The Greatest Samurai In History Used Wooden Swords
An artist, author, soldier, and philosopher
“My first duel was when I was thirteen, I struck down a strategist of the Shinto school, one Arima Kihei. When I was sixteen I struck down an able strategist, Tadashima Akiyama. When I was twenty-one I went up to the capital and met all manner of strategists, never once failing to win in many contests.
— Miyamoto Musashi, “A Book Of Five Rings”, Victor Harris translation
I have an idea about a movie I’d like to make. It would involve a polymath of sorts. This individual would be the toughest person in the country — think of a mixture of Chuck Norris, Mike Tyson, and Rambo.
He’d also paint landscapes in his free time and write poetry. Furthermore, he’d author a book which would be influential in philosophy and strategy for the next 500 years.
Wait, I’m not done yet. In proving he’s the toughest guy around, he’d travel across the land fighting others. As they brought knives, swords, and other deadly weapons, our movie star would only carry a wooden replica of a sword to defend himself. He’d be undefeated in about 60 of these challenge matches, plus fight in multiple wars, surviving them all.
