Legends from the Japanese Martial Ways with Wood. The STICK was one of our earliest WEAPONS. A rock was the other. So Our World LEGENDS say. This is the 1st part of a pair following in the footsteps of MUSASHI MIYAMOTO who finds his SWORD… missing… but he has a PLAN. His woodenly and… watery lesson is hard fought and earnt. Carving out a name for himself… awe-inspiring craft work applied herein indeed.

JAPANESE OAK TREE; of KYOTO.

Some time after the SMASHING LEGEND events…                                                                                                          SASUKE, the BOAT-MAN of SHIMONOSEKI had heard the rumors. There was little that happened in the MOUNTAINS of NAGATO and KAZASHI that bypassed his ears. His position as taxi and cargo carrier was prime for information. The figure slowly approaching his boat at 8 IN THE MORN seemed to confirm the dreaded News. A DUEL between two of JAPAN’s MASTER SWORDSMEN had supposedly been arranged. Passage required to FUNASHIMA..,SASUKE soon had the boat at speed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The tide was high and with the wind at his back, gladly informed his PASSENGER they would ARRIVE AROUND 10. Soon enough he turned back to his task.., almost chuckling at the strange ways of some folk. His PASSENGER had.., to pass the time SASUKE thought, asked to have a piece of WOOD from the boats spare/emergency pile… to do some CARVING. The MAN was going crazy, SASUKE thought too. CARVE.?. at a time like this.??.                                                                                                           SASUKE turned back to the figure sharply… TWO things were noticed… a largeish pile of WOODCHIPS lay in the boat’s bottom… and the MAN… HAD NO LONG SWORD …that he could see??? The PASSENGER was and had been almost nonchalant… were the rumors wrong.?. or… How could there be a DUEL then .?. has it already been done…or.?. SASUKE’s mind raced.                                                                                                           The WOODCHIP pile grew and stray pieces lightly whirled in the wind as the boat streamed into the inlet… The surging tidal water was blue and the bottom clear and visible as SASUKE responded quickly and slowed the boat whilst still some 50+ metres off-shore just as the PASSENGER, tying a HEADBAND, had asked… and coasted to a stop.                                                                                                           He turned…to see the PASSENGER… and WOOD-CARVING he still carried, jump into the sea. At the same time, a figure on the shore ran their way – a very long SAMURAI LONGSWORD held prominently in their hands. SASUKE tried to voice a WARNING to his PASSENGER… but, as is the way of such things…a lil’ too late.                                                                                                           On the shores of FUNASHIMA.

The SWORD-bearer…, SASUKE now recognised as SWORD-MASTER SASAKI KOJIRO of IWAKUNI province…the infamous and rather long LONGSWORD he carried known as the DRYING POLE flashed quickly several times.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The PASSENGER somehow fended and evaded them all… with his WOOD-CARVE PIECE… until SWORD-MASTER SASAKI almost screamed a KI-AI shout and sent the DRYING POLE over-head to cut the FINAL downward stroke. The PASSENGER’s reply shout followed immediately… SASAKI’s LONGSWORD though…struck first.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The PASSENGER’s HEADBAND.., like the WOODCHIPS earlier, fluttered briefly in the breeze to then settle on damp ground. SASUKE watched, motionless, like the now still figures on the shore…until .?.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    SASAKI KOJIRO fell onto wet sand and grass and ROSE NO MORE. On the shores of FUNASHIMA.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      SASUKE saw the WOOD CARVING COUNTERATTACK,..had stayed STICK straight and struck true. The PASSENGER… somehow unhurt…except for the HEADBAND…now headed back…HIS WAY. …the WOOD had carved it’s own long way, through and around even slicing STEEL.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Still trying to comprehend what he had just seen and witnessed… SASUKE just managed to make a mental note to remind himself the next time at the Wharfs… to buy another spare OAR                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              …the previous had seen and done long enough to CARVE out a name for Itself and it’s WIELDER too.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      PASSENGER MUSASHI MIYAMOTO.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      LEGEND. AWESOME… OARSOME LEGEND INDEED.

SASAKI’s SWORD STRIKE…ONLY MADE IT THIS FAR…THE OAR OF MUSASHI…A LIL’ LONGER THAN EVEN THE DRYING POLE…CARVED DEEPER.

MEMORIAL TO TWO LEGENDARY BUDO MASTERS. Sasaki + Musashi. Carved in Stone… Sword + Oar… Awesome Our World Legends.

WEAPON-MASTER’s TIPS…

SO SAYETH WEAPONS MASTER MUSASHI MIYAMOTO.

NITEN or NITO RYU…MUSASHI TWIN WEAPON STYLE TECH.

SOKE DR.MASAAKI HATSUMI.