They say one day a sword lover went to his master. The master asked why he had come, and he replied, “To become the best swordsman in Japan.” The master smiled and said, “Great! Now take that broom and sweep.” After the usual struggle, the student insisted that he needed to practice a lot and asked how long it would take to become the best master if he practiced 4 hours a day. The master told him 20 years. “What if I practice 8 hours a day?” he asked. The answer was 15 years. But this was still too long for the student, so he asked, “What if I practice 12 hours a day, very seriously and consistently?” The master told him that way he’d need almost 40 years of work.

At that moment, the sword lover, who had previously only had a little skill in swordsmanship, drew his sword, entered it from the master’s end, and exited from the master’s beginning. Then, by starting 20 hours of practice a day, he soon reached such a level of mastery that the former master, after recovering, would come to him, clean his restroom, and serve him in the way of the sword.