Sword of Zen

Takuan Soho’s (1573-1645) two works on Zen and swordsmanship are among the most straightforward and lively presentations of Zen ever written and have enjoyed great popularity in both premodern and modern Japan.

Although dealing ostensibly with the art of the sword, Record of Immovable Wisdom and On the sword Taie are basic guides to Zen “user’s manuals” fir Zen mind that show one how to manifest if not only in sword play but from moment to moment in everyday life.

For Modern readers, whether practitioners of Zen or the martial arts, Takuan’s emphasis on freedom of the mind as the crux of his teaching resonates as powerfully as it did with the samurai and swordsmen of Tokugawa Japan. Scholars will welcome this new, annotated translation of Takuan’s sword-related works as well as the host of detail it provides, illuminating an obscure period in Zen’s history in Japan.