Word and image

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

I've been away for a while, discovered an intriguing martial arts shop on my travels, had a laptop with me and came up with this idea for combining my interests in Gackt, martial arts and poetry.

The image is from a photobook related to the NHK TV drama series Fuurin Kazan which features Gackt in his role as Uesugi Kenshin.  The photographer is Seiichi Nomura.  The imagery and content of the poem comes from a Japanese martial arts notion (e.g. in the bow art kyudo) that the weapon-holder becomes united with the target through the weapon itself, which is converted to a channel for the focus of the warrior's spirit.  The "bridal" nature of Kenshin's costume is, I guess, entirely incidental!
 

Comments

[karadin.livejournal.com]

A few things I've learned by studying history, the victors always write it, and often you learn more about the biographer and how they use an historical figure as their medium, than the figure him/her self.

That said, there are such wonderful stories in history, it's always been a source of interest to me, not the dry dusty details.

And, I think the idea that the human race is moving forward can be very wrong, there are achievements in ancient times we have yet to surpass, and periods of enlightenment and social justice (gay marriage in Korea a thousand years ago, for one thing) that we still aspire to.

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

"the victors always write it" - that is so true! And the literate. The voiceless have little voice in the past beyond archaeology; their bones do speak sometimes.

Yes, I'm with you on the inspirational quality of many "stories" in history. I can easily see how my adult character had its seedbed in my childhood love of explorers sailing into the unknown and heroes whose (noble) thoughts put their bodies into peril!

I think Man does move forward (in time and technology) but agree that we seem to have progressed very little in the wisdom of using either the time or the technology for anything other than the instinctive feeding of primitive appetites (which you could call selfishness and egotism).

No wonder we enjoy our hard-working, responsible Gackt as a relief, eh?