Читать книгу Traditions. Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways онлайн

59 страница из 62

Perhaps the best-known illustration of shikaku is a portrait of the eccentric swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Gripping both his long and short swords, Musashi’s posture and countenance are electric with power. His slit-eyed stare is furious; wholly concentrated. Any number of his biographers and interpreters of Musashi’s writings have suggested there is some meaning in the posture of the warrior in this remarkable portrait. Most of these interpretations are drawn from the discipline of kendo, an art incidentally, that Musashi never practiced. I would, rather presumptuously, like to add my own thoughts about that painting.

To me, Musashi’s portrait is like some kind of koan, one of the mental/spiritual quandaries posed to disciples of Zen by their masters. It is a simple rendering. Musashi stands erect, dressed plainly in kimono and a haori vest, and his swords, long and short, are gripped in a position that does not seem very martial or threatening at all. They appear to droop in front of him. The expression on his face is, as I said, fiercely concentrated. But it does not seem to be directed at any outer enemy. It is enigmatic; fascinating the more you look at it. Musashi seems to be locked in a profound internal struggle of sorts. Perhaps it is only my imaginative interpretation, but when I contemplate his famous portrait, I see a man struggling with what must have been for someone in his profession, a fundamental obstacle. Musashi stands alone, utterly absorbed, seeking a way to overcome the limitations of shikaku. Think of it. No matter how he stands or holds the sword—even to the extent of taking one for each hand—he must still contend with the dead zone. He must still acknowledge that, as a human, like all humans, he can never be completely invulnerable. From a purely technical point of view, from the perspective of combat strategy, this must have been a psychological monkey clinging to the back of every professional warrior like Musashi. Whatever kamae (combative posture or attitude) they assumed, there was always the shikaku. There was a weakness to every stance, to every position of holding the sword.