Soho, Takuan
(Editor/Translator: William Scott Wilson)

Tokyo, NY, London: Kodansha International ltd., 102 pages (1986)
ISBN: 0-87011-851-X

Recommended w/reservation

Although appearing at first glance to be a short and relatively easy read, this book is actually deceptively challenging. It is comprised of three essays (two of which were originally letters) by one of the most esteemed and influential Zen masters of the early Edo Period (1603-1867), Takuan Soho, and provides effective prose unifying the spirit of Zen with that of swordsmanship. Takuan addresses the psychology and knowledge of the self during confrontation. His point of view is that the relationship between Zen and swordsmanship "was not one of death and destruction, but rather of enlightenment and salvation. Confrontation, in the 'right' mind, would not only give life, but give it more abundantly" (p. 16).

Who is Takuan Soho?
Takuan's life (1573-1645) encompassed the period in Japanese history when the samurai class began the transition from active warriors into entitled bureaucrats. This transition, however, did not diminish the special status of swords and swordsmanship that had already existed in Japanese culture for centuries. As the Tokugawa bakufu altered the purpose of the samurai, Takuan applied his prodigious intellectual and artistic talents towards providing swordsmen with life-affirming, rather than life-taking, guidance. Assuredly, his contribution in theses essays is not speculative: Yagyu Munenori, the head of the of Yagyu Shinkage sword school and instructor to the third shogun, Iemitsu, was the welcome recipient of two of the letters.

As the preeminent representative of Rinzai Zen of his time, Takuan was universally respected as a spiritual leader. But he was also accomplished in the study of Buddhist scriptures and Chinese learning, poetry, tea ceremony, calligraphy, and ink painting. Dumoulin states that "in the beauty of his calligraphy (bokuseki) his spiritual qualities, his rustic simplicity, and the fullness of his inner strength found an enduring expression."*

Takuan's interest in Confucianism allowed him to weave a Zen Buddhist perspective to present Neo-Confucian doctrine in a more intelligible form in his essay, "The Difference Between Ri and Ki." This was a bold action as Buddhism was savagely criticized by early Tokugawa Confucianists for being so "entangled in deep metaphysical speculations that they had little to say that was meaningful for daily life."** No less daring was Takuan's challenge of the Shogun to specify the requirements abbots must meet before assuming control of temples. His defiance in what became known as the "purple robe affair" resulted in banishment and exile before returning to favor under the third Tokugawa shogun. It is during this exile that it is believed that Takuan wrote the first of these essays.

"The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom"
The first essay, "The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom," is the most extensive of the three. The beginner has an empty mind. Through diligent practice and discipline, the mind is filled with technique and application and is susceptible to distraction. Through continued training, the mind can ultimately return to the beginner state as the mind no longer fixates on each technique and application. Instead, the mind (and, thus, the body) responds reflexively and freely with no thought as to what the correct movement is at a given time. The mind is not focused on any one aspect but is aware of all aspects.

Takuan sums up this idea by stating that "no matter where you put it, if you put the mind in one place, the rest of the body will lack its functioning...If you don't put it anywhere, it will go to all parts of your body and extend throughout its entirety" (pp. 30-31). As applied to swordsmanship, this means that the mind is not focused upon the hand holding the sword, the sword itself, or the adversary: all is Emptiness. And yet, the mind does not focus upon the Emptiness either. Takuan completes this idea with the phrase, "completely forget about the mind and you will do all things well" (p.38).

Takuan goes on to elaborate on descriptions of different states of mind and the effect upon the body. The Right Mind is like water, freely flowing throughout the body and is fully functional. The Confused Mind is like ice because it "congeals and settles in one place" thus impairing its functioning and limiting its freedom (p. 32). The novice applies stringent discipline to prevent the mind from wandering or becoming confused. Through continued practice over a long period of time, the practitioner can then develop the freedom to allow the mind to wander in any direction thus attaining the highest level called, "engendering the mind with no place to abide" (p. 36).

It is the very mind itself
That leads the mind astray;
Of the mind,
Do not be mindless. (p. 44)

"The Clear Sound of Jewels"
The topic of the second essay, "The Clear Sound of Jewels," is how to die well. Takuan begins with emphasizing that the value of life exceeds wealth, clearly stating that all one's wealth should be used to purchase life because "whether a man be rich or poor, if he does not live out a long life, he will not accomplish his true purpose" (p. 47). And, more valuable than life is right-mindedness. He then differentiates between true right-mindedness and faux right-mindedness. For example, dying as a result of insult appears to be right-mindedness but is not; it is anger. If a person is insulted, that person has lost right-mindedness even before the insult was given.

Right-mindedness is a matter of extreme importance. Its substance is none other than the Principle of Heaven, which gives life to all things.When this is acquired by the human body, it is called one's nature. Its other names are virtue, the Way, human-heartedness, probity and propriety (p. 49).

His continued dissertation becomes increasingly more challenging to follow as it is filled with imagery and allegory and even poetry. The gist of the discussion follows traditional Buddhist thought on how perception without wisdoms skews an individual's understanding of reality.

"Annals of the Sword Taia"
The third essay, "Annals of the Sword Taia," discusses the psychology of swordsmanship and displays Takuan's command of a terse Chinese literary style. Unfortunately, this aspect of the work is not apparent when the entire text is in English as is this translated version. In the original version, Takuan alternates between a few lines of text in Chinese and and then commentary in Japanese. The translated version indents the Chinese text.

Takuan expresses his ideals of swordsmanship by using the symbolism of the Taia sword, forged by the Chinese swordsmith Feng Hu-tzu. Takuan states that this ancient, "famous bejeweled sword can freely cut anything...under heaven there is nothing that can parry this blade" (p. 85). He also uses the term "the Sword Taia" to describe a mysterious ability to wield the figurative sword that can cut through anything including the false face of the ego.

Perhaps Takuan's most interesting statements are at the end of the essay:

Its speedeven lightning cannot keep up with it. Its brevityit is gone even before the quick wind of the storm. Not having such a tactic, if one, in the end, becomes entangled or confused, he will damage his own blade or injure his own hand, and will fall short of adroitness. One does not divine this by impressions or knowledge. There is no transmitting it by words or speech, no learning it by any doctrine. This is the law of the special transmission beyond instruction. (p. 89)

In other words, divining exceptional skill with a sword and oneself requires self-enlightenment and study.

Translation
Mr. Wilson provides a clear translation supplemented with several pages of notes to assist the reader with a better understanding of the text. Although it is not possible for this reviewer to comment upon the accuracy of the translation, Mr. Wilson does note the portions that were difficult to discern the meaning and the reason why. His notes that clarify Takuan's obscure references are especially helpful.

* Dumoulin, Heinrich. Zen Buddhism: A History (Volume 2: Japan). New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990. p. 274.

** Dumoulin, p. 281.

Annotated by: Charles A. Buhs (January 2003)

Martial Arts: Iaido | Kendo |

Topics: history | philosophy | weapons |