NOTA |
(š)(The samurai, JapanLs warrior class for more than seven centuries, were legendary on the battlefield. And even as the samuraiLs role changed throughout JapanLs history --from farmer-militiamen, to soldiers, to government administrators during the later years of JapanLs 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 Lhibuki (concealed weapons)L used for self-defense during peace-time. Expert Don Cunningham explains these, and many more :@swords, the LsoulL of the samurai^mijikomono (improvised weapons)^shakuhachi (modified bamboo flutes --a particular favorite of LrooninL)^manriki-kusari (weighted chains)^umagoya sangu, the Lthree tools of the stableL^metsubushi (Lsight removersL)^jujutsu, or unarmed fighting techniques^@From their origins to their uses, the weapons of the samurai are revealed in fascinating detail.@ŸDon 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.) |