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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
"Brave-Heart". 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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