Jade Palace Vendetta

With a perfect defense, a swordsman can never be defeated. He might not be able to win, but he will never lose.

As a warrior, Kaze knew death much more intimately than most men, but even the most sheltered farmer understood that life was finite. Therefore, death by itself had little meaning to Kaze, but the manner of death had much meaning. There are good deaths and bad deaths.

...you must not confuse the necessity of doing something with the joy of doing something.

As he made his way, his lantern illuminated the pathway before him just a few steps ahead. His life was like the glow from the lantern. He could see only one or two steps ahead of him, yet his faith in the future kept him moving forward, sure that he would complete his task if allowed to live.

Zen says there must be no space between thought and action.

The supreme joy for a true master is to have a pupil who surpasses him, so a true master would not withhold an important secret from a pupil.

“...you must do something for me.”
“What?”
“Kill Hishigawa.”
“I’m not a murderer,” Kaze said.
“But you’re a samurai.”
“Yes, and as a samurai I kill. But I do not murder.”
“What’s the difference?” Elder Grandma said aggressively.
“Murder is unjust. If I kill, it may simply be the luck of battle or it may be because the world is better off with someone dead”

Excerpt From
Jade Palace Vendetta
Dale Furutani
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The road can be a
prelude to the gates of hell.
Home is a heaven.

Sometimes memory can be like a bronze razor, Kaze reflected, lacerating the soul and shredding the heart, cutting deeply into the core of who we are and what motivates us.

He could hear the voice of his sword teacher, his Sensei, saying, “When you play with fools, you act like a fool. When you act like a fool, you are one.”