Koxinga

His life reads like a movie, only you may not have heard of him because the movie has yet to be made. Born to a father who was a Chinese pirate and a Japanese mother from a Samurai family, Koxinga was a Ming Dynasty warrior who fought fiercely against the Ching and the Dutch. Though defending China, one European remarked that Koxinga seemed more bound to the Japanese warrior ideals his mother would have raised him with. Eventually plunging into crippling delirium and insanity, his battles nonetheless inspired notable art, such as the woodblock print pictured here. A Japanese art piece depicting a Chinese martial hero, the artist renders Koxinga in such a way that, while artistically dynamic, is not without martial realism. Koxinga cuts with one sword while chambering a blow with the other (or potentially: keeping the chambered sword close to protect his body). Elements of the posture from the position of the hands to the feet can be found in our own two sword method we practice (juxtaposed pictures for our Archive).
Taken from the Ravenswood academy.