The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts A Graphic Novel

The tales are concerned with themes such as perception of conflict, self-transformation, the cultivation of chi (life energy), and understanding yin and yang. The "demon" in the title story refers to the mythical tengu, a group of demons who guard the secrets of swordsmanship. A swordsman travels to Tengu Mountain and in a series of conversations learns about mushin (no-mind), strategy, the transformation of chi, and how the path of the sword leads to the understanding of life itself. Some of the fables in the collection-such as "The Mysterious Technique of the Cat"-are iconic.

SEAN MICHAEL WILSON is a comic book writer from Scotland, living in Japan. He has had many books published with a variety of US, UK, and Japanese publishers, such as The Book of Five Rings, and edited the critically acclaimed AX: alternative manga (Publishers Weekly’s “Best Books of 2010” in comics). In 2016, his book Lafcadio Hearn’s “The Faceless Ghost” and Other Macabre Tales from Japan was nominated for the prestigious Eisner Award. And in 2017, his book Secrets of the Ninja won an International Manga Award from the Japanese Government.