Today I decided to write the four kanji compound of morohanotsurugi. In English, we might say, Double-Edged Sword.
Though there is a meaning that through misuse the sword has the possibility of injuring or killing the enemy as well as the user. After banging my head against the ignorance of others, and myself, I felt this was a fitting motif for calligraphy practice today. This phrase is an admonishment to all that practice martial arts really. Though especially the sword which can injure the user. Instead, the user can harm himself with it.
It is pure folly to rush blindly into training with shinken (sharp swords). It is just dangerous to use any weapon without proper training. Even bokuto (wooden swords) can be dangerous. It is important to be humble about training and our skill level. We should strive to remove the myopic thinking that can lead us astray. I myself only know so much, and there is much more to learn.