Samurai Fighting Arts: The Spirit and the Practice
by Fumon Tanaka
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Book Summary Information
Author: Fumon TanakaEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-05-16
ISBN: 4770028989
Number of pages: 230
Publisher: Kodansha USA
Book Reviews of Samurai Fighting Arts: The Spirit and the Practice
Book Review: Outstanding, a comprehensive and valuable text!
Summary: 5 Stars
Fumon Tanaka sensei's mastery of kobudo, iaijutsu, and jujitsu is well articulated in this excellent work. The writing is much clearer than many Asian master's first works in English. The layout is extraordinarily well done with outstanding photos and illustrations that really augment the text. Content includes budo (martial arts) history, jujutsu, kenjutsu, and samurai tradition. The nito-ken (two-sword) techniques included herein are not widely taught and rarely described in other texts. Basic, intermediate, and advanced Honmon Enshin Ryu applications are well laid out, with many okuden (secret) mastry level techniques portrayed. The focus is primarily on sword to sword applications though there is also a small section on sword vs. yari (spear), naginata (halberd), bo (staff), and shuriken (throwing star) as well. There is also a bit of muto dori (no sword) techniques covered as well.
The author really knows his stuff and communicates it effectively. Tanaka sensei has been studying martial arts since 1956, achieving an 8th dan black belt in kobudo, 7th dan in jujutsu and kyoshi iai suemonogiri kenpo, 5th dan in Bojutsu, and 4th dan in kendo among other accomplishments. While you cannot learn any martial art solely from a book, this work is an excellent place to learn about these systems or augment your dojo training. Highly recommended!
Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction
Summary of Samurai Fighting Arts: The Spirit and the Practice
This book introduces the world of traditional Japanese martial arts and will provide readers with a deeper understanding of Bushido and Japan. Also known as Kobudo, these traditional martial arts can be seen as a continuation of samurai culture and comprise a number of styles formulated in the samurai era that are still being taught today.Aiming to develop Bujutsu (martial arts) and Heiho (strategy) to the highest possible degree, the samurai devised a code consisting of over eighteen arts. A samurai should have impeccable manners and be an expert in martial arts, but he should never be a killer. His swords contained his soul, which he cultivated by learning poetry and art, and by practicing Zen meditation.
The author is the world-famous Kobudo grandmaster. He knows all the Kobudo styles, and his teaching of arts such as Iaijutsu and Jujitsu fascinates many students around the world. This is his first book in English, and it offers readers the opportunity to learn the lesser known arts of Kobudo,particularly the way of Nito Ryu-the two-swords method created by the famous samurai Miyamoto Musashi, and to understand the spirit behind it.
Lavishly illustrated with around 700 photographs, Samurai Fighting Arts reveals many secret skills of Kobudo. It is divided into five chapters: Kobudo and its history; Kumiuchi Hyoho; Nito Ryu - the two-sword method; Iai and Kenpo; and Classical Kenjutsu and its application.
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