ony of cuttng. Your atttude shoud be arge or sma accordng to the stuaton. Upper, Lower and Mdde atttudes are decsve. Left Sde and Rght Sde atttudes are ud. Left and Rght atttudes shoud be used f there s an obstructon overhead or to one sde. The decson to use Left or Rght depends on the pace. The Mdde atttude s the heart of the atttudes, the essence of the Way. To understand atttude you must thoroughy understand the Mdde atttude, for f we ook at strategy on a broad scae, the Mdde atttude s the seat of the commander, wth the other four atttudes foowng the commander. You must comprehend ths. !he Way of the ,ong S'ord To know the Way of the ong sword means we can wed wth two ngers the sword that we usuay carry. If we know the path of the sword we, we can wed t easy. To wed the ong sword we you must wed t camy. If you try to wed the ong sword qucky, ke a fodng fan or a short sword, you w mstake the Way and you w err by usng "short sword choppng". You cannot cut a man wth a ong sword usng ths method. When you have cut downwards wth the ong sword, ft t straght upwards; when you cut sdeways, return the sword aong a sdeways path. Return the sword n a reasonabe way, aways stretchng the ebows broady. Wed the sword strongy. Ths s the Way of the ong sword. If you earn to use the ve approaches of my strategy, you w be abe to wed a sword we. You must tran constanty. !he Five A##roahes The rst approach s the Mdde atttude. Confront the enemy wth the pont of your sword aganst hs face. When he attacks, dash hs sword to the rght and "rde" t. Or, when the enemy attacks, deect the pont of hs sword by httng downwards, keep your ong sword where t s, and as the enemy renews the attack, cut hs arms from beow. Ths s the rst method. The ve approaches are smar n purpose. You must tran repeatedy usng a ong sword n order to earn them. When you master my Way of the ong sword, you w be abe to contro any attack the enemy makes. I assure you, there are no atttudes other than the ve atttudes of the ong sword of NTo. In the second approach wth the ong sword, use the Upper atttude and cut the enemy |ust as he attacks. If the enemy evades the cut, keep your sword where t s and, scoopng from beow, cut hm as he renews the attack. It s possbe to repeat the cut from here. In ths method there are varous changes n tmng and sprt. You w be abe to understand ths by tranng n the Ich Schoo. You w aways wn wth the ve ong sword methods. You must tran repeatedy. In the thrd approach, adopt the Lower atttude, antcpatng scoopng up. When the enemy attacks, ht hs hands from beow. As you do so, he may try to ht your sword down. If ths s the case, cut hs upper arm(s) horzontay wth a feeng of "crossng". Ths means that from the Lower atttudes you ht the enemy at the nstant that he attacks. You w encounter ths method often, both as a begnner and n ater strategy. You must tran hodng a ong sword. In ths fourth approach, adopt the Left Sde atttude. As the enemy attacks, ht hs hands from beow. If as you ht hs hands he attempts to dash down your sword, parry the path of hs ong sword wth the feeng of httng hs hands and cut across from above your shouder. Ths s the Way of the ong sword. Through ths method you wn by parryng the ne of the enemy's attack. You must study ths. In the fth approach, the sword s n the Rght Sde atttude. In accordance wth the enemy's attack, cross your sword from beow at the sde to the Upper atttude. Then cut straght from above. Ths method s essenta for knowng the Way of the ong sword we. If you can use ths method, you can freey wed a heavy ong sword. I cannot descrbe n deta how to use these ve approaches. You must become we acquanted wth my "n harmony wth the ong sword" Way, earn arge-scae tmng, understand the enemy's ong sword, and become accustomed to the ve approaches. You w aways wn by usng these ve methods, wth varous tmng consderatons dscernng the enemy's sprt. You must reect upon a ths carefuy. !he )Attitude No&Attitude) !eahing "Atttude No-Atttude" means that there s no need for what are known as ong sword atttudes. Even so, atttudes do exst as the ve ways of hodng the ong sword. However you hod the sword, t must be n such a way that t s easy to cut the enemy we, n accordance wth the stuaton, the pace, and your reaton to the enemy. From the Upper atttude, as your sprt essens you can adopt the Mdde atttude, and from the Mdde atttude you can rase the sword a tte n your technque and adopt the Upper atttude. From the Lower atttude you can rase the sword a tte and adopt the Mdde atttudes as the occason demands. Accordng to the stuaton, f you turn your sword from ether the Left Sde or Rght Sde atttude towards the center, the Mdde or the Lower atttude resuts. Ths prncpe s known as: "Exstng Atttude - Non-exstng Atttude". The most mportant thng when you take a sword n your hands s your ntenton to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, ht, sprng, strke or touch the enemy's cuttng sword, you must cut the enemy n the same movement. Ths s essenta. If you thnk ony of httng, sprngng, strkng or touchng the enemy, you w not be abe actuay to cut hm. More than anythng, you must be thnkng of carryng your movement through to cuttng hm. To acheve ths you must research t we. Atttude n strategy on a arger scae s caed "Batte Array" and s ntended for wnnng battes. Do not use a xed formaton. Study ths we. !o +it the -nemy )In $ne !iming) When you have drawn cose to the enemy, ht hm as qucky and drecty as possbe, wthout movng your body or settng your sprt, whe you see that he s st undecded. Ths tmng of httng before the enemy decdes to wthdraw, break or ht, s caed "In One Tmng". It takes tranng to acheve ths tmng and to be abe to ht n the tmng of an nstant. !he )Abdomen !iming of !'o) When you attack and the enemy qucky retreats, as you see hm tense you must fent a cut. Then, as he reaxes, foow up and ht hm. Ths s the "Abdomen Tmng of Two". It s very dmcut to attan ths merey by readng ths book, but you w soon understand wth a tte nstructon. No .esign/ No "one#tion
In ths method, when the enemy attacks and you decde to attack, ht wth your body, ht wth your sprt, and ht from the Vod wth your hands, acceeratng strongy. Ths s the "No Desgn, No Concepton" cut. Ths s the most mportant method of httng. It s often used. You must tran hard to understand t. !he F%o'ing Water "ut The "Fowng Water Cut" s used when you are struggng bade to bade wth the enemy. When he breaks and qucky wthdraws tryng to sprng wth hs ong sword, expand your body and sprt and cut hm as sowy as possbe wth your ong sword, foowng your body ke stagnant water. You can cut wth certanty f you earn ths. You must dscern the enemy's grade. !he Fire and Stones "ut The Fres and Stones Cut means that when the enemy's ong sword and your ong sword cash together, you cut as strongy as possbe wthout rasng the sword even a bt. Ths means cuttng qucky wth the hands, body and egs - a three cuttng strongy. If you tran we enough you w be abe to strke strongy. !he Red ,eaves "ut The Red Leaves Cut means knockng down the enemy's ong sword. When the enemy s n a ong sword atttude n front of you and ntent on cuttng, httng and parryng, you strongy ht the enemy's sword wth the Fre and Stones Cut, perhaps n the desgn of the "No Desgn, No Concepton" Cut. The sprt shoud be gettng contro of hs sword. If you then beat down the pont of hs sword wth a stcky feeng, he w necessary drop the sword. If you practce ths cut t becomes easy to make the enemy drop hs sword. You must tran repettvey. !he Body in 0%ae of the ,ong S'ord Aso caed: "the ong sword n pace of the body". Usuay we move the body and the sword at the same tme to cut the enemy. However, accordng to the enemy's cuttng method, you can dash aganst hm wth your body rst, and afterwards cut wth the sword. If hs body s mmoveabe, you can cut rst wth the ong sword, but generay you ht rst wth the body and then cut wth the ong sword. You must examne ths we and practce httng. "ut and S%ash To cut and sash are two dherent thngs. Cuttng s decsve, wth a resoute sprt. When you cut, your sprt s resoved. Sashng s nothng more than touchng the enemy. Even f you sash strongy, and even f the enemy des nstanty, t s caed sashng. If you rst sash the enemy's hands or egs, you must then cut strongy. Sashng s n sprt the same as touchng. When you understand ths, they become ndstngushabe. Learn ths we. "hinese Monkey1s Body The Chnese Monkey's Body s the sprt of not stretchng out your arms. The sprt s to get n qucky wth your whoe body before the enemy attacks, wthout extendng your arms n the east. When you come to wthn arm's reach t becomes easy to move your body n. G%ue and ,a2uer -mu%sion Body The sprt of "Gue and Lacquer Emuson Body" s to stck to the enemy and not separate from hm. Peope tend to advance ther head and egs qucky, but ther body ags behnd. Instead, when you approach the enemy, stck rmy wth your head, body and egs. You shoud stck rmy so that there s not the sghtest gap between the enemy's body and your body. !o Strive for +eight When you cose wth the enemy, strve wth hm for superor heght wthout crngng. Stretch your egs, stretch your hps, and stretch your neck face to face wth hm. When you thnk you have won, and you are the hgher, thrust n strongy. You must earn to execute ths. !o A##%y Stikiness When both you and the enemy attack wth the ong sword, you shoud go n wth a stcky feeng and x your ong sword aganst the enemy's as you receve hs cut. The sprt of stckness s not httng very strongy, but httng so that the ong swords do not separate easy. It s best to approach as camy as possbe when httng the enemy's ong sword wth stckness. The dherence between "Stckness" and "Entangement" s that stckness s rm and entangement s weak. It s mportant to understand ths. !he Body Strike The Body Strke means to approach the enemy through a gap n hs guard. The sprt s to strke hm wth your body. Turn your face sghty asde and strke the enemy's breast wth your eft shouder thrust out. Approach wth a sprt of bouncng the enemy away, strkng as strongy as possbe n tme wth your breathng. If you succeed n ths method of cosng wth the enemy, you w be abe to knock hm ten or twenty feet away. It s possbe to strke the enemy unt he s dead. Tran vgorousy. !hree Ways to 0arry +is Attak There are three methods to parry a cut:
1) When the enemy makes an attack, dash hs ong sword to your rght, as f thrustng at hs eyes. 2) Parry by thrustng the enemy's ong sword towards hs rght eye wth the feeng of snppng hs neck. 3) When you have a short "ong sword", wthout worryng about parryng the enemy's ong sword, cose wth hm qucky by thrustng at hs face wth your eft hand. These are the three ways of parryng. You must bear n mnd that you can aways cench your eft hand and thrust at the enemy's face wth your st. For ths t s necessary to tran we. !o Stab at the Fae When your sprt s ntent on stabbng at the enemy's face, foow the ne of the bades wth the pont of your ong sword. If you are ntent on stabbng at hs face, hs body w become dsposabe, presentng opportuntes to wn qucky. You must pursue the vaue of ths technque through tranng. !o Stab at the +eart The sprt of ths prncpe s often usefu when we become tred or for some reason our ong sword w not cut. In ghtng, f there are obstructons above or to the sdes, and whenever t s dmcut to cut, stabbng at the heart means to thrust at the enemy. You must stab the enemy's breast wthout ettng the pont of your ong sword waver, showng the enemy the rdge of the bade square-on, and wth the sprt of deectng hs ong sword. You must be famar wth the appcaton of ths method. !o So%d )!ut&!3!4) To "scod" means that when the enemy tres to counter-cut as you attack, you counter-cut agan from beow as f thrustng at hm, tryng to hod hm down. Wth very quck tmng you cut, scodng the enemy. Thrust up, "Tut!" and cut "TUT!" Ths tmng s encountered tme and tme agan n exchanges of bows. The way to scod "Tut-TUT" s to tme the cut smutaneousy wth rasng your ong sword as f to thrust the enemy. Ths sk s acqured through repettve practce. !he Smaking 0arry When you cash swords wth the enemy, meet hs attackng cut on your ong sword wth a tee-dum, tee-dum rhythm, smackng hs sword and cuttng hm. The sprt of the smackng parry s not parryng, or smackng strongy, but smackng the enemy's ong sword n accordance wth hs attackng cut, prmary ntent on qucky cuttng hm. If you understand the tmng of smackng, however hard your ong swords cash, your sword pont w not be knocked back even a tte. You must study and tran keeny n order to acheve ths. !here are Many -nemies "There are Many Enemes" appes when you are one ghtng aganst many. Draw both sword and companon sword and assume a wde- stretched eft and rght atttude. The sprt s to chase the enemes from sde to sde, even though they come from a four drectons. Observe ther attackng order, and go to meet rst those who attack rst. Sweep your eyes around broady, carefuy examnng the attackng order, and cut eft and rght aternatey wth your swords. Do not wat! Aways qucky re-assume your atttudes to both sdes, cuttng the enemes down as they advance and crushng them n the drecton from whch they attack. Most mportanty, am to drve the enemy together, as f tyng a ne of shes, and when they ped cose together, cut them down strongy wthout gvng them room to move. $ne "ut You can wn wth certanty wth the sprt of "one cut", however t s dmcut to attan ths f you do not earn strategy we. If you tran we n the Way, strategy w come from your heart and you w be abe to wn at w. You must tran devotedy. .iret "ommuniation The sprt of "Drect Communcaton" s how the true Way of the NTo Ich Schoo s receved and handed down. Strategy wth the ong sword cannot be ceary expaned n wrtng, but through dgent practce you w understand how to wn. Ora tradton: "The true Way of strategy s reveaed n the ong sword." Ora tradton: "Teach your body strategy." Recorded n the above book s an outne of Ich Schoo sword ghtng. In summary, to earn how to wn wth the ong sword n strategy, rst earn the ve approaches and the ve atttudes, and absorb the Way of the ong sword naturay n your body. You must understand sprt and tmng, hande the ong sword naturay, and move body and egs n harmony wth your sprt. Whether beatng one man or more, you w then apprecate the vaue of strategy. Study the contents of ths book takng one tem at a tme, and through ghtng wth enemes you w graduay come to know the prncpe of the Way. Deberatey, wth a patent sprt, absorb the vrtue of the Way, occasonay rasng your hand n combat. Mantan ths sprt whenever you cross swords wth an enemy. Step by step wak the thousand-me road. Study strategy over the years and acheve the sprt of the warror. Today s your vctory over yoursef of yesterday; tomorrow s your vctory over esser men. In order to beat more skfu men, tran ntensey wth the gudance of ths book. Even f you k an enemy, f t s not based on what you have earned t s not the true Way. If you attan ths Way of vctory, you w be abe to beat severa tens of men. What remans s sword-ghtng abty, whch you can attan n battes and dues. The Second Year of Shoho, the twefth day of the fth month (1645). !he Fire Book I descrbe ghtng as re n ths Fre Book of the NTo Ich Schoo of strategy. My Way of strategy s the sure method wheren "one man can beat ten; a thousand men can beat ten thousand". Of course, you cannot assembe a thousand or ten thousand men for everyday tranng. But you can become a master of strategy by tranng aone wth a sword so that you can understand the enemy's strateges, hs strengths and resources, and come to apprecate how to appy strategy to beat ten thousand enemes to wn. Most peope thnk narrowy about the benet of strategy. By usng ony ther ngertps, they ony know the benet of three of the ve nches of the wrst. They et a contest be decded merey by the span of ther forearms, for they specaze n the sma matter of dexterty, earnng such tres as hand and eg movements wth the bamboo practce sword. In my strategy, the tranng for kng enemes s by way of many contests, ghtng for survva, dscoverng the meanng of fe and death, earnng the Way of the sword, |udgng the strength of attacks and understandng the Way of the "edge and rdge" of the sword. You cannot prot from sma technques partcuary when fu armor s worn. Any man who wants to master the essence of my strategy must study dgenty, tranng mornng and evenng. Thus can he posh hs sk, become free from sef, and reaze extraordnary abty. He w come to possess mracuous power. Ths s the practca resut of strategy. .e#ending on the 0%ae Examne your envronment.
Take up an atttude wth the sun behnd you. If the stuaton does not aow ths, you must try to keep the sun on your rght sde; or, f n budngs, stand wth the entrance behnd you or to your rght. Make sure that your rear s unobstructed, and that there s free space on your eft, your rght sde beng occuped wth your sword atttude. At nght, f the enemy can be seen, keep the re behnd you and the entrance to your rght, and otherwse take up your atttude as above. You must ook down on the enemy, and take up your atttude on a sghty hgher pane. Durng a ght, aways endeavor to chase the enemy around to your eft sde. Chase hm towards awkward paces - bad foothods, obstaces at the sde, and so on - tryng to keep hm wth hs back to awkward paces. When the enemy gets nto an nconvenent poston, do not et hm ook around, but conscentousy chase hm around and pn hm down. In houses, chase the enemy nto the threshods, ntes, doors, verandas, pars, and so on, agan not ettng hm see hs stuaton. Use the vrtues of each pace to estabsh predomnant postons from whch to ght. You must research and tran dgenty n ths. !he !hree Methods to Foresta%% the -nemy The rst method s to foresta hm by attackng. Ths s caed Ken No Sen (to set hm up). Another method s to foresta hm as he attacks. Ths s caed Tai No Sen (to wat for the ntatve). The thrd method s when you and the enemy attack together. Ths s caed Tai Tai No Sen (to accompany hm and foresta hm). There are no methods of takng the ead other than these three. Snce you can wn qucky by takng the ead, ths s one of the most mportant eements n strategy. There are severa thngs nvoved n takng the ead. You must make the best of the stuaton, see through the enemy's sprt so that you grasp hs strategy, and defeat hm. It s mpossbe to fuy expan ths n wrtng. !he First & 5en No Sen When you decde to attack, stay cam and dash n qucky, forestang the enemy. Or, you can advance seemngy strongy but wth a reserved sprt, forestang hm wth the reserve. Aternatey, advance wth as strong a sprt as possbe, and when you reach the enemy move wth your feet a tte qucker than norma, unsettng hm and overwhemng hm sharpy. Or, wth your sprt cam, attack wth a feeng of constanty crushng the enemy, from rst to ast. The sprt s to wn n the depths of the enemy. These are a Ken No Sen. !he Seond & !ai No Sen When the enemy attacks, reman undsturbed but fegn weakness. As the enemy approaches you, move away suddeny as f ndcatng that you ntend to |ump asde; then dash n attackng strongy as soon as you see the enemy reax. Ths s one way. Or, as the enemy attacks, attack more strongy, takng advantage of the resutng dsorder n hs tmng to wn. Ths s the Tai No Sen prncpe. !he !hird & !ai !ai No Sen When the enemy makes a quck attack, you must attack strongy and camy, am for hs weak pont as he draws near, and strongy defeat hm. Or, f the enemy attacks camy, you must observe hs movement and, wth your body rather oatng, |on n wth hs movements as he draws near. Move qucky and cut hm strongy. Ths s Tai Tai No Sen These thngs cannot be ceary expaned n words. In these three ways of forestang, you must |udge each stuaton ndependenty. In strategy, you have ehectvey won when you foresta the enemy, so you must study what s wrtten here and tran we to attan ths. !o +o%d .o'n a 0i%%o' In contests of strategy, you aways want to ead the enemy about rather than be ed about by the enemy. Obvousy, the enemy w be endeavorng to do the same thng, but he cannot foresta you f you do not aow hm to come out. In strategy, you must stop the enemy as he attempts to cut; you must push down hs thrust, and throw oh hs hod when he tres to grappe. Ths s the meanng of "to hod down a pow"; t means not aowng the enemy's head to rse. When you have grasped ths prncpe, you w see n advance whatever the enemy tres to brng about n the ght and suppress t. The sprt s to check hs attack as soon as t begns. The mportant thng n strategy s to suppress the enemy's usefu actons but aow hs useess actons. However, dong ths aone s defensve. Frst, you must act accordng to the Way, suppress the enemy's technques, fong hs pans, and thence command hm drecty. When you can do ths you w be a master of strategy. You must tran we and research "hodng down a pow". "rossing at a Ford "Crossng at a ford" means, for exampe, crossng the sea at a strat, knowng the route, knowng the soundness of your shp and the favor of the day. It means settng sa when condtons are good, and there s perhaps a favorabe wnd, or a tawnd. Ths sprt, f you attan t, appes to everyday fe. You must aways thnk of crossng at a ford. In strategy aso t s mportant to "cross at a ford". Dscern the enemy's capabty and, knowng your own strong ponts, "cross the ford" at the most advantageous pace, as a good captan crosses a sea route. If you succeed n crossng at the best pace, you may take your ease. To cross at a ford means to attack the enemy's weak pont and to put yoursef n an advantageous poston. Ths s how to wn n arge-scae strategy. The sprt of crossng at a ford s necessary n both arge- and sma- scae strategy. You must examne ths we. !o 5no' the !imes "To know the tmes" means to know the enemy's dsposton n batte. Is t ourshng or wanng? By observng the sprt of the enemy's men, you can dscover the enemy's dsposton and move your men nto poston accordngy, thereby ghtng from a poston of advantage. In a due, foresta the enemy and attack when you have recognzed hs schoo of strategy, perceved hs quaty, and hs strong and weak ponts. If your abty to "know the tmes" s hgh, you w be abe to attack n an unsuspectng manner, knowng hs metre and moduaton and the approprate tmng. When you are thoroughy conversant wth strategy, you w recognze the enemy's ntentons and thus have many opportuntes to wn. You must sumcenty study ths. !o !read .o'n the S'ord "To tread down the sword" s a prncpe often used n strategy. In arge- scae strategy, when the enemy rst attacks by dschargng bows and guns, t s dmcut to attack f we are busy oadng powder nto our guns or notchng our arrows. The sprt s to attack qucky whe the enemy s st shootng wth bows or guns. The sprt s to wn by "treadng down" as we receve the enemy's attack. In snge combat, we cannot get a decsve vctory by cuttng, wth a "tee-dum tee-dum" feeng, n the wake of the enemy's attackng ong sword. We must defeat hm at the start of hs attack, n the sprt of treadng hm down wth the feet, so that he cannot rse agan to the attack. "Treadng" does not smpy mean treadng wth the feet. Tread wth the body, tread wth the sprt, and, of course, tread and cut wth the ong sword. You must acheve the sprt of not aowng the enemy to attack a second tme. Ths s the sprt of forestang n every sense. Once at the enemy, you shoud not aspre to merey strke hm, but to cng after the attack. You must absorb ths deepy. !o 5no' )"o%%a#se) Everythng can coapse. Houses, bodes, and enemes a coapse when ther rhythm becomes deranged. In arge-scae strategy, when the enemy starts to coapse, you must pursue hm wthout ettng the opportunty pass by. If you fa to take advantage of your enemes' coapse, they may recover. In snge combat, the enemy sometmes oses tmng and coapses. If you et ths chance go by, he may recover and not be so neggent thereafter. Fx your eye on the enemy's coapse and chase hm, attackng so that you do not et hm recover. You must do ths. The chasng attack s wth a strong sprt. You must uttery cut the enemy down so that he does not recover hs poston. You must understand uttery how to cut down the enemy. !o Beome the -nemy "To become the enemy" means to thnk yoursef nto the enemy's poston. In arge-scae strategy, peope are aways under the mpresson that the enemy s strong, and so tend to become cautous. But f you have good soders, and f you understand the prncpes of strategy, and f you know how to beat the enemy, there s nothng to worry about. In snge combat aso you must put yoursef n the enemy's poston. If you thnk, "Here s a master of the Way, who knows the prncpes of strategy" then you w surey ose. You must consder ths deepy. !o Re%ease Four +ands "To Reease Four Hands" s used when you and the enemy are contendng wth the same sprt, and the ssue cannot be decded. Abandon ths sprt and wn through an aternatve resource. In arge-scae strategy, when there s a "four hands" sprt, mmedatey throw away the current sprt and wn wth a technque the enemy does not expect. Smary, n snge combat, when we thnk we have faen nto the "four hands" stuaton, we must defeat the enemy by changng our mnd and appyng a sutabe technque accordng to hs condton. You must be abe to |udge ths. !o Move the Shade "To move the shade" s used when you cannot see the enemy's sprt. In arge-scae strategy, f you cannot see the enemy's poston, ndcate that you are about to attack strongy, so as to dscover hs resources. Once you observe hs resources, t s then easy to defeat hm wth a dherent method. In snge combat, f the enemy takes up a rear or sde atttude of the ong sword so that you cannot see hs ntenton, make a fent attack, and the enemy w show hs ong sword, thnkng he sees your sprt. Benetng from what you are shown, you can wn wth certanty. If you are neggent you w mss the tmng. Research ths we. !o +o%d .o'n a Shado' "Hodng down a shadow" s used when you can see the enemy's attackng sprt. In arge-scae strategy, when the enemy embarks on an attack, f you make a show of strongy suppressng hs technque, he w change hs mnd. Then, aterng your sprt, defeat hm by forestang hm wth a Vod sprt. Or, n snge combat, hod down the enemy's strong ntenton wth a sutabe tmng, and defeat hm by forestang hm wth ths tmng. Look we nto ths. !o 0ass $n In arge-scae strategy, when the enemy s agtated and shows an ncnaton to rush, do not be bothered n the east. Make a show of compete camness, and the enemy w be taken n by ths and w aso reax. When you see that your sprt has been passed on, you can brng about the enemy's defeat by attackng strongy wth a Vod sprt. In snge combat, you can wn by reaxng your body and sprt and then, takng advantage of the moment the enemy reaxes, attack strongy and qucky, forestang hm. What s known as "gettng someone drunk" s smar to ths. You can aso nfect the enemy wth a bored, careess, or weak sprt. Understand ths and use t we. !o "ause ,oss of Ba%ane Many thngs can cause a oss of baance - danger, hardshp, and the eement of surprse. In arge-scae strategy t s mportant to cause oss of baance. Attack wthout warnng where the enemy s not expectng t, and whe hs sprt s undecded, foow up your ead advantage and defeat hm. Or, n snge combat, start by makng a show of beng sow, then suddeny attack strongy. Wthout aowng hm tme to breathe and to recover from the uctuaton of sprt, grasp the opportunty to wn. Get the fee of ths. !o Frighten Frght often occurs, caused by the unexpected. In arge-scae strategy you can frghten the enemy by shoutng, makng a sma force seem arge, or by threatenng them from the ank wthout warnng. These thngs a frghten. You can wn by makng best use of the enemy's frghtened rhythm. In snge combat aso, you must use the advantage of takng the enemy unawares by frghtenng hm wth your body, ong sword, or voce to defeat hm. !o Soak In When you are struggng together wth the enemy and you reaze that you cannot advance, you shoud "soak n" and become one wth the enemy. You can wn by appyng a sutabe technque whe you are mutuay entanged. In battes nvovng arge numbers as we as n ghts wth sma numbers, you can often wn decsvey wth the advantage of knowng how to "soak" nto the enemy, whereas, were you to draw apart, you woud ose the chance to wn. Study ths we. !o In6ure the "orners It s dmcut to move strong thngs by pushng drecty, so you shoud "n|ure the corners". In arge-scae strategy, t s beneca to strke at the corners of the enemy's force, for f the corners are overthrown, the sprt of the whoe body w be overthrown. To defeat the enemy you must foow up the attack when the corners have faen. In snge combat, when you n|ure the "corners" of the enemy's body and weaken hm, t s easy to coapse the enemy and to wn. It s mportant to know how to do ths, so you must practce keeny. !o !hro' into "onfusion In arge-scae strategy, our troops can confuse the enemy on the ed. Observng the enemy's sprt, we can make hm thnk, "Here? There? Lke that? Lke ths? Sow? Fast?" Vctory s certan when the enemy s caught up n a rhythm that confuses hs sprt. In snge combat, we can confuse the enemy by attackng wth vared technques when the chance arses. Fent a thrust or cut, or make the enemy thng you are gong cose to hm, and when he s confused you can easy wn. Ths s the essence of ghtng, and you must research t deepy. !he !hree Shouts The voce s a thng of fe. The voce shows energy. The three shouts are dvded thus: before, durng and after. Shout accordng to the stuaton. In arge-scae strategy, at the start of batte we shout as oudy as possbe. Durng the ght, the voce s ow-ptched, shoutng out as we attack. After the contest, we shout n the wake of our vctory. These are the three shouts. In snge combat, we make as f to cut and shout "E!" at the same tme to dsturb the enemy, then n the wake of our shout we cut wth the ong sword. We shout after we have cut down the enemy to announce vctory. Ths s caed "sen go no koe" (before and after voce). We do not shout smutaneousy wth ourshng the ong sword. We shout durng the ght to get nto rhythm. Study ths ntensey. !o Ming%e 'Mngng' s the sprt of advancng and becomng engaged wth the enemy wthout retreatng even one step. In battes, attack the enemy's strong ponts and when you see that they are beaten back, qucky separate and attack yet another strong pont on the perphery of hs force. The sprt of ths s ke a wndng mountan path. Ths s an mportant ghtng method for one man aganst many. Strke down the enemes n one quarter, or drve them back, then grasp the tmng and attack further strong ponts to rght and eft, as f on a wndng mountan path, weghng the enemes' dsposton. When you know the enemes' eve, attack strongy wth no trace of retreatng sprt. In snge combat, too, use ths sprt wth the enemy's strong ponts. !o "rush In arge-scae strategy, when we see that the enemy has few men, or that he has many men but hs sprt s weak and dsordered, we knock the hat over hs eyes, crushng hm uttery. If we crush ghty, he may recover. You must earn the sprt of crushng as f wth a hand-grp. In snge combat, f the enemy s ess skfu, hs rhythm dsorganzed, or f he has faen nto evasve or retreatng atttudes, we must crush hm mmedatey, wthout aowng hm space to breathe. It s essenta to crush hm a at once. The essenta thng s not to et hm recover hs poston n the sghtest. !he Mountain&Sea "hange The "mountan-sea" sprt means that t s poor strategy to repeat the same technque severa tmes when ghtng the enemy. If you must do somethng twce, do not try t a thrd tme; for f you attack once and fa, there s tte chance of succeedng f you use the same approach agan. You must change your attackng method. If the enemy thnks mountans, attack ke the sea; and f he thnks of the sea, attack ke mountans. You must research ths deepy. !o 0enetrate the .e#ths The prncpe of "penetratng the depths" s to destroy the enemy's sprt. When we are ghtng the enemy, even when t appears that we can wn wth the benet of the Way, f hs sprt s not extngushed he may be beaten supercay yet reman undefeated n sprt deep nsde. Hence, we destroy the enemy's sprt n ts depths, demorazng hm by qucky changng our sprt.
Penetratng the depths means penetratng wth the ong sword, penetratng wth the body, and penetratng wth the sprt. Once we have crushed the enemy n the depths, there s no need to reman sprted. But otherwse we must reman sprted. If the enemy remans sprted t s dmcut to crush hm. You must tran n penetratng the depths for both arge-scae and snge combat strategy. !o Rene' "To renew" appes when we are ghtng wth the enemy and an entanged sprt arses where there s no possbe resouton. In such a case we must abandon our ehorts, thnk of the stuaton n a fresh sprt, and then wn n the new rhythm. To renew when we are deadocked wth the enemy means that wthout changng our crcumstance we change our sprt and wn through a dherent technque. It s necessary to consder how "to renew" aso appes n arge-scae strategy. Research ths dgenty. Rat1s +ead/ $71s Nek "Rat's head and ox's neck" means that, when we are ghtng wth the enemy and both he and we have become occuped wth sma ponts n an entanged sprt, we must aways thnk of the Way of strategy as beng both a rat's head and an ox's neck. Whenever we have become preoccuped wth sma detas, we must suddeny change nto a arge sprt, nterchangng arge wth sma. Ths s one of the essences of strategy. It s necessary that the warror thnk n ths sprt n everyday fe. You must not depart from ths sprt n arge-scae strategy nor n snge combat. !he "ommander 5no's the !roo#s Usng the wsdom of strategy, thnk of the enemy as your own troops. When you thnk n ths way, you w be abe to move the enemy at w and chase hm around. Thus you become the genera and the enemy becomes your troops. "The commander knows the troops" appes everywhere n ghts n my Way of strategy. Master ths. !o ,et Go the +i%t There are varous knds of sprt nvoved n ettng go the ht. There s the sprt of wnnng wthout a sword. There s aso the sprt of hodng the ong sword but not wnnng. The varous methods cannot be expressed n wrtng. You must tran we. !he Body of a Rok When you have mastered the Way of strategy, you can suddeny make your body ke a rock, and then ten thousand thngs cannot touch or move you. Ths s the body of a rock. A that s recorded above are my thoughts about Ich Schoo sword fencng, wrtten down as the thoughts came to me. Ths s the rst tme I have wrtten about my technque, and the order of thngs s a bt confused. It s dmcut to express these concepts ceary. Ths book s ntended as a sprtua gude for the man who wshes to earn the Way. My heart has been ncned to the Way of strategy from my youth onwards. I have devoted mysef to tranng my hand, temperng my body, and attanng the many sprtua atttudes of sword fencng. If one observes men of other schoos dscussng theory and concentratng on technques wth the hands, athough they seem skfu to watch, they have not the sghtest true sprt. Of course, they thnk they are tranng the body and sprt, but t s an obstace to the true Way, and ts negatve nuence remans forever. Thus the true Way of strategy s degeneratng and dyng out. The true Way of sword fencng entas the craft of defeatng the enemy n a ght, and nothng other than ths. If you attan and adhere to the wsdom of my strategy, you need never doubt that you w wn. The second year of Shoho, the fth month, the twefth day (1645). !he Wind Book In strategy, you must be famar wth the Ways of other schoos, so I have wrtten about varous other tradtons of strategy n ths Wnd Book. Wthout knowedge of the Ways of other schoos, t s dmcut to understand the essence of my Ich Schoo. Lookng at other schoos, we nd some that specaze n technques of strength usng extra-ong swords; some study the Way of the short sword, known as kodachi; some teach dexterty n arge numbers of sword technques, teachng atttudes of the sword as the "surface" and the Way as the "nteror". However, n ths book, n whch I pont out a the vces and vrtues, and rghts and wrongs, I w show that none of these are the true Way. My Ich Schoo s dherent. Other schoos make success ther means of vehood, decoratvey coorng artces n order to se them. Ths s dentey not the Way of strategy. Many of the word's strategsts are concerned ony wth sword fencng, and mt ther tranng to ourshng the ong sword and carrage of the body. But s dexterty aone sumcent to wn? Ths s not the essence of the Way. I have recorded the unsatsfactory ponts of other schoos one by one n ths book. You must study these matters deepy to apprecate the benet of my NTo Ich Schoo. $ther Shoo%s 3sing -7tra&,ong S'ords Some other schoos have a kng for extra-ong swords. From the pont of vew of my strategy these must be seen as weak schoos, for they do not apprecate the prncpe of cuttng the enemy by any means. Ther preference s for the extra-ong sword and, reyng on the vrtue of ts ength, they thnk of defeatng the enemy from a dstance. In ths word t s sad, "One nch gves the hand advantage", but these are the de words of one who does not know strategy. It shows the nferor strategy of a weak sprt that men shoud depend on the ength of ther sword, ghtng from a dstance wthout the benet of strategy. I expect there s a case for kng extra-ong swords as part of a schoo's doctrne, but f we compare ths wth rea fe t s unreasonabe. Surey we need not necessary be defeated f we are usng a short sword, and have no ong sword? It s dmcut for these peope to cut the enemy when at cose quarters because of the ength of the ong sword. The arge bade path makes the ong sword an encumbrance, and they are at a dsadvantage compared to the man armed wth a short companon sword. There s an od sayng: "Great and sma go together." I do not uncondtonay dske extra-ong swords; what I dske s the ncnaton towards the ong sword. If we consder arge-scae strategy, we can thnk of arge forces n terms of ong swords, and sma forces as short swords. Cannot few men gve batte aganst many? There are many nstances of few men overcomng many. If your heart s ncned to the ong sword, your strategy s useess when caed on to ght n a conned space, or f you are n a house armed ony wth your companon sword. Besdes, some men have not the strength of others. In my doctrne, I dske preconceved, narrow sprt. You must study ths we. !he Strong ,ong S'ord S#irit in $ther Shoo%s You shoud not speak of strong and weak ong swords. If you are concerned wth the strength of your sword, you w try to cut unreasonaby strongy, and w not be abe to cut at a. It s equay bad to try to cut strongy when testng the sword. Whenever you cross swords wth an enemy you must not thnk of cuttng hm ether strongy or weaky; thnk ony of cuttng and kng hm. Be ntent soey on kng the enemy. If you rey on strength, when you ht the enemy's sword you w nevtaby ht too hard. If you do ths, your own sword w be carred aong as a resut. Thus the sayng, "The strongest hand wns", has no meanng. In arge-scae strategy, f you have a strong army and are reyng on strength to wn, but the enemy aso has a strong army, the batte w be erce. Ths s the same for both sdes. Wthout the correct prncpe the ght cannot be won. The sprt of my schoo s to wn through the wsdom of strategy, payng no attenton to tres. Learn ths we. 3se of the Shorter ,ong S'ord in $ther Shoo%s Usng a shorter ong sword s not the true Way to wn. In ancent tmes, tachi and katana meant ong and short swords. Men of superor strength n the word can wed even a ong sword ghty, so there s no case for ther kng the short sword. They aso make use of the ength of spears and haberds. Some men use a shorter ong sword wth the ntenton of |umpng n and stabbng the enemy at the unguarded moment when he ourshes hs sword. Ths ncnaton s not the true Way. To am for the enemy's unguarded moment s competey defensve, and undesrabe at cose quarters wth the enemy. Furthermore, you cannot use the method of |umpng nsde hs defense wth a short sword f there are many enemes. Some men thnk that f they go aganst many enemes wth a shorter ong sword they can unrestrctedy frsk around cuttng n sweeps, but they have to parry cuts contnuousy, and eventuay become entanged wth the enemy. Ths s nconsstent wth the true Way of strategy. The sure Way to wn s rather to chase the enemy around n a confusng manner, causng hm to |ump asde, wth your body hed strongy and straght. The same prncpe appes to arge-scae strategy. The essence of strategy s to fa upon the enemy n arge numbers and to brng about hs speedy downfa. Through ther study of strategy, peope of the word became accustomed to counterng, evadng and retreatng as the norma thng. Becomng set n ths habt, they are easy paraded around by the enemy. The Way of strategy s straght and true. You must chase the enemy around and make hm obey your sprt. $ther Shoo%s 'ith many Methods of using the ,ong S'ord In order to gan the admraton of begnners, other schoos teach that there are many methods of usng the ong sword. Ths s seng the Way. It s a ve sprt n strategy. The reason for ths s that to deberate over many ways of cuttng down a man s an error. To begn wth, kng s not the Way of manknd. Kng s the same for peope who are experenced ghters and for those who are not. It s the same for women or chdren, and there are not many dherent methods. We can speak of dherent tactcs such as stabbng and mowng down, but ony of these. Anyway, cuttng down the enemy s the Way of strategy, and there s no need for many renements of t. Even so, accordng to the pace, your ong sword may be obstructed above or to the sdes, so you w need to hod your sword n such a manner that t can be used. There are ve methods to wn, n ve drectons. Methods apart from these ve - hand twstng, body bendng, |umpng out, and so on, to cut the enemy - are not the true Way of strategy. In order to cut the enemy you must not make twstng or bendng cuts. These are competey useess. In my strategy, I bear my sprt and body straght, and cause the enemy to twst and bend. The necessary sprt s to wn by attackng the enemy when hs sprt s warped. You must understand ths we. 3se of Attitudes of the ,ong S'ord in $ther Shoo%s Pacng a great dea of mportance on the atttudes of the ong sword s a mstaken way of thnkng. Atttudes are defensve technques for stuatons n whch you are not to be moved. That s, for garrsonng castes, batte array, and so on, showng the sprt of not beng moved even by a strong assaut. I dske the defensve sprt known as "atttude". In the Way of dueng, however, you must aways be ntent upon takng the ead and attackng. Atttude s the sprt of awatng an attack. You must apprecate ths. In dues of strategy you must move the opponent's atttude: Attack where hs sprt s ax, throw hm nto confuson, rrtate and terrfy hm. Take advantage of the enemy's rhythm when he s unsetted and you can wn. I dske the defensve sprt known as "atttude", therefore n my Way, there s somethng caed "Atttude-No Atttude". In arge-scae strategy we depoy our troops for batte bearng n mnd our strength, observng the enemy's numbers, and notng the detas of the batteed. Ths s at the start of the batte. The sprt of attackng s competey dherent from the sprt of beng attacked. Bearng an attack we, wth a strong atttude, and parryng the enemy's attack we, s ke makng a wa of spears and haberds. When you attack the enemy, your sprt must go to the extent of pung the stakes out of a wa and usng them as spears and haberds. You must examne ths we. Fi7ing the -yes in $ther Shoo%s Some schoos mantan that the eyes shoud be xed on the enemy's ong sword; some x the eye on the hands, some on the face, some on the feet, and so on. If you x the eyes on these paces your sprt can become confused, and your strategy thwarted. I w expan ths n deta. Footba payers do not x ther eyes on the ba, but by knowng how to pay we they perform we. When you become accustomed to somethng, you are not mted to the use of your eyes. Peope such as master muscans have the musc score n front of ther nose, but ths does not mean that they x ther eyes on t speccay. Smary, ghters oursh the sword n severa ways when they have mastered the Way, but ths does not mean that they make pontess movements of the sword. It means that they can perform naturay. In the Way of strategy, once you have fought many tmes you w easy be abe to apprase the speed and poston of the enemy's sword, and havng mastery of the Way you w see the weght of hs sprt. In strategy, xng the eyes means gazng at the man's heart. In arge-scae strategy the area to observe s the enemy's strength. "Percepton" and "sght" are the two methods of seeng. Percepton conssts of concentratng strongy on the enemy's sprt, observng the condton of the batte ed, xng the gaze strongy, seeng the progress of the ght and the changes of advantage. Ths s the sure way to wn. In snge combat you must not x the eyes on detas. As I sad before, f you x your eyes on detas and negect mportant thngs, your sprt w become bewdered, and vctory w escape you. Research ths prncpe we and tran dgenty. 3se of the Feet in $ther Shoo%s There are varous methods of usng the feet: oatng foot, |umpng foot, sprngng foot, treadng foot, crow's foot, and such nmbe wakng methods. From the pont of vew of my strategy, these are a unsatsfactory. I dske oatng foot because the feet aways tend to oat durng the ght. The Way must be trod rmy. Nether do I ke |umpng foot, because t encourages the habt of |umpng, and a |umpy sprt. However much you |ump, there s no rea |ustcaton for t. Sprngng foot causes a sprngng sprt whch s ndecsve. Treadng foot s a "watng" method whch I especay dske. Apart from these, there are varous fast wakng methods, such as crow's foot, and so on. However, sometmes you may encounter the enemy on marshand, swampy ground, rver vaeys, stony ground, or narrow roads, stuatons n whch you cannot |ump or move the feet qucky. In my strategy, the footwork does not change. I aways wak as I usuay do n the street. You must never ose contro of your feet. Move fast or sowy accordng to the enemy's rhythm, ad|ustng your body ony as needed. Carryng the feet s aso mportant n arge-scae strategy, for f you attack qucky and thoughtessy wthout knowng the enemy's sprt, your rhythm w become deranged and you w not be abe to wn. Or, f you advance too sowy, you w not be abe to take advantage of the enemy's dsorder, the opportunty to wn w escape, and you w not be abe to nsh the ght qucky. You must wn by sezng upon the enemy's dsorder and derangement, and by not accordng hm even the sghtest hope of recovery. Practce ths we. S#eed in $ther Shoo%s Speed s not part of the true Way of strategy. Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast. Some peope can wak as fast as a hundred or a hundred and twenty mes n a day, but ths does not mean that they run contnuousy from mornng t nght. Unpractced runners may seem to have been runnng a day, but ther performance s poor. In the Way of dance, accompshed performers can sng whe dancng, but when begnners try ths they sow down and ther sprt becomes busy. Very skfu peope can manage a fast rhythm, but f you try to beat too qucky you w get out of tme. Of course, sowness s aso bad. Truy sked peope never get out of rhythm, are aways deberate, and never appear busy. From ths exampe, the prncpe can be seen. Speed s especay counterproductve n the Way of strategy. The reason for ths s that dependng on the pace - marsh or swamp and so on - t may not be possbe to move the body and egs together qucky. If you have a ong sword n ths stuaton you w be abe to cut qucky even ess, and f you try to cut qucky, as f usng a fan or short sword, you w actuay not cut at a. You must apprecate ths. In arge-scae strategy, a fast, busy sprt s aso undesrabe. The sprt must be that of hodng down a pow, for then you w not be even a tte oh tme. When your opponent s hurryng reckessy, you must act contrary and stay cam, wthout beng nuenced by the opponent. Tran dgenty to attan ths sprt. )Interior) and )Surfae) in $ther Shoo%s The artstc accompshments usuay cam surface meanng, and nner meanng (secret tradton) or "nteror" and "gate", but n my Way of strategy, there s no "nteror", nor "surface". In combat there s no such thng as ghtng on the surface, or cuttng wth the nteror. When I teach my Way, I rst tran pups n technques that are easy for them to understand, and graduay endeavor to expan the deep prncpes, accordng to the pup's progress. In any event, because the way to understandng s through experence, I do not speak of "nteror" and "gate". In ths word, f you go nto the mountans, and decde to go deeper and yet deeper, nstead you w emerge at the gate. Whatever s the Way, t has an nteror, and t s sometmes a good thng to pont out the gate. In strategy, we cannot say what s conceaed and what s reveaed. Percevng the abty of my pups, I teach the drect Way, remove the bad nuence of other schoos, and graduay ntroduce them to the true Way of the warror. The method of teachng my strategy s wth a trustworthy sprt. In the above sectons, I have tred to record an outne of the strategy of other schoos. I coud contnue by gvng a specc accountng of these schoos one by one, from the "gate" to the "nteror", but I have ntentonay not named the schoos or ther man ponts. The reason for ths s that dherent branches of schoos gve dherent nterpretatons of the doctrnes. In as much as men's opnons dher, so there must be dherng deas on the same matter. Thus no one man's concepton s vad for any schoo.
I have shown the genera tendences of other schoos on nne ponts. If we ook at them from an honest vewpont, we see that peope tend to ke ong swords or short swords, and become concerned wth strength n both arge and sma matters. You can see why I do not dea wth the "gates" of other schoos. In my Ich Schoo of the ong sword there s nether gate nor nteror. There s no nner meanng n sword atttudes. You must smpy keep your sprt true to reaze the vrtue of strategy. Twefth day of the fth month, the second year of Shoho (1645) !he Book of the 8oid The sprt of the vod s where there s nothng. By knowng thngs that exst, you can know that whch does not exst. That s the vod. It s not part of man's genera knowedge. Peope n ths word ook at thngs mstakeny, thnkng that what they do not understand must be the vod. Ths s not the true vod. It s bewderment. Smary, n the Way of strategy, there are warrors who thnk that whatever they cannot understand n ther craft s the vod. Ths s not the true vod. To attan the Way of strategy as a warror you must tran competey n other marta arts and not devate for a moment from Way of the warror. Practce day n and day out wth a setted sprted. Posh the twofod sprt heart and mnd, and sharpen the twofod gaze percepton and sght. When your sprt s no onger foggy, when the couds of bewderment cear away, there s the true vod. Unt you reaze the true Way, whether t be Buddhsm or common sense, you may thnk that thngs are correct and n order. However, f we ook at thngs ob|ectvey, from the vewpont of aws of the word, we see varous doctrnes departng from the true Way. Know we ths sprt, wth forthrghtness as the foundaton and the true sprt as the Way. Enact strategy broady, correcty and openy. You w then come to thnk of thngs n a wde sense and, takng the vod as the Way, you w see the Way as vod. The vod conssts ony of vrtue, and no ev. Wsdom exsts, prncpe exsts, the Way exsts; sprt s nothngness. Twefth day of the fth month, second year of Shoho (1645)