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About the name "Kenshin"
I've been wanting to submit this for some time
now just in case there were any questions as to how I came
about choosing the name "KENSHIN". In addition, the Kanji
characters I use, being Ken as for Sword, and Shin as for Heart,
together they read Sword-heart, or to be interpreted as meaning
"Braveheart".
Shorinjiryu Kenshin Karatedo:
The name KENSHIN was selected to commemorate the warrior general
"Uesugi Kenshin" (1530 - 78) and to inspire
his spirit; thought to be a sort of Galahad, a saint among
Japan's generals. I submit a short extract from one of his
writings: "The great evil that a general must avoid is only evil
passions. Looking around today, there are few generals free of
such desires. When a general has them, then his soldiers insofar
as they are aware of it, give up and become master-less samurai
or join some other clan (Kuni) or country. When it happens that
soldiers are doing this and deserting, the first cause is that
their own clan has become weak in the "Way of the Bowman". When
one thinks this over, a human being will distance himself from
desires, and evil will go away of itself. That is the true Way
and if one keeps to it he will be most secure. If he throws away
his hankerings and keeps to what is right, high and low will all
be in harmony."
Kenshin's life and actions
give an impression of great purity. For instance, he took part
in one great battle believing it was his duty but refused to
take any land as plunder, although this was the normal custom of
the age. It was said of him that his politics and his wars were
like some artist engaged in producing a masterpiece. Then there
was a famous encounter between Shingen Takeda (1521 - 73) and
Kenshin, in which Kenshin rode into Shingen's camp and aimed a
blow at him with a sword shouting, "what do you say at this
moment"? Shingen managed to snatch up an iron war-fan, parry the
blow and shout in reply, "a snowflake on a red-hot furnace." At
which Kenshin turned and dashed off again on his horse. There
was an historic rivalry but also a chivalrous respect between
these two, and when Shingen ran short of salt, Kenshin was
generous enough to send supplies of it to his enemy. (note: Time
period was just prior to the entering of firearms in Japan, late
sixteen hundreds).
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