六三四の剣

六三四の剣 (Musashi no Ken) is a manga with kendo theme made in the early 80s. The storyline revolves around this boy Musashi and his kendo journey. I first heard about the manga back in the early 90s when I was in high school. In fact, I'd even read a few pages. Not knowing kendo at that time, the manga seemed quite foreign to me.

Lately, I discovered that Vivian has a whole stash of 六三四の剣. She's been kind to lend me her preciious collection and I've read up to volume 16 now.

Eventhough the work is a fiction, there is still a lesson or two that can be learned from Musashi. Sure, the character is not real, but it is the attitude that is portrayed that I find particularly endearing. For starters, Musashi *never* gives up. Losing to a stronger opponent would inspire him to train even harder. I'm sure that we've had our fair share of days when we felt that we were beaten by a better opponent and got discouraged. That is not the correct attitude - we must be inspired even more. Secondly, he is always in search for a strong opponent - someone who is stronger than him - so that he can improve himself, and he does so without fear. I must admit that when I first got into bogu I used to fear being thrashed by a stronger opponent. Now I take it as an opportunity to learn. Last but not least, his unrelenting pursuit to improve himself physically, willpower and otherwise.

These are the qualities that I find most admiring about Musashi.