Western scholars and educators are generally far less familiar with the samurai in his original--and, ostensibly, primary--role as warrior and master of arms than in his other functions as landowner, feudal lord, literateur, or philosopher. Yet any attempt to comprehend fully the samurai without considering his military abilities and training (bugei) is futile. Even during the peaceful eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when the samurai had long since left the battlefield, he never ceased to see himself as a warrior. Although the samurai as a class were abolished in the nineteenth century, their military skills and values continue to be taught at dozens of schools (ryuha) throughout Japan. The classical bugei practiced today are a living legacy that continues to propagate the beliefs and tools of a warrior class that disappeared more than a century ago. By studying the bugei, historians can recover much about the manner in which samurai acquired their convictions and physical abilities, thereby enriching our knowledge of late medieval and early modern warrior education and affording new insights into samurai culture.
With verve and wit, Karl Friday combines the results of nearly two decades of fieldwork and archival research to examine samurai martial culture from a broad perspective: as a historical phenomenon, as a worldview, and as a system of physical, spiritual, and moral education. Legacies of the Sword is the first attempt by a Westerner scholar trained both in bugei and in Japanese studies and historical methodology to discuss this major and compelling component of Japanese culture. It presents a case study of the Kashima-Shinryu, one of the oldest of the extant samurai training organizations, and was written in close collaboration with its current headmaster, Seki Humitake. The volume illuminates the extraordinary complexity of the bugei and the manner in which various physical, technical, psychological, and philosophical factors merge to produce a coherent art that guides the lives of those who practice it.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Outstanding:
This book is simply and utterly outstanding. The academia put into this book is matched only by the author's experience, who actually practices Koryu bujutsu (unlike many, many other authors).
A great blend of history and martial arts:
Legacies of the Sword can be a bit of a dry read. But, I blame that more on society than the book. It covers the history of koryu and Japanese sword arts in detail fitting a college textbook. As such, it's a very heavy read, unlike most intellectual "cheeseburgers" that make the best-sellers list. However, the slow, careful academic style used by Dr. Friday is the only way the history part of the book can be approached successfully. So, when reading this book, you have to take your time with it to enjoy it.... more info
Detailed study of important tradition:
This is the most detailed account of the historical origins, techniques, and philosophies of one of the most important koryu or old martial arts schools that I've seen so far. If you're familiar with Dave Lowry's books this would be a good book to read next, although be advised that it's more technical, and being an academic work the writing style is dryer than Lowry's also. But that's a small price to pay for the great amount of information and detail it contains.
In Legacies of the Sword Karl Friday writes that he entered a traditional school of martials arts (or ryuha) and explored it as an anthropologist might explore a culture. In doing so he has produced an interesting work that examines the role of the ryuha during different periods in Japanese history, and the value of studying a traditional martial art for people today. The book will give students of modern cognate arts (karate, judo, aikido, kendo etc.) an appreciation of their art's roots and history, and... more info
