Part 12/15:
While emphasizing the virtue of mastery in the long sword, Musashi advises against over-reliance on weapon length or strength. Instead, he stresses that winning depends on spirit, timing, and technique.
He advocates for carrying both a long sword and a companion sword (katana and wakizashi), mastering their use in harmony, and recognizing that technical flaws or overconfidence in a particular weapon are liabilities.
He quotes that in battle, one man with virtue and wisdom can defeat ten, or even a thousand—highlighting that inner discipline and strategic insight far outweigh brute force or technological advantage.