Bushido and Christianity

By:   Takemi Sasamori
Translated by:   Mark Hague
Imprint:   Alkaid Research LLC
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 11mm
Weight:   399g
ISBN:   9798987242155
Pages:   170
Publication Date:   15 July 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Born in Hirosaki City, Japan, as the third and youngest son of martial arts legend Sasamori Junzō, the Reverend Sasamori Takemi (1933-2017) was raised in a household where the ethics of the samurai, martial arts, and Christianity were part of daily life. After graduating from Waseda and Aoyama Gakuin Universities with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology and Theology, he continued his studies in the United States where he attended the Duke University School of Divinity and the Hartford Seminary Foundation, earning Masters of Arts Degrees in Christian and Religious Education. He also served as both Assistant and Associate Minister at the United Church of Christ in New York City for nine years. Upon returning to Japan in 1969, he became the founding minister of the Komaba Eden Church, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, where, assisted by his wife Ariko, he ministered to over one hundred fifty parishioners. In 1975, he was officially recognized as the 17th Sōke of Ono-ha Ittō-ryū, as well as the Sōke of the Shin Musō Hayashizaki-ryū school of iaido and the Chokugen-ryū school of naginata. He had over five hundred martial arts students world-wide and instructed annually in Japan, Asia, Europe and the United States. Regularly featured in the Japanese media, he published or was featured in nine publications and four videos on both Christianity and the martial arts. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Japanese Traditional Martial Arts Association for over 35 years and was awarded a Doctor of Divinity from the California Graduate School of Theology in 1989. Mark Hague's martial arts career has spanned over 42 years, 19 of which in Japan, and he holds dan rankings in several styles of karate and aiki-jujitsu. He started training in Ono-ha Ittō-ryū in the Reigakudō under Sasamori Takemi in 2002 and was awarded the Kana license in 2009. He continues to practice Ono-ha Ittō-ryū under the current sōke, Yabuki Yūji. His translations include the Amazon bestselling series, ""Secrets of Ittō-ryū"" by Sasamori Junzō and ""Ono-ha Ittō-ryū Patriarch's Collection: Sword and Document Compendium,"" by Yabuki Yūji.