Overview

Chozanshi was a swordsman with a deep understanding of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Shinto. The Demon's Sermon is a masterful syncretic treatment of these philosophies and religions, bringing their central meanings to bear on the essence of the martial arts. The demon delivering the sermon is the long-nosed half-man, half-bird Tengu, a terrifying but not necessarily malevolent figure who inhabits the recesses of Mount Kurama. Opening this volume is a selection of short, humorous tales from Chozanshi's The Hayseed Taoist ( Inaka Soshi ). The stories are lessons about spontaneity and non-attachment, and prime the reader philosophically for 'The Demon'. The final section is a translation of The Mysterious Technique of the Cat ( Neko no Myojutsu ), also from The Hayseed Taoist and a traditional favourite of the martial artists of Japan. The section summarises the entire work and adroitly illustrates Lao Tzu's dictum that The master acts, relying on nothing.

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9784770030184

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William Scott Wilson is the author of The Lone Samurai and translator of such Japanese classics as Hagakure, The Book of Five Rings and The Unfettered Mind.

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