The Sword Saint, what made him great?

Prepare to feel your hackles rise up. The skin will get goose bumps. The hair on your arms will raise up striaght for I am embarking on a journey into the answer to the question, "What made Musashi Miyamoto Sensei a great swordsman?"

My Favorite version of his book.

Chaos vs. Kata (Shikata)

Zen, Buddhism, Confucianism, etc. along with its resulting hierarchical society governed by Daimyo and Samurai created a clearly class conscious culture with the resulting strict, dogmatic and kata-ized customs in support. When you begin to realize that even the smallest movement of the body was strictly governed by rules, kata style, you realize that even those sword schools in feudal Japan were governed by their strictness.

If sword schools were sanctioned by the Shogun then it goes to show that they too would be held to the kata-ization of how they train, instruct and apply the art of the sword. The only variances being slight, and approved, variations to the kata that were governed more by the individual groups involved then the society as a whole.

If the stories of Musushi were even partially accurate and true then it becomes apparent that he resisted assimilation into any group, even samurai. Musushi didn't take any type of training under any organized school of the sword, maybe. Considering how he acted so individual like vs. the group cohesion of society it goes to show his application of the sword would not adhere to any kata or rules of any school.

He observed schools, thought of the strategy and tactics and then applied them to defeat all who faces him. Rules are a hindrance to spontaneity if it remains rigid and inflexible. He was spontaneous and flexible.

Example, most sword schools of the time (I think this is accurate) tended to use the sword with two hands in a duel. I believe one hand was on horse back to slash on both sides of the horse but ground duels were two handed, I believe. Because Musushi's duels and practices didn't stick to such doctrines he ended up discovering his two sword style which was an anathema to the kata-ization of sword schools. In other words, he broke all the rules and was untouchable due to his application of that attitude to his fighting.

He gained notoriety before he could be judged otherwise thus associating himself to influential samurai in his travels that gave protection. Look at it like this, the mini-series Shogun was from the book of the same name which was very loosely based on a true person associated with either a daimyo or shogun. The reason Japanese even of that era associated with such chaotic nature was by association it allowed them freedom from the shackles of the society rule.

Even Japan today is handcuffed by shikata and all those trappings through kata-ization. They are just now arriving at the understanding that although a great boon for them it also comes with great difficulties they will take a few more generations to overcome. If Musushi broke the mold he did so because of his lack of exposure to society and then his continued solidarity to no one but himself until his death. After all, didn't he supposedly live in a cave where he wrote the book of five rings?

When you read the book I can see the connection that his knowing and understanding the kata of each sword school, his ability to be spontanious and his strategy to deviate from the norm of sword duels sent those samurai into what is called today as the OODA loop, i.e. hey, he ain't fightin fair.

In truth it would seem to me that this orientation is closely associated with nature's survival instincts therefore explains why we humans today tend to lean toward processes and procedures that are kata-like, where we tend to dogmatically adhere to the way karate was taught by the master and therefore end up stifling our ability to transcend all the rules.

Just some thoughts I was having ;-)

"Slavish conformity to traditions and formula's fetters the expressions of individuality ..." - Kakuzo Okakura