Kankyakka

QUOTE

Elizabeth Kenny once said…

“He who angers you conquers you.”

(Australian nurse)

CONCEPT

Kankyakka

Kankyakka is a Japanese concept that means “cooling the fire of anger.”

Rooted in Zen and Buddhist traditions, kankyakka emphasizes calming one’s emotional state before reacting—particularly in moments of intense frustration, irritation, or offense.

It involves cultivating self-awareness and emotional discipline so that one can pause, breathe, and respond with clarity rather than impulsivity.

STORY

Sorry … Not Sorry?

In 17th-century Japan, the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was renowned not only for his unparalleled dueling skills but for his fierce temper. Early in his career, Musashi sought out challenges and defeated opponents with an intensity that bordered on ruthless.

But one encounter changed the way he viewed power, discipline, and emotional control.

Musashi had agreed to duel Sasaki Kojirō, a samurai known for both his skill and arrogance. The fight was scheduled for a remote island, and Musashi, in a surprising move, deliberately arrived hours late. Kojirō, furious at the delay, stormed onto the beach, red with anger. When Musashi finally appeared, he stepped off a boat holding not a polished katana but a wooden oar he had carved into a weapon during the journey.

The fight lasted mere seconds.

Kojirō, still seething, charged in fury. Musashi remained calm and focused, striking Kojirō down with a single, well-timed blow. While Musashi had mastered swordsmanship, what won him the duel that day was his mastery of kankyakka—his ability to remain mentally cool as his opponent boiled with rage.

Later in life, Musashi would retreat to a cave, writing The Book of Five Rings, a treatise not just on martial strategy but on inner discipline. He warned against allowing emotions—particularly anger—to control one's decisions, urging warriors to develop an unshakable calm in all encounters.

Musashi’s victory wasn’t just physical. He had learned that unchecked anger blinds us, narrows our perception, and weakens our judgment.

True mastery, he realized, lies not in overpowering others through brute strength … but in controlling oneself.