Today I heard that an old teacher of mine has left the earth realm. The connection is both distant and yet immediate.

Distant in that we parted ways because of martial arts politics (aka human ego issues on the part of my main teacher and others) and not on the best of terms… And distant again because that was a long time ago, and after a relatively short acquaintance.

Immediate in that I spent about a decade training hard to become a better swordswoman and person. It was, for a time, a very large part of my life. Immediate because the head of the oldest traditional samurai school in Japan is… well… a big thing. As was training with him in person in Japan.

RIP Otake Risuke - safe travels beyond the earth realm.

RIP Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu - you’ve been dead to me for a while (for more than the reasons above). I hope your teachings manage to survive in an accessible way with fewer political machinations and ego issues in the future.

This haiku came to mind… perhaps as a eulogy for many of us want-to-be or have-been warriors. Those who seek to better, and then (almost inevitably) stumble a little or lose the way entirely.

The ageing might not apply to all - but it seems to become more relevant the older I get :)

A sharp whispered Toh!

severs courage from spirit -

ageing samurai's last battle of will