Kanji
are ideographs and pictographs used in written Japanese.
On Kingfisher Swords, Staffs, Hiking Sticks and katana kake (sword stands), inscriptions are oriented
vertically and read top to bottom. The characters are
burned into the wood by hand with a calligraphy stylus.
The bokken, shown above with and without tsuba,
is inscribed with the word "randori", which
is made up two kanji. The first, ran, means chaos. The
second, dori, means to seize or capture. Randori refers
to the martial practice of freeform attack and defense
practice. On the Jo staff to the right, is the kanji "masagatsu
agatsu"which means - true victory is self victory.
The Kingfisher kanji archive is an unusual window into
esoteric kanji and uncommon phrases that could be inscribed
into your wooden weapon or hiking stick. They are compiled from arcane
classical sources that relate to the Japanese martial
arts, natural phenomena and Zen thought.
