Samurai Fighting Arts: The Spirit and the Practice

Samurai Fighting Arts: The Spirit and the Practice by Tanaka, Fumon. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9784770028983.

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.