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Selected Readings Related to Japanese Swords, Polishing, and the Martial Arts
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This page contains links to various reading selections. They provide great insight into the culture of the samurai and the martial arts. The articles are generally short and some are very amusing. Please take the time to look at them all.
The picture at the right is a detail from a sumi-e painting of a cormorant by Miyamoto Musashi.
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The first entry is from the 1643 classic The Book of Five Rings. It focuses on Musashi's contept of Heiho.
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The next selection is from Eiji Yoshikawa's epic novel Musashi. It deals with Musashi's encoutner with a sword polisher.
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The next 2 selections are from E. J. Harrison's 1913 book The Fighting Spirit of Japan. They include martial anecdotes from Sakujiro Yokoyama, the then Director of the Kodokan.
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