The comprehensive and accurate edition of the Hagakure is a must-have for serious martial artists or fans of samurai and the bushido code.

The Hagakure is one of the most influential of all Japanese texts--written nearly 300 years ago by Yamamoto Tsunetomo to summarize the very essence of the Japanese Samurai bushido ("warrior") spirit. Its influence has been felt throughout the world and yet its existence is scarcely known to many Westerners. This is the first translation to include the complete first two books of the Hagakure and the most reliable and...

Kendo World is devoted to the art of Japanese sword fencing (kendo), and the dissemination of its vast practical, philosophical and historical aspects to the non-Japanese speaking kendo community. Kendo World Magazine is a twice yearly print publication packed full of articles on kendo and related budo arts (iaido, jodo, jukendo, naginata, and koryu arts). The articles for Kendo World are written by an international network of experienced martial artists spread across Japan and the world. Translations of articles and books published in Japanese, including our supporters Kendo Nippon and Kendo...

Kendo World is devoted to the art of Japanese sword fencing (kendo), and the dissemination of its vast practical, philosophical and historical aspects to the non-Japanese speaking kendo community. Kendo World Magazine is a twice yearly print publication packed full of articles on kendo and related budo arts (iaido, jodo, jukendo, naginata, and koryu arts). The articles for Kendo World are written by an international network of experienced martial artists spread across Japan and the world. Translations of articles and books published in Japanese, including our supporters Kendo Nippon and Kendo...

Kendo is the first in-depth historical, cultural, and political account in English of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship, from its beginnings in military training and arcane medieval schools to its widespread practice as a global sport today. Alexander Bennett shows how kendo evolved through a recurring process of inventing tradition, which served the changing ideologies and needs of Japanese warriors and governments over the course of history. Kendo follows the development of Japanese swordsmanship from the aristocratic-aesthetic pretensions of medieval warriors in the...

Editorial By Alex Bennett With the 16th WKC only a few months away, Alex Bennett ruminates on the behaviour of onlookers at large sporting events both in and out of the budo world-something that was an issue at the 15th WKC in Novara, Italy, in 2012. He outlines ideal behaviour for both spectator and competitors at future competitions. The 62nd All Japan Kendo Championships: A Changing of the Guard? By Michael Ishimatsu-Prime The 62nd AJKC on Monday November 3, 2014, was perhaps the most memorable in recent years. 21-year-old University of Tsukuba third-year student was victorious after a day...

CONTENTS Editorial By Alex Bennett Kendo World's Editor-in-Chief reflects on three big days in May 2015, namely the 16th World Kendo Championships. -The 16WKC finished with a bang. In the end, Japan came first in all of the competitions, but crikey it was close. Being the first WKC decided through a bid system, this tournament was special in many ways. The fact that it was held in the Nippon Budokan, the venue for the 1st WKC held 45 years earlier, made it just that little bit more exceptional. But not only that, it was the biggest tournament ever with over 600 participants representing the...

Part Samurai history, part martial arts guide, this is THE book for anyone interested in Japan's fabled Samurai culture.