The Myth of the Double-edged Sword

Chinese history is filled with many myths concerning the sword. One of the most famous tells of the making of a male and female sword by two of the best known sword makers from the Warring States Period (401-221 BC). This was a time of civil war in China. The power of the Chou emperor had weakened and many factions were at war. A race was on to produce stronger and sharper swords. At the time, swords were the primary weapons and were extremely valuable. Sword makers of the day were highly respected. Two of the most famous swordmakers of the day were a husband and wife team, Con-Cheung and Mok-Cha. They were real historical figures and also the main characters of a Chinese legend.

Mok-Cha is said to have found two gold nuggets, both the size of her fist. Her husband, con-Cheung, decided to forge the nuggets into two swords. One the top of See Sing Mountain in Chekiang Province, he built a sword oven and put the gold nuggets inside. For three years, Con-Cheung heated the gold day and night. The sword oven burned brilliantly, but the gold would not melt.

At the beginning of the fourth year, the two gold nuggets glowed brightly and rattled around in the oven. Con-Cheung decided to sacrifice himself to make the sword. He cut his hair and fingernails and washed himself. Then he threw himself into the sword oven. Immediately, one of the gold nuggets melted and the male Con-Cheung sword was made. The second nugget remained unmelted, Mok-Cha mourned her husband's death. In order to reunite herself with him, she too jumped into the sword oven. The gold nugget melted and the female Mok-Cha sword was forged.

Of course, historically, Con-Cheung and Mok-Cha never physically threw themselves into sword oven. The story is representative of the enormous personal sacrifice the swordmakers gave to their art. The legend illustrates that the forging of fine weapons entailed a great deal of time and effort, the kung-fu of sword making

Keep working with the idea of becoming one with your weapon as you move, but do not jump into any fires. Find the time and apply effort into perfecting what you are doing while keeping your lives in balance and enjoying the process. Although I want you to practice hard I do not wish you to be "consumed" by the art because you will burn out quickly.

-Simu