Simbolika sablje u Yoshikawinom romanu Musashi

Abstract

The Symbolism of the Sword in Yoshikawa's MusashiIn his masterpiece Musashi (1935), the author Eiji Yoshikawa depicts the birth of an ingenious swordsman and his spiritual evolution towards the final awakening ( satori ). While constructing the character of Miyamoto Musashi, Yoshikawa uses the elements of Zen Buddhist philosophy and describes Musashi's progress on his way of enlightenment through a series of direct personal insights ( kensho ) that precede satori. The paper aims to discuss and analyze Musashi's use of different types of swords that metaphorically suggest his personal and spiritual transformation from an untamed and uncultivated person to his ultimate enlightenment. Initially, Musashi fights with a wooden sword ( bokken ), which symbolizes his animalistic, rampant nature. As he progresses on the way of enlightenment, Musashi embraces the steel sword ( katana ), though he still uses bokken at times. The struggle between his wild and civilized nature culminates at the moment of kensho , when he starts fighting with two steel swords, which represents a true evolution that elevates him to the level of the Nietzschean Übermensch . The final birth of Musashi as a Rinzaian "man of no rank" is the moment of his ultimate awakening, symbolically depicted when he again reaches for the wooden sword. This act unmasks his true Buddhist nature, thus suggesting Musashi's return to "oneself."