A shortwartime fable based on the exploits of the seventeenth-century master swordsmanlegendary for defeating Kojiro Sasaki with a wooden oar rather than a sword. AsMusashi Miyamoto, "Chojuro Kawarazaki, bearded and intense, is a fine figureof a hero seeking through celibacy and contemplation for the perfect stroke inboth swordplay and sculpture. While the philosophy is Zen Buddhist, theconventions are clearly reminiscent of the Western showdown in search of the bestand the fastest. The samurai mystique is very much a spiritual metaphor, however,and in its ritual resolutions of minimalist, bloodless swordplay, MusashiMiyamoto captures the essence of the steel blade as a pure, cleansinginstrument." (Andrew Sarris/Tom Allen)