“There may be a hundred stances and sword positions, but you win with just one.”
A Hereditary Book on the Art of War (1632)
Yagyū Munenori: Sword
Yagyū Munenori was samurai and daimyo of the early Edo period. Explore interesting quotes on sword.
Yagyū Munenori:
20
quotes
2
likes
A Hereditary Book on the Art of War (1632)
Context: A stroke of the sword that does not hit its target is the sword stroke of death; you reach over it to strike the winning blow. Your adversary's initiative having missed its mark, you turn the tables around and get the jump on your adversary.
As quoted in Soul of the Samurai (2005) by Thomas Cleary, p. 28
Variant translation: If you have attained mastery of swordlessness, you will never be without a sword.
As quoted in Behold the Second Horseman (2005), by Joseph Lumpkin, p. 53.