Musashi’s Disciple
He led him far into the mountains to a place where a tree trunk lay across a ravine, a dizzying, deep chasm. "There," said the master, "walk over."
The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 cups of coffee…
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar…
Good Luck, Bad Luck
An old man and his son worked on a small farm, with only one horse to pull the plough. One day the horse ran away. “How terrible,” sympathized the neighbors…
The Four Flies
A Samurai was calmly eating his supper in a small inn, ignoring four flies, which kept buzzing round him. Three Ronin (masterless samurai) came in: they looked enviously at the…
The Fisherman and the Samurai
A long time ago during the reign of the Tokagawa Shogunate a samurai set out on an errand. Precisely one year ago to the day he had lent 10 koku…
The Challenge
One day a hungry old man entered a small village and noticed a sign proclaiming the name of a local Iaido school. Knowing that it was customary for a dojo’s…
Matajuro and the Art of the Sword
Matajuro Yagyu, son of a renowned master of the sword, was relegated by his father, who believed his efforts were not sufficient to become a true master. Matajuro, who had…