The Book of Samurai - Book One: Fundamental Teachings

by Antony Cummins, Yoshie Minami

Antony Cummins and Yoshie Minami have brought the teachings of the famed samurai school Natori-Ryū back to life through The Book of Samurai series, and present the lost arts of the samurai in the English language for the first time. 

BOOK ONE is a translation of two secret scrolls and establishes the Fundamental Teachings of a samurai student, revealing the basic traditions of Natori-Ryū.  The first scroll, Heika Jōdan, contains 290 lessons that define the baseline for samurai during times of peace, a time which is considered as preparation for war, focusing each student on expanding their own ability and conduct, giving them the mind-set needed for any battles to come. The second scroll, Ippei Yōkō, moves the student onto the field of battle, giving them an understanding of what is expected of them during a campaign of war and providing the necessary guidance for samurai who are to take up arms for the first time. These first two Natori-Ryū documents are an in-depth and detailed account of the practicality of samurai warfare, opening up the lost world of these Japanese warriors to all modern readers.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction, Martial Arts, Philosophy

544 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2015

Reviews

[Santiago Aguirre]

Joya de la historia verdadera de los Samurais, nada idealizado ni romantizado. Muy buen relato histórico con detalles interesantes de figuras relevantes. Excelente libro.

[Sara Parker]

I read this for research on a book I’m writing, and I found it to be extremely informative. It breaks down the teachings of the samurai and makes them accessible. It is a bit dry, but that’s to be expected.

[Marcus Jarl]

If you read it as it is advertised it’s a phenomenal book with in depth detail about samurai warfare, skills and tradition.

However, if you expect this book to tell a story or entertain you immensely then you have misunderstood it’s purpose, which saddens me to see where people give it a low rating because they thought it was something else.

[Karen]

I gave up halfway through when I got to several pages that talked about what each of the commentators thought the various ideograms meant. It reads like an army field manual, which it what it is. It is probably a very good reference for someone studying military history. But wow is it a really really really dry read.

[Rai Keyri]

It's more of how to behave in a war field as a samurai. Every small detail including wearing and what to bring, tradition, ninja esoteric magic and superstitions. I need to reread this book again because it's a prerequisite for Natori Ryu which I will gonna officially join soon.

[Hew La France]

A bit of a mixed bag. The parts about conduct and life living were fascinating. The parts about the correct way to put on armor or how to properly show off a head you've cut off to your CO? Not so much.
Still, very interesting read.