Stuurman, Titiaan
IAIDO. Der Weg des Schwertes.
Juni 2000, BOD, NORDERSTEDT, NORDERSTEDT, Books on Demand,
DM 39.95 EUR 20.43
From "G. S. Murray Threipland" From Peter Boylan
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2002
"Samurai William" by Giles Milton.
Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 0 340 79467 4
Most on Iaido-L will have heard of William Adams, the English adventurer who
sailed to Japan in 1600 and was the model for John Blackthorne in James
Clavell's "Shogun". This new book is the latest offering in a series of
biographies and studies made by various authors over the years.
This book is not merely an updated biography. It draws heavily on the
correspondence of the time, and not only do we get a picture of William
Adams himself, his rise from poverty in South-East England to wealth and
position in Japan, but we get a picture of the times in which he found
himself. The background of initial contact with Japan, the various
colourful characters, both European and Japanese are given due care as well.
Milton quotes extensively from letters that Adams and others wrote. There
are harrowing descriptions of the horrors and hardships endured during ocean
voyages of the time. There are eyewitness accounts of the purges of
Christians in Japan. There is also light relief in the form of gossip about
the various people engaged in trade, the surprise, horror and delight that
the Europeans felt on arriving in Japan. We get shadowy glimpses of the
first Togugawa Shoguns as they assert and solidify their control after
Sekigahara and the Siege of Osaka.
The subtitle of the book is "The Adventurer Who Unlocked Japan". It is
accurate, but it also gives us a glimpse of early Edo era Japan, and is well
worth the read.
...I recommend you get hold of Diane Skoss's books "Koryu Bujutsu," "Sword &
Spirit" and "Keiko Shokon" and read with extra care what Ellis Amdur has
to say.
The following book has not been readed by I got some positive comments,
so I dare to list it here:
Rediscovering Budô from a Swordsman¿s Perspective
Roald Knutsen
Global Oriental, Folkestone Kent UK 2004
ISBN 1-901903-61-3
Raymond Sosnowski 110742.522@compuserve.com Beikoku Rembukan Dojo, Severna Park, MD; Byakko Kyudojo, Lincoln, MA; Zenko [Kyudo] International, Boulder, CO; Doshikai Kendo & Iaido Dojo, Acton, MA; Seidokai, U. of Guelph, Ontario;
The best Kendo book available in English is
"Kendo: the Definitive Guide" by Mr. Hiroshi Ozawa (Kodansha, 1997).
Mr. Paul Budden's book:
"Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata" has just been reprinted, and is well worth the price.
KENDO KATA books (from G.S. Murray Threipland, 18 Jun 2002):
Whilst on the subject of books, I have just got hold of the latest ZNKR offering, "Nippon Kendo Kata Instruction Manual". The only other books in English I have seen that touch kata are the original "Fundamental Kendo" (ZNKR), "Kendo: The Definitive Guide" by Ozawa Hiroshi and of of course Paul Budden's "Looking at a Far Mountain". This latest book is in softback form, and not only does it describe the kata, but has sections such as "Points of View in the Examination of Kendo Kata", and "Points of View in the Instruction of Kendo Kata" which I think will be useful for students and teachers alike. Gavin. G.S. Murray Threipland Treasurer British Kendo Association