Armed Martial Arts of Japan: Swordsmanship and Archery

by G. Cameron Hurst III, G.S. Hurst

This unique history of Japanese armed martial arts-the only comprehensive treatment of the subject in English-explores swordsmanship and archery from ancient times to the present. The book examines the transformation of fighting skills into sports, the influence of Western athletic tradition on armed martial arts, and the ways martial arts remain distinctly Japanese.

Genres: Martial Arts, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 11, 1998

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific look at the history of swordsmanship and archery through Japanese history, explaining how the contingencies of each historical moment changed the practice and social significance of swinging a sword or launching an arrow. Hurst hammers on the fact that the Buddhist/Zen underpinnings of martial arts are overemphasized, especially in the West. As evidence, he quotes Lord Tokitaka on being coached to fire an arquebus (musket of sorts) by a Portuguese in 1542. Tokitaka listens to the advice and repeats it in the same sort of Taoist/Buddhist language that was being applied to martial arts training. Hurst’s point is that it was not traditional martial arts that inspired the language, but rather the language being the only one available for explaining things like calmness and concentration.

[Jacob Lehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful articulation of the evolution of swordsmanship and archery from combat skills to exercises/arts to sports. More nuanced than the do v. jutsu dichotomy that prevails, and Hurst makes a compelling argument that the influence of Zen in Japanese martial arts is overstated/a comparatively recent juxtaposition. A bit vocabulary-heavy in some instances, but with some great stories along the way (the feats of toshiya excellence were particularly memorable to me).

[Antonio Bustillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your average book on he subject. The author has done extensive research and there is in-depth information to study. It is one of the best I've read on the history and development of Japanese swordsmanship, and archery.