My understanding of Zangetsu is "Morning Moon." As a child I always loved seeing the moon in the morning and after learning that in Japan there is a specific word just for this I was all the more in love. I also remember hearing a story about the Sun and the Moon with regard to Zangetsu. The Moon is in love with the radiant Sun, but is too shy to express it. So for a brief period each month the Moon remains while the Sun rises to express that love. On these occasions it is said that if you see the moon in the morning that you should tell someone special something that you have been too afraid of saying. The morning moon can be, then, an omen to express and manifest inner emotions that have laid dormant waiting to be released. |
| Patrick Whiting |
