Judo A Samurai Legacy


Book Description

Judo is best known as an Olympic combat sport whose highlights are spectacular throws, sometimes followed by devastating armbars or strangulations on the ground. But this is only one aspect of judo. Judo is also a system of self-defense, a system of physical education, and a philosophy. This book explores some of the different aspects of the way of gentleness, including its history, purpose, technical foundations, and cultural context.




Jujutsu


Book Description

The confusion of combat arts with martial sports allowed Jujutsu to be superseded by Judo, Karate, and Tae Kwon Do in the public eye. Ironically, it is the current perception of Jujutsu as a sport that has returned it to the limelight. While many Jujutsu techniques are used in the mixed martial arts tournaments so popular over the last decade, the chokes and joint-locks seen in UFC and similar no-holds-barred fighting merely scratch the surface of traditional Jujutsu's wealth of knowledge.




The Way of Judo


Book Description

A martial arts biography of the legednary founder of judo, Jigoro Kano, and the colorful coterie of disciples who wanted to carry on his legacy Kodokan judo, one of the most well-known martial arts in the world today, was originated by Jigoro Kano (1860–1938), a martial artist and career educator who developed the art after studying several types of jujutsu, sumo, and Western wrestling. Openness and refinement were hallmarks of his personal and professional style, and he relentlessly searched for the best way to practice, teach, and perform techniques. This biography shows how Kano saw judo as a vehicle not just for self-defense, but for physical, spiritual, and moral development as well. His teachings clearly emphasize his ideal of judo as a way of self-cultivation that leads to physical health, ethical behavior, and ultimately a better society. Kano was a tireless activist who promoted the practical application of judo’s principles in all realms of life—in one’s personal behavior, for education, in work, for economic benefit, and in both the local and international political arenas. Kano’s students were a colorful, sometimes notorious bunch, and this book reveals how several went on to become famous—or infamous—in their own right. They include a prime minister of Japan, the leader of the Communist party in China, a famous novelist, a spy, high-level military leaders, and a media mogul, among many others.




Old School


Book Description

Koryu, literally, 'old flow from the past,' refers to Japanese martial traditions that predate the sweeping cultural changes that followed the Meiji Restoration of 1868. They generally have a very different character and tone from modern martial arts, such as kendo, judo or aikido which followed. More than the study of antique weapons, self-defense or a form of athletics, these martial traditions are a cultural legacy and a window to another time and place. In the first edition of Old School, Ellis Amdur, a renowned martial arts researcher, and himself an instructor in two different surviving koryu, gave readers a rare glimpse into feudal Japanese warrior arts, both as they were in the past and as they live on today. Nearly a decade later, he returns to the subject in this new, greatly expanded edition, bringing readers inside the dojos of a number ancient schools, providing details analysis of the evolution and morphology of uniquely Japanese weaponry, addressing the myth and reality of Japan's naginata-wielding warrior women, and discussing the modern relevance of the blood oaths, magical ritual and mysticism that often permeate the koryu. Finally, he looks at the challenge of preservation and transmission, especially as more and more practitioners of the koryu exist outside of Japan itself. Writing with a combination of the initiate's passion for his subject, and the scientist's rigorous search for the truth, Amdur asks critically: do the ancient traditions still meet the objectives of their founders? Are they successfully passing their ancient legacy down to the next generation? Over a third larger than the first edition and filled with new artwork and photography, Old School: Japanese Martial Traditions Expanded Edition will be an invaluable addition to the library of old readers and new alike.




The Complete Kano Jiu-Jitsu (Judo)


Book Description

The best guide to learning jiu-jitsu ever written in English, this is the most comprehensive study available. It describes the authentic form of judo developed in the late 19th century by Professor Jiguro Kano — not the many imitations often called by this name. Officially recognized by the Japanese government as the preeminent school of jiu-jitsu, the Kano system was the method in which Japanese armed forces and police were trained. The complete system of 160 holds and throws is clearly explained, with 487 photographs and four charts providing further clarification. Pressure points, balance, falling, and every other important aspect receives full and complete treatment. The first section presents 60 "tricks" of combat in strict sequence that prepare for part two, in which readers learn how to apply the advantages of the tricks they've learned. The third section deals with highly scientific tricks of combat, by which an opponent may be incapacitated — and the methods of kuatsu, or resuscitation, by which a fallen opponent may be revived. Martial arts students at every level of experience will find this classic guide a source of valuable information and instruction.




The Ways of the Samurai


Book Description

For more than 700 years Japan was dominated by a military caste-the samurai. To the Western mind these fearsome warriors-samurai, the masterless ronin, and the assassin ninja-have always been a source of mystery and wonder, combining the idealism of chivalry with military fanaticism. THE WAYS OF THE SAMURAI digs beneath the myth and reveals a truth even more amazing about the men who practiced a discipline drawn from Zen and Confucian ethics-bushido, the way of the warrior.




Bushido: the Soul of Japan


Book Description

Bushido: The Soul of Japan written by Inazo Nitobe was one of the first books on samurai ethics that was originally written in English for a Western audience, and has been subsequently translated into many other languages (also Japanese). Nitobe found in Bushido, the Way of the Warrior, the sources of the virtues most admired by his people: rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty and self-control, and he uses his deep knowledge of Western culture to draw comparisons with Medieval Chivalry, Philosophy, and Christianity.




Karate My Art by Motobu Choki


Book Description

At long last we are pleased to announce that the 3rd edition of the 1932 Motobu Choki publication, "Watashi no Karate-jutsu," is finally completed thanks only to the assistance and co-operation of many kind people. The publication is approximately 182 pages in the same size and format as our Funakoshi Gichin publication, Tanpenshu. Here, in this small but provocative publication, lies yet another milestone in the legacy of Karate. "Watashi no Karate-jutsu" ("My Art of Karate"), introduces comprehensive insights into a fighting tradition as known and taught by one of its early Okinawan innovators, Motobu Choki (1870-1944). One of only two books he ever published on the art it is not widely known in modern karate circles or outside the spectrum of those who research its history. Straightforward in its approach, this modest work outlines those unique methods that made Motobu Choki, pound for pound, possibly the greatest technician and karate fighter of his generation. One mistake the modern Karate-ka often makes, when trying to grasp the technical ambiguities surrounding the application of early karate practices, is to depend on contemporary assumption. This small but powerful book provides a window through which the reader is better able to perceive the cultural landscape and social mind-set of those people who shaped its practice. What could possibly improve a reader's overall understanding of the art more than walking in the footsteps of those people most responsible for pioneering it? Great people should never be forgotten, if only to remind us of the potential latent in ourselves. By studying the anthropology of this tradition it becomes evident that many of the early pioneers established a symbiosis with karate so that their lives became as much a product of the art as was the art a product of their lives. Researched and translated by Patrick & Yuriko McCarthy




Mastering the Samurai Sword


Book Description

Memorialized in countless books and movies, the history of Japan's fearsome samurai warriors is known all over the world. Who can forget these Japanese masters' skills with the sword? Today, samurai warriors no longer exist, but their legacy of swordsmanship endures. Now, the way of the samurai sword is learned in the martial arts Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu. This book is the perfect introduction to using this beautiful and ancient weapon. In Mastering the Samurai Sword, you'll learn the sword's fascinating history, its evolution, and the philosophy behind its use. You'll also learn practical guidance for mastering the sword itself. Full-color, step-by-step photographs detail many of the most useful and famous samurai moves, including: drawing the samurai sword guard positions, cutting blows, and blocking falling and rolling techniques, and evasive strategies standing forms and kneeling forms All of the martial arts techniques discussed in the book are performed for readers in the downloadable material to help you perfect your form. Beginners will learn everything from proper attire and behavior in the dojo to how they might practice at home, while more experienced samurai swords people will find a new appreciation for the deeper meaning and tradition behind the graceful way of the sword.




Samurai Swordsmanship


Book Description

Demonstrates and explains the history, construction, sword etiquette, basic targeting and mat cutting using the Samurai sword.