This book will be widely welcomed by more serious Budo practitioners who are concerned more about substance rather than style and will thereby gain valuable insight into the mindset of Japan’s unique
Drawing inspiration from his own extensive researches and popular folklore of late nineteenth-century scholars, the author offers brilliantly crafted stories of war-torn Japan in ancient and medieval
The son of a high-ranking warrior in the late-fifteenth century and a skilled swordsman, Torii Enshin joined the priesthood and intended to devote his life to the poor. But he soon finds himself havin
This is the first book in English to provide a fully illustrated guide to the development of polearms - ranging from the earliest halberds and spears reaching Japan from the Asian mainland to the sop
This is the first in-depth study in English to examine the warrior and shamanic characteristics and significance of tengu in the martial art culture (bugei) of Muromachi Japan (1336-1573).
For the first time, this study examines in depth how the medieval Japanese masters of Heiho – the Art of War – sought to interpret, illustrate and transmit the principles of Sun-Tzu during the war-tor