A famous quote by Miyamoto Musashi, the master swordsman who remains popular today through his appearances in various creative works.

On every path, do not grieve partings.Miyamoto Musashi

For those who started living on their own this year, those who moved to Tokyo for further studies, and those who left their hometowns for a job—there must have been many farewells along the way.

Leaving a familiar place is lonely, it brings a measure of anxiety, and of course being separated from parents and friends is no different.

In the days of Miyamoto Musashi, when transportation was nowhere near as developed as it is now, the word “farewell” may even have carried a resonance akin to bereavement.

And yet, Musashi lived without letting even such partings trouble his heart—so it seems to me.

Take the sky as a road, and see the road as the sky.Miyamoto Musashi

An unexpectedly popular character from the manga Fist of the North Star is Juuza of the Clouds.

His free-spirited personality must have made him a beloved figure.

When you’re going to school or work every day, there are days when everything just feels unbearable.

You might even want to quit living a life that runs on rails someone else laid down.

At times like that, please remember these words from Musashi.

They’ll make your heart take wing and give you the feeling you can walk your path freely.

“It’s up to you to decide how you live.” It almost feels as if he’s gently teaching us even that.

Think little of yourself and think deeply of the world.Miyamoto Musashi

I think this phrase can be interpreted in several ways, but many translations take it to mean that you shouldn’t place too much importance on yourself and should think more deeply about the world.

Alternatively, it might mean to stop thinking in a self-centered way and look at the world more broadly and objectively.

It’s wrong to treat yourself poorly, but the way you cherish a mistaken version of yourself is also misguided, isn’t it? When you feel like you’re losing sight of who you are, please reflect on where you stand—and consider whether you’re focusing too much on yourself.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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In the Way, one thinks without shunning death.Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi can be called a master who perfected the way of the sword, and among his famous sayings is this: one must not fear death in the pursuit of one’s own path.

I imagine that many of you reading this have, even if not on such a grand scale, tried to stick to some path or conviction of your own.

Musashi tells us that in such times, it is vital to throw yourself into it with everything you have, to see it through and master it.

Doing so helps a person grow and elevates that path into something more noble.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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The heart never strays from the Way.Miyamoto Musashi

Many of the disciplines regarded as traditionally Japanese—such as kendo, judo, and aikido—include the character for “dō” (the Way) in their names.

And although they are not sports, ikebana (kado), the tea ceremony (sado), and kōdō (the way of incense) also use this character.

This may be a somewhat self-serving interpretation, but I suspect Japanese people applied the character “dō” to practices that require long years of training.

Of course, Miyamoto Musashi’s “dō” refers to the Way of swordsmanship.

To think of nothing but that, whatever one is doing—this strikes me as a grand word that encapsulates Musashi himself.