Complete Kendo PDF Download

Author: John J. Donohue
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462917518
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
Complete Kendo is a thorough introduction to the Japanese martial way of the sword and a guided tour of the principles and philosophy upon which the art is founded. This martial arts guide covers everything from the care and handling of hakama, the pleated trousers worn by kendoka (practitioners of kendo), all in an easy conversational dialogue that is a great pleasure to read. Structured to echo the organization of the Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, Complete Kendo is a modern version of the swordsman's primer by a martial artist skilled not only in the art of kendo but, like Musashi, in many traditional Japanese arts, and with a superb understanding of the martial tradition and culture of Japan. The author uses lessons learned from a long career of teaching martial arts and academic subjects to impart clearly and concisely the fundamentals of kendo and the martial way. With explanatory line drawings by Kathleen Sweeney illustrating significant points of discussion, a handy glossary of kendo terminology and related concepts, and an unusually helpful bibliography, Complete Kendo is an essential volume for every kendoka's personal library.

Author: Alexander Bennett
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462921221
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
This seminal work by historian Alexander Bennett presents a broad overview of the Japanese "Way of the Warrior" as it is expressed in scores of classical Japanese texts written by famous Samurai themselves. Bennett's analysis of these writings shows that the essential meaning of Bushido, the Samurai's code of conduct and ethics, evolved significantly over time--from the 12th century when the warrior class was elevated to become an elite group, to the 19th century when the Samurai class was suddenly disbanded. Bushido Explained takes a visual approach to presenting important concepts and terminology, helping readers easily navigate the complex world of the Samurai. The text is written in a highly accessible style, with sidebars presenting interesting concepts, facts and important Samurai figures who were central to Bushido's evolution. The different types of Bushido--which vary by region, time period and Samurai rank--are presented with over 300 informative diagrams and illustrations. No other book offers such a wide-ranging, yet clear analysis of Bushido--debunking myths and misconceptions about who the Samurai truly were. Bushido Explained presents a precise overview of Samurai ideals and culture in a logical, chronological order. Author Alexander Bennett--a professor of Japanese history, martial arts and Budo theory at Kansai university in Japan--uses this information and teaching methods in his Japanese Studies: Introduction to Bushido class. Now, readers all over the world can sit in on the unique lesson.

Author: G Hurst I
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300116748
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
This unique history of Japanese armed martial arts--the only comprehensive treatment of the subject in English--focuses on traditions of swordsmanship and archery from ancient times to the present. G. Cameron Hurst III provides an overview of martial arts in Japanese history and culture, then closely examines the transformation of these fighting skills into sports. He discusses the influence of the Western athletic tradition on the armed martial arts as well as the ways the martial arts have remained distinctly Japanese. During the Tokugawa era (1600-1867), swordsmanship and archery developed from fighting systems into martial arts, transformed by the powerful social forces of peace, urbanization, literacy, and professionalized instruction in art forms. Hurst investigates the changes that occurred as military skills that were no longer necessary took on new purposes: physical fitness, spiritual composure, character development, and sport. He also considers Western misperceptions of Japanese traditional martial arts and argues that, contrary to common views in the West, Zen Buddhism is associated with the martial arts in only a limited way. The author concludes by exploring the modern organization, teaching, ritual, and philosophy of archery and swordsmanship; relating these martial arts to other art forms and placing them in the broader context of Japanese culture.

Author: Yagyu Munenori
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595279988
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Book Description
The Way of the Living Sword is the final installment in D.E. Tarver's popular Warrior Series. It stands beside The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi as one of the greatest writings of the warrior mind. In The Way of the Living Sword, Munenori gives an in-depth explanation of the connection between physical martial arts and the mental process of Zen. While Munenori and Musashi were both avid students of Zen, Munenori was more fascinated by the academic aspects of the philosophy. Munenori stretches the consciousness of even the most enlightened martial artist. Martial arts devotees will experience many flashes of revelation as Tarver explores the various aspects of Munenori's approach. Read and grow!

Author: David Jones
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 146291828X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Learn the techniques of Japanese martial arts along with the cultural background and philosophy! Martial Arts Training in Japan: A Guide for Westerners is the first book of its kind. Part travel guide, part survey of the many martial arts styles practiced in Japan, and part introduction to the basics of Japanese etiquette in and out of the dojo, this martial arts book is an excellent introduction to the ways of the Japanese martial arts and the philosophy that energizes martial arts practice even today. With information ranging from the mundane but crucial—such as how to go about testing for rank in a Japanese dojo—to a discussion of the four philosophical worlds of budo, author David Jones has provided an essential reference. Martial Arts Training in Japan includes contact information and advice for training in Japan in the traditions of: Aikido: The Way of Harmony Iaido: The Way of Drawing the Sword Jodo: The Way of the Staff Judo: The Gentle Way Karate: The Way of the Empty Hand Kendo: The Way of the Sword Kyudo: The Way of the Bow Naginatado: The Way of the Halberd Ninjutsu: The Art of Stealth

Author: Bck Kwan
Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
ISBN: 1482866676
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 478

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Book Description
Studying and living at The Facility was meant to be a fresh start, but the past refuses to be ignored. Now in her third year, Syndicessca Jeannie finds her past catching up even as she navigates a relationship with Walker in one world and discovers a lost child in another. As nightmares appear to be spreading among the other trainees, Syndi-Jeans perception on reality and existence comes into question as the walls between worlds begin to crumble. When a malevolent force makes itself known, the stakes are raised, and lives are thrown into the balance. For Syndi-Jean, facing that force means facing her greatest fear. It was a year she would have her happiest moments and hardest losses. And in that, she would discover her potential and herself (Remington).

Author: Alexander C. Bennett
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520959949
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
Kendo is the first in-depth historical, cultural, and political account in English of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship, from its beginnings in military training and arcane medieval schools to its widespread practice as a global sport today. Alexander Bennett shows how kendo evolved through a recurring process of "inventing tradition," which served the changing ideologies and needs of Japanese warriors and governments over the course of history. Kendo follows the development of Japanese swordsmanship from the aristocratic-aesthetic pretensions of medieval warriors in the Muromachi period, to the samurai elitism of the Edo regime, and then to the nostalgic patriotism of the Meiji state. Kendo was later influenced in the 1930s and 1940s by ultranationalist militarists and ultimately by the postwar government, which sought a gentler form of nationalism to rekindle appreciation of traditional culture among Japan’s youth and to garner international prestige as an instrument of "soft power." Today kendo is becoming increasingly popular internationally. But even as new organizations and clubs form around the world, cultural exclusiveness continues to play a role in kendo’s ongoing evolution, as the sport remains closely linked to Japan’s sense of collective identity.

Author: Junzo Sasamori
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462903347
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
"An excellent introduction to traditional Japanese swordsmanship."—Daily Yamiuri This book introduces Kendo, the exhilarating mental and physical sport of Japan that has gained new popularity, with both sexes now participating, its own evolution and the efforts of a remarkable group of teachers it has progressed through the years to its present position as a sport. This is Kendo is a fully illustrated introduction to the traditional art of Japanese fencing—its essential nature and its basic techniques. It is the first kendo book in English to describe and analyze this famous sport. Features include: Over 100 photographs and drawings Origin and History of Kendo Basic Kendo Principles and Techniques Traditions Governing Kendo Etiquette and Technique Important Strikes Offensive and Defensive Positions Training Exercises The paramount point to be remembered in this book on an ancient art is that no one really stops learning more about the people who invented armor and developed combat techniques. It is our hope that the reader will continue his study beyond the scope of this kendo guide.

Author: Denis Gainty
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135069905
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
In 1895, the newly formed Greater Japan Martial Virtue Association (Dainippon Butokukai) held its first annual Martial Virtue Festival (butokusai) in the ancient capital of Kyoto. The Festival marked the arrival of a new iteration of modern Japan, as the Butokukai’s efforts to define and popularise Japanese martial arts became an important medium through which the bodies of millions of Japanese citizens would experience, draw on, and even shape the Japanese nation and state. This book shows how the notion and practice of Japanese martial arts in the late Meiji period brought Japanese bodies, Japanese nationalisms, and the Japanese state into sustained contact and dynamic engagement with one another. Using a range of disciplinary approaches, Denis Gainty shows how the metaphor of a national body and the cultural and historical meanings of martial arts were celebrated and appropriated by modern Japanese at all levels of society, allowing them to participate powerfully in shaping the modern Japanese nation and state. While recent works have cast modern Japanese and their bodies as subject to state domination and elite control, this book argues that having a body – being a body, and through that body experiencing and shaping social, political, and even cosmic realities – is an important and underexamined aspect of the late Meiji period. Martial Arts and the Body Politic in Meiji Japan is an important contribution to debates in Japanese and Asian social sciences, theories of the body and its role in modern historiography, and related questions of power and agency by suggesting a new and dramatic role for human bodies in the shaping of modern states and societies. As such, it will be valuable to students and scholars of Japanese studies, Japanese history, modern nations and nationalisms, and sport and leisure studies, as well as those interested in the body more broadly.

Author: Alexander Bennett
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462920071
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 547

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Book Description
Part Samurai history, part martial arts guide, this is THE book for anyone interested in Japan's fabled Samurai culture. Author Alexander Bennett is the ultimate insider--holding multiple black belts in Kendo and Naginata, as well as a Ph.D. in Japanese literature and history. In this book he shares his vast personal experience and knowledge with readers seeking to undertake their own personal quest in the Japanese martial arts. Bennett outlines the Japanese history of Bushido and the Samurai--from early times up until the present. Then, as only someone steeped in this world can, he surveys the contemporary martial arts scene and provides the essential knowledge young foreigners need to find a teacher and learn successfully. Unlike any other book on this subject, Japan The Ultimate Samurai Guide is written by a Japanese speaker who has studied and taught martial arts in Japan for many decades. Chapters include: The Real Samurai The Concept of Bushido Development of the Japanese Martial Arts Martial Arts Masters You Should Know About Budo in Japan Today Key Martial Arts Concepts Life in a Japanese Dojo A Japan Survival Guide Written in a down-to-earth and easy-to-read style, this book will captivate anyone interested in Japan, as well as martial arts teachers and practitioners around the world. With both history and humor, this vividly illustrated book has a more personal touch than many (for example, read up on "Fifteen Famous Japanese Cultural Indiosyncrasies" and Bennett's favorite martial arts movies). As Bennett says, "This book is supposed to be genuinely from the heart. Without the pretense…misconceptions or romantization that often accompanies martial arts."