Sekiun Harigaya Founder of Mujushin Kenjutsu Arrowhead 2010

1. Sekiun Harigaya Founder of Mujushin Kenjutsu Arrowhead 2010

2. Who is Sekiun Harigaya? • Founder of MujushinKenjutsu • Mujushinkenjutsu = “Sword of Heavenly Reason” or “Sword of No Abiding Mind” • Short Biography • Born: 1593 (est.) in Harigaya, near modern Saitama Prefecture • Died: 1662 at the age of 70 • Pupil of Shinshinkage-ryu master Ogasawara Genshin, one of the foremost swordsman of his time • Created Mujushinkenjutsu based on insights he gained through his study of zen when he was about fifty years old.

3. Sekiun as Ogasawara’s Student • SekiunHarigaya was among Ogasawara’s two or three top students • Endowed with great physical strength and skill and a fierce fighting spirit, he is said to have survived as many as fifty-two combat engagements • As Japan became more peaceful in the Tokugawa era, he began becoming deeply introspective about the nature of his own sword skills.

4. Sekiun’s Attraction to Zen • Studied Zen under the Zen priest Kohaku • After one period of intense introspection, he realized existing sword techniques used “beast-like spirit” through which the best that could be expected was to defeat one’s inferiors, be defeated by one’s superiors, and achieve mutual destruction or stalemate with one’s equals. • In response, Sekiun began purging his swordsmanship of various movements and studying how to achieve victory naturally, based on the inherent capabilities and resources of all human beings

5. Sekiun’s Awakening • Sekiun was able to let go of his attachment to the generally accepted principles of swordsmanship • His discovery was the path to victory was in taking advantage of a person’s inner strengths • The secret to this strength was in the calmness created by independence from worldly attachments.

6. Sekiun’s Sword • Sekiun is said to have carried an unsharpened sword in his youth. Two explanations from Sekiun appear on his reasoning: • To avoid a nick in the blade that might catch during a battle with multiple opponents • Because of his bad temper, he feared rushing into a duel, and was more likely to injure an opponent with an unsharpened blade • It is claimed at the time of his awakening he switched from a 2.5 shaku ( 30 inch) sword and 1.6 shakuwakizashi to carrying only a 1.3 shaku (15 inch) wakizashi

7. Mujushin Kenjutsu the art • To treat the art of sword as combat was a corruption of its purity. • Mujushin Kenjutsu is not about conflict , but a fusion of breath, spirit and power. • It was said that the three things one must forget completely in Mujushin Kenjutsu were his own body, his sword, and the existence of his adversary.

8. Post Awakening • Sekiun engaged in contests with swordsmen from various other traditions, but when he applied his new insights none were able to match him. • Sekiun discussed his discoveries with his own teacher Ogasawara and the two arranged a match, but Ogasawara was defeated in an instant

9. Ichiun Odagiri • Sekiun’s successor and senior student was Ichiun Odagiri • Ichiun Odagiri is considered by many as the greatest swordsman ever – better even than Musashi • Sekiun and Odagiri are mentioned in Sensei Kim’s Classical Man and Don Warrener’s The20th Century Samurai

10. Credits • Sekiun Harigaya, by Yoshinori Kono, Aikido Journal #114, 1998