The search for perfection in kendo

Miyamoto Musashi the legendary master swordsman mentions in his book the “five rings” that one should consider how the opponent feels when in a confrontation. Indeed putting yourself in the opponent’s shoes is useful to quickly determine the strength of the opposition. This and other techniques enable one to see more with our mind and less with our eyes, since we cannot always trust what we see with our eyes. The search for perfection in swordsmanship stretches across every aspect of our lives and does not stop within the confines of our physical being. It is no secret that Miyamoto Musashi’s quest for perfection lead him to religious ideas and even some of the very origins and concepts of kendo stem from Zen Buddhism. It makes sense to view everyone as connected and that everyone experiences suffering. The purpose and goal of kendo is character development and has been since the 18th century. It is this very goal that leads me to believe that we can not dismiss the strong mind connection between ourselves and the opponent in order improve and perfect our kendo.