> > I'm looking for info on 16th Century Warlord-Poets, have you seen any pages about that?
> Kw "Er, it's for a school project... yeah." irq

Hm. How about Japan's most famous Samurai... Shinmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Genshin, born in 1584? Poet, painter, and calligrapher. Author of the "Book of Five Rings". Sculptor and swordsmith. Completely and utterly undefeated in battle: to the point that he would only fight duels using wooden swords.


> Hmmmmm... Warlord-Poet... now, THERE'S an occupation I could enjoy!

It's certainly a lot of work. The hours are miserable, the pay even worse; and you might sleep with your horse. Oh yeah, fyi, any duel challenges back then were always fought to the death, no less. The greatest warrior was forced to become one with his instrument of expression, be it sword or inkbrush. At the moment of truth -- the definitive stroke of sword or brush -- There, a Samurai would strive to pour his entire self into that split second. He would not care whether he live or die at that moment.

The Japanese might call this state the "Pen and Sword in accord".

I suppose Musashi accurately reflects his philosophy. He's the one who said, Know the ways of all professions. When I compare his watercolour-paintings to the work of any other Japanese artist before or since, without a doubt Musashi had "something" (asthetically speaking) that no one else has been able to capture on paper IMHO.

Wolfspirit

"In the practice of every way of life and every kind of work, there is a state of mind called that of the deviant. Even if you strive diligently on your chosen path day after day, if your heart is not in accord with it, then even if you think you are on a good path, from the point of view of the straight and true, this is not a genuine path. If you do not pursue a genuine path to its consummation, then a little bit of crookedness in the mind will later turn into a major warp." -Musashi