Description
Book SynopsisPart 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."
Trade Review"Profusely illustrated throughout, impressively informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented,
Japan: The Ultimate Samurai Guide will be of special and particular interest to anyone intrigued by Japanese martial arts in general, and samurai traditions and legacies in particular. While especially and unreservedly recommended for dojo, community and academic library Martial Arts collections and supplemental studies reading lists."
-- Midwest Book Review"…a very informative and interesting book about Budo, samurais, weapons and the Japanese culture. The book is full of colorful pictures, works or art, diagrams, and illustrations…Besides the interest in history and martial arts, this book's strength is for the visitor to this beautiful land. The pictures themselves make me want to go and buy a ticket immediately."
--Man of La Book blog"Each chapter proves informative in its own way, and the pages are filled with humor, as well as anecdotes and lists of things such as Bennett's favorite martial arts films that give the book a more personal touch. It is also fantastically illustrated, with hundreds of pictures depicting the evolution of martial arts to the present day. 'This book is supposed to be genuinely from the heart.' says Bennett. 'Without the pretense, bulls--, misconceptions or romanticization that often accompanies martial arts.' And that's the impression you get reading it; it's a work of passion, but one that is both honest and to the point."
--The Japan Times
