"The Truth of the Ancient Ways" by Anatoliy Anshin
“The Truth of the Ancient Ways: A Critical Biography of the Swordsman Yamaoka Tesshu” (ISBN 978-0984012909) by Anatoliy Anshin documents the life of famous Japanese swordsman Yamaoka Tesshu and his historical role in the end of the Tokugawa era. Written for martial arts practitioners and those interested in Japanese culture and history, Anshin draws from his doctorate dissertation to create the first critical biography on Tesshu over 120 years after his death in 1888.
Among practitioners of Japanese martial arts both in Japan and overseas, there is hardly a person who does not know the name of Tesshu. According to the author, Tesshu was not only famous for his martial arts skills, he was also known for his calligraphy and his pursuit of enlightenment in Zen Buddhism. Despite this, for over a century Tesshu’s figure was buried under numerous anecdotes and mythical stories, presenting a contrasting combination of broad popularity with the absence of critical biographies and a lack of verified data.
Based on scrupulous investigation of primary and secondary sources, Anshin’s book shows that Tesshu’s whole life was an uncompromising quest for authentic Japanese swordsmanship, which had been practically lost by his time. Anshin further analyzes how this quest eventually led Tesshu to play the central role in the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle – one of the most important events in the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
Looking at everything, from the beginning and development of Tesshu’s thoughts and belief systems to establishing his own swordsmanship school called Itto Shoden Muto-ryu, Anshin chronologically highlights Tesshu’s dramatic life path. This path mirrors the centuries-old cultural history of the Japanese warrior class, the samurai and its martial arts.
“The Truth of the Ancient Ways: A Critical Biography of the Swordsman Yamaoka Tesshu” is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.
About the Author: Anatoliy Anshin has a doctorate in pre-modern Japanese history. He studied and worked in Japan for 11 years, and is an assistant professor at the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow.
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Direct link: https://prnewschannel.com/2012/02/08/biography-on-historical-japanese-swordsman-provides-unique-insight-to-martial-arts/SOURCE: Anatoliy Anshin
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