Unboxing Old Photos: Miyamoto Musashi's Legendary Wooden Sword Returned to Japan

(CNA website) On the morning of July 9, 1958, students and citizens gathered in front of the Highway Bureau station on Dagong Road in Kaohsiung City to welcome Japanese kendo master Aokino Kikuo, who was visiting Taiwan to retrieve a red oak wooden sword that had been kept by his Taiwanese disciple, Huang Huan-bin, for 13 years. This wooden sword is said to have been personally crafted by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

Upon receiving the wooden sword that day, Aokino could not hide his joy, saying, "This is a treasured sword. After I bring it back to Japan, all my disciples will have the opportunity to admire it, and it will be passed down forever from generation to generation."

Before returning to Japan after the war, Aokino Kikuo entrusted the wooden sword to his disciple, Huang Huan-bin, for safekeeping. The wooden sword is approximately 110.5 centimeters long. The front of the blade is inscribed with "Cold current carries moonlit clear water mirror," and the reverse side bears the Japanese poem "True form perfect military strategy," totaling 14 characters. The hilt has two deep finger marks, believed to be traces left by Miyamoto Musashi's long-term use.

Aokino Kikuo was the 8th successor of Miyamoto Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryū. He taught at Taichung Commercial School (the predecessor of the present-day National Taichung University of Science and Technology) and later founded Shin Min Private Senior Vocational School of Commerce and Industry, profoundly influencing the development of education and martial arts in Taiwan.

Huang Huan-bin, who was responsible for safeguarding the wooden sword, was also a significant driving force in the development of kendo in Taiwan. Born in Yuanlin, Changhua, in 1923, he studied under Aokino Kikuo in his youth. After the war, he promoted kendo in Kaohsiung for many years, not only establishing dojos and nurturing successors but also assisting in the establishment of the Kaohsiung Medical University Kendo Club, dedicating his life to kendo education.

After the wooden sword was returned, Aokino Kikuo returned to Usa City, Japan, in the same year and held the "Commemorative Martial Arts Demonstration for the Return of Musashi's Legendary Wooden Sword" to commemorate the return of this treasured item of his school to Japan.

To see more photos of Miyamoto Musashi's wooden sword, visit the CNA Image Space immediately. 1150701

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