Yudan Nashi
(Never Off Guard)

A famous story about Miyamoto Musashi illustrates this point well. According to legend, one of Musashi's enemies brought a force of several men to his bathhouse while he was bathing. They heavily stoked the fire under his bathwater, lit the bathhouse on fire, then waited in ambush outside the tiny shed.

They intended to leave him only three choices: to be boiled alive, burned to death, or slaughtered by their superior forces. WIth the benefit of bushi no me (eye of the warrior), Musashi had anticipated such an attack, and brought his swords with him to the bathhouse. As the treachery unfolded, Musashi broke out through a weakened side of the burning shed and killed the enemies who were laying in wait for him.

Even when relaxing in his bath, when a sense of fair play would place him off-limits to attack by any but the lowest coward, Musashi never permitted yudan. His mind and senses were always alert to danger, almost in the fashion of animal subject to predation. His eyes were continually evaluating the cause and effect of all they surveyed, so that he could never be caught unaware.

You should be aware that the most vulnerable time for yudan to overtake you is during your happiest times. In ancient days, one of the best time to attack was when the enemy was celebrating a victory. When you are happy, you tend to relax and grow serenely oblivious to the events transpiring around you.

- from Mastering Eishin-Ryu Swordsmanship, by M. Shimabukuro

-- Count Vronsky (vronsky@anna.lit), October 31, 1999

Answers

guess i'm not in much danger cause i'm not too happy after reading the news these days

-- too alert (nervous@halloween.spooked), October 31, 1999.

coolies,is Eishin-Ryu a ko-ryu?

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), October 31, 1999.

Was it a jacuzzi? A Kohler jacuzzi?

-- Spidey (in@jam.sybaritic), November 01, 1999.