Download or read book The Demon s Sermon on the Martial Arts and Other Tales written by Chozan Niwa and published by Kodansha International. This book was released on 2006 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chozanshi was a swordsman with a deep understanding of Taoism, Buddhism,onfucianism and Shinto. "The Demon's Sermon" is a masterful syncreticreatment of these philosophies and religions, bringing their centraleanings to bear on the essence of the martial arts. The demon delivering theermon is the long-nosed half-man, half-bird Tengu, a terrifying but notecessarily malevolent figure who inhabits the recesses of Mount Kurama.pening this volume is a selection of short, humorous tales from Chozanshi's "he Hayseed Taoist" ("Inaka Soshi"). The stories are lessons aboutpontaneity and non-attachment, and prime the reader philosophically for 'Theemon'. The final section is a translation of "The Mysterious Technique ofhe Cat" ("Neko no Myojutsu"), also from "The Hayseed Taoist" and araditional favourite of the martial artists of Japan. The section summariseshe entire work and adroitly illustrates Lao Tzu's dictum that "The mastercts, relying on nothing."
Download or read book The Demon s Sermon on the Martial Arts written by William Scott Wilson and published by Shambhala. This book was released on 2012-11-13 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of parables written by an eighteenth-century samurai is a classic of martial arts literature. The tales are concerned with themes such as perception of conflict, self-transformation, the cultivation of chi (life energy), and understanding yin and yang. Some of the parables seem light and fanciful, but they offer the reader valuable lessons on the fundamental principles of the martial arts; “The Mysterious Technique of the Cat” is iconic. The “demon” in the title story refers to the mythical tengu, who guard the secrets of swordsmanship. A swordsman travels to Mt. Kurama, famous for being inhabited by tengu, and in a series of conversations he learns about mushin (no-mind), strategy, the transformation of chi, and how the path of the sword leads to the understanding of life itself. The author, Issai Chozanshi, had a deep understanding of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto, as well as insight into the central role of chi in the universe—points that are succinctly explained in William Scott Wilson’s fine introduction and extensive endnotes. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to truly understand the philosophical underpinnings of martial arts, and how these principles relate to our existence.
Download or read book The Demon s Sermon on the Martial Arts written by Sean Michael Wilson and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2013-03-12 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A graphic novel version of this classic collection of martial arts parables, written by Issai Chozanshi, an 18-century samurai, brings these tales alive in a captivating and immediately accessible way. The stories, which feature demons, insects, birds, cats, and numerous other creatures, may seem whimsical, but they contain essential teachings that offer insight into the fundamental principles of the martial arts. Infused with Chozanshi’s deep understanding of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto, the tales elucidate the nature of conflict, the importance of following one’s own nature, yin and yang, the cultivation and transformation of ch’i (life energy), and the attainment of mushin (no-mind). Ultimately, the reader learns in a visually exciting way that the path of the sword is a path of self-knowledge and leads to an understanding of life itself.
Download or read book The Demon s Sermon on the Martial Arts written by Sean Michael Wilson and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2013-03-12 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A visually thrilling graphic novel adaptation of classic martial arts parables on swordsmanship and strategy—written by a real-life samurai The Demon’s Sermon on the Martial Arts is a classic collection of martial arts tales, written by the eighteenth-century samurai Issai Chozanshi. Featuring demons, insects, birds, cats, and numerous other creatures, the stories here may seem whimsical, but they contain essential teachings that offer insight into the fundamental principles of the martial arts. This graphic novel version based on Chozanshi’s text brings these tales alive in a captivating and immediately accessible way. Infused with Chozanshi’s deep understanding of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto, the tales elucidate the nature of conflict, the importance of following one’s own nature, yin and yang, the cultivation and transformation of ch’i (life energy), and the attainment of mushin (no-mind). Ultimately, the reader learns in a visually exciting way that the path of the sword is a path of self-knowledge and leads to an understanding of life itself.
Download or read book Manga Yokai Stories written by Lafcadio Hearn and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thrilling collection of seven Japanese ghost stories will captivate lovers of yokai stories! These classic Japanese ghost stories are based on those written by famed author Lafcadio Hearn between 1890 and 1904. Here, they are retold by award-winning comic book writer Sean Michael Wilson, who has garnered a worldwide fan base for his manga adaptations of works of Japanese literature, including such classics as The Book of Five Rings and The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts. Manga Yokai Stories includes: Nuke-kubi: A masterless samurai is trapped in a house haunted by headless goblins The Screen Maiden: A young man develops an obsession with a woman in a painting that almost kills him Corpse Rider: A woman's unburied corpse cannot rest until she has taken her revenge on the man who divorced her A Dead Secret: A young mother terrifies her family when she returns as a ghost, unable to find peace until she puts to rest a shocking secret she has left behind Wilson's skillful adaptation of Hearn's ghostly tales--along with superb manga illustrations from UK-based Japanese artist Inko Ai Takita--make these fascinating stories come to life. This book is in traditional Japanese reading order--from back to front--so that fans and manga lovers can enjoy an authentic reading experience.
Download or read book The Way of the Living Sword written by Yagyu Munenori and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2003-08 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Way of the Living Sword is the final installment in D.E. Tarver's popular Warrior Series. It stands beside The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi as one of the greatest writings of the warrior mind. In The Way of the Living Sword, Munenori gives an in-depth explanation of the connection between physical martial arts and the mental process of Zen. While Munenori and Musashi were both avid students of Zen, Munenori was more fascinated by the academic aspects of the philosophy. Munenori stretches the consciousness of even the most enlightened martial artist. Martial arts devotees will experience many flashes of revelation as Tarver explores the various aspects of Munenori's approach. Read and grow!
Download or read book Cultivating Ch i written by Kaibara Ekiken and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2013-04-09 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover a different side of Japanese swordsmanship through this fascinating treatise by a samurai doctor on how to maintain a healthy mind, body, and spiritual life Samurai are best known for taking life—but here is a samurai doctor’s prescription for how to preserve life, and to make yours a long and healthy one. Unlike other samurai of his time, the samurai Kaibara Ekiken (1630–1714) was concerned less with swordsmanship than with how to maintain and nurture the healthy mind and body upon which martial techniques and philosophy depended. While serving as the chief medical doctor and healer to the Kuroda clan, he came to a holistic view of how the physical, mental, and spiritual lives of his patients were connected. Drawing from his medical practice, the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, and his life experience, Ekiken created this text as a guide to sustaining health and stamina from youth to old age. Ekiken’s advice regarding moderation, food and drink, sleep, sexual activity, bathing, and therapeutic practices is still amazingly intuitive and appropriate nearly three hundred years after this book was written.
Download or read book The Unfettered Mind written by Takuan Soho and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2012-06-12 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic samurai-era text that fused Japanese swordsmanship with Zen philosophy—written by the incomparable Zen master Takuan Soho Written by the seventeenth-century Zen master Takuan Soho (1573–1645), The Unfettered Mind is a book of advice on swordsmanship and the cultivation of right mind and intention. It was written as a guide for the samurai Yagyu Munenori, who was a great swordsman and rival to the legendary Miyamoto Musashi. Takuan was a giant in the history of Zen; he was also a gardener, calligrapher, poet, author, adviser to samurai and shoguns, and a pivotal figure in Zen painting. He was known for his brilliance and acerbic wit. In these succinct and pointed essays, Takuan is concerned primarily with understanding and refining the mind—both generally and when faced with conflict. The Unfettered Mind was a major influence on the classic manifestos on swordsmanship that came after it, including Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings and Yagyu Munenori's Life-Giving Sword.
Download or read book Musashi A Graphic Novel written by Sean Michael Wilson and published by Shambhala. This book was released on 2014-09-02 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A stunning graphic novel biography of the famous samurai warrior who wrote the classic text on Japanese martial arts, The Book of Five Rings Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary samurai, is known throughout the world as a master swordsman, a spiritual seeker, and the author of the classic Book of Five Rings. This graphic novel treatment of his amazing life is both a vivid account of a fascinating period in feudal Japan and a portrait of courageous, iconoclastic samurai who wrestled with philosophical and spiritual ideas that are as relevant today as they were in his time. For Musashi, the way of the martial arts was about mastery of the mind rather than simply technical prowess. Over 350 years after his death, Musashi still intrigues us—and his Book of Five Rings is essential reading for students of all martial arts and those interested in cultivating strategic mind.
Download or read book The Book of Five Rings written by Sean Michael Wilson and published by Shambhala. This book was released on 2012-11-13 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A graphic novel retelling of the classic martial arts manifesto on swordsmanship, strategy, and winning—by the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi This graphic novel version of The Book of Five Rings, the iconic book of confrontation and victory by the famed seventeenth-century duelist and undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi, illuminates this brilliant manifesto, which has long inspired martial artists and anyone interested in cultivating a strategic mind. With evocative drawings and a distilled but faithful text adapted by acclaimed manga writer Sean Michael Wilson, The Book of Five Rings comes alive both as a guide to swordsmanship and strategy, and as a view into Musashi’s world.
Download or read book On the Warrior s Path Second Edition written by Daniele Bolelli and published by North Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2010-05-18 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An entertaining and insightful history of martial arts and the role of the warrior, drawing on pop culture, philosophy, mythology, religion, and spirituality The urge to forge one’s character by fighting, in daily life as well as on the mat, appeals to something deep within us. More than a collection of fighting techniques, martial arts constitute a path to developing body, spirit, and awareness. On the Warrior’s Path connects the martial arts with this larger perspective, merging subtle philosophies with no-holds-barred competition, Nietzsche with Bruce Lee, radical Taoism and Buddhism with the Star Wars Trilogy, traditional martial arts with basketball and American Indian culture. At the center of all these phenomena is the warrior. Though this archetype seems to manifest contradictory values, author Daniele Bolelli describes the heart of this tension: how the training of martial technique leads to a renunciation of violence, and how overcoming fear leads to a unique freedom. Aimed at students at any level or tradition of martial arts but also accessible to the armchair warrior, On the Warrior’s Path brings fresh insights to why martial arts remains an enduring and widespread art and discipline. Two new chapters in this second edition focus on spirituality in the martial arts and the author’s personal journey in the field.
Download or read book Budoshoshinshu written by Yūzan Daidōji and published by Black Belt Communications. This book was released on 1984 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This 17th-century text written for the education and guidance of Japanese warriors delineates the ethics, morality and daily duties of a class of people dedicated to honor and courage. William Scott Wilson holds a master's degree in Japanese language and literature.
Download or read book Hagakure written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo and published by Vertical Inc. This book was released on 2021-02-17 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on William Scott Wilson's definitive translation, adapted by scriptwriter and comic book/manga author Sean Wilson, and with lively drawings by well-known illustrator Chie Kutsuwada, this first-ever graphic treatment of what's considered the most influential of all samurai treatises is sure to delight manga fans, martial arts enthusiasts, and students of Japanese culture. Reminiscent of The Arabian Nights in structure, Hagakure is a collection of tales and anecdotes that offer instruction and insight into the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido—the Way of the Warrior. A young, upcoming samurai seeks the advice of an older, seasoned warrior who has become a Zen monk. The ambitious young samurai humbly begs to learn from the old master, who consents. So begins a series of eventful meetings. At each sitting. the master tells his young student tales of samurai past. Tales of famous warriors are recited, as well as ignoble gaffs. With brutal, unrelenting samurai justice, wrongs are righted and judgment is enacted. With each incident, the young novice learns what it means to be a samurai. Learns what courage and right thought are. Learns the harsh realities and subtle wisdom of his age. Writer Sean Wilson and illustrator Chie Kutsuwada both bring ample experience in the genre to this project. And, as an added bonus, William Scott Wilson, the translator of the original Kodansha International version of the book, provides an illuminating Afterword.
Download or read book Fight for the Forgotten written by Justin Wren and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-07-05 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "From notable mixed martial artist and UFC fighter, Justin Wren, comes a personal account of faith, redemption, empowerment, and overwhelming love as one man sets out on an international mission to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. Justin Wren knows what it's like to feel like the world is against you. Like many kids, Justin was bullied as a child, but had a dream that kept him going. Fueled by the anger he felt toward his tormenters, Justin trained hard and propelled his dream of becoming a UFC fighter into reality. But the pain from his childhood didn't dissipate and Justin fell into a spiral of depression and addiction, leading him on a path toward destruction. After getting kicked out of his training community, his career was in shambles and he had nowhere else to go, so Justin attended a men's retreat, and it was there he found God. As Justin began piecing his life back together, he joined several international mission trips that opened his eyes and his heart to a world filled with suffering deep in the jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo. There he came across the Mbuti Pygmy tribe, a group of people persecuted by neighboring tribes and forced into slavery. His encounter with the Pygmy tribe left him wondering who was there to help them and in that moment Justin stepped out of the ring and into a fight for the forgotten. From cage fighter to freedom fighter, Justin's story is a deeply personal memoir with a bigger message about a quest, justice, and the amazing things that can happen when we relinquish our lives to God"--
Download or read book Blade of Tyshalle written by Matthew Woodring Stover and published by Del Rey. This book was released on 2008-12-09 with total page 719 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Twenty-seven years ago, they said Hari Michaelson didn't have a chance. He was just a loser, a street criminal from a disgraced family. He'd never make anything of himself. They were wrong. He made himself into Caine: Killer. Superstar. Hero . . . THE BLADE OF TYSHALLE Six years ago, Ma'elkoth--a god of Overworld--held Pallas Ril in his merciless grip. Earth's ruling elite wanted her dead. Caine swore he would save her. They said he didn't have a chance. They were wrong. He sacrificed his career as Caine to crush Pallas Ril's enemies and bring her home. Now Hari Michaelson is the only man who stands between the soulless corporate masters of Earth and the green hills of Overworld. Caine's victory over Ma'elKoth opened a door between the worlds, and the faceless masses of Earth are killing everything he loves. Enemies old and new array themselves against him. And Hari's not even Caine anymore. He's just one man--alone, half-crippled, powerless. They say he doesn't have a chance. They are wrong . . .
Download or read book The 47 Ronin written by Sean Michael Wilson and published by Shambhala. This book was released on 2013-11-05 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A graphic novel depiction of the most dramatic example of bushido—the samurai code—in Japanese history In the eighteenth century, forty-seven samurai avenged the death of their master in a plot that would take over two years to complete. After succeeding in their mission, the masterless samurai—known as ronin—all committed ritual suicide. The story, which is a national legend, remains the most potent example of Japan’s deeply rooted cultural imperative of honor, persistence, loyalty, and sacrifice. The historical event has inspired many writers and artists over the years and numerous fictionalized versions and adaptations have emerged. In The 47 Ronin, Sean Michael Wilson has created a historically factual portrait, enhanced by evocative and often lyrical drawings by Akiko Shimojima. While there are other depictions of the story in manga form, this version stands out as being the most accurate and most compelling. Wilson and Shimojima have made the characters nuanced and relatable.
Download or read book Immovable Wisdom written by Nobuko Hirose and published by Element Books, Limited. This book was released on 1992 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Zen Master Takuan Sono (1573-1645) was a master of calligraphy, painting, gardening, martial arts, and the teacher of the Shogun Iemitsu, Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami (founder of Japan's greatest swordsmanship school) and Miyamoto Musashi (author of The Book of Five Rings).
