What's in a name?

The Bamboo Sword: Hints of kendo, perhaps? Or a derisory reference to all those who pretend at swordsmanship? Neither, actually. It's the title of a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa, printed recently in the collection "The bamboo sword and other samurai tales" by Kodansha International. Fujisawa's story inspired, at least in part, Yoshi Yamada's The Twilight Samurai, which is well worth seeing if you haven't yet seen it. In both the story and the film, the protagonist is so impoverished that he has sold the blade of his katana, replacing it with a bamboo substitute.

'Yes, alright!' you say. 'But why have you chosen it for the title of this site?'

Well, because the idea of a bamboo sword appeals to me. In Yamada's The Twilight Samurai, Seibei is a modest character, contented not by his status as a warrior but by the joy he finds in his two daughters. The bamboo sword symbolises his dedication--a sacrifice made for the love of children--and also his humility, a virtue I respect and aspire to, even if Nietzsche did label it the refuge of the weak. In both Fujisawa's short story and Yamada's film, the bamboo sword is not the handicap one might expect: Seibei is a warrior, and a warrior is not defined by the weapon he wields, but by the mind with which he wields it. In fact, the faux sword is actually a strength, rendering Seibei's opponent Yogo reckless and falsely confident.

One night not too long past, while sharing a meal, my sensei asked me to consider a koan: what is a swordsman without a sword? I hesitated, not wanting to embarass myself. But, while the image of Seibei didn't immediately arise, I like to think he had some hand in prodding the answer from my subconscious. The Bamboo Sword is a nod, then, to Seibei; I hope it does him justice.