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Kampai Budokai recommended literature

This page lists books I own or have read recently, many are good and some are not-so-good (but listed anyway so you can avoid them). For your information, short descriptions are added to each title, reflecting my opinion on them. I'm limiting this to books available in English. All opinions are my own of course.

Some of the authors have their own web presence. I add links to every author I find (please let me know if I missed one).

Where can I get this book, you ask? We have become an Amazon.com associate, by clicking on the link you should get more information on the book and a picture of the cover, and the opportunity to order those books directly from Amazon.

If a book isn't linked here yet, you can try to find it yourself at the Amazon.com page. Some of my books seem to be out of print. These are unlinked (though Amazon will help you find out-of-print titles).

Kampai Budokai gets 5% or so for the books you order through these links and some other items you might order in the same session (this does not affect your price!). You can imagine what riches await us... We appreciate your support. (Note that if you browse around and order from a different page than the one linked here, we will get less...)

BESTSELLERS

These are the 10 books our visitors like most:

Japanese Swordsmanship legacies of the sword Sword and Spirit total aikido japan at war the craft of the japanese sword arms and armour of the medieval knight persimmon wind legends of the samurai Musashi

Contents

Rating system

Good or excellent books can get from one to five beers: beer No beers means I didn't really like the book. Really bad books get the Horrible Glass of Water: water

New Reviews

Books on Aikido

Gozo Shioda

(visit the International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation)

Total Aikido, the master course. Gozo Shioda, Yasuhisa Shioda, Kodansha international 1996.

Shioda's books are good, offering extensive instructions and comments with clear and helpful photographs. They are well written and useful even if you're not in Yoshinkan. Recommended. beer beer beer beer

Dynamic Aikido. Gozo Shioda, Kodansha international 1968.

Also a very instructive Aikido book, though less complete than the later "total aikido" (it features less techniques). It does however contain a section on self-defence. beer beer beer

Angry White Pyjamas, an Oxford poet trains with the Tokyo riot police. Robert Twigger. Indigo, 1997.

Books on Aikido by people who can actually write are rare. Even rarer are books that don't try to idealise all things Japanese. Robert Twigger tells about the Yoshinkan senshusei course he took and life in Tokyo in general. Some people have commented he puts too much emphasis on the negative aspects of his experience, but I don't feel his account sounds exaggerated at all, it's just not very congratulatory. We all know many people quit martial arts after obtaining a certain grade. Most don't write a book about it though. beer beer beer

Gaku Homma

(visit the Nippon kan)

Aikido for Life. Gaku Homma, North Atlantic Books, 1990. My favorite Homma book. Collection of essays on Aikido, reflecting a beginner's course. His debunking of the unbendable arm demonstration alone is worth the price. Illustrated by line drawings. beer beer beer

Children and the martial arts, an Aikido point of view. Gaku Homma, North Atlantic books, 1993.

What I like about Homma is his honesty, he usually says exactly what it's about. This book could be blamed for a heavy Aikido bias, but then the title says so, doesn't it? What do you want your child to learn in martial arts, Homma asks, what kind of techniques do you want your child to use on its friends? The book contains a large part of autobiographical reflection on a Japanese child's education. The technical section also includes games to make class more interesting to children. beer beer beer

The structure of Aikido, vol. 1, kenjutsu & taijutsu. Gaku Homma, Frog Ltd, 1997.

Homma explores the relation between sword and empty hand movements in his usual straightforward writing style, with well done photographs. beer beer beer beer

Aikido Sketch Diary : Dojo 365 Days. Gaku Homma, Yutaka Kikuchi (Translator). 1994.

This book describes the operation of the Nippon kan over an entire year. It includes a lot of information on Homma's uchi deshi program. Illustrated with Homma's humoristic drawings. beer beer

The Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking, a traditional diet for today's world. Gaku Homma, North Atlantic Books, 1991.

This isn't just a collection of recipes, but an introduction to Japanese folk art through cooking. Interesting for us martial artists biased towards upper class samurai aspects of Japanese culture. Contains material on Homma's work at the Lake Ogawara folk art museum. Illustrated by BW photographs and drawings (and it has at least one photograph from Ueshiba's Iwama hideout to justify its inclusion with the Aikido books). Also comments on the supposed health value of Japanese cuisine. beer beer beer beer

Ueshiba family

(visit the Aikikai hombu)

Budo training in Aikido (Budo renshu). Ueshiba Morihei, Sugawara Martial Arts Institute, 1997. 165 techniques explained in drawings, and a theorethical introduction which appears to be almost the same as in "Budo", except that in this translation it actually makes some sense (contrary to Stevens' work). beer beer beer beer

Budo, teachings of the founder of Aikido. Morihei Ueshiba, introduction by Kisshomaru Ueshiba, translation John Stevens, Kodansha, 1991. A photographic manual by Morihei himself. Also a series of photographs from Noma dojo, 1936, contrasted with pictures from Wakayama, 1951. These photographs are without comment and some seem to be placed together haphazardly. Interesting book for the pictures, but read the text in the new Budo renshu translation instead. I particularly dislike the pretentious phrases on the cover. beer beer beer

The spirit of Aikido, Ueshiba Kisshomaru, Kodansha, 1984. Some essays on the purpose, and history of the dissemination of Aikido. No techniques, some photographs. I appreciate the section on the importance of the sword to Aikido in this book. beer

Aikido, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Hozansha, 1985. The best reference for Kisshomaru's Aikikai Aikido. beer beer beer beer

Other

Aikido in Everyday Life : Giving in to Get Your Way. Terry Dobson, Victor Miller. North atlantic Books, 1993. An interesting presentation of conflict resolution in terms of circle, triangle and square, which is somehow related to Aikido according to Dobson. The examples are unfortunately mostly in a rather silly self-help-book-style, probably a mark of the time this was written. beer

Aikido : The Way of Harmony. John Stevens, Shirata Rinjiro. Shambala, 1984. The biography of Ueshiba included in this book contains some curious anecdotes. Shirata Rinjiro explains several techniques by paired sword interpretation of the principles, which is interesting. beer beer beer

The Essence of Aikido, spiritual teachings of Morihei Ueshiba. John Stevens, Kodansha international, 1993. Another one by John Stevens, again with a lot of interesting photographs. Contains doka in original Japanese and calligraphy by Morihei. The chapter on "the aikido universe" leaves one to think that aikido techniques are actually just mystical handwaving in a system of magic. beer

Aikido, the arts of self-defense. Koichi Tohei, Rikugei publishing house, 1961. and This is Aikido. Koichi Tohei, Japan Publications, 1968. These two books are very similar in content, the more recent one is more developed, so I would choose that one first. Both are out of print. The older one has some historic interest pictures that are not in "this is aikido" however. It has 50 techniques or "arts", which are assembled in 36 groups in "this is aikido". The techniques are named: ikkyo, nikyo, sankyo, shiho-nage, kote-gaeshi, kokyu-nage and kaiten-nage. Each have an irimi and omote application. Tohei focuses heavily on mind and body integration, but this does NOT mean half of the training time should be filled with talk on ki or kokyu. "If I explain you may think you understand", he says, "but without experience it means nothing". In other words; don't talk, practice. Note that Tohei was still with the Aikikai at the time. Visit Ki Aikido USA. beer beer beer

Unlocking the secrets of Aiki-jujutsu. H. E. Davey. Master Press, 1997. Not really an Aikido book, I put it here for convenience. Davey is current head of Saigo ryu Aiki-jujutsu (this may sound dubious, but trust this one). His book has some minor layout defects, but contains a very good explanation on jutsu and do (Draeger wasn't wrong, he was misunderstood), the history of Aiki-jujutsu, and a great chapter on myths and misconceptions (I have a black belt in jujutsu, what do you mean, "which ryu?" etc.), and explanations of Aiki principles that made me realise a few mistakes in my understanding. beer beer beer beer

Complete Aikido. Aikido Kyohan: the definite guide to the way of harmony. Roy Suenaka, Christopher Watson. Tuttle, 1997. While the title sounds a tad pretentious, I found this a highly enjoyable book. The first half is the story of the authors martial arts career, which is particularly interesting for the light it sheds on the disintegration of the Aikikai when Tohei and Ueshiba Kisshomaru grew animous. The technical section is well presented and quite good, but hardly 'complete'. beer beer beer

Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere : An Illustrated Introduction. Adele Westbrook, Oscar Ratti. Tuttle, 1994. Beautifully illustrated book, you have to like it even if you don't agree with Westbrook&Ratti's view on Aikido philosophy. Techniques list is rather complete, but the names given for them are a bit non-standard I think. beer beer beer

Bokken, Art of the Japanese Sword. Dave Lowry, Mike Lee (Photographer). Ohara, 1985. Basics of bokken practice, intended as a supplement for unarmed Aikido practice. Mostly basic movements and a few kumitachi. Illustrated by photographs. If elements from Lowry's Shinkage ryu training were included in the book, it isn't specified in the text. Not a terribly impressive book. Not that there is anything wrong with the techniques, but if the author had put a bit more emphasis on the fact that there are other authentic ways to handle a sword, we might encounter less Aikidoka believing they know the One True way to hold a sword or perform zarei or cut the air. beer

Invincible Warrior : A Pictorial Biography of Morihei Ueshiba, the Founder of Aikido. John Stevens. Shambala 1997. This is a remake of Abundant Peace : The Biography of Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido, which was published in 1987. It contains a lot of interesting photographic material illustrating the life of Morihei Ueshiba. The biography as written by Stevens contains a lot of questionable attempts to suggest uncle O'Morri had some kind of supernatural power. These stories seem to change with each retelling. Some might say the influence of Takeda is downplayed. The retail price is a bit high for this book too (I got it on a special sale). beer

Training with the Master, lessons with Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido. John Stevens and Walther v. Krenner. Shambala, 1999. This is mostly a photo album by Krenner, following Morihei around wherever he goes, so we get to see him with and without his dentures. Quite nice, but not much about Aikido techniques. There is an introduction by Stevens, and the book closes with the collection of sayings known as 'the art of peace'. Expensive when not on a special sale. beer

The Secrets of Aikido, the hidden teachings and universal truths of Aikido, as taught by its founder, Morihei Ueshiba. John Stevens. Shambala 1997. More of Stevens' bizarre theories, linking aikido with alchemy, tantric sex magic, and the new testament. The technical photographs (including such things as a tengutobigiri or "flying tengu cut") feature Stevens himself, sometimes Shirata Rinjiro. Contains 4 pages of "secret" aikido kotodama. Somewhat amusing. beer

Aikido, its heart and appearance. Morihiro Saito, Sugawara Martial Arts Institute, 1975. I saw Saito's multi-volume series "traditional aikido" years ago, and at the time I was impressed. I didn't practice a ken or jo art yet at the time. This book is of course far less detailed, containing 7 sword suburi, 7 kumitachi, no aiki-jo at all, and only a few examples of each of the major holds and throws. The book is a nice reminder of Sato's sword forms, but I'm very unimpressed with the people he got to pose with him on the pictures. beer I scanned this picture as a hopefully adequate illustration of what I mean:

The Principles of Aikido. Mitsugi Saotome, Shambala, 1989. This is mostly a techniques book, showing unarmed as well as some sword and stick techniques from Saotome's system. Techniques qre shown in many clear photographs with some explanation, as well as some history and philosophy edited by Irene Wellington from lectures and writings of Saotome. A well-produced book but rather specific to Saotome's school. beer beer

Aikido and Chinese Martial Arts. Volume 2: Aikido and Weapons Training. Tetsutaka Sugawara, Lujian Xing, Mark B. Jones. Sugawara Martial Arts Institute, 1998. A rather strange book; the first half deals with some kind of Aiki-jo, the second half with Chinese straight sword, and hardly any connection is made between both parts - which I found rather disappointing. Also included is a very small yet interesting part on the history of iron smelting and forging in Japan. beer

Samurai Aikijutsu. Toshishiro Obata. Dragon Books 1987. A small book of 'aikijutsu' techniques demonstrated by Obata in clear photographs. It contains a short Daito ryu and Aikido history. I particularly like the conclusion though, where Obata voices some strong opinions on current Aikido practice. beer beer beer beer

The Hidden Roots of Aikido : Aiki Jujutsu Daitoryu. Shiro Omiya, Kodansha, 1998. Basic, intermediate and advanced Daito ryu techniques, explained in photographs. The book doesn't say much on Omiya's background, but the explanations are interesting. I particularly appreciate the short bits called 'kuden' intermixed with the techniques. (example: guinomi kuden; raise your opponent's fingers as if taking a sip of sake.) beer beer

Books on Japanese swordsmanship

Japanese Swordsmanship, technique and practice. Gordon Warner, Donn F. Draeger, Weatherhill, 1996. This book first appeared in 1982, and many of the technical details have since changed. Each technique has dual descriptions strangely labeled "former combative application" and "modern spiritual application". Illustrated by photographs of people like Mitsuzuka Takeshi and Otake Ritsuke demonstrating techniques, as well as various useful skills such as decoratively tying the sageo around the saya or the cords around the swordbag. Most interesting though is the introduction on the sword in Japanese history and development and meaning of iaido, which admirably refrains from the mythologisation of the samurai rampant in most martial arts books. beer beer beer beer

Flashing steel, mastering Eishin ryu swordsmanship. Masayuki Shimabukuro, Leonard Pellman, Frog 1995. This book covers most of the ryu, history, philosophy, omori, chuden, okuden, tachi uchi no kurai, seitei and tameshigiri. I don't practice Eishin ryu myself, but still have my reservations regarding some of the things going on in the photographs, esp. in the seitei section. Often there are too few photographs, or they seem poorly chosen. For example, the three variations of itomagoi are illustrated with exactly the same sequence of pictures (also used for nuki uchi), which is reproduced three times and shows nothing between seiza and furikaburi. A useful book for those who want a quick reminder for all the series in one volume, I guess. beer beer

Practice drills for Japanese Swordsmanship. Nicklaus Suino, Weatherhill, 1995. A book with single and partner drills using bokuto. The practice of letting the point drop down behind the back before striking could cause problems in some styles. Drawings are rather dull computer graphics. His advice on advanced practice is worth repeating: advanced practice consists of the basic drills, performed by the advanced practitioner! beer

Iai, the art of drawing the sword. Darrell Craig, Tuttle, 1981. Contains seitei kata 1-7, without sageo handling (somewhat dated). The book also contains some katas from Mugai ryu, and various stories (including the 47 retainers). Drawings are rather unprofessional and uneven in quality. Not the best book around, but certainly worth having. Visit Craig's Houston Budokan. beer beer

Jodo. Yoneno Kotaro and Hiroi Tsunetsugu . English translation of the Jodo Kyoten by Eishin kan dojo, 1985. ZNKR Jodo. Quite good, though the choice is limited concerning translated Jodo literature. beer beer beer beer

Kenjutsu : The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship. Charles Daniel, Unique Publications, 1991. Not very good. Read the detailed review here.

Shinkage-Ryu Sword Technique : Traditional Japanese Martial Arts. Tadashige Watanabe. Some Shinkage-Ryu katas demonstrated in photographs with minimal explanation. beer beer

Japanese Sword Drawing : A Sourcebook by Don Zier. Unique Publications, 2000. The first book in English on Muso Shinden ryu Iaido. It describes almost all the kata from the shoden, chuden and okuden set, as well as the standard forms of the ZNKR and ZNIR. Kanji are provided for all kata names, and photographs are numerous and clear. Explanations are very sketchy though, and the execution itself looks like someone who has practiced in isolation for the last couple of decades, and would be considered "wrong" by many practitioners of the style. The introduction is rather weak. This book is for Muso Shinden ryu what Flashing Steel is to Eishin ryu (though with better pictures but less phylosophy): an illustrated catalog of the ryu's katas. beer beer

Looking at a far mountain - a study of Kendo Kata. Paul Budden, Tuttle, 2000. A detailed explanation of the Kendo no Kata, illustrated with photographs and drawings. Also includes some history, lineage charts, a glossary, and a number of historic photographs. Recommended for anyone interested in the Kendo kata. beer beer beer

Books on Swords and armor

The Craft of the Japanese Sword. Leon & Hiroko Kapp, Yoshindo Yoshihara, Kodansha International, 1987. A beautiful book with pictures dealing with sword forging, polishing and habaki and shirasaya making. Lacks tsuka and tsuba production though. beer beer beer

Arms and armor of the samurai, the history of weaponry in ancient Japan. Bottomley & Hopson, Crescent books, 1996. Beautiful book, also contains armor lacing diagrams for various periods. Jock told us the publisher cut at least a third of his text in favor of bigger pictures. Still one of the nicest books on Japanese arms I know of. beer beer beer beer beer

The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords. Kokan Nagayama, Kodansha, 1997. A voluminous book dealing solely with sword blade appreciation, organised according to the 6 traditions. Very interesting manner of representing the blade surface in the drawings. beer beer beer beer

Samurai Sword, a Handbook John M. Yumoto, 1958. Good introduction, somewhat specific to the American sword market. beer beer

Swords, and hilt weapons. Barnes&Noble Books 1993 Peter Connelly, editor (various authors). This oversize illustrated work consists of a number of loosely related essays on swords, knives and other cutlery. The start is more or less chronological with more emphasis on post-1700 history, ending with modern fighting knives. The book then switches two swords of Islam, Japan, Asia, India, Africa and pre-conquest America. The part on the Japanese sword is written by Victor Harris (of the infamous gorinnosho translation). The book contains many interesting and nice illustrations and information, but is somewhat incoherent in its organisation. You will have to go to Barnes&Noble to obtain the reprint (perhaps you would go through Koryu Books and support them?) beer beer

Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight, an illustrated history of weaponry in the Middle Ages. David Edge, John Miles Paddock. Crescent Books, 1996. A nicely illustrated history, contains pictures of most of the famous surviving swords and armors. Also deals briefly with armor construction. beer beer beer beer

The Armourer and his Craft. From the XIth to the XVIth Century. Charles Ffoulkes. Dover Publications, 1988. This is a reprint from a 1912 classic work on the subject. It contains several authentic texts in full, a polyglot glossary, and an interesting study of the weight carried by soldiers in history (1550: armor and helmet; 25lb, clothes and arms; 15lb. - 1911: British infantry service equipment; 59lb 11oz). It also deals with leather and textile armor. Recommended. beer beer beer beer beer

The Book of the Crossbow. Ralph Payne-Gallwey. Dover Publications, 1995 (orig 1903). A treatise on the construction and use of this often overlooked weapon through the centuries. The details on construction of the several models are sufficiently explicit that one is tempted to try and build one. There is even a preparation for poison arrows included. Flanders' famous crossbows are not neglected. It also includes the Chinese repeating crossbow and some material on the Turkish bow. There is an appendix on siege engines, with reconstruction plans by the author. beer beer beer beer beer

Arms and armour of the crusading era - 1050-1350 - Western Europe and the Crusader states. David Nicolle. Greenhill Books, 1999. A collection of some 2000 line drawings drawn from artwork as well as artefacts, organised by country. Each drawing is commented. Though the drawings often lack some detail compared to the original artworks and the text is minimal, the book is nevertheless a great reference for graphic source material. beer beer beer

Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction - the 14th century. Brian R. Price, Paladin Press, 2000. A voluminous, very nicely illustrated work on armour making. It deals with modern reproduction rather than historic armourers though, and is limited in scope to 14th century armour. Also scarce are actual patterns. On the other hand the book has detailed information on materials, tools and techniques. beer beer beer

Ancient Chinese Weapons - a martial artist's guide. Yang Jwing Ming, YMAA Publications, 1999. A list of some 80 Chinese weapons with short descriptions and drawings, classified as long, short, soft and projectile weapons, and shields and armor. The book unfortunately does not cover war engines. Also, the drawings are not very detailed - this is particulary evident in the section on armor - and explanations on the use of the weapons are very sketchy. beer

History, philosophy and other fun stuff

Karl Friday

(visit Kashima Shinryu North America)

Karl Friday is a Japanese history professor and koryu practitioner with a dual mission: to bring some sense of historical reality to the martial arts literary community, and to bring some practical experience to the field of Japanese historical research.

Legacies of the sword, the Kashima Shinryu and samurai martial culture. Karl F. Friday with Seki Humitake, University of Hawaii, 1997. The importance of this book can't be stressed enough, though others have done so better than I can. According to the introduction, this book started as a translation of a how-to book, that turned out to become much more. I wish the technical explanation (which were of necessity downplayed in the context of the book) will see separate publication someday. Highly recommended (you absolutely must have this). beer beer beer beer beer

Hired swords, the rise of private warrior power in early Japan. Karl F. Friday, Stanford University, 1992. The historical evolution of conscript armies to samurai. Not much on budo as such and not really aiming at the general public, but valuable to those wishing to understand the roots of the samurai. Few illustrations, dissertation style (well, it IS a dissertation). beer beer

visit Koryu Books

Koryu Bujutsu, classical warrior traditions of Japan, Diane Skoss, ed. Koryu Books, 1997. The first collection of essays and interviews on Koryu collected by former editor of Aikido Journal. Interestingly, the various authors sometimes contradict entirely. My main problem with this book is that I wanted more! Koryu Books have their own (very interesting) website. beer beer beer beer beer

Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Vol 2. Diane Skoss, ed. Koryu Books, 1999. is available now. The entries in the ryu guide are expanded (as requested by many). The first part studies Takeda clan writings that shaped later thoughts on Bushido. Meik Skoss did a puzzling interview with Saito Satoshi on shurikenjutsu: I thought the fan was used to move air or bash someone on the head, but it seems the Koga ninja used it to solve trigonometric and differential equations??? (and then Meik just switches the topic!). Liam Keeley writes on Tatsumi ryu, Karl Friday writes on kata (mostly repeating the chapter in Legacies of the sword) and the book ends with Nishioka Tsuneo discussing uchidachi and shidachi in Shindo Muso ryu. beer beer beer beer beer

Others

The face of battle, a study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme, John Keegan, Pimlico, 1976. A study of three major battles from the soldiers' point of view. Contains many valuable observations, although his conclusion that "battle has already abolished itself" seems a trifle too optimistic. beer beer beer beer

Lives of master swordsmen. Makoto Sugawara, the East Publications, 1988. This book seems to be out of print. Great biographies of the most important Japanese swordsmen, founders of some of the most influential ryu. Interesting illustrations. beer beer beer beer beer

A book of five rings, Miyamoto Musashi, Victor Harris, 1974. I would like that someday someone familiar with Niten Ichi ryu would translate the gorinnosho. Also, don't read Harris' introduction, it's full of historical errors. Read "lives of master swordsmen" instead for a biography of Musashi. beer

The book of five rings, Miyamoto Musashi, Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 1994. Slightly different translation, and at least doesn't include any bizarre "history". Be careful when ordering, there is a pocket edition of this book which doesn't include Yagyu Munenori's family traditions on the art of war, a fact that isn't exactly emphasised on the order page. beer beer beer

Legends of the samurai, Hiroaki Sato, Overlook press, 1995. Collection of interesting stories, anecdotes and samurai writings, in which the oldest available material was consistently used, instead of a modern retelling. It contains a partial translation of Musashi's book of five rings. With drawings. beer beer beer beer

Autumn lightning, the education of an American samurai. Dave Lowry, Shambala, 1995. Autobiographical story of Lowry's Yagyu shinkage ryu training, mingled with retellings of bits of Yagyu history (which can also be found in Lives of master swordsmen). Some illustrations. beer beer beer

Persimmon Wind, a martial artist's journey in Japan. Dave Lowry, Tuttle, 1997. The sequel to autumn lightning, in which Dave visits his sensei in Japan. Illustrated with photographs (there's even a nude scene!) His writing seems to be improved. I think I'm going to have a look at his other books soon. beer beer beer beer

Sword and Brush, the Spirit of the Martial Arts. Dave Lowry, Shambala, 1995. Short explanations of 42 well-known (or less well-known) martial arts related Japanese concepts, supported by an analysis of the characters. Also contains a very short background on calligraphy. beer beer beer beer

Secrets of the Samurai, the Martial arts of feudal Japan. Oscar Ratti, Adele Westbrook, Tuttle, 1973. Almost exhaustive survey of western pre-1970 martial arts literature, with heavy aikido bias. Interesting mix of facts and fiction and classic demonstration that one should strive to use primary sources when writing a book. Not that it's actually bad, just biased and at times misleading. The average paragraph starts with many disclaimers but nevertheless usually ends in some absolute statements. Illustrations of techniques seem to draw mostly from samurai movies and a rich imagination. beer

Warriors of Japan, as portrayed in the war tales. Paul Varley, University of Hawaii, 1994. Lots of info from the war tales. No attempts at poetic rendition of the tales themselves though. Explains why the war tales are all so depressing. beer beer

Musui's story, the autobiography of a Tokugawa samurai. Katsu Kokichi, University of Arizona 1988. The book that shaped the morality and spirit of Budo of the Tokugawa samurai. NOT! Musui's story tells us what being samurai in time of peace was really about: brawls, extortion, pyramid schemes, etc. Illustrated with period artwork. The translation attempts to capture a certain flavor, which I'm not sure really succeeds if one is not familiar with the affected idiom. beer beer

A daughter of the samurai. Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, Tuttle, 1966. What living in a Meiji era former samurai family was like. An autobiography. Etsu goes to the US with her husband, then returns to Japan with her children after his sudden death. Interesting case of multiple culture shocks. Contains some questionable statements of historical 'fact' that should be taken as author's belief. A very nice read though. beer

The sword and the mind. Hiroaki Sato, Overlook press 1985. Translation of the heiho kaden sho, fudochi shinmyo roku and taia ki. Includes original illustrations and a very interesting introduction containing some details on the relation between Munenori and Iemitsu. Don't expect to figure out all the catalogued techniques though. beer beer

Sun Tzu, the art of warfare. The first english translation incorporating the recently discovered Yin-ch'ueh-shan texts. Roger Ames, Ballantine books, 1993. Roger Ames is professor and head of the Chinese studies dept. of the university of Hawaii. The translation has the Chinese original on one side, and there are no comments and explanations by the author, it is just a translation. The introduction is interesting and contains some important points on translating: Chinese words have several possible meanings, and most translator use the meaning that makes the most sense in a given context. Ames argues that one should instead try to make all possible meanings fit in the context to understand the true meaning of a text, because by not doing so we only project our own culture back on the Chinese text, and learn nothing on the Chinese worldview, which should be the point of the translation. The additional material is quite different in style from the core text, and consists of question and answer sessions, some are very fragmentary. beer beer beer

For older translations, Ames recommends Griffith, (and so do I) who was an experienced soldier himself, unlike Cleary for example. Griffith also includes an analysis of the use of Sun Tzu by chairman Mao and by the Japanese in WWII. beer beer beer beer

The Lost Art of War, Sun Tzu II, Thomas Cleary, Harper, 1997. This is a translation of Sun Bin the mutilated, the long lost work by a descendant of Sun Wu, that was unearthed a few decades ago. The style is similar to the lost chapters of Sun Tzu, and part of the work could be seen as an explanation of the sometimes cryptic statements in the older work. Parts of the text are still missing or fragmentary. Apparently there were some changes in war technology, because Sun Bin besieges walled cities on occasion. The format consists of translation in bold, followed by commentaries by Thomas Cleary. The work concludes with a summary of common concepts in Sun Wu and Sun Bin. Some of the commentaries seem to have little relation to the translated text, in my opinion. Also, Cleary's attempts to translate the strategies into business management terms are contrived and distracting. I never did like that Tom Cruise movie either. beer

Spec Ops : Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare : Theory and Practice. William H. McRaven, Presidio 1998. The author presents a theory of special operations based on the concept of relative superiority, which is achieved by simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed, and purpose, represented on a "relative superiority graph". The case studies are interesting. beerbeer

Greece and Rome at War. Peter Connolly, Stackpole Books, 1998. This combines stuff from earlier books by the author with new material and very nice artwork. Reconstructs weapons, armor and tactics of Greek and Roman armies. Also describes the Celts and other enemies of Rome. Recommended. beer beer beer beer

Zen and Japanese Culture. Daisetz T. Suzuki, 1993. The basic idea of this book is that religion shapes culture and not vice versa. To quote: "let us imagine (Japan without Buddhism), the country would look like a deserted house with no furniture, no pictures, no screens, no sculptures, no tapestries, no gardens, no flower arrangements, no No play, no art of tea, and so on." Suzuki is a Zen Buddhist and he's advertising, and a bit unconvincing at times. Zen and the samurai, and Zen and swordsmanship fills a large part of this book. He puts a strange emphasis on the "virility" of zen (presumably as opposed to "effeminate" tendai and shingon?), and his use of the Tai Hei Ki as documenting the religious persuasion of its protagonists rather than of its authors or their patrons is somewhat questionable. I think it's strange that there seem to be more zen masters referring to swordsmanship, than swordsmen referring to zen. Zen masters in the stories are quick to claim mastery of the sword, while the connection of the swordsman to zen is often rather contrived; if the samurai kills without a second thought, it's because he views the enemy as an illusion, which is very zen. If he tries not to kill, he is compassionate, which is zen too. If he gets himself killed, that is even more zen. Seems the poor samurai is an example of zen whether he wants to or not. What could be the cause of this fascination for the art of killing from the zen practitioners, and their willingness to ascribe zen motives to professional killers? beer beer

Gay Tales of the Samurai. Ihara Saikaku, Alamo Square Press, 1995. I wasn't paying attention, thinking it were going to be merry tales, but the book deals with the Japanese practice of shudo (pederasty) as described in extracts from the works of Ihara Saikaku. This book is a retelling of a 1930 english translation of a french translation by Ken Sato, and this definitely shows in the awkward style and some of the most horrid romanizations one can encounter. water

The Art of Warfare in Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from the eighth century to 1340. J.F. Verbruggen, The Boydell Press, 1998. English translation of this excellent Belgian classic from 1954. Probably one of the best books on the subject, and in an enjoyable translation (which corrects some of Verbruggen's school-teacher style). beer beer beer beer beer

On War. Carl von Clausewitz. edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret, Princeton University Press, 1976. This is a classic, but unfinished work, it's huge and somewhat unstructured, but not as inaccessible as it's sometimes described. beer beer beer

The Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry. Christine de Pizan, Pennsylvania state university press, 1999. A 1410 book dealing with strategy (mostly based on Vegetius) and with laws of war, also giving detailed lists of fortification and siege equipment (and written by a woman). beer beer beer

The Art of War. Niccolo Machiavelli. Intro by Neal Wood. Da Capo Press, 1965. The intro by Neal Wood makes much of 'the art of war', claiming it to be a kind of synthesis of Machiavelli's socio-political theories, but I think this is a bit exaggerated. Originally published in 1521, it's interesting to compare it with the Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry by Christine de Pizan from 1410. Personally I like the earlier work more, Machiavelli's emphasis on the superiority of the Romans in all things is tiresome at times. beer beer beer

The Fighting Spirit of Japan. E. J. Harrison. Overlook Press, 1982 (orig. 1955). This is one of those 'classics' on the subject of Japanese martial arts, and one of the first in the West to highlight its esoteric sides (like ki). While Harrison may seem overly credulous at times, he makes a clear distinction between his own experience and hearsay (unfortunately later writers have quoted him with far less restraint). As an added bonus, Harrison actually writes well. I found particularly funny his account of organising judo-vs-western matches between a Kodokan Judoka and some foreign sailors willing to take up a challenge. This goes on as long as the Judoka keeps winning, but no sooner does he get a good beating from an American sailor who knew a little boxing, or Kano himself officially threatens with summary expulsion all those guilty of "degrading practices of this kind calculated to sully the fair fame of judo". beer beer beer beer beer

The Knight and Chivalry. Richard Barber, Boydell Press, 1970. A classic work on chivalry, its history and literature, and its connection to religion and the state. A little shallow on the 'practical' side, otherwise recommended. beer beer

The Book of the Courtier. Conte Castiglione Baldassare, 1528. A book on the code of the Renaissance knight and courtier, and a great work of literature. Interesting to compare this with the Hagakure, code of the Samurai, and similar writings. beer beer beer

The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe. Sydney Anglo, Yale University Press, 2000. A long overdue analysis of European martial arts, mostly (but not exclusively) from Renaissance manuals. Anglo discusses sword fighting, staff fighting, bare hands, daggers and knives, and mounted combat, and besides this, a considerable part of the book is devoted to the problem of recording combat techniques in manuals, and the various solutions adopted by the old masters. One of the main themes of the book is that European martial artists attached great importance to explaining their art (without which ability one was never considered a real master), which partly explains the great abundance of combat manuals created. beer beer beer beer

Secret Fighting Arts of the World. John F. Gilbey, Tuttle Publishing, 1963. Twenty 'secret' techniques from all over the world, from bad breath to delayed death touches. A farce so farcical that it must be read to be believed. Would have been hilarious if not taken seriously by so many. beer

Moving Toward Stillness. Dave Lowry, Tuttle Publishing, 2000. A collection of 45 interesting Dave Lowry essays on martial arts, originally published as columns in Black Belt Magazine. Occasionally tends to be Japan-worship-ish, but recommended nevertheless. beer beer

The Book of Chivalry of Geoffroi de Charny - text, context, and translation. Richard W. Kaeuper, Elspeth Kennedy, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996. Contains the original text side by side with an English translation. One of the most important text on chivalry by "the most worthy and valiant of them all." beer beer beer

The Knight in History. Frances Gies, Harper Perennial, 1984. A short history of knighthood that includes interesting biographies of William Marshal, Bertrand du Guesclin and John Fastolf. beer beer

Celtic Warriors, the armies of one of the first great peoples in Europe. Daithi O Hogain, St Martin's Press, 1999. A rather disappointing book in that it is based exclusively on Greek and Latin sources. Also, many of the illustrations are from 16th to 19th century artwork of very questionable historic value. The chapters on warfare in The Celts by Jean Markale are substantially more interesting. beer

Martial Musings, a portrayal of martial arts in the 20th century, Robert W. Smith, Via Media, 1999. This is a nicely produced book, hardcover, high quality paper, and sepia-colored photographs. However, the title is misleading. A better description would be "An autobiography, with some material on Judo and Taiji (and some boxing) as practiced in the US according to the author, with frequent digressions into American politics, American journalism, movies and literature, American religion, and so on, which vary between boring and offensive. The author unrepentently boast of being the pseudonymous liar "John Gilbey." There are interesting bits in this book, but they are few and far between. If you have any connection to Mr. Smith through your training, then this would be a fascinating history for you, but I don't see why anyone else would care sufficiently to wade through these martial ramblings.

Books on other arts

Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Donn F. Draeger, Robert W. Smith. Kodansha International, 1980. A somewhat dated but classic overview of fighting arts from China, Okinawa, Korea, Japan, India-Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. beer beer beer beer

The little Capoeira book. Nestor Capoeira, North Atlantic Books, 1995. Interesting little book on history, philosophy, music and techniques of Capoeira. beer beer beer

Stick fighting, techniques of self-defense. Masaaki Hatsumi, Quintin Chambers, Kodansha international, 1971. Useful system of stick defense, could be integrated without much problems in one's aikido or jujutsu training. Text with photographs. Hatsumi isn't wearing black. Also the only Hatsumi how-to book in english in print that I know about (knife and pistol fighting being out of print). beer beer beer beer beer

Fighting with Sticks. Nick Evangelista. Loompanics 1998. A superficial little book, mostly on singlestick. The author has basically taken the sections on stick from Egerton Castle and Hutton, and made up a set of rules by which these bloody games can be practiced safely. The book also offers yet another (and totally off-topic) repetition of the 19th century version of fencing history. What little technical advise he offers is obvious common sense. There are extremely short sections on canne and staff- you can learn more by watching Robin Hood, the movie. And there are instructions on constructing your own singlestick. It requires a stick, an ice-cream container, and lots of duct tape (eat the ice-cream first). I was really disappointed by this book (especially since it got positive reviews from people I consider serious). The depth of the author's research is obvious when he describes Eastern stick fighting, and identifies the style founded by Muso Gonnosuke as "Black Sword Aikido." There is better information than this available on the internet! water

Stick-fighting: self-defense. Bruce Tegner. Thor Publishing, 1982 (orig. 1972). I have heard some rather negative comments about some of Tegner's books and his qualifications for writing them, but apart from disagreeing with his opinion on gun defense, I found the advice and techniques in this book simple and sensible, especially for the elderly or less fit. It also contains some interesting advice on training the blind or disabled that I was able to use on occasion. beer beer

The Mystic Warriors of the Plains, Thomas E. Mails, Marlowe&co, 1972. Discusses the life of of the Plains Indians, with some interesting chapters on weapons and warfare. beer beer beer

Kyudo, the essence and practice of Japanese archery. Hideharu Onuma, Dan & Jackie DeProspero, Kodansha, 1993. History, equipment and practice of kyudo. The conversations with the master are enough reason to buy this book. Wonderful, even if you're not interested in kyudo.
(visit the Meishin Kyudojo Homepage maintained by Dan and Jackie DeProspero). beer beer beer beer beer

The complete 7 katas of judo, M. Kawaishi, Overlook 1982. Historical document showing Kawaishi's interpretation of the 7 judo kata's; randori, gonosen, kime, itsutsu, ju and koshiki no kata. Also mentions Shobu no kata and Go no kata, but unfortunately these are not explained. Translated from french. beer beer beer

Filipino Martial Arts, Cabales Serrada Escrima. Mark V. Wiley, Tuttle 1994. Interesting introduction to escrima basics and philosophy. Clear demonstrations of the angles of attack. Photographs. beer beer beer

The Balisong Manual, Jeff Imada , Know Now 1984. A manual on how to handle the balisong by a student of Dan Inosanto. Contains several opening and closing sequences, and a few practical applications. Cover the blade with tape while practicing. Maintain pressure until the bleeding stops. Interesting to know what you might be up against someday. beer beer beer

The archaeology of weapons, arms and armour from prehistory to the age of chivalry. Ewart Oakeshott, Dover, 1996. Highly interesting overview of the history of European warfare from the archaeology of weapons standpoint. beer beer beer beer beer

A knight and his weapons. Ewart Oakeshott, Dufour editions, 1997. Also discusses early firearms. Read the archaeology one first. beer beer

A knight in battle. Ewart Oakeshott, Dufour editions, 1998. A description of what happened at 4 battles in different periods; Arsuf, Lincoln, Mauron and Marigano. Fascinating. beer beer beer beer

Renaissance swordsmanship, the illustrated use of rapiers and cut-and-thrust swords. John Clements, Paladin press, 1997. A synthesis of historical manuals and personal experience of the author attempting to recreate Renaissance swordsmanship. Interesting though the author spends a lot of pages denouncing the approach of other recreators, probably more than the general reader cares about (visit the author's HACA site). beer beer

Medieval Swordsmanship, illustrated methods and techniques. John Clements, Paladin Press, 1998. This book is better structured than Clements' previous work, it is also considerably larger (300+ pages) which allows a more detailed treatment of the subject. The book deals with sword and shield, and two-handed sword. The author has collected his rants in a number of appendices in this book, instead of spread around like in Renaissance swordsmanship. This greatly improves the flow of the text. This book is heavily geared towards the HACA training system, which is based primarily on sparring. This may be considered somewhat limiting: close fighting and armed grappling is somewhat neglected, presumably due to the difficulty and danger of using them in sparring. In appendix are a number of essays and rants, some of which can also be found on the HACA website. What the rants are about: John Clements wants to recreate medieval methods of combat, some organisations of re-enactment engage in forms of recreated combat, which could provide a large base for experimentation and feedback for his research. Unfortunately, it seems, most members in these organisations are more concerned about the period origin of the fibers in their underwear than with authenticity of their recreated combat techniques. For the researcher this must represent a frustrating case of missed opportunities. The book is clear and the illustrations, while ugly, are relatively easy to understand. This is currently the only book on the subject, so it's certainly recommended. A comprehensive list of explanations of terminology used in old combat manuals would have been appreciated. Like the Renaissance one, source references are lacking. (visit the author's HACA site). beer beer beer

English Martial Arts. Terry Brown, Anglo-Saxon Books, 1997. This book deals with the London Masters of Defence and their techniques and weapons. Covered are: broadsword, quarterstaff, sword & dagger, vs sword & buckler, the bill, and bare-fist fighting. Illustrated with clear photographs. It's interesting to see how a closed handguard can substantially change sword techniques. But how could they fight wearing shoes like that? I would have liked a more detailed discussion on how exactly these techniques were reconstructed, and how much they might be influenced by the author's Kung Fu background. (visit the author's Company of Maisters website) beer beer beer

The book of the sword, with 293 illustrations. Richard F. Burton, 1884. Reprint Dover, 1987. Part 1 of a never completed 3 volume series on the history of the sword. From prehistory to the Roman era. Illustrated by drawings. Old but contains some interesting bits (I particularly liked the boomerang chapter). beer beer

The sword and the centuries. Alfred Hutton, Barnes and Noble reprint 1995. Descriptions of duels selected from a 500 year period, with such interesting details as types of wounds inflicted etc. Also includes various old manuscripts, and material on the London masters of defence. The author believes the sword improved through the centuries to reach perfection in the smallsword, but this doesn't make the duel descriptions any less interesting. This book makes a nice companion to "Legends of the samurai." You will have to go to Barnes&Noble to obtain the reprint (perhaps you would go through Koryu Books and support them?) beer beer beer

The secret history of the sword, adventures in ancient martial arts. J. Christoph Amberger, Unique Publications, 1998. Very interesting book on various sword related topics, including the psychological and initiatory aspects of weapons combat. Also discusses many of the myths and pseudohistory that surround the Western martial arts. Very much recommended. Visit the author's Secret history of the Sword website. beer beer beer beer beer

Tales of Okinawa's great masters. Shoshin Nagamine, Patrick McCarthy, Tuttle, 2000. The book is divided in three parts. The first part contains biographies and anecdotes on 10 karate masters, the second part describes Shoshin Nagamine's philosophy of karate and contains some basic zazen instruction. Part three is about tegumi or Okinawan sumo. One of the most striking features of the biographies is the distinct absence of the kind of superhuman feats that seem to make up so much of regular karate lore. beer beer

Medieval Combat. Hans Talhoffer. A fifteenth century illustrated manualof swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat. Translated and edited by Mark Rector. Greenhill Books, 2000. A very nice English translation of Talhoffer's 1467 Fechtbuch. This is an excellent book, my only complaint is that it is based on a recent German edition of the 19th century edition of Hergsell, and doesn't include anything from the other works published by Hans Talhoffer. beer beer beer

Bubishi, the bible of karate. Patrick McCarthy, Tuttle, 1995. Translation of some writings from the time karate was imported from China to Okinawa, known as "Bubishi". While I didn't find most of the old material itself particularly impressive, the treatment by McCarthy and his introduction and comments are excellent. Recommended. (visit the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society). beer beer beer beer

Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na. Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming, YMAA publication centre, 1991 (4th print). Chin na is grabbing and controlling the opponent. In this book Yang presents the techniques, ordered by principle, and interestingly, gives an escape and a counter for each technique. The Chin na techniques can be integrated in any grappling art. The book also presents some rather gruesome training exercises (juggling concrete blocks, fighting trees etc). Illustrated by photographs and drawings. Visit the YMAA beer beer beer beer

Comprehensive applications of Shaolin Chin Na. Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming, YMAA publication centre, 1995. In this book, the techniques are organised per attack. Recommended as well. The book uses new photographs, not those from "analysis". Visit the YMAA beer beer beer

Muscle/Tendon Changing and Marrow/Brain Washing Chi Kung : The Secret of Youth. Yang Jwing-Ming, YMAA publication centre, 1991. History and translation of these classics, with extensive commentary. Some of the brain washing techniques are quite explicit and not for the easily offended. Visit the YMAA beer beer beer

The Fighting Weapons of Korean Martial Arts. In Hyuk Suh, Jane Hallander, Unique Publications, 1988. This book describes the weapons of "Kuk sool won". A lot of the contents is, let's say "slightly biased" but, the author makes a good argument in favor of training with weapons, which I can only second. The book is about 70 pages text with illustrations showing weapons and some sample techniques, and about 100 pages filled with a sword form and a staff form. beer beer

Sevillian Steel : The Traditional Knife-Fighting Arts of Spain by James Loriega. Paladin Press, 1999. An interesting, if somewhat short and superficial, account of the author's knife training in Spain, with some technique description. beer beer beer

Self defence books

Kill or get killed, for police and the military, last word on mob control. Rex Applegate, Paladin press 1976. A very complete handbook for personal (mostly armed) combat. Illustrated by photographs and some drawings. Useful reality check for would-be masters. Recommended. beer beer beer beer beer

Combat use of the double-edged fighting knife. Rex Applegate, Paladin press, 1993. A 37 page book, including a discussion on the development of the Applegate fighting knife, and how to build a practice dummy. Technique consist of holding the knife at the unsharpened end and introducing the other end in the enemy's body. Always attack by surprise if possible. According to the author, knife-vs-knife fighting almost never occurs in real life and there is no point in training for it: if confronted with a knife, run, shoot, or use a baton, chair or other improvised weapon. beer

Cold steel, techniques of close combat. John Styer, 1952. Reprint Paladin press, 1974. Bayonet, knife, stick and unarmed fighting, a consistent system based on fencing movements. Appendix on knife throwing (for entertainment). Photographs and text. beer beer beer

Get Though! How to win in hand-to-hand fighting, as taught to the British commandos and the US armed forces. Captain W.E. Fairbairn. Paladin Press (orig. 1942). A nice book on hand-to-hand, with drawings of British and German soldiers as the good and bad guys. Includes blows, releases, holds and throws, the knife, the smatchet, and pistol disarms, and some miscellaneous advice including securing prisoners and some stick techniques. Simple and sensible (and by now "historic") techniques. beer beer beer

Cheap shots, ambushes and other lessons, a down and dirty book on streetfighting and survival. Marc Animal MacYoung, Paladin press, 1989. Very good book on general self-defense. Mostly on awareness, attitude, balance and other mental aspects, but also includes techniques. Illustrated with photographs and drawings. Author wears 'shit happens' T-shirt through most of the photographs (visit No-Nonsense Self-Defence). beer beer beer beer

A professional's guide to ending violence quickly. How bouncers, bodyguards, and other security professionals handle ugly situations. Marc Animal MacYoung. Paladin Press, 1993. Whatever you do, make it quick! Animal explains how to neutralise violent people without damaging them too much. Mostly a discussion of balance and takedown methods, with drawings, with a big chunk of the usual Animal philosophical talk added. The system is based on the principles of walking (you know how to walk?) which I find a pretty neat idea (visit No-Nonsense Self-Defence). beer beer beer

Taking It to the Street : Making Your Martial Art Street Effective by Marc Animal MacYoung. Paladin Press, 1999. This is in a sense a synthesis of the author's previous works. It presents a number of vital principles and proposes (sometimes unusual) exercises that should help to apply them in anyone's preferred martial art. beer beer beer

Kubotan keychain, Takayuki Kubota, Dragon books, 1984. Karate-based self-defense with very short stick (read an interview with the author here). Techniques are rather obvious. beer

Close encounters, the arresting art of taiho-jutsu, Takayuki Kubota, Dragon Books 1987. Arresting techniques using a variety of batons and assorted weapons, some of them invented by the author. beer

Gene LeBell's handbook of self-defense, Pro Action Heritage series, 1996 (original from 1964?). This was written at a time when karate was just being introduced and all Asian martial arts were known as "Judo". Contains techniques from mostly wrestling, boxing and judo. I got it for historical interest mostly. It's interesting how things don't really change that much. beer

How to defend yourself, effective and practical martial arts strategies. Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming.YMAA publication centre, 1992. It is often a sad experience to read self-defence books by high-ranking martial artists, as much too frequently, they seem to feel that self-defence requires exactly those skills that are not the focus of their art and most often presented in a totally disorganised fashion. This is not the case in this book by Dr. Yang. His self defence strategies are consistent, simple and effective. His techniques are taken from White Crane (Bai he) and Long Fist (Changquan), which are interestingly also considered the root systems of karate, so people practicing karate may find this book especially useful, or at least interesting to see what Yang considers to be the most simple and most effective techniques in these systems. The pictures are for the most part easy to follow (and have some kawaii girls, for those of you who have superficial moments too). The introduction has an interesting section describing "martial morality". Recommended. beer beer beer

U.S. Marines Close-Quarters Combat manual. Paladin press, 1996. This book gives no author information at all. The book allegedly presents the LINE system (linear infighting neural-override engagement), which sounds like an expensive bs name to me. This "system" is divided in line 1: wristlocks and chokehold counters, line 2: punch and kick counters, line 3: unarmed knife defense, line 4: knife fighting, line 5: enemy removal, and line 6: unarmed bayonet defense. The book includes M16A2 bayonet fighting. This is a rather poor book, often repeating the same drawings over and over. The actual techniques (basic punch and kick excluded) are: wristlock (kote gaeshi), reverse wristlock (aka nikyo), elbow strike (ude osae aka ikkyo), a leg sweep (osoto gari), and an arm lock that looks like ude gatame. Against a knife attack, you simply have to block the attacking arm, and then the same techniques can be used (yeah, right). Knife fighting uses the ice pick grip, again you just have to block the opponents knife with your free hand and then do a push cut to his throat, followed by a chest stab. The sentry removal starts with an eye gouge or groin stab, then slash to the throat, then lying down on his face while he dies. I think you might as well shoot him if you are not going to cover his mouth as a first step. The bayonet fighting uses a middle guard, which means there are blocks to 4 sides, unlike in Styer's system, where there is only one block. There are some group strategies described for bayonet fighting. The bayonet defence uses the same principle (?) as the knife defence. The presented system seems based on theory and wishful thinking instead of practical experience. One might wonder about the probability and relevance of bayonet-vs-bayonet and knife-vs-knife fighting in actual combat. I don't recommend this book, those interested in the subject should rather consult Field Manual 21-150 which is FREELY available on the web (among other interesting field manuals), or the books by Fairbairn, Styer and Applegate. water

The Best Defense : True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves With a Firearm. Robert A. Waters, Cumberland House, 1998. A compilation of 14 rather frightening stories of people who managed to survive assault through courage, luck, and firepower. beer beer beer

Armed & Female. Paxton Quigley, Mass Market Paperback, 1994. While this is marketed primarily as a book on handgun defense, it touches on many aspects of armed and unarmed defense. Quigley obviously has trained in or studied most popular self-defense courses, which adds a lot of value to the book. beer beer beer beer

Of general interest

The book of kimono, the complete guide to style and wear. Norio Yamanaka, Kodansha international, 1982. If you want to know how to properly wear Japanese clothes. Includes the "velcro" pre-tied obi and hakama. beer beer beer

Cha-no-yu, the Japanese tea ceremony. A.L. Sadler, Tuttle, 1962. Older work on tea, history, the ceremony and related artifacts, and many stories and anecdotes about famous and infamous tea-masters. Abundantly illustrated. beer beer beer beer

Make your own Japanese clothes, patterns and ideas for modern wear. John Marshall, Kodansha 1988. Patterns for kimono, uchikake, jimbei, hippari, haori, hanten, chanko, mompe, obi and tabi. No hakama pattern. Includes suggestions for variations on the traditional patterns, and info on wear, care and storage. beer beer

The joy of Japanese cooking. Kuwako Takahashi. Shufunotomo, 1986. Do you know your cuts? If tameshigiri gets too easy for you, try this. The author practices Sogetsu ryu ikebana, which is quite noticeable in the delightful photographs. Ingredient descriptions are adjusted to the American market, but it's not too hard to work around that (for us living elsewhere). beer beer

Shodo : The Art of Coordinating Mind, Body and Brush. William Reed, Japan Publications, 1990. This book covers basic techniques of Shodo, key aspects of characters and styles, and a guide for appreciating calligraphy. The author is also a Aikido 4dan in the ki society. I don't know or practice Shodo, but the book gives an idea of what the mental benefits of practice might be. The technical aspects in the first part might seem very familiar to Iaido practitioners. The book is, of course, illustrated with many pieces of calligraphy. beer beer beer beer

Japan at War, an oral history. Haruko Taya Cook & T. F. Cook. The New Press, 1992. Absolutely recommended for first hand accounts on being brainwashed into group suicide, chopping off Chinese heads, performing vivisections and testing biological weapons on 'bandits', being torpedoed, lost in the jungle, bombed, tortured by the imperial secret police, flying a kamikaze plane, being condemned to death as a war criminal, or have a nuke thrown at you. No illustrations. beer beer beer beer beer

Traditional Arts and Crafts of Japan. Christopher Dresser. Dover Publications, 1994 (orig. 1882). This book consists of two parts. In the first part, industrialist and art lover Dresser recounts his travel through 19th-century Japan. Escorted by Imperial officials, he visits lots of places inaccessible to the average Japanese (many of which are now gone). There are some tense moments when the Satsuma rebellion breaks out, and he finds his escort consists mostly of Hiego men... Part 2 presents his understanding of Japanese architecture, symbolism, lacquer, pottery, metal and fabric. I would like to quote this comment about the study of Japanese art:

But I must not be misunderstood : I do not wish to destroy our national art, and substitute for it the Japanese style. I merely wish that we should avail ourselves of those methods which are in advance of our own; not minding where they originated. Art, to be of value, must be national. It must embody the sentiments of the people who create it; hence no foreign art can be adopted by a country without the sacrifice of qualities which make it noble. A nation may borrow art suggestions from other peoples, as the Greeks borrowed from the Egyptians, and as the Japanese have borrowed from the Chinese even with advantage. But the suggestions adopted must be filtered through the mind of the country that adopts them. They must be so modified as to harmonise with the new conditions under which they exist. Broadly stated, my position is this we may borrow what is good from all peoples; but we must distil all that we borrow through our own minds.

Illustrated by 200+ drawings, a lot of them being high quality ink paintings. beer beer beer beer

The Book of Tea. Kakuzo Okakura. Dover Publications, 1964 (orig. 1906). A charming and well-written classic little book by a rather reactionary and nationalistic Japanese scholar. It was written directly in english and aimed at a western audience. Enjoyable if not taken too seriously. beer beer beer

Fiction

Musashi. Eiji Yoshikawa. Kodansha International, 1995. A fascinating epic based on the life of the most famous swordsman of Japan. beer beer beer beer

Shogun. James Clavell. Coronet Books, 1976. Another fascinating epic based very loosely on historic events. It's a good story, and I think it's based on what the average Japanese Clavell met believed about the period. That doesn't make it history though (and I wished I had a penny for every person referring to the Toronaga shogunate period in Japanese history) and I wouldn't try to learn Japanese out of it either. beer beer beer

Genji Monogatari. Murasaki Shikibu. Kencho Suematsu (trans) Tuttle, 1997. The 10th century story is about the life (and mostly decadent adventures) of prince Genji Hikaru. beer beer because this book is an abridged version, which is hardly indicated (I haven't gotten around to acquire the full version yet).

Ryoma : Life of a Renaissance Samurai. Romulus Hillsborough, Ridgeback Press, 1999. A very exciting dramatised biography of an important figure in pre-Meiji Japan. The author manages to remain mostly convincing (no small feat when your protagonist is considered by many to be a genius), I did regret that when the book ends after 600 pages with Ryoma's death, we get no information about what afterwards became of the other characters. beer beer beer

Movies

Grab some beers, watch a movie. These are some of my favourites, if you don't like black&white you will probably disagree...

Kurosawa Akira:

The Seven Samurai VHS DVD you probably know about this one already

Sanjuro VHS DVD Mifune as the reluctantly helpful ronin with the fast sword

Yojimbo VHS DVD what should we call this, a soba western? Mifune as ronin again.

Kagemusha VHS the fall of the Takeda clan

Ran VHS DVD King Lear with sons instead of daughters

Throne of Blood VHS Macbeth gets caught in 'friendly' fire before he can confront Macduff

The Hidden Fortress VHS Star wars without the Lucas/Luke self-insertion

More Mifune Toshiro: (visit the Toshiro Mifune site)

The Samurai Trilogy:

  1. Samurai I - Musashi Miyamoto VHS DVD
  2. Samurai II - Duel at Ichijoji Temple VHS DVD
  3. Samurai III - Duel at Ganryu Island VHS DVD

Chushingura VHS DVD the story of the 47 loyal retainers