Good kenjutsu books

[hiroyuki]

Can anyone recommend me a good complete kenjutsu book (not iaido), -in english, french or italian- , whatever style, with detailed describtion of the basics like postures, waza, strikes, blocking, counters etc...

[Chuck.Gordon]

I think Bruce Tegner wrote that one :p

Just kidding.

I don't think you'll find a 'complete' kenjutsu book, especially not in English. There are several good books about various aspects of sword arts out, but off the top of my head, I don't know of any ryuha that would put the entire syllabus out in the public's hands like that.

For a good overview of a couple of systems:

Deity and the Sword (3-parts), about Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu

Legacy of the Sword, by Karl Friday, about Kashima Shinryu

At www.budogu.com, you can order several excellent books, DVDs and videos about various ryuha, but most will be in Japanese.

In English, there are lots of good books detailing seitei iai, and a few intro-level books about various koryu iai systems.

Not sure what you're really looking for, but you won't learn kenjutsu from a book. Too many subtleties.

Chuck

[Budoka 34]

Sameer,

Forgive the blatant advertising, but I have a copy of Shinkage-ryu Sword Techniques listed on ebay now. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3677290414&category=16044&sspagename=STRK%3AMESSE%3AIT&rd=1

It is Volume 2. and shows the Shinkage ryu (14) forms by picture.

Hope this helps.

:smilejapa

[Chuck.Gordon]

Originally posted by me
At www.budogu.com, you can order several excellent books, DVDs and videos about various ryuha, but most will be in Japanese.

That link ought to read: www.budogu.com ... the comma got trapped in the URL code somehow.

Chuck

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by Chuck.Gordon
...And yeah, Diety is awfully pricey. Makes me kick myself when I think that I passed up a deal a few years ago for the hard-bound set for under $100 USD. Sigh.
I had the First Edition of the three volumes in hardback. I had them at work, and a broken fire-sprinkler system caused a flood that ruined them. :cry:

The same flood took out my hardbound Japanese Swordsmanship: Technique and Practice, and one volume of Draeger's Classical/Modern Bujutsu/Budo.

I have them all in softcover now, but it's just not the same. :(

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by Chuck.Gordon
(How do I make the smileys do raspberries?):p :p :p :p :p

That's ":p" on the keyboard. :cool:

[Okashira]

I found Fumon Tanaka's book "Samurai Fighting Arts:The spirit and the practice" on Kodansha very informating and nice.

[hyaku]

The one Soke tells us all to read is fairly complete and concise. There is another one by the same author that kept us up until three this morning trying to figure out its complexity.

Hey where are those sleepy Smilies?

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

[glad2bhere]

I have never been able to find a definitive book on Keicho-ryu, the metropolitan police style of kenjutsu and have not been able to find much about it or its history. Is there a reason that there is so little material about this? I thought certainly that KORYU or BUDOGU would have something. Thoughts? Anyone?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Joseph Svinth]

Bruce --

There are a couple pages of historical background in Hilary Conroy, Sandra T.W. Davis, and Wayne Patterson, editors. _Japan in Transition: Thought and Action in the Meiji Era, 1868-1912_ (Rutherford, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984). See also http://www.uni-hamburg.de/Wiss/FB/10/JapanS/Artikel/meijipol.html (in German)

[glad2bhere]

Thanks, Joe. The German article will give me something to polish my Deutsch on. In the meantime I stole the bib from the end and note more than a few citations in Japanese. Any recommendations for academic sources to check these against?

"......
Aoki Hideo: Yôhatsu no rekishi. 1971. Yûzankaku.
Ema Tsutomu: Nihon keppatsu zenshi. 1960. Sôgensha.
C.R. Hallpike: "Social Hair", in: MAN.N.S.4.1969, S. 256-264.
Albert G. Hess/Shigeyo Murayama: Everyday law in Japanese folk art. Aalen: Scientia Verlag 1980.
Dr. Hoffmann: "Die Heilkunde in Japan", in: Mittheilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens.1.1873-1876:4.
Kainô Michitaka: Keisatsuken. 4.Aufl. 1965. Iwanami shoten.
Katô Hidetoshi et al.: Tsuiho. Meiji-Taishô-Shôwa sesôshi. 1982. Shakaishisô-sha.
Obinata Sumio: Tennôsei keisatsu to minshû. 1987. Nihon hyôron-sha.
Wilhelm Röhl: "Das Goseibaishikimoku", in: Oriens Extremus.5.1982:2, S. 240.
Sugimura Toshimasa, Mitsudô Kageaki, Higashihira Kôshi: Keisatsuhô nyûmon. 2. Aufl. 1981. Yûhikaku.
Tagami Shôji: Keisatsuhô. 1979. Yûhikaku.
Uno Hisao: "Heafasshon no nagare to chôsa", in: Gendai fûzoku.1.1977, S. 74ff.

........."

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Joseph Svinth]

The chapter in Conroy, et al., is about policing Meiji Japan, so its references should lead you to English-language sources. Meanwhile, a potentially useful bibliography appears here: http://www.oriental.cam.ac.uk/jbib/meijisoc1.html

Also check Duke University or UCMI, both of which should have a copy of the 1975 dissertation on which James Leavell's article in Conroy, et al., was based. Alternatively, write Professor Leavell and ask: http://www.furman.edu/depts/asianstudies/faculty/leavell.htm

[glad2bhere]

Many thanks. I'll chew on this a bit and let you know where it takes me. Thanks again.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[seskoad]

I am confused to choose which one to buy first, considering my limitation of budget. I hope you guys can help me on this:

- Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido Book + DVD by 8th dan Kyoshi Teruhisa Nanno instructs the art of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido in this text. The content is bilingual - in English and Japanese and DVD is content of the waza.

$49.95

- Shokai Iai: Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu $65 (http://budogu.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/page16.html)

I am planning to go back for good to my origin country in Indonesia. Therefore I really need heaps of reference since there is no MJER iaido available there. Hope you guys can help me to decide which one first from above options

thanks in advance

[ghp]

I am confused to choose which one to buy first...I can heartily and strongly recommend Shoukai Iai. That being said, I've not seen the other you mention. However, Shoukai Iai is by far the best I've seen in the 12 years since I've owned it.

Regards,
Guy

[seskoad]

Originally posted by ghp
I can heartily and strongly recommend Shoukai Iai. That being said, I've not seen the other you mention. However, Shoukai Iai is by far the best I've seen in the 12 years since I've owned it.

Regards,
Guy

But I don't know anything about japanese language. Is it hard to understand that book by looking the pics?

thanks mr. Power

[glad2bhere]

It is hard to understand ANYTHING by just looking at pictures. Consider that you are asking to undertake an activity that has engaged people for most of their lives. Perhaps this would be a good time to begin to learn to read basic Japanese with an eye towards understanding this activity better. This was the motivation that got me into Oriental languages, myself. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Okashira]

I was wondering if there exists any book on kenjutsu like Serge Mol's Book on Koryu Jujutsu (i.e. a book that presents each kenjutu ryu with characteristics history etc).

Any input?

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by Okashira
I was wondering if there exists any book on kenjutsu like Serge Mol's Book on Koryu Jujutsu (i.e. a book that presents each kenjutu ryu with characteristics history etc).
A brief outline of several koryu can be found in Volumes 1 & 2 of Diane Skoss' Koryu series. I suspect you are looking for something with more depth, but I can recommend this series for anyone interested in the Nihon Kobudo.

[Chidokan]

Seskoad,
try this one, again in Japanese, for MJER.
http://www.buyubooks.com/product_details.cfm?id=10523
There is also a video set to go with it...

There is more on Hyaku's website, in English, by the same author.
http://www.hyoho.com/

You have set yourself a big task, trying to learn iaido by books/video. I think most of us would consider it next to impossible! Is there no way you can get to, say, Japan, once every year or so? Alternatively why not try to get a club going and ask a teacher to come over for a seminar? You may be surprised by the response and get enough people together to get an association/club going! I know this isn't the best solution but it would be better than what you are trying to do. How else do you think we all started??!! My club was just me and a friend, now I train with around 20 students. Give it a go and see what happens, so what if you dont get any interest, at least you have tried...