"To be, or not to be a samurai!” That is the question that my brother heard me utter one day when he came into my room and found me hacking away at my pillow with a short wooden pole. No no…my actions weren’t those of an angry, angsty girl. Instead, they were the actions of a future samurai in training. I explained to him, with probably more drama than was necessary, that I wanted to be just like the samurai Okita Soujiro of Shinsengumi fame and he just stared, and then laughed. He laughed because he could never picture little ol’ me fighting Japanese assassins in the 1900s like Okita Soujiro did. After his chuckles subsided (and after I hit him on the head with my wooden pole in anger), he said, “Alright, I suppose we’ll have to do something about this current obsession of yours.” And thus did our journey to become samurai begin.
So the first thing that we did for the sake of samurai-hood was look into aesthetics: you have to look the part in order to start playing the part. In the past, samurai were proficient in many different kinds of weaponry, but it is the sword which has become synonymous with the image of the samurai. They carried a set called daisho (だいしょう）, which consisted of a katana （かたな）, the longer sword, and a wakizashi （わきざし）, the shorter sword.
The ones I brought here today are actually the wooden equivalent of real daisho swords, and are called bokken (ぼっけん）. They`re used exclusively for practicing kata （かた）, which are detailed, choreographed patterns of movements. Another alternative is the shinai （しない）, which is a sword made of four bamboo slats. As for clothing, the closest thing you can get to a samurai’s uniform these days without hollowing out your piggybank is the kendo uniform, which consists of a keikogi （けいこぎ） and a hakama （はかま）. So now that you’re armed and ready, you’re on your way to becoming a samurai. But, looking the part, and then watching and copying moves from videos or online sources can only get you so far.This leads to the second part of our journey to becoming samurai: in order to know how to play the part, we had to find a sensei （先生）, or teacher. Where can you find a sensei to teach the art of the samurai without having to pack your things and move to Japan? A kendo （けんどう） class is a good starting place. Kendo literally means “way of the sword” and is the martial art derived directly from the training that samurai received in the past. Instead of real swords, however, students train primarily with the shinai.
As with any weapon, handling without the guidance of an expert can cause serious injury to yourself and others. At the same time, martial arts are learned through repetition, and if the sole source for learning is a video, then it’s easy to make one mistake and repeat it forever after. There are certain nuances to how you move your feet – something called suriashi （すりあし）, or how you grip your sword, that a book or videos won’t be able to teach you; a sensei can correct your mistakes as you make them. Thus, now that we look like samurai and know how to fight a little like a samurai, does this make us one of them? Unfortunately, little grasshopper, there is still much to learn.The last and most important step on this journey is probably the hardest, since what it requires is intangible. Today, the modern concept of kendo is “a way to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana”. Thus, to BE a samurai is to conduct one’s self nobly. The samurai's overarching purpose was to support the system of values that his lord represented. Thus, the most critical part of being a samurai, is to protect the values that you pledge to uphold, and to do the right thing, despite personal risk, whenever possible. One thing they valued highly was respect, towards the sensei, to the dojo, to each other, to one’s self, and even to one’s sword. For example, the samurai considered the sword sacred and accorded it respect. Thus, a samurai would never allow his sword to touch the dirt of the earth, or allow others to walk over his sword, as these actions were tied to death. Without respect and integrity, kendo and the spirit of the samurai lose their meaning.
In sum, becoming a samurai is serious business. You can look the part, and know how to fight like a samurai, but the most important aspect, the act of incorporating honour and respect into all the things you do, is what truly makes a samurai. When I was younger, it was the thought of the romanticized warrior, the one that rode into battles with sakura blossoms floating on the wind, that drew me to the samurai. Now, it is what they represent. One man or woman with one sword might not make a difference, but a group of people with respect and integrity, a group that fights for what they believe in, can make a huge difference. And that Shakespearean question at the beginning of all this? I think it’s pretty obvious. Despite the challenge, I still choose to try to BE a samurai.
This was my second Toastmasters speech, and the primary goal of the second speech is to organize it so that it is easy for the audience to follow. The speech should also have transitions between the main ideas so that the speech flows. Hopefully I accomplished these goals. The audience seemed to enjoy it regardless of whatever mistakes I made, so onward march! I'm looking forward to crafting my next speech :)
