part0015

An arrogant swordsman boarded a ferry on the way across several islands. While on board, he boasted of his sword fighting skills and challenged anyone on board. His antagonistic approach made everyone on the ferry apprehensive, except for one older swordsman, who sat calmly ignoring the uproar. Unbeknownst to the challenger, the old swordsman was Bokuden Tsukara, the legendary samurai. Intrigued by the old man’s demeanor, the arrogant swordsman asked him, “What style of sword do you practice?” “The style I practice is known as, the sword of no sword,” Bokuden replied. Annoyed by the perplexed response, the arrogant swordsman demanded a match. After several refusal to the challenge, Bokuden relented and said, “I’ll accept your challenge, but we should do it elsewhere so that no one on the ferry gets injured.” Bokuden suggested taking the smaller boat attached to the ferry to a small island nearby, to which the challenger agreed. As Bokuden rowed the boat and approached the beach, the arrogant swordsman eagerly jumped off and started to warm up with his sword in anticipation for the big match. While the challenger waved his sword in various fighting motions, Bokuden remained on the boat and proceeded to row away from the beach. When the arrogant challenger finally noticed the boat had departed deep into the water, Bokuden shouted out, “This is the sword of no sword.”

This legendary tale of Bokuden’s encounter on the ferry is a good example of how a veteran martial artist is able to defeat his opponent without having to resort to violence. So well-known is this tale that the same story line was re-enacted in the famous Bruce Lee movie, “Enter the Dragon.” But what significance does this non-fighting have with martial arts, especially in a movie where the audience expects action? It demonstrates the relevance of developing your ability to such a high level that wisdom is the weapon that ultimately prevails over technical prowess. In the end it serves even a greater purpose in that no harm came to either side and perhaps the conflict ends amicably.

Three swordsmen sat in a crowded Japanese tavern making loud noises hoping to provoke a duel with Musashi, who sat alone eating his meal and seemingly ignoring the advances of the three swordsmen. Without glancing at the three swordsmen, Musashi took his chopsticks and quickly snatched four flies out of midair. After witnessing this feat, the three swordsmen quickly left the tavern abandoning any thought of challenging Musashi. The three challengers were not only astonished by Musashi’s ability to catch the flies with his chopsticks, but probably more afraid of his awareness of the situation and calmness of his demeanor.

It is always stimulating to read legendary stories of great masters from the past being able to foil their opponent either by wit or superhuman skills. Exploits like these tend to get exaggerated to the point of seemingly apocryphal tales, especially when so little is documented accurately in the past. But thwarting the opponent without resorting to violent confrontation are not just legendary stories of the past as C.W. Nicols, the author of “Moving Zen” recounts how Kanazawa Hirokazu Sensei avoided a fight against a would-be challenger, circa 1960.

In a restaurant, a loudmouth challenged Kanazawa Sensei to a fight, probably to boast of his skill against a karate-ka. “Fine” Kanazawa said, “but before we fight I must first warm up.” With that Sensei Kanazawa did a sequence of six or seven blindingly fast moves in the empty air, shook his shoulders and smiled at the challenger. “Shall we fight? All warmed up now!” The loudmouth went back to his seat. Kanazawa Sensei had won a fight without resorting to fighting – mastering the highest method of winning.

The best fighter is often thought to be the one with the most skills that can vanquish an opponent with ease. But the sincere study of traditional karate-do, like all budo ( 武道 ) arts is to refrain from violence. Long history of martial study reveals three methods on how to win a fight: