Shambhala Publications The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts: A Graphic Novel

I have recently read and reviewed numerous graphic novels, many of them based upon legendary martial art philosophies such as the famous Miyamoto Musashi's "The Book of Five Rings" and Sun Tzu's "The Art of War." This one ("The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts: A Graphic Novel) is based upon the classic stories and legends written by Issai Chozanshi, who was a Samurai in the eighteenth-century. He was also a student and teacher of Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto and Confucianism. This text is based on the translation by William Scott Wilson, adapted by Sean Michael Wilson and beautifully illustrated by Michiru Morikawa. He stressed many of the well-known philosophical concepts many serious life-time martial artists are familiar with, if they have trained under true martial art masters. As someone who has been fortunate to have studied numerous martial arts (Judo, Jujitsu, Karate-Do, Kobudo, Kenjutsu, Kendo and other arts)under some fantastic teachers, I really enjoyed reading this excellent volume. This text is organized into 5 parts. Part 1 explains the parable about "Transformation of the Sparrow and the Butterfly and Meeting the Gods of Poverty in a Dream. Part 2 covers the story about "The greatest Joys of the Cicada and its cast-off shell and "The Owl's understanding." Part 3 deals with the sermon of "The centipede Questions the Snake." Part 4 is my favorite sermon because it deals with "The Toad's Way of the Gods" and "The Mysterious Technique of the Cat." The final part is the shortest and provides insight into the lessons learned by the traveling Samurai as he becomes enlightened. "I have been to the mountains, met with demons, and now I can carry on... Man is a moving being." In conclusion, if you are a serious student of the martial arts you may already be familiar with Issai Chozanshi's writings; nevertheless, this graphic novel version should also be in your personal library of Martial Arts philosophy. A wonderful and enjoyable book to read. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: The Samurai Heart: An old warrior's poetic tribute)

The Art of War, The Book of Five Rings, The Hagakure, and The Prince can be found in myriad published and downloadable formats online. They are quite complex and would require a lifetime of experience to gain insight in order to fathom their mysteries. I would have no idea if their comic or manga versions would be as profound as I have not first chose to read them yet. I started with The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts: A Graphic Novel as it appealed to me when I flipped through it initially in a book store. It is the perfect little primer. With whimsical illustrations it demonstrates quite well the adage a picture is worth a thousand words. Recently, out of all my books, it has been my favorite first grab and go to. Especially for little reminders in helping to cope with the adversities of my day to day. I take a couple of minutes here and there to randomly read one of the little stories for introspection, insight, and enlightenment. I even take it with me to give me solace before a nap or nightie night. And I would not hesitate in recommending it to others as a user friendly starter text for those unfamiliar with Asian philosophy. The pictures are delightful and it is fun to boot. Perfect. Get it! You won't be disappointed!

great stuff more graphic novels like this . good art and depth . there are many more old school stories like this that can be revised for the newer generation from the medium of narrative illustration .

Nice quality nice artwork nice stories nice book

I have been searching for a graphic novel that touched on more philosophical and in depth subjects for years and I have finally found it with The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts. Everything about this book is above and beyond anything I have found in terms of graphic novels. The artwork is beautiful, even though it is black and white which I generally do not like, the story has a wonderful flow which actually has a deeper meaning talked about it the afterword, and the subjects contain deeper philosophical questions and teachings that almost require them to be read again and again. I think what puts it over the top however is the whimsical and unexpected characters that bring the story to life. Have you ever encountered an enlightened cicada that taught you the secret of happiness? Exactly. This will definitely be part of my permeant collection and I plan on buying everything that has been released from William Scott Wilson, Sean Michael Wilson, and Michiru Morikawa. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are working on more gems like this!