Autumn Lightning The Education of an American Samurai

by Lowry, Dave

• ISBN13: 9781570621154
• ISBN10: 1570621152
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-11-21
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

Dave Lowry juxtaposes his singular experience as an adept student ofkenjutsu(the art of swordsmanship) under a Japanese teacher in St. Louis with a riveting account of the samurai tradition in Japan. Intertwining tales of the masters with reflections on his own apprenticeship in the samurai's arts, he reveals in their time-honored methods a way of life with profound relevance to modern times. The result is a fascinating, singular autobiography. Lowry captures the sense of wonder and mystery that makes martial arts compelling to so many practitioners. Even those who do not practice martial arts will delight in this unusual coming-of-age story.

Author Biography

Dave Lowry is an accomplished martial artist, calligrapher, and writer. He is the restaurant critic for St. Louis Magazine and writes regularly for a number of magazines on a wide variety of subjects, many of them related to Japan and the Japanese martial arts. He is the author of numerous books including  Autumn Lightning: The Education of an American Samurai, Sword & Brush: The Spirit of the Martial Arts, Clouds in the West: Lessons from the Martial Arts of Japan, and The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Meeting with the Past	p. 3
The Sixteen Spears of Nagano	p. 9
Matters of Concentration	p. 21
A Death Among Peach Blossoms	p. 33
Autumn and Other Things Japanese	p. 47
The Swordsmen in the Shadows	p. 59
A Ritual of Style, A Function of Grace	p. 77
The Shogun's Master	p. 87
Iai, Cutting at Raindrops	p. 101
The Swordsman and the Priest	p. 115
Lessons in the Warrior's Way	p. 133
Things Out of Season	p. 149
Afterword: Two Rivers into the Same Sea	p. 157
Glossary	p. 161
Illustrations	p. 175
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