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(★)(The samurai, Japan´s warrior class for more than seven centuries, were legendary on the battlefield. And even as the samurai´s role changed throughout Japan´s history --from farmer-militiamen, to soldiers, to government administrators during the later years of Japan´s shogunates-- the samurai remained bound by their heritage and the tenets of bushidoo, the way of the warrior. The range of samurai fighting tools was vast ; it included swords wielded in the heat of battle, and less well-known ´hibuki (concealed weapons)´ used for self-defense during peace-time. Expert Don Cunningham explains these, and many more : swords, the ´soul´ of the samurai／mijikomono (improvised weapons)／shakuhachi (modified bamboo flutes --a particular favorite of ´roonin´)／manriki-kusari (weighted chains)／umagoya sangu, the ´three tools of the stable´／metsubushi (´sight removers´)／jujutsu, or unarmed fighting techniques／ From their origins to their uses, the weapons of the samurai are revealed in fascinating detail. ◆Don Cunningham, Ph.D., holds ranks in judo, jujutsu, and kendo, including a second dan license from the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo. He has studied and written on Japanese modern and traditional martial arts for more than thirty years and is a frequent contributor to martial arts publications. A former award-winning journalist, he currently teaches at Radford University in Radford, Virginia.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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