Martial History Team

   Welcome to the October 2022 book survey, part three. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. Introduction In October 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. My last two posts described the first set of 15 books. This post describes the last 7 books. Read on to separate the wheat from the chaff.  Aikido: Tradition[al?] and New Tomiki Free Fighting Method, Nobuyoshi Higashi, 1989 I bought a used copy of  Aikido: Tradition[al?] and New Tomiki Free Fighting Method  because I am a fan of the author's son Shintaro. My copy of this book is a black and white paperback measuring 7 inches by 10 inches, with 212 pages. "Tomiki" is a reference to the Aikido style of Kenji Tomiki (1900-1979), an instructor we will see several times in this post. There are a lot of techniques demonstrated in this book, although the smaller photos make it difficult to follow in places. The practitioners wear a gi, which makes it easier to follow footwork. I like...

    Welcome to the October 2022 book survey, part two. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. Introduction In October 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. My last post described the first batch of books. This post describes 8 more books. The next post will describe the last batch. Read on to separate the wheat from the chaff.  Best Aikido: The Fundamentals, Kisshomaru Ueshiba and Moriteru Ueshiba, translated by John Stevens, 1997/2002 My copy of Best Aikido: The Fundamentals  is a Kodansha black and white hardcover measuring 7 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches, with 173 pages. The authors are the son and grandson of the founder and the Aikikai Foundation authorized the publication. The idea behind this book seems to be as an "official" introduction to Aikido. The book begins with six pages of questions and answers, which is unusual in any book. Next we read material on basic techniques, including ukemi or breakfalls. The early photos show practit...

  Welcome to the October 2022 book survey, part one. I decided to break this month's survey into three posts. Introduction In October 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. This post describes the first 7 books that I surveyed in October. Subsequent posts will describe the last two batches of 8 and 7 books. Read on to separate the wheat from the chaff.  Katori Shinto-ryu Warrior Tradition, Risuke Otake, 2007 Katori Shinto-ryu Warrior Tradition  is not an easy book to acquire. I bought my copy from Koryu Books in 2020 but I do not know if they still sell it. My copy is a 7 inches by 10 inches black and white paperback with 317 pages. It is based on the earlier three volume work titled The Deity and the Sword  published in 1977-1978. This new edition claims to be retranslated and edited, with 850 new photos. The text offers Japanese and English, usually on facing pages. Iizasa [Shurinosuke] Yasusada, 20th generation headmaster of Tenshin Shoden Katori ...