From the 10th to the mid-17th century, religious organisations played an important part in the social, political and military life in Japan. Known as sohei ('monk warriors') or yamabushi ('mountain warriors'), the warrior monks were anything but peaceful and meditative, and were a formidable enemy, armed with their distinctive, long-bladed naginata. The fortified cathedrals of the Ikko-ikki rivalled Samurai castles, and withstood long sieges. This title follows the daily life, training, motivation and combat experiences of the warrior monks from their first mention in AD 949 through to their suppression by the Shogunate in the years following the Sengoku-jidai period.
Relaxation Revolution: Enhancing Your Personal Health Through the Science and Genetics of Mind Body H
While new age types and holistic healers have long argued for the connection between mental attitude and physical health, Western doctors have resisted, largely because of the difficulties with testing the efficacy of ephemeral ideas such as "the placebo effect" and the value of meditation in reducing pain, nausea, and migraines. Benson, of Harvard Medical School, has dedicated his life to proving that meditative responses tangibly improve physical health, reduce illness, and encourage a healthy immune system. To combat skeptics, the authors utilize conventional research methods and rigorously test a variety of illnesses.
Writing War - Medieval Literary Responses to Warfare
Essays consider the variety of responses to warfare and combat in medieval literature. War is a powerful and enduring literary topos, a repeated theme in both secular and religious literary genres of the middle ages. The idea and practice of war is central to some of the most dominant subject matters in the medieval period - as well as to chivalry, to religion, to ideas of nationhood, to concepts of gender, the body and the psyche. This book considers the variety of responses to warfare and combat in medieval literature, beginning with a consideration of ideal military practice and the reception of Vegetius, contrasted with Christine de Pisan's treatise on warfare.
Martial Arts: Exotic Combat Systems from All Cultures (Roleplaying Game)
The mystic ninja who can kill with a single blow . . . the boxer with the lightning hands . . . the swordsman and his razor-edged saber - all these evoke the mystique and excitement of exotic martial arts.
Whether you prefer tournament competitions, the stark realism of the mean streets and the evening news, or the high-kicking, door-smashing action of comics and the silver screen, Martial Arts can bring your battles to life.
The planet Pern has been colonized for centuries by humans. When humans first settled on this world, they did not take notice of its sister planet, which had an indigenous life form that attempted to land on Pern when it came within reach. These silver "threads" fell in a destructive wave on the temperate lands of Pern once every 200 years, destroying all life they encountered. To combat this menace, the inhabitants of Pern developed a species of dragon that could burn these threads out of the sky before they touched down.
