What Does “Tenken” Signify?

The term “Tenken” is an occasionally utilised phrase in the English vocabulary, surely, but it is a time period that has a which means to a very specific crowd of people today. The term – stolen from Japanese, and unfold through the anime looking at sub-lifestyle in English talking international locations, has levels and levels to its this means. Some of them are seemingly contradictory in character, so in order to fully grasp the term, it is really rather essential to comprehend its heritage.

Enable me commence by going in excess of a few of the preferred definitions that you may come across on the internet:

• “Heavenly Sword. To have wonderful means with the sword — to a diploma that the ability can only be a present from the heavens.”
• “To shift, consider, or act with Godlike pace and accuracy.”
• “Pertaining to swordsmanship – to act or go with Godlike velocity.”

These all root back again to the way in which the expression Tenken was popularized in the US, which is via the Japanese anime collection regarded as “Rurouni Kenshin.” Inside this anime, the character Seta Soujiro, an 18 yr previous swordsman, fights without having emotion, passion, or anger. Since of this, he is virtually solely unpredictable on the battlefield. His velocity, precision, and ability are unmatched. In truth, Soujiro is under no circumstances defeated in overcome, even by the best heroes of the series. He is named “the Tenken.”

This presents us a handful of alternate definitions of what Tenken may imply. It can imply:

• Someone who is brutally effective.
• Someone who is very quick, amazingly gifted, or incredibly wise.
• Another person who exhibits no feelings at all.

But in this unquestionably great anime series, the character of Seta Soujiro is not merely an emotionless learn swordsman. As his story unfolds, we find out about his tragic previous, and what he hides beneath the emotionless mask.

On the inside, he’s torn up. On the inside, he just desires to be allowed to be weak. We see this in his remaining battle with Kenshin (the protagonist of the series) as Soujiro starts off allowing his feelings out, and has this inside dialogue:

If it really is appropriate to conserve folks who have been weak, then back again then, why didn’t you safeguard me? Why did not anybody defend me?

Then he suggests, their swords locked, “You did not safeguard me. If what you say is right, then why didn’t you secure me?” Seta begins to have a significant breakdown. He begins flailing, clutching his head as he stumbles all around the space, screaming. Mainly because of this emotional breakdown, he loses the struggle to Kenshin (but is not killed).

We fundamentally find that, even with the fact that he’s appeared like this entirely heartless killer, he’s this torn up and sensitive particular person who’s been repressing every single little bit of emotion he has. His regular smile is a mask versus the rest of the environment, and against his individual demons.

So, we can include these definitions to our record:

• Anyone who is pretending not to encounter feelings, but has a sturdy emotional facet.
• A person who offers a tough exterior, or a false exterior, to shield by themselves in opposition to their own demons or past.

In the aftermath of this fight, the Tenken determines that he will start off wandering in order to find who he really is. He suggests:

“It truly is a minor unfair…. When you are making an attempt to repair service a brick building that was produced the wrong way the initial time, you have to tear the total detail down right before you can start off it can’t be completed any other way simply because brick is just also solid.”

So, we can also view Tenken as a expression which means:

• Somebody in search of redemption or fact.
• Somebody who is obtaining to crack apart his identity and re-build it.
• An individual who is in search of to be superior at excellent charge.

All of these factors are powerful and meaningful to me, which is why I’ve adopted the title “Tenken” as a moniker in my on the internet interactions. Even my blog is named soon after the Tenken – exclusively, http://www.TenkenatHeart.com

And me. I’m Rob Tenken.