Samurai Weapons: Tools of the Warrior - Softcover

Don Cunningham

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0804847851 ISBN 13: 9780804847858

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, 2016

Synopsis

Unlock the secrets of the legendary weapons of the samurai
While the samurai is well known as the military nobility of medieval Japan, their range of weapons, which went far beyond the katana, bow, and spear, is lesser known. For instance, some weapons, like the tesson, or iron fan, were used in secret where samurai swords were not allowed. Others were improvised, with warriors using whatever fighting tool was at hand. In "Samurai Weapons," readers will follow the story of Zenigata Heiji, among others, who developed an uncanny ability to use heavy coins as dangerous weapons by throwing them like bullets.
Author Don Cunningham, who held ranks in judo, jujutsu, and kendo, including a second dan license from the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, gives us a historical look at these ancient arms in a way that's useful for novices and samurai experts alike.
Chapters cover such rich details as: Japanese martial arts cultureHidden weaponsSensu, truncheons, and polearmsLearn how and why samurai weapons included not only the sword of popular lore, but also a variety of others. Cunningham describes the society of Japan, how the samurai class arose, and the place in society that samurai held through the centuries, focusing in particular on the various weaponry they used, how they used it, and why. "Samurai Weapons" highlights how these weapons and fighting styles have influenced various schools of Japanese martial arts.

About this title

Review:

"A unique book, the best English language source on the topic. If you want to learn the small weapons of Japan, you want this book." --Kim Taylor, editor, Journal of Japanese Sword Arts; publisher, Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Science

Book Description:

Samurai Tales is about the legendary men from the samurai class who fought for the helm of power in 19th century Japan. These are stories of courage, honor, fidelity, disgrace, fate, and destiny set in the bloody time of political change and social upheaval in the final years of the Shogun.

The final years of the samurai were an age of unprecedented turmoil and bloodletting in Japan. They heralded the end of nearly three centuries of rule under the Tokugawa Shogun. The rule of law was deteriorating, assassination and murder were rampant, and inner-fighting among the warrior class embroiled the nation. After the United States forced an end of over two hundred years of Japanese isolation, two contrasting philosophies were embraced by the samurai. On one side were those who would overthrow the shogun and restore the Emperor to power. Opposing the revolutionaries were the allies of the Tokugawa Bakufu, headed by the shogun.

While the shogun's men clashed violently with the revolutionaries, as samurai they shared with each other an allegiance to an unwritten code of honor which governed the ways they lived and died. Theirs was a stoic system of morals which condoned suicide, vengeance and, in some cases, cold-blooded murder.

Samurai Tales is, to quote author Romulus Hillsborough, "accurate portrayals of the heart and soul of the samurai, the social and political systems of whom have, like the Japanese sword, become relics of a distant age, but the likes of whose nobility shall never again be seen in this world." In recounting what he terms "the great epic which was the dawn of modern Japan," Hillsborough delves deeply into the psyche of the men of the samurai class. This book would serve well on the bookshelves of martial artists, those interested in samurai culture, or those interested in Japanese history.

About this edition

• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0804847851
• ISBN 13: 9780804847858
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208