|
Around 17th century Japan, a legendary duel took place between Japan's most extraordinary swordsman, the undefeated Miyamoto Musashi, and a Shinto Priest, Muso Gonosuke Katsuyoshi, trained in the art of the bo staff (bojutsu). Musashi emerged from the confrontation victorious, but felt no other opponent had possessed so great a skill as Gonosuke. For that, he spared his life. As the legend goes, and there are many variations, the wounded but determined priest retired to the mountains, and there fell into a deep, meditative trance. In the midst of his contemplations, a mountain spirit revealed to him in a vision a shorter version of the common bo staff, called a jo. Afterwards, Gonosuke cut a bo to the precise dimensions given him in the dream, and from his bojutsu training modified and improved techniques, allowing him a far greater range of control over the stick, and consequently, over the weapons of any adversary, especially the swordsman. He named his new ryu, or style, Shindo Muso Ryu, the Divine Way of Dream-Thought, and with this new weapon, he re-challenged the great Musashi. It would prove to be Musashi's only defeat. |
Autumn Wind Dojo
