The Aikido of Manhattan Logo
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The Aikido of Manhattan Logo |
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This mid-Muromachi period iron sword guard (Tsuba),
carved in the round with an openwork design of a rinbo,
can be said to reflect the Buddhist faith of the warriors.
The sacred wheel (rinbo), originally a weapon in ancient India,
with swords as spokes, was adopted by esoteric Buddhism and used
in ceremonies such as the taking of vows. It symbolized both the
wheel of the law, and smoothing the path before one, or breaking
down the enemies in one's own mind. To warriors, it also represented
the cutting down of earthly foes, and such was often used with sword-blade
device as a personal crest. The sacred wheel was by far the most
widely adopted crest of Buddhist significance.
This swordguard has been chosen to be the Aikido of Manhattan logo. |