10/03/2015 SwordofNoAbidingMind

http://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/noabidingmind2.html 1/4

TheSwordofNoAbidingMindMujuushinKenjutsuandSamuraiChamploo

PartIII:theMujuushininSamuraiChamplooMariya,Kariya,Takeda

**SPOILERSFORTHEENTIREPLOT,ESPECIALLYEPISODES2426,TOFOLLOW**

Thereisanancientmaximthatsaysasamurai'sswordishissoul,andnosamuraiorronininthehistoryofanimehastakenthismoredeeplytoheartthanJindoes.Hisswordishisidentity,hisreassurance,theonlythinghehasleftofhisoldlifeandstature,anextensionandreflectionofhimself."Thoseswordsaremylife,"hesaystoIsaacin#6,andhemeansboth"thetotalofmyexperiences"and"thethingthatkeepsmealive".Whateverschoolofkenjutsuhehadbeentrainedin,hewouldsurelyhaveuphelditwithallthehonoranddignityheiscapableofandthat'sbeenshowntobeconsiderable.SowhytheMujuu?Whywasthisstrange,obscuredisciplinechosenasthefoundationofJin'sheartandinnermostnature?Andhowisthatchoicereflectedintheseries?

ThefirstthingweweretoldaboutitwasatypicallycontradictorystatementbyseriesorganizerandheadwriterShinjiObara,intheSept.2004Newtype:"JinusesarealstylecalledMujushinkenjutsu,butthewayhemovesiscompletelydifferentfromtheactualmujushinkenjutsu."(...uh,thankssomuchforclearingthatup,Obarasan)Aswe'vealreadyseen,thisonthesurfaceisanaccuratestatement:tothecasualeye,Jinseemstowatchandreacttohisopponentlikeafightertrainedinanyordinaryschool.Theonlycluetohisspecializedexperienceishisunbelievableskillinpredictinganadversary'snextmovesheisalwaysthereaheadofthemand,indeed,incorrectlyguessingvirtuallyanythingaboutanyonefromtheslightestclue.

Astimepassesintheseries,wegetmoreinformationandmorecluesforspeculationontheintricateconnectionbetweenJin'snature,hishistory,andthesubtleartofwhichhebecomesthelastmaster.Weknow,forexample,thatit'sonlybychance,nothisownchoice,thathecametostudytheMujuu:hewasenrolledinMariyaEnshiro'sdojoafterbeingorphanedatayoungage.(It'sareasonablesuppositionthatMariyasanunmarriedandchildlessisadistantrelative,andadoptedthechildJinashissonatthesametimeheacceptedhimasastudent.ThisisborneoutwhenwelaterlearnthatheintendedtomakeJinhisheirandpassthedojo,andtheMujuushin,ontohimandwhenweseeMariyasan,inepisode25,wearingamontsukibearingthesameTakedaclandiamondthatJinwears.)It'saninterestingkindnessoffate,asthetranquillityoftheMujushinstylegivestheyoungorphanabalanceforhissuppressedangerandferocity,assuringhimwithitsZenbasedphilosophythatcalmofspiritandpurityofskillarefarmoreimportantthan

10/03/2015 SwordofNoAbidingMind

http://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/noabidingmind2.html 2/4

fightingtowin.JustasJin,thoughbecomeronin,upholdstheprinciplesofbushidoasseriouslyasifhehadneverbeencastoutfromitscommunity,sohefindsawaytoremainmindfulofthehighprinciplesoftheMujuueventhoughforcedtofightdailyforhissurvivalandthatofthoseheswearstoprotect.

OneregretstosaythatfindingoutMariyaEnshirouwasarealpersonhasnotgivenusmuchmoreinformationonhimthanwecouldalreadyhaveguessed.Hewas,aswe'vesaid,thethird,andlastknown,headmasteroftheMujuu,thepupilandheirofOdagiriIchiun.It'squitepossiblehemetMasterSekiuninperson,andevenifnotwouldhavebeendeeplyversedinhisteachings,havingbeentrainedbyhisdirectsuccessor.AgooddealofwhatweknowtodayaboutMujuushinKenjutsuweowetohim,sincehispupilKawamuracompiledhiswritingsandnotesintotheZenshuvolumethatalongwithMasterIchiun'swritingsbecametheschool'slegacy.

MergingrealhistorywithChamploo'splotline,wecantheorizethatSekiunsenseiwouldhavebeenheadmasterfromhiscreationoftheMujuuinc.1640untilhisdeathin1662,Ichiunfrom1662tosometimeinthe1670s,andMariyaEnshiroufromthenuntilapproximately1675,whenhemethisdeathontheswordofhisstarpupilandwouldhavebeenfourthheadmaster,TakedaJin.Thesedateswouldbenefitfromadjustment,sincewedogettheimpressionthatMariyawasthemasterofJin'sdojoforJin'sentirelife,whichwouldarguethathecameintopossessionoftheMujuucloserto1660than1670.PerhapsIchiundoesn'texistintheChamploouniverse,andtherankofMujuuhachidansenseipasseddirectlytoMariyafromSekiunhimself.(Alternately,perhapsSekiunsenseipassedtheschoolontohisdiscipleearlierthere'sroomtospeculate.)

Whateveristhecase,wearesurethattheteachingsMariyasanacquiredwerestillintheirpureformwhenhelearnedthem,onlytwogenerationsfromtheirsource,andthisisseeninthehighlyrarefiedtrainingJinhasreceivedincludingasitdoestheultimateMujuushintechnique,thesimultaneousstrike.

ThistechniquewasthecoreofMasterSekiun'senlightenedunderstandingoftheuseofthesword.[MuchmoreaboutthisinPartsIandIIofthisessay.]Italtersthe"brute"attitudeof"aiuchi"inwhichtheattacker,thoughhedies,preserveshishonorbykillinghisadversaryaswelltooneof"ainuke",inwhichit'spossibleforbothfighterstosurvive.Thepointisnottokill,buttoforceadrawbetweenadversaries,inwhichexactinguseofpuretechniqueletstheswordsmanriseabovethemereanimalneedtokillanddefeat,andtriumphonahigherlevel.ThisisexactlywhatSekiunintendedtheMujuutoconvey,andexactlywhatMariyasantellsJintodoandhedoesinhismomentofgreatestcrisis.

Sekiunwould,Ithink,beproud.

ItmayindeedbetheMujuu'sverynaturethatmakesitanidealtargetfortheShogunateplotthatunwindsintheseries'finalepisodes,thecourseofeventsthatruinedJin'slife,madehimafugitive,andsethimontheroadtovengeanceandfinalunderstanding.KariyaKagetoki,agiftedbutpoisonedswordsman(Ihaveafeelinghe'soneofSekiun'sfinalthirteenbutnotoneoftheultimatefourhehastremendousskill,butadeeplyflawedsensibility),approachesMariyaEnshirouwithanofferfromtheShogunate:totakeovertheMujushinandturnitintoatraininggroundforassassins.Kariyaisnotonlyaswordsmanofawesomespeedandprecision,hehasapparentlymasteredanextremeformofhassunnonobegane,andcanusehisswordtoextendafieldofwillpoweredforcefarbeyondhisownreach.Theassassinshehasalreadypresumablyhadahandintraining,suchasSara,showsimilarabilities.HebelievestheMujuu,withitsmindcenteredphilosophy,itsdetachment,itspurityoftechnique,wouldbeanidealbreedinggroundformoreassassinsofsuchotherworldlyskill.

[Note:It'smyspeculationandonlymyspeculationthatthisplanoftheShogunateoriginatedwiththeiracceptanceoftherenegadesamuraiturnedShaolinswordsman,Shouryuu,formerlyUkon.Intheepisodethattellshisstory,"LethalLunacy"(#10),welearnthatwhenShouryuureturnedfromChina,filledwithhisnewtrainingandburningwithdesiretoreformwhathesawasaweakenedanddegenerateJapaneseswordtradition,hewentfromdojotodojoandwasspurnedateverypoint.Eventuallyhesoughtapositionwiththegovernment,andthendroppedoutofhumansight.It'smyhunchthatShouryuufoundthatposition,andtaughthisnewtechniquesjustasinreallifeOgasawara[PartI]returnedtoJapanwiththehassunnonobeganehe'dlearnedinChina,andrebuiltShinkageryaroundittoJapanesetrainedshogunatefighterswithdeadlysuccess.Thus,Ithink,wehavealineconnectingShouryuuandhiskibasedstrikeSara,whoseblindnessisnolimittoherskill,andwhosekamayaricutsobjectswithouttouchingthemandKariyaKagetoki,whoIsuspectmergedahighlevelMujuushineducationwiththesefierceChinesetechniquestobecomethemostfearedswordsmanofChamploo'stime.Goroujuusaysofhimthathebelievesnolivingmancouldkillhim,andhehasgoneintoretirement,quietlygardening,becausenoonecanofferhimenoughchallengetobeworthfightingheemergesonlywhenhehearsthatthegiftedSarajudgingbyagedifferences,Isuspect,hisownpupilhasbeenkilledbyherintendedtarget

Kariyaretiredwhenhefailedtoseizetheprizehedesiredthemostkeenly,theMujuu.Buthehadmissed,Ithink,themostbasicpoint,andhiseffortwasdoomedtofailureevenhadhisplansucceeded,becausehisacquiredtraininghad

10/03/2015 SwordofNoAbidingMind

http://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/noabidingmind2.html 3/4

corruptedhisunderstandingofMujushinkenjutsu.TheessenceoftheMujuuistowithdrawfromallearthlyreasonstousethesword,touseitforitselfanditsdisciplinealone.Itcouldnomoreproducedeliberateassassinsthanitcouldwerewolves.ItisamarkofMasterMariya'sdesperation,hisbeliefthathewilllosehisdojounlesshemakesthisdevil'sbargain,thatheevenconsidersbowingtothisperversionoftheart.AndJintheMujuu'sheirapparentdoesnotconsiderit,notforamoment.HeisadamantthattheMujuumustnot"walkthepathofdarkness,"andhissternrefusalmarkshimforterribleretribution.TheMujuuandJinherestandtogether,representingthelaststandofbushido,honor,pureandstainlessfightingart,againstthefuturethatmusttakethemalldown.

Andmoredeeplytothepoint:AsweseeintheteachingsofJoshu,thesyllable"mu"canmean"tonothave".Asshownintheillustrationabove,itcanberenderedas"innocence,"intheliteralsenseofsomethinginitsoriginalstateofpurity,havingneverbeenchangedortaintedbyexperienceaswe'veseenindiscussionsofMugen'sname,itcanalsoberendered"without"and"none"and"never."Itistheessenceofsilence,itisisaboutwhatisnotdone,notpossessed,nottouched.Itmeansclear,empty,uncorruptedalso,relatingtonothing,eyesclosed,movinginisolatedstillnessadisciplineinwhichyoufightbywithdrawingnotonlyfromyouropponentbutyourselfaswell.TheMujuuisnotjustJin'sprinciple:itisJinhimself,ineverywaythatweseehim:inhisorphanchildhood,hisisolation,hisloneliness,theterriblelosseshehassuffered,theicecoldpurityofhisstrike.Itcouldnotbemoreperfect.Haditneverbeen,theywouldhavehadtoinventitforhim.

Intheend,IthinkthefinaldisciplesoftheMujuushinkenjutsumaybeneitherTeradanorShiraibutourfriendsatManglobeandSimoigusaChamploos,whoataremoveofsome350yearshavebroughtSekiun'sinsightstolifeinanewformhecouldneverhaveimagined.Whoknows:itspurestyle,ahavenandinspirationtostudentsoftheswordcenturiesago,maybeevenmorevaluabletoday.

Otherfootnotes:

Inbetweenthesetwoschoolsofthesword,thereisinterestingevidencethatMujuushinkenjutsualsoinfluencedaschoolofjujutsu,orclassicalunarmedcombat.Konowritesthat:"theMujushinkenjutsuandKitoryujujutsuseemtoshareadoka,or'songoftheway'[apoemwrittentoconveyapointofmartialartsphilosophy]thatisnotfoundinanyothertradition.IntheMujushinkenjutsutradition,thisdokawrittenbyfounderGoroemonHarigayaSekiunisoneoftwointheJisokuIkyohoZenshuwrittentransmissionsofKawamuraYakobei,apupilofthethirdMujushinkenjutsuheadmasterEnshiroMariya.Itgoes:

"Autumnwindinthemountainneartown,thatfiercelyswaysandshakestheleavesoftheoak,breathesbutweaklyagainstthepampasgrasses."

Thispoem,notaparticularlywellwrittenone,isfoundwithonlyminorvariationsinthetransmissionsofKitoryuastheyappearintheRibizuihitsuwritings:

"Autumnwind,deepinthemountains,fiercelyswaysandshakestheleavesoftheoak,whilebarelymovingthepampasgrasses."

Whileitisnotuncommoninthebudoworldforsimilarversestoappearinthetransmissionsofseveraldifferenttraditionswithonlyminorvariations,asfarasIknowthisparticularpoemonlyappearsintheZenshuofMujushinkenjutsuandtheRibizuihitsuofKitoryu.Ofcourse,thisaloneisnotsufficientevidencetoconcludethatKitoryuwasinfluencedbyMujushinkenjutsu,butwemaystillsupposethatOkunojoYoshida,whohadswitchedtoKitoryuattheprivateorderofLordToshiyasu,sensedinKitoryusomeofthesameesoteric,mindorientedflavorofTenshinHeiho.Suchsophisticationisprobablytobeexpectedinanunarmedcombatsystemandsuchstunningtechniquesandthedreamlike,or"nomind",stateundoubtedlynecessarytoperformthemverywell,mayhavecontainedelementsoraspectsthatcouldberegardedasshimpobujutsu."

ToruShirai,soundingalotlikeJin:"Ibegantrainingonmyown,intendingtorealizethatelusivestateofemptinessIsought,butIwasunabletoattainmygoal.Mastertoldmethatwhilerentannohoisconductedthroughastateofemptiness,bujutsuisapathoftacticsandmaneuvers,andthatevensaintswouldnotrefrainfromusingsuchmethodswhenconfrontinganevildoer.Weattempttodeceivetheenemyorlurehimtostrikesothatwemaytraphim,butwhentheenemyisstrongwereactinstinctivelyandanystateofemptinesswehaveachievedvanishes.Bythenitisalreadytoolatetocalmthemindandtechniqueinevitablydegeneratesintosomethingvulgarandcrude.WhenIconfrontedtrulyaggressiveopponents,theviciousmindedkenjutsuofmyyouthwouldboiltothesurfaceandIwouldbeovercomebyavenomousimpulsetostrikemyopponentdown.Perceivingthisterribleferocity,myopponentwouldbecomealarmedandlosetheurgetofaceme.IwouldwithdrawfromtheencounteraloneandponderwhyIseemedtobeunabletoshedthemistakenattitudethatgave

10/03/2015 SwordofNoAbidingMind

http://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/noabidingmind2.html 4/4

risetosuchvicioustechnique.Iamashamedtosayit,butIfearthatthewordsofSekishi[referenceunknown]fitmealltoowell:"Whenthetimecomesforyoutostrikeyouwillforgetwhatyouhavelearned."

Shirai:"ThekenjutsuthatIamattemptingtoimpartrepresentstheshortestpathtoattainingthemostpureformoftenshin,andthesimple(shoden)andthedeep(gokui)arethesameandasone.Accordingly,studentswhoareabletostudyandknowthiswillhavetheirkifilltheUniverseandtheirspiritextendacrossallagesandtimestheywillbecomeonewiththespiritoftheDivine,andthatwhichisOtherwillbecomeonewiththem.Then,whentheselfacts,itisnottheselfactingbuttheUniverse,spontaneousandrealizingnaturallawinandofitself."

IowemyprofoundestgratitudetoYoshinoriKonooftheAikidoJournal,withoutwhosetirelessandextensiveresearchtherewouldbenohistoricalbackgroundtothisarticleatall.(TheChamplooRomanAlbumconfirmsKonosensei'sresearchasoneofthemostimportantinfluencesontheseries,especiallyhisbookKennoseishinshi:Mujushinkenjutsunokeifutoshiso.)

FamousSwordsmenofJapan:MuneariGoroemonTeradaAikidoJournal#103(1995)

FamousBudokaofJapan:Mujushinkenjutsu&KitoryuAikidoJournal#111(1997)

FamousBudokaofJapan:SekiunHarigaya,FounderofMujushinKenjutsuAikidoJournal#114(1998)

andhisfivepartseriesonthecareerofToruShirai.

...gobacktoPartsI&II:TheHistoricalMujushin.

..gobacktoSwordofNoAbidingMind.