Mushashi Minamoto,the greatest known swordsman of Japanese martial samurai history, authored a treatise: BOOK OF FIVE RINGS. He was a martial philosopher influenced by Zen Buddhism. Ideogramtically the Sino-Japanese character for "Samurai" are two Chinese characters: the first, Man, and the second, Temple.
I will discourse on the central martial metaphors for the spirit and philosophy of swordsmanship.
Fire. The strategic movement, and over-lay of the body, mind and spirit of handling the sword must be as unpredictable and torrentially powerful as a conflagration of the flames of fire in its speed and its destructive power in mortal combat.
Wind. The sword striking techniques must be hollow, engulfing and empty without form that the opponent cannot predict or calculate one's series of, or next attack.
Void. All strategy, attack, posture, attack, and parrying must be executed without any mental obstruction or blockage. It must flow into the void, mu-shin (no-mind).
Timing. This is like rhythmic balance of coordinating and synchronizing all attacks according to an allotment of time like a dance.
The rest of Mimamoto's treatise is when these rules no longer hold "cash value" in winning the battle, when the opponent violates all orthodox rules of fighting, Or* when orthodox techniques can no longer be used to attain victory. This remains controversial even till day in martial arts philosophy; but life and death at its dire moment can unravel the legitimacy of such unorthodox movements.
It is like asking the question are their just rules of warfare? That is, terrorism by a rogue group or nation-state using computers and cyber-surveillance, which break all rules of global-cyber law? If not, Minamoto's ultimate conclusion that to win by any any means--symetric or asymetric, whether orthodox or unorthodox to defeat your mortal enemy is a legitimate necessity for one's survival, and national security and defense.
It is a Season of invisible digital assassins, and rogue states! If we read Dr. Greunter Lewy's history on the military strategy and tactics of the Northern Vietnamese, who used absolutely unorthodox tactics to defeat the U.S., Minamoto's assessment and strategy of when to use orthodox tactics at any cost, and when to violate them is literally on the front-burner of strategic battlegrounds of cyber-terrorists who declare war, and who are invisible enemies to global national security, peace and justice.
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