Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan
Author(s): Oscar Ratti (Author), Adele Westbrook (Author)
Publisher: Tuttle Shokai Inc
Publication Date: 1 Sept. 2009
Language: English
Print length: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 9784805309605
ISBN-13: 4805309601
Book Description
Secrets of the Samurai is the definitive study of the martial arts of feudal Japan, explaining in detail the weapons, techniques, strategies, and principles of combat that made the Japanese warrior a formidable foe.
The work begins with a panoramic survey of the tumultuous early struggles of warlords contending for political ascendancy then outlines the relentless progression of the military class toward absolute power. In addition to illustrating actual methods of combat, the authors discuss in detail the crucial training necessary to develop a warrior’s inner power and to concentrate all his energies into a single force.
Secrets of the Samurai is an essential text for anyone with interest in Japanese combat techniques, weaponry, or military history. This edition also contains a new foreword by Adele Westbrook and numerous previously unpublished illustrations by Oscar Ratti. Chapters include:
The Bushi
The Heimin
The Centers of Martial Instruction
Armed Bujutsu
Unarmed Bujutsu
Control and Power
Strategic Principles
Morality of Bujutsu
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
This samurai strategy books is the first widely available English translation of Yamamoto Kansuke’s classic treatise on strategy and tactics.Secrets of the Japanese Art of Warfare is Thomas Cleary’s translation of the seminal writings attributed to Yamamoto Kansuke on Japanese martial arts and military service. A mysterious man of humble origins, Yamamoto distinguished himself in the service of the redoubtable Takeda Shingen. Yamamoto was a career solider and founder of the so-called “school of certain victory,” from which the famous Miyamoto Musashi (The Book of Five Rings) emerged. His school developed the art of discerning situational combat advantage, so that a warrior was able to commit to action only when success was virtually assured.
Translated and accompanied with helpful insights by Thomas Cleary, one of the foremost translators of the martial wisdom of Asia, this book is for all persons engaged in military, law enforcement, or emergency response, as well as for martial artists, athletes, business executives, diplomats and politicians.
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About the Author
Oscar ratti received his degree in classical studies and law from the University of Naples. He later came to the United States and began to study aikido with Yasuo Ohara, one of the first instructors to teach in New York. He and Adele Westbrook shared a longtime interest in the thought and rituals of ancient civilizations and were experts on Japanese warrior arts and ethos.
Adele Westbrook studied philosophy at Columbia University at the same time co-author Oscar ratti was doing graduate work in the classical languages. They began to practice aikido together, and studied under a variety of instructors in the United States and Europe. They are the authors of the best-selling Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere.
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