Refining Blade Arts Through Sculpture

After accepting Himura Kenshin as his student, Tai Yuan did not immediately impart any sword art routines or sword techniques to him. Instead, he truly began to teach him the art of sculpture. Himura Kenshin did not question much; he learned whatever his teacher taught.

One day, Tai Yuan led Himura Kenshin to the edge of the forest, bent down, and picked up a piece of wood. "There are many types of carving. We will use materials found on site and choose wood carving."

"What is known as technique is the method an artist uses to handle form and space during the creation of a wood sculpture. This method primarily manifests in the act of cutting and carving with intention. To be precise, it is about removing excess from the outside in, step by step, gradually revealing the sculpted form."

Himura Kenshin pondered, his right hand gripping a blade about seven inches long, resembling a willow leaf, while his left hand held an irregularly shaped block of wood. He had not yet discerned what kind of image it was meant to be. The blade in his hand gently glided over the surface of the wood, as if searching for a certain sensation.

Tai Yuan continued, "In this process of subtractive shaping, we not only experience the joy of the work gradually taking form but also grasp the special nuances that various blade arts bring. Sometimes, accidental effects can introduce new interest to the work. Therefore, in wood sculpture, exploring and utilizing different blade arts, and precisely expressing one's creative intent, is the key."

Himura Kenshin showed a look of sudden realization. He immediately understood that although his teacher did not speak of sword arts, the techniques of wood carving contained interconnected martial arts principles. Sword skills could be learned through countless trials, but only knowledge was a priceless treasure.

Tai Yuan looked at Himura Kenshin and suddenly asked, "Kenshin, do you know why I previously asked if you knew calligraphy or painting?"

Himura Kenshin replied, "Teacher hoped that this student would have a refined skill, so that I could support myself without stealing or robbing, rather than relying on sword arts to bully others."

"Not just that," Tai Yuan said, "Blade arts are actually similar to brushwork in calligraphy and painting; they serve to enhance and enrich the artistic effect of a work. Elegant brushwork is formed as an expression of technique reaching mastery. Often, when people try to imitate a true painting, they find the brushwork the most difficult, because brushwork is the result of the author's spiritual and technical fusion, something that any imitation struggles to convey."

"Therefore, only by mastering technique and continuously accumulating experience can one achieve the truly ideal blade art that belongs to oneself. The grain of the wood and the carved lines, the smoothness and roughness, the concave and convex parts, using a round knife for shaping, a flat knife for cutting... These express an artistic language, whose charm cannot be achieved by carving with other materials."

He lowered his head to look at the blade in his hand and suddenly asked, "But Teacher, I don't have flat knives, round knives, or these tools. I only have one small blade."

Tai Yuan smiled faintly, his voice carrying a hint of deeper meaning. "Therefore, you must use one blade to achieve the effects of various carving tools."

He continued, "When carving the initial rough shape, the blade art must be skilled and fluid, with full expressive power; when refining the surface, the cuts must be clear and meticulous, either rotating or firm, striving to express the smallest details and emotions; when carving fur or hair, the blade must be wielded freely and decisively, with even strokes, carefully and meticulously."

"In general, blade art is the technical method a sculptor uses to express their creative ideas, and also the means to visually convey artistic content. The turning, stopping, pausing, concavity, convexity, and undulations of the blade are all meant to make the work more vivid and natural, fully expressing the beauty of the wood material and the richness of the carving art. Those who do not understand the true essence of wood carving art, when using the blade, do not carve as if writing, but merely sketch superficially, and are timid, fearing to carve poorly. The result is stiff blade work that fails to capture the charm of wood carving."

"Thus, one must carve much, practice much, ponder much, and become proficient to achieve skill, thereby forming one's own artistic language and style. By then, your sword dao will surely have escaped its former cage and can establish its own school."

Himura Kenshin listened, captivated. He bowed deeply. "Thank you, Teacher, for your guidance. This student will surely practice diligently and live up to your expectations."

He was a swordsman, and establishing a school of sword dao was naturally something he rejoiced in. Although his sword art was superb, it was experience accumulated through countless battles, and his "Fei Tian Yu Jian Liu" was gradually no longer keeping pace with him. To speak disrespectfully, he even felt that the founder of "Fei Tian Yu Jian Liu" might not be his match. His late Master, Hiko Seijuro, once said that his talent was too great.

Eventually, there would come a day when "Fei Tian Yu Jian Liu" would no longer be a defensive armor against enemies, but would transform into wings, leading him to fly towards a higher, more distant future.

Thinking of this, Himura Kenshin's heart stirred, and he exerted a little force with his hand, cutting a large chunk from the piece of wood with the sharp blade.

Tai Yuan instructed, "When carving, you must hold your breath, calm your mind, concentrate your spirit, and be meticulous."

"Yes."

***

At the foot of Yu Ling Mountain, the southern branch twenty kilometers from Shao Guan, on the bank of Cao Xi, fourteen li southeast of Ma Ba, Qu Jiang.

Looking at the temple not far away, built against the mountain, with palaces aligned on a central axis, the structure was precise, with clear hierarchy.

Lin Ping Zhi asked, "Master, after seeing the Sixth Patriarch's true body this time, do we still want to see the true bodies of the other five Chan Sect patriarchs?"

Tai Yuan replied, "No need. This master came here only to confirm a thought in my heart. Moreover, the whereabouts of the other patriarchs' true bodies are not very clear, but I can confirm that the Sixth Patriarch's true body is right here in Nanhua Chan Temple."

"Three other patriarchs are uncertain, but wasn't Patriarch Bodhidharma buried in Shaolin Temple?"

Tai Yuan smiled, yet not quite a smile. "Who told you that Patriarch Bodhidharma was buried in Shaolin Temple?"

"Uh... Isn't that what everyone in the martial world says?"

"Hehe..." Tai Yuan chuckled. "Shaolin seems to want to claim all good titles for itself now."

"Patriarch Bodhidharma, after transmitting the Dharma to Fa Hui in Shaolin Temple, went to Dinglin Temple at the foot of Xiong'er Mountain to transmit the Dharma for five years, living to 150 years old."

"150 years old?!!"

Lin Ping Zhi and Himura Kenshin exclaimed in unison.

Lin Ping Zhi thought to himself, 'This is living three lifetimes of an ordinary person.' Himura Kenshin's jaw dropped even further. In Japan, it was common to live only thirty or forty years; 150 years was unimaginable to him. If such a person appeared in Japan, they would truly be treated as a deity.

Tai Yuan saw their astonishment and found it amusing, yet also somewhat solemn.

What he didn't tell them was the anecdote about Bodhidharma, "Only a single shoe returned to the West." The story goes that an Eastern Wei envoy named Yuan Xiang, returning from the Western Regions with scriptures, encountered Grandmaster Bodhidharma walking west with a bamboo staff. He immediately reported this to the emperor. The emperor, hearing the news, ordered Bodhidharma's tomb to be opened, only to find it empty, with only a single bamboo staff remaining. This matter was truly too mystical. Tai Yuan did not know the truth of it, but it did not prevent him from holding deep reverence for this Patriarch.