Waking Of The Samurai

This is the story of Gabriel Dunne, a lower class white kid growing up in South Florida. At the age of ten, he is thrust, along with his best friend, Thomas, into a hair-raising adventure. Stalked by a savage foreign killer, they only have each other and one way out to escape. Gabriel's life-and-death experience as a boy serves as an initiation, unwittingly sending him into manhood. As an adult, Gabriel becomes an elite member of a commando unit rescuing hostages behind enemy lines. Suspense, adventure, humor and a touch of horror are mixed together in this tale that spans over fifteen years.

**Winner of the 2013 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award** David Matthews is having a rough time. Being a teenager is bad enough, but when he picks up and moves to Japan for a year, with barely any knowledge of the language or social behaviors of Japanese teenagers, things go from bad to worse. Until one day, David attends a temple ceremony and finds himself possessed by a Japanese god. Suddenly, he can understand and speak Japanese. He has unbelievable new powers, including the ability to shift into a tiger, and a powerful sword he can materialize at will from its sheath--his body. But nothing comes for free, and these changes bring David face-to-face with the most terrifying creatures of Japanese legend--vengeful okami, demonic oni and terrifying ghostly yurei. Trained by his host family, famous sword-makers and the keepers of an ancient secret entrusted to their family by the first Emperor of Japan, David must fight desperately to save his host sister from a hoard of Japanese monsters. Evil has returned to Japan, and David must overcome his own insecurities if he is to save her and become a True Samurai--the protector of Japan.

This book demonstrates how Japan's so-called harmonious collective culture is paradoxically connected with a history of conflict. Ikegami contends that contemporary Japanese culture is based upon two remarkably complementary ingredients, honorable competition and honorable collaboration. The historical roots of this situation can be found in the process of state formation, along very different lines from that seen in Europe at around the same time. The solution that emerged out of the turbulent beginnings of the Tokugawa state was a transformation of the samurai into a hereditary class of vassal-bureaucrats, a solution that would have many unexpected ramifications for subsequent centuries.

A Descendant in search of an ancestor or Family from the Old Country. visits a graveyard surrounded by abandoned villages. A Guardian's Graveyard. my great grandfather would tell us Tales of Warriors. Stories his Father would tell him when he was a child. He would have to pray, light a candle, and leave a picture of the person that needed him. if a teardrop fell from an eye onto a headstone. it would wake him from his sleep. With him, his Spirit would rise from his grave, Travel anywhere in the blink of an eye. After he saw a Picture. a spirit would transform him back into a man. His skill would follow him wherever he would go. Since the Warrior is a Guardian. what is worse than dying. waking a warrior from his sleep. His new life will consist of finding the man responsible for Waking Him. It must be a grave feeling to die. Even worse to wake A Guardian from a Graveyard. they say if his spirit heard Your pea, your cry, or felt a tear fall upon his Grave. you would have found him. horror, dark fantasy, action, and dark. 22000 words.

A betrayal and a murder in pro-Nazi Spain spark a struggle for power that grips a family for generations in this sweeping historical thriller Fierce, edgy, brisk, and enthralling, this brilliant novel by Victor del Árbol pushes the boundaries of the traditional historical novel and in doing so creates a work of incredible power that resonates long after the last page has been turned. When Isabel, a Spanish aristocrat living in the pro-Nazi Spain of 1941, becomes involved in a plot to kill her Fascist husband, she finds herself betrayed by her mysterious lover. The effects of her betrayal play out in a violent struggle for power in both family and government over three generations, intertwining her story with that of a young lawyer named Maria forty years later. During the attempted Fascist coup of 1981, Maria is accused of plotting the prison escape of a man she successfully prosecuted for murder. As Maria's and Isabel's narratives unfold they encircle each other, creating a page-turning literary thriller firmly rooted in history.

In this book, Shaw draws upon his knowledge of Asian culture and years of study in the martial arts to show us how we, too, can achieve higher understanding through the tenets of Zen Buddhism. Iado - the meditative way of the sword becomes a path to enlightenment. The first step is to learn to control the physical body; once physical senses are honed, the thinking mind can be silenced and can join with the body to become a unified force.

This is a translation of an important classic on Zen swordfighting. Yagyu's Buddhist spirituality is reflected in his central idea of the life-giving sword' - the notion of controlling an opponent by the spiritual readiness to fight, rather than during the fight. This is a translation of an important classic on Zen swordfighting. Yagyu Munenori was so widely renowned that he was appointed official sword instructor to two Tokugawa shoguns. (The position was always coveted by Miyamoto Musashi, but he never succeeded in gaining the post). Yagyu's'

A study of the cultural dynamics of ground combat.

“Awakening Your Ikigai is really quite a delightful look at sometimes mystifying Japanese traditions.”—The New York Times Book Review Introducing IKIGAI: find your passions and live with joy Ikigai is a Japanese phenomenon commonly understood as “your reason to get up in the morning.” Ikigai can be small moments: the morning air, a cup of coffee, a compliment. It can also be deep convictions: a fulfilling job, lasting friendships, balanced health. Whether big or small, your ikigai is the path to success and happiness in your own life. Author Ken Mogi introduces five pillars of ikigai to help you make the most of each day and become your most authentic self: 1. starting small ? focus on the details 2. releasing yourself ? accept who you are 3. harmony and sustainability ? rely on others 4. the joy of little things ? appreciate sensory pleasure 5. being in the here and now ? find your flow. Weaving together insights from Japanese history, philosophy, and modern culture, plus stories from renowned sushi chef Jiro Ono, anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and others, Mogi skillfully shows the way to awaken your ikigai.