This book is also included in our Reader's Guide on The Samurai and Zen where you will find other important Zen classics.
Here are the inspirational life and teachings of Awa Kenzo (1880–1939), the Zen and kyudo (archery) master who gained worldwide renown after the publication of Eugen Herrigel's cult classic Zen in the Art of Archery in 1953. Kenzo lived and taught at a pivotal time in Japan's history, when martial arts were practiced primarily for self-cultivation, and his wise and penetrating instructions for practice (and life)—including aphorisms, poetry, instructional lists, and calligraphy—are infused with the spirit of Zen. Kenzo uses the metaphor of the bow and arrow to challenge the practitioner to look deeply into his or her own true nature.
JOHN STEVENS (1947–2025) was a Zen priest as well as a professor of Buddhist Studies and Aikido instructor at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan, where he lived for thirty-five years. He is the author or translator of over forty books on Zen artists and their poetry, painting, and calligraphy, as well as on Aikido, swordsmanship, and other Japanese martial arts traditions.
Praise
"An interesting and enlightening study by John Stevens." —The Japan Times
