Product Description

Focusing his expertise on the techniques and history of the bokken - the wooden training sword used by both ancient samurai and today's swordsmen - the author maintains that training with the bokken is important on two levels for the modern practitioner: to build the physical stamina, rhythms, and adroit body movements of traditional swordsmanship and to achieve something of the animating spirit of the traditional swordsman. This history of the bokken combines the author's concise, eloquent writing style with over 100 photographs to provide the reader with the traditional and modern perspectives of this vital, historically rich practice tool.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146023 in Books
• Published on: 1986-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

A useful addition to the martial artist's bookshelf
This book, written with a fair amount of humour, and a large amount of knowledge - encourages the martial artist - even one whose art/tradition does not include the sword to 'pick up the boken'.

Several reasons are given for this - the perspective that a weapon can give to unarmed fighting systems, exercise, historical interest etc. Quite convincing really!

The book doesn't even pretend to make you a swordsman, but does show how the movements using the boken, are related to kenjitsu.

Practicing these movements will almost certainly improve your unarmed skills - and also (if you do enough of them) your cardiovascular fitness.

One of the better 'teach yourself' books around.

Honest and true to it's roots, a great book for beginners.
Some other books on this subject wrongfully encourage competetiveness and emphisize on the opponent getting hurt. Instead, this book stays true to it's ancient Japanese roots- emphizing throughout to focus on Kirihaku, or to "Cut at the impurities" within the self. Approached this way, and with easy to understand picture secuences with great photographs, helpful sections on clothing and equipment, and a great learning curve with plenty of different forms, strikes, and techniqes with a partner makes this a fantastic book for any begginer and perhaps for others as well. A very complete section on the origins of the Bokken, along with the famous tale of Miyamoto Musashi's fight with Sasaki Kojiro, round it out for much better understanding of the art overall. If you are interested in Bokken, THIS IS THE BOOK TO GET.

A good intro
This book may be a little dated in style, but not in content. It is intended as in introduction to Bokken work and shouldn't be expected to deliver more than this. I tend to feel this is a good accompaniment to actual training with a qualified instructor. I like Dave Lowry's writing style and his integrity to martial arts and recommend other books by him, especially his collected essays.