剣禅一如

Sword and Zen are One.

This expression was used by Tsuji Gettan, the founder of mugairyu, to emphasize the importance of zen training in swordsmanship. Initially, all mugairyu practitioners were required to be active in the zen community in order to be permitted to train under Gettan. The zen aspect of mugai training is often overlooked nowadays, but there are a handful of people who still sit regularly. I started sitting a little over a year ago, and I now understand just what Gettan meant by "Sword and Zen are One." It just clicks.

Yesterday at Mugaido (see links), I spent a good hour with Sakaguchi weighing, adjusting and fidgeting with different tsuba to get the balance of my cutter to come back towards the tsuka. My cutter is on the tip-heavy side, which makes cutting on the draw a pain in the butt. I finally found a tsuba that brought 30 grams back towards my hands AND meshes neatly with Gettan's "Sword and Zen are One" philosophy. Check out the bald monk. Kewwwlll.