Ideas on essential reading for swordsmanship

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erik the red

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Nov 15, 2009
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Mainly looking for Kendo, Kenjutsu or Iaido/Iaijutsu but open to any historical, philosophical or training discussions on swordsmanship in general. What have you read and recommend?

Thanks much.
 
Donn Draeger's - Japanese Swordsmanship: Technique and Practice is a classic, and includes a lot of good kata
 
Very good. Read Musashi's Go Rin No Sho from the library, and have it on order.

Donn Draeger....I remember coming across his name before in my research travels. Thanks for mentioning him.
 
Not into Kendo, but if you're open to other things, Hans Talhoffer's 1467 manuscript has a lot of info in it. There are various translations out there.

I like Peter Lindholm's translations of Sigmund Ringeck as well.
 
Thanks for the German fencing authors; I haven't come across either before but I like this excerpt on Tallhoffer via Wikipedia... "He authored at least five fencing manuals during the course of his career, and appears to have made his living teaching, including training people for trial by combat."

Ringeck seems to have been a pretty influential 15th century fencing master as well. :thumbup: on the recommendations.
 
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The Spirit of the Sword by the late Nakamura Taisaburo (just published as an English Translatation) ISBN 978-1-58394-542-1. I just received this book from Amazon.com and it was a great read. It contains kata exercises but also many discussions of all sorts of topics on Japanese Swordsmanship by a recent and well respected master.
 
Italian Rapier Combat by Ridolfo Capo Ferra, edited and presented by Jared Kirby
 
My Sensei(RIP) wrote a superb book on our style, Flashing Steel by Masayuki Shimabukuro.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Fantastic. This is why this forum is great. A varied sample from styles and philosophies that are much different than my own experiences. Should make for some great reading. Thanks!!
 
Thanks for this! Just bought Book of Five rings, and considering the Japanese Swordsmanship one.

I'm aware there's only so much you can learn from a book, but there aren't any kendo clubs anywhere near me (in fact I'm not sure if there are even any in the country), so I'm just going to have to learn what I can and splice it with my fencing training.
 
For a great read on general swordplay, check out "By the Sword" by Richard Cohen. He's a 5 time U.K. national Sabre champ and competed in the 70's and 80's on the British olympic fencing team. Fantastic history of the sword and it's relevance on the battlefield, from Europe to the Asias to the Americas. He relates sword customs of the past into today's traditions (ie. shaking hands signifies NOT reaching for your sword...military salutes stem from European Knights opening the visor of their helmet as a display of respect etc.)

Also recommend Darrell Craig's "The Heart of Kendo" and "Iai" for some technical reads on Japanese swordsmanship. I especially enjoy the discussions on the 4 weaknesses of the sword...doubt, fear, confusion and surprise. :hypnotysed:
 
One note on Book of 5 Rings... It's not a quick and easy read. It's thought provoking, but I'd not say it's exactly an instructional manual or something. Took a gander at the aforementioned Spirit of the Sword, and it looks like a pretty well-done book that's more in the manual variety.
 
Sure, Five Rings is excellent... but also check out The Life-Giving Sword, The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts, and The Unfettered Mind; it is old stuff, but is much more than just "historical"... enjoy!
 
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