Ep. 042: Miyamoto Musashi, Mystical Master Swordsman

Zen and the art of killing people

Musashi Miyamoto with two wooden quarterstaves (Wikipedia)

One of the first introductions I had to Japan's depths was Zen and Japanese Culture, a deceptively simple little book by the great interpreter of Zen to the west, D. T. Suzuki. Two of the book's eleven chapters are dedicated to swordsmanship, and another to the Samurai culture in general. Several times, mention is made of the great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584-1645). Wait: swords and samurais in a book on Zen? Yup! Find out more in this episode of--

TEMPLE TALES!