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Historical books including books about the 47 Ronin, Musashi's Book of Five Rings, and other works.
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"Ralph Sawyer's translation of Sun Pin...adds in an important way to our knowledge of the place of warfare in classical Chinese civilization."--John Keegan
The enormous renewed popularity of Sun Tzu's The Art of War has heightened awareness of the great Chinese tradition of writing on the theory and practice of war...
A classic—now pocket-sized. Find inspiration in some of history’s great military victories as others have for over 2,400 years. Sun Tzu was the most famous military scientist, and one of the ablest commanders, in ancient China...
This unique history of Japanese armed martial arts 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. A must read for the serious practitioner of classical fighting arts. G. Cameron Hurst III. 243 pages
In 1899, Inazo Nitobe wrote Bushido, The Soul of Japan: This book explains much about the nature of the warrior ethos that forms much of the foundation of the Japanese culture. Bushido is a basic text book for understanding the Japanese mind and essential for any martial artist who values the ideals of the samurai which are the core of any Japanese martial arts system. Softcover, 122 pages.
The classical budo are first and foremost spiritual disciplines, whose ultimate goal, achieved through the most rigorous mental and physical training is self-realization in the tradition of Zen Buddhism. The author details the history, philosophy, and methods of a variety of a variety of these "martial ways", some using weapons and some weaponless. Softcover, 128 pages.
This magnificently illustrated portrait of a colorful but often violent society concludes with a lively account of everyday life in the capital city of Edo, the present day Tokyo.Softcover.
Fallen Leaves, at the very heart of Bushido, te Way of the Warrior, was the responsibility to accept one's own death and absolute loyalty to one's lord. But the Way was one of action, and the era of domestic peace, which began in the early 17th century and lasted until modern times, made the warrior's martial skills redundant. His role in society was still important , however, for him fell the responsibility of governing...
The description of this book comes best from the introduction by Charles moore. "It comes with the thrill of a slap for us then to hear praise of shadows and darkness;so it is when there comes to us the excitement of realizing that musicians everywhere make their sounds to capture silence or that architects develop complex shapes just to envelop empty space..."
Hundreds of Japanese death poems, many with a commentary describing the circumstances of the poet's death, have been translated into English here, the great majority of them for the first time. Yoel Hoffman explores the attitudes and customs surrounding death in historical and present day Japan, and gives examples of how these have been reflected in the nation's literature in general. The development of writing jisei is then examined from the poems of longing of the early nobility and the more "masculine" verses of the samurai to the satirical death poems of later centuries. Zen Buddhist ideas about death are also described as a preface to the collection of Chinese death poems by Zen monks that are also included. Softcover, 366 pages.
A superb look on the ancient systems that are both the legacy of the samurai in modern times and the very foundations of the modern derivations of the military sciences that were practiced during feudal era by the samurai. Information like this is absolutely necessary for anyone who wishes to understand the warrior acts of the samurai and their influence and impact on modern budo...
