Books : Secrets of the Samurai: A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan
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In association with Amazon.com
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by: Oscar Ratti, Adele Westbrook
Amazon.com's Price: $9.99 Prices subject to change.
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.10952
EAN: 9780785810735
ISBN: 0785810730
Label: Book Sales
Manufacturer: Book Sales
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 483
Publication Date: 1999-05
Publisher: Book Sales
Sales Rank: 570527
Studio: Book Sales
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Editorial Review:
Book Description:
In plentiful detail from a huge range of historical sources, Secrets of the Samurai plots the development, principles and effects of the samurai culture of feudal Japan. Authors Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook have furnished details on the weapons, techniques, strategies and principles of the samurai’s martial art, rescuing this vanishing lore for modern readers who may wish to incorporate it into their own martial arts training. Yet this best-selling book is predominantly a panoramic survey of the tumultuous early struggles of warlords contending for political ascendancy, shiftless samurai who terrorized the countryside, and those formidable warriors who protected the goods, well-being and values of their neighbors.
A definitive study, Secrets of the Samurai will fascinate anyone interested in this ancient tradition.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A Note to the Ignorant
This book is a work of genuine scholarship. An assertion has been made that there is no such
thing as tessenjutsu, as though the authors made the art of the iron fan up for some unfathomable reason.
This statement is either an outright lie or a reflection of the critic's own ignorance. Search for the terms
tessenjutsu or tessen online and you will find a satisfactory amount of information on this technique. I have
patronized a source in the U.S. that sells top of the line ... Read More
Rating: - A great addition to any library
Having read Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere by Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook, I looked forward to reading this book and adding it to my library. While Aikido was the newer of the two books, it was my first exposure to these authors. I had grown fond of their academic, though dry at times, writing style as well as their tendency to research their topic in great detail. I was hoping this book would live up to that standard, and I was not let down. In Secrets of the Samurai Ratti and Westbrook ... Read More
Rating:  - An Unreliable Book Containing Fantasy Material
I am writing this review, because people are erroneously using this book as a source for research into pre-modern Japan. It should not be used for this purpose. It belongs to a genre which I call "gosh golly" books. I will proceed to comments relating to previous reviews.
1. The illustrations are modern and appear to have been drawn by a western artist. What it does not contain is reproductions of premodern woodblock prints, paintings, &c. or photographs of actual artifacts.
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Rating:  - good refrence book
This book is not a book you site down and read, although you can if you want to. It is great if thers a spicific thing you want to look up, there are sections on swordmanship, archery, unarmed combat, wrestling, ninjutsu, spearmanship and more. each catagory has a sort of "hystory of" section befor the author talks about the techneecks and aplications of the weapon. also there are many diagrams showing some of the manovers used by the samuari. if you like the martial arts than theres a good chance that ... Read More
Rating: - A classic text!
For anyone interested in learning about Japanese martial culture, you will not likely find a more thorough text. You will gain an understanding of Medieval Japanese warfare, the various classes of warrior employed, and how the purely combat-oriented warrior-arts of Bujutsu became the more spiritually-centered Budo arts. There is a wealth of historical relevance to all of this, and it can be summarized as a result of the eventual unification and pacification of the various warring factions that made Japan ... Read More
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