(no subject)
Ahh...excellent, excellent. I am now studying three martial disciplines: shaolin, kendo, and tai chi. Hopefully I can achieve some level of proficiency in all three, seeing as they are all very different and vary in requirements both physically and mentally. For now, at the very beginning, I am familiarizing myself with their philosophy and history - very useful and interesting! I found a great book in a used book store the other day - "Secrets of the Samurai." It has detailed descriptions of styles, armor, weapons, and also a very detailed history of "butsu" - fighting disciplines - throughout Japan's history. Detailed pictures of armor and weapons, as well as how they were made, who made them, and how they changed throughout history is extremely fascinating indeed - this truly is a "one of a kind" book! Of course, after I finish this one (500 densely-packed pages...yay!) I still have "Musashi" to get through. Hopefully I can start the latter during the flight to New York, and finish it on the return journey. We shall see. Also interesting is the book called "The Unfettered Mind" - the writings of Priest Takuan Soho, of Musashi fame, concerning the art of swordsmanship and Zen. Probably one of the most interesting works of feudal Japan, on par with Musashi's "Book of Five Rings." In other words, it's "all business" from now on - no fooling around with such trivial things as before.