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The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu

Average customer rating:

The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu
Seek what the ancients sought
great book
Enjoyable account
Well worth reading

The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu
John Stevens
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570620504
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Book Description

Master swordsman, calligrapher, and Zen practitioner, Yamoaka Tesshu is a seminal figure in martial arts history. John Stevens's biography is a fascinating, detailed account of Tesshu's remarkable life. From Tesshu's superhuman feats of endurance and keen perception in life-threatening situations, to his skillful handling of military affairs during the politically volatile era of early nineteenth-century Japan, Stevens recounts the stories that have made Tesshu a legend. This is the book all martial artists must own.

Customer Reviews:

The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu.......2007-02-07

great book... its up there with hagakure, book of five rings ... i like it so much because it gave me a good example of what you can acomplish with budo his story was very clear and understandable at same time admirable and unbealiveable.

Seek what the ancients sought.......2005-08-29

So much of what passes for genuine "martial arts" literature in contemporary American society is simply fabricated marketing. Books are too often written merely to make money and stroke fragile egos. John Stevens does a wonderful job researching the life's story of the last True Samurai, presenting the work with a paradoxically unique objective passion. From what sources does information arrive? This is what we always must ask ourselves when we read anything...John Stevens always does a fine job organizing valid, reliable data, expressing this information in an easy, but energetic fashion. This work is no different. Much can be learned from this simple but powerful work if one just take the time to read it carefully.

great book.......2005-08-28

Other than the constant referances to buddism, this was a great book. I could not put it down for the first few chapters. This greatly inspired my kumdo(kendo) training & teaching. Every traditional martial artist should read this.

Enjoyable account.......2004-02-20

This is a very well written and entertaining account of Tesshu, one of the last samurai, a retainer in the Emperor's service who lived during the period of Japan's transition from feudalism to a modern, industrialized state. Tesshu was a man of great martial skills and equally great compassion who was always poor because he gave away most of his considerable stipend to support his poor and starving relatives, friends, and innumerable homeless (human as well as animals) that he took in and fed, often saving them from almost certain starvation. As a result, he often went without food one or two days a week, preferring to give it to those in even greater need. A devout Buddhist at a time when most Japanese had long since adopted Shinto, Tesshu was also an accomplished calligrapher and poet. Overall, a very readable account of a great man who remained loyal to the old ways and traditions even as they were crumbling around him.

Well worth reading.......2002-03-02

I bought this book used at the recomendation of my sensei. Mine is a tattered copy and I treasure it. I was suspect about buying it initially because I'm not a great fan of John Stevens' work in general he's good but tends to be a bit diefying. But that was not the case with this book I've re-read it so many times that it is truely in tatters...so I am happy to see it has been re printed. I will buy I hope you do to.

Average customer rating:

The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu
John Stevens
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NY36MW

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