Armor and Swards

Believe it or not, Now I'm controlling your mind with force today. Shooo Khooo Shooo Khooo. You feel my force? But I just gave you only a good mind. So if you had a nice day, please thank me. Well, I saw a news report that a company develop a new 鎧 (Yoroi, armor) for Boys' Festival. It is Darth Vader. Boy's festival is called as "Tango no Sekku". A samurai Armor doll is decked in Japanese families which has boy. The company has developed Darth Vader Samurai Armor. Oh, every May 5th is the day. I think Anakin would look great on the armor.



Look the armor.



http://www.yoshitoku.co.jp/sw/yoroi01.html



http://www.yoshitoku.co.jp/sw/yoroi02.html



http://www.yoshitoku.co.jp/sw/yoroi03.html



http://www.yoshitoku.co.jp/sw/yoroi04.html





Well, it costs you about $3,000. You can order it from your country. It would be great present. It seems It doesn't include lightsaber but I think you can buy it at Toys R Us etc. But your son may fall into Dark side.



I think Kids would be scared of the armor. But some authentic ones are more terrifying.

I think it is expensive as armor. But it is doll. Authentic samurai armor for decoration is more superbly made. My family exhibits Samurai armors in my house　all year round.　I couldn't enter a room due to the terrifying armor. I was so scared to enter the room, my family replaced by a replica of armor. And I could enter the room. Now the replica is replaced by the terrifying one and my mother coat with fabric on it for me. Yes, I have a dread of it even now. :-) Actually, it is just a measure against dust.



It is said human spirit resides in armor. Once bad affairs happen uninterruptedly. We noticed the room where the terrifying armor adorned has something strange those days. There is always feeling of dampness in the room, even though we cleaned up it and allowed air to pass through easily. The room is on the West Side. It was strange. In addition, it was winter.



My father decided to invite a Shinto priest from a shrine of our village and told him the reason. (It is not a village now. It is a part of Osaka city now. ) The following day, the priest came to my house and he invited Susanoo God. Susanoo is famous as Gion's god. The shrine enshrines the Gion's god. (In fact, I'm not sure which god he invited though. ) He paid his respects to our Buddhist altar and household shinto altars and our small shrine to enshrin a white snake and went to all our rooms, (and did something for the armor) carrying out a ceremony. Of course we ourselves also were performed a purification ceremony.



The priest said "the spirit will come to my shrine tonight or tomorrow's night. People may not believe but I always feel spirits and I'm sure there are spirits in the world. We don't banish them, just we persuade them gently. I came here to invite the spirit." and "After your death, it is a job of Buddhist monk. But when you live, it is a job of Shinto. ". :-) I think I understand what you want to mean. It maybe sure for common people.



Next morning. My father said "Hey, you saw the room!?". There was not damp in the room. There was clear air. I saw the armor and found it become gently.



My mother visit the Gion's shrine and met with sister of the priest. She said "Oh, I saw a shaggy man your mother saw in dream went into the main hall last night." .　Bad affair had never happened for several years since the day.　It is true story happened around me.



This kind of interpretation of the world is in Japanese culture. It is a strange thing from point of view of modern view, but interpretation of the world is not science etc.



Once, a swordsman of Yagyu shinkage ryu visited my family home. He said "People think ghost reside in sward, but it doesn't." I thought he doesn't believe any ghost but then he said "Though I understand ghost reside in armor because it has figure of human.".



It is said sward is spirit of Samurai. There is another kind of spirit. If you visit a museum and saw Japanese sward, please check the glaze. If it is very clear, you can regard the sword haven't cut anyone. It would be made after arrival of the modern age. But if it is not clear, it has cut someone. If the sward was made until pre-modern age, absolutely it has killed someone. All swards and spears and Naginata (long-handled sword) in my family home has killed someone in battle and not in battle. All swordsmith used to tried out a new blade, it seems, mainly by outsourcing. "Headsman" who behead a criminal contracted the job in piping time of peace. Clotted blood dull up the glaze.



In fact, I don't like to have sward. When I have a sward, the sward makes me to want to cut someone. Swards often have diabolic spirit. It makes me to do it. I don't get frightened of sward but get frightened of my mind. Of course I can exercise my self-control. :-) My ground father said victim's blood invites other one's blood. So, I regard sward has spirit. It is not matter that whether it is sure spirit reside in it or not. I think it was one of the reasons of that Samurai had to practice their self-control.



I often think those spiritual thing is interesting. I suppose that our intuition precedes rational nature. Well, I have to sleep soon.



Have a great day and weekend, and may the Froce be with you!



I took the photo at Yasukuni shrine.



Explanation about Japanese armor.

http://www.fsinet.or.jp/~usa/historyus.html