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DougSGoBlogMay2003
NamedJoseki

 

Magic sword
    Keywords: Joseki

The Magic sword of Muramasa is the nickname of the following combination. The reason for this nickname is that a lot of very difficult variations follow from it.

It is common usage, if inaccurate, to call the pincer with 1 itself the 'Magic Sword'.

[Diagram]
The real 'magic sword'

This variation was played in a 1931 game between Kato Shin and Go Seigen (White: colours were reversed). It then perhaps went underground for a generation.



As a comment on the unexplored joseki concept, it is probably the case that many analyses were published, but the move was played in few (maybe no) high-profile pro games. Such moves may be well known in magazines, and played by strong amateurs; but cannot be called joseki.


Actually it seems that in the lore of Japanese swords and their smiths, Muramasa is a name of ill-omen compared to Masamune, said to be his teacher.

"MURAMASA, The Cursed Sword smith

The other sword smith named Muramasa was a Japanese student studying the art of sword-making under the guidance of Masamune. He wished to recreate Masamune's work, but failed. In the Japanese bujutsu there is a saying: satsujinken katsujinken. Roughly translated, this means 'The sword that kills, the sword that gives life'. This principle dominates the entire word martial in that a martial artist’s goal is to preserve life with his skill, never to take it.

Masamune knew this, but Muramasa did not. For this reason he did not have the insight on the blade that his teacher did, and therefore could never accomplish the same skill in his own work. He assumed the blade was for death alone, and because of this, his sword smith skills have always been pulled to the satsujinken side of the equation (killing), his blades always wanting blood and never serving their true identity."

This is edited from a possibly unreliable Web source, concerned with manga/anime.

A warning in there somewhere for addicts of tricky joseki?


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This is a copy of the living page "Magic sword" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.