The Sword of No Sword, The life of the master warrior Tesshu. John Stevens, 1984, Shambhala. 171 pages. Good condition. Trade paperback

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This is the first English biography of an important figure in the Meiji restoration. Tesshu was a personal retainer of the last Tokugawa shogun, and carried out negotiations in his name. He was also a reknowned practitioner of kendo, Zen, and calligraphy. Stevens does a good job of conveying not only the feel of the time, but the force of Tesshu's personality. This is a well written, enjoyable book with many lessons for the martial artist.