The Ways of a Warrior

Thought for the day:  Think lightly of yourself, and deeply of the world. [Miyamoto Musashi]

This time of year, most battles usually involve fighting for breathing space in the midst of shopping mall crowds, or trying to find a parking place within the same zip code as the store you want to enter, but I never enjoyed playing the role of shopping warrior, even on an uncrowded day. No, I prefer something a little more... exciting. More educational. More historic and romantic. I prefer another kind of warrior altogether: the Samurai.

So this past Saturday, given the choice of going shopping, writing out Christmas cards, or going to the Georgia Art Museum at the University of Georgia to see a samurai exhibit, which do you think I chose? Wasn't a hard choice at all...

The samurai were members of a powerful military caste in feudal Japan. They were provincial warriors in the beginning, and then rose to power in the 12th century under the Shogunate, the first military dictatorship, and dominated Japanese government and society until the end of the feudal system in 1868. However, the traditional samurai code of honor, discipline, and honor, known as bushido, was revived, and became the basic code of conduct for much of Japanese society.

Sheaths were things of beauty, and were uniquely designed for each warrior. The ornamentation on the sheath in the foreground depicts numerous insects.







Samurai philosophy:

I Choose
To live by choice, not by chance,
To be motivated, not manipulated,
To be useful, not used,
To make change, not excuses,
To excel, not compete.

I choose self-esteem, not self-pity,
I choose to listen to my inner voice, not the the random opinions of others.

I choose to do the things that you won't do so I can continue to do the things you can't.

The frontal ornament, or maedate, on this helmet, or kabuto, depicts a turtle-like creature called a minogame. He has fantastical tusks, pointed ears, a dragon-like snout, and a flowing tail of seaweed.

This frontal ornament, made of wood and lacquered in gold, depicts a shachihoto, a creature with the head of a tiger, body of a fish, and sharp spikes on its spine. Legend has it that when a shachihoto sees flames, it extinguishes them by either summoning rain or spraying water from its mouth. Many structures in Japan still have shachihoto ornaments on their roofs to protect them from fire.

 This helmet features a birdlike tengu demon. In some ancient Buddhist stories, the tengu personified evil in the form of passions and desires that hinder enlightenment. In other stories, it was a positive creature, fighting evil, guarding sacred mountains, and endowing humans with superhuman powers. I suspect the latter description is what inspired a warrior to feature a tengu on his kabuto.

This helmet, fashioned after a creature called an oni, was made with actual water buffalo horns, and features a mane made of horsehair. The oni are multi-faceted creatures that reside in Buddhist hell, but bring good fortune to humans. They can be malevolent tricksters or loyal protectors. Protectors is a good way to describe the Samurai.

By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself.  [from the 1954 movie Seven Samurai, upon which the later movie The Magnificent Seven, was based]

You may have seen helmets like this before. They seem to be worn by Samurai warriors, as depicted in most movies.

What does it mean to be Samurai? To devote yourself utterly to a set of moral principles. To seek a stillness of your mind. And to master the way of the sword.  [Algren- The Last Samurai]

Isn't this a cool-looking helmet? Too bad I didn't take any notes about it. (Sorry.)

Believe it or not, this picture shows a saddle and stirrups. Made of hardwood, and decorated in gold. Beautiful to look at, but I don't think that saddle (or any of the others in the museum) were particularly comfortable. They must have covered them with some thick blankets. I hope so, anyway. Not that comfort was a high priority for Samurai:

My life is simple, my food is plain, and my quarters are uncluttered. In all things, I have sought clarity. I face the troubles and problems of life and death willingly. Virtue, integrity, and courage are my priorities. I can be approached, but never pushed; befriended, but never coerced; killed, but never shamed. [Admiral Yi Sun-shin]

Here are a couple of short swords. There were many samurai weapons on display, and many of them were quite beautiful. One bow was reeeeeeeally long, and I can't imagine how one person could have possible wielded it. The arrows still looked lethally sharp, and quivers were magnificently decorated, and still brightly colored. The sheaths, hilts, and blades were genuine works of art. Most amazing to me, though, is how well all of these items have lasted through the centuries. Quite an experience to see in person, but in pictures? Not so much, so I won't bore you with any more of them. (You're welcome.)

To any fellow Georgian reading this, this exhibit will only be at the UGA museum until January third. If you have a chance to go see it, go for it! (Much more enjoyable than playing shopping warrior!)

In addition to this temporary exhibit, the museum contains many other permanent exhibits, as well, all worth seeing. This painted canvas screen especially captured my imagination. The curator told me it shows a scene inside of the Paris metro.

Oh, and did you know Samuel B.F. Morse was also an artist? I had no idea until I saw some one of his paintings at this museum. (And you don't even have to understand code to appreciate it.)



                                       Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.