Beginning of Essay
Zen has long had a great influence upon Japanese culture. Many aspects of this culture are touched upon by Zen including art, literature, and specific ceremonies such as the one concerning tea. During the Kamakura period of Japan, another area of culture began to ....

Middle of Essay
.... order for the Zen master to pass on this state of mind to the eager to learn samurai, the master had to equate the state of mushin (empty mind and egolessness) with something familiar to the warrior. And what is more familiar to a warrior than his weapon, most often a sword such as a tachi (long-blade), katana, or iaito? From the first time that a samurai blade is picked up by its owner until the day the owner dies, it is his goal to so completely master the blade and make it as much a part of him as his own hand that there is seemingly no effort in using it. As stated by Takuan, a Zen master from the Tokugawa period, “you must follow the movement ....