Japanese Sword

Essential for anyone interested in Japanese culture, this unsurpassed masterwork opens an intriguing window on Japan. The World War II-era study by the cultural anthropologist Ruth Benedict paints an illuminating contrast between the people of Japan and those of the United States. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is a revealing look at how and why our societies differ, making it the perfect introduction to Japanese history and customs. 

Sword, Spirit & Samurai presents a complete journey through the moral, spiritual, and ageless wisdom of Japan’s warrior tradition. Bringing together bold new translations of four foundational texts: The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi (including Dokkado), Bushidō: The Soul of Japan by Inazō Nitobe, Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo (including the restored fifth book), and Chūshingura (The Forty-Seven Rōnin), this modern reflective translation edition restores their clarity and depth for the modern reader. From Musashi’s disciplined awareness to Nitobe’s architecture of virtue,...

Many consider the Battle of Midway to have turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange's best-selling Miracle at Midway, Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement. Shattered Sword makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources. It also corrects the many errors of Mitsuo Fuchida's Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan It thus forces a major, potentially controversial reevaluation of the great battle.

Introduction The katana is more than a weapon—it’s a legacy etched in steel, sharpened by centuries of discipline and spiritual resolve. For many, it is a breathtaking display piece, admired from behind glass and revered as a relic of a bygone age. But to truly understand the katana is to realize it was never meant to simply sit still. It was designed to move—to cut, to defend, to honor. In the hands of a samurai, it embodied character, code, and courage. This book is a journey through time, metallurgy, philosophy, and technique. We’ll explore how the katana came to be, how it was ...

We have become brilliant at tearing ideas apart—and dangerously bad at building anything better. Modern culture rewards the takedown, the devastating rebuttal, and the exposure of error, but criticism alone cannot create knowledge, reform institutions, or repair a divided world. Drawing on the Japanese ideal of katsujinken, the life-giving sword, HRH Prince Gharios El Chemor develops a practical philosophy of governed intellectual power. A truly constructive mind does more than defeat a flawed idea: it discovers what remains true within it, preserves what should not be lost, and builds a ...

The famed samurai sword (nihonto) represents the pinnacle of bladed weaponry in the Japanese warrior’s arsenal. This book addresses the sword’s intrinsic historic, monetary, military, and artistic values.The seven chapters for this particular anthology were selected from materials published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. Tharp’s chapter details aspects of the nihonto that make it unique in the world as a valued objet d’art, protected by law codes specifically written to preserve these cultural relics even when made by contemporary master smiths. DiCristofano writes on sword ...

"Ryōma!" tells the life story of Sakamoto Ryōma, one of the great figures in the turmoil that engulfed Japan in the years before the 1868 Meiji Restoration. The novel is a masterwork by the prolific historical novelist Shiba Ryōtarō and has sold more than 24 million copies in Japan since publication in 1966—and still counting! The novel has everything: a winning main character, an action-packed plot, swordfights, and romance, but it is also a fascinating, easy-to-digest history lesson about Japan’s response to the shocking arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry’s “...

Ryōma! tells the life story of Sakamoto Ryōma, one of the great figures in the turmoil that engulfed Japan in the years before the 1868 Meiji Restoration. The novel is a masterwork by the prolific historical novelist Shiba Ryōtarō and has sold more than 24 million copies in Japan since publication in 1966--and still counting! The novel has everything: a winning main character, an action-packed plot, swordfights, and romance, but it is also a fascinating, easy-to-digest history lesson about Japan's response to the shocking arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry's "Black Ships" ...

If the Way of the warrior is the soul of Japan, their magnificent swords were the tools utilized to form the nation and forge their spirit. You’ll find an abundance of information in this special two-part digital anthology in support of this thesis. Kimberly Taylor wrote four chapters, the first being an interview with 7th dan Matsuo Haruna. Haruna offers great advice for practitioners based on his firsthand experience. Taylor’s two highly researched chapters give overviews of two major iaido schools. Excellent photos and descriptions of katas accompany the text. Taylor’s finale is a ...

Ryōma! tells the life story of Sakamoto Ryōma, one of the great figures in the turmoil that engulfed Japan in the years before the 1868 Meiji Restoration. The novel is a masterwork by the prolific historical novelist Shiba Ryōtarō and has sold more than 24 million copies in Japan since publication in 1966--and still counting! The novel has everything: a winning main character, an action-packed plot, swordfights, and romance, but it is also a fascinating, easy-to-digest history lesson about Japan's response to the shocking arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry's "Black Ships" ...

Improve Your Intermediate English Reading Comprehension (B1-B2) Naturally With an Epic Historical Samurai Tale! Are you an intermediate English learner (B1-B2) feeling stuck on the frustrating "intermediate plateau"? Are you tired of dry grammar textbooks, repetitive drills, and simplistic children's stories that lack depth and excitement? Do you want to expand your English vocabulary naturally, master complex structures, and build real reading confidence without opening a dictionary on every page? The Sword of Honor offers a high-stakes, gripping historical adventure designed specifically ...

Beast Tamer's Odyssey is a compelling Isekai Cultivation Fantasy novel by Rannon Gray that immediately establishes the conflict between a protagonist's desire for a quiet, simple life and the immense, world-altering power he inadvertently commands. The story follows Kenji Tanaka, a former salaryman transmigrated into a vibrant new world where he cultivates a small sanctuary while developing an innate connection to the land's life force and a unique rapport with legendary beasts. This tranquility is shattered by the Blight, an insidious corruption emanating from the Dark Forest that ...

Daigo Minato, a talented but exhausted graphic designer from Earth, suddenly awakens in a vast and mysterious fantasy world, his skills transformed into a miraculous ability known as the Production Skill. This unique power allows him to conceptualize, design, and materialize real objects directly from his imagination. From crafting essential survival tools to modern conveniences like soaps, cups, and even early prototypes of plumbing, Daigo begins reshaping his environment one designed object at a time. He soon meets Kaze, a sharp-tongued and fiercely loyal wolf familiar bonded to him by ...

"Ryōma!" tells the life story of Sakamoto Ryōma, one of the great figures in the turmoil that engulfed Japan in the years before the 1868 Meiji Restoration. The novel is a masterwork by the prolific historical novelist Shiba Ryōtarō and has sold more than 24 million copies in Japan since publication in 1966—and still counting! The novel has everything: a winning main character, an action-packed plot, swordfights, and romance, but it is also a fascinating, easy-to-digest history lesson about Japan’s response to the shocking arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry’s “...

The follow-up to Ebony Gate, the critically acclaimed debut of Vee and Bebelle's Phoenix Hoard series. IT TAKES A KILLER TO CATCH A KILLER Emiko Soong, newly minted Sentinel of San Francisco, just can't catch a break. Just after she becomes the guardian for a sentient city, a murder strikes...

This unique book combines Japanese warrior techniques with ancient Zen practices for mental clarity and physical agility, giving listeners a Samurai edge that will carry them through life. Blending Japanese Samurai wisdom with ancient Zen practices, this book will take you on a metaphysical journey to becoming a swordsman. Sharpen the mind, hone the senses and control the body to achieve clarity, drive and peace.

If the Way of the warrior is the soul of Japan, their magnificent swords were the tools utilized to form the nation and forge their spirit. You’ll find an abundance of information in this special two-volume ebook anthology in support of this thesis. Kimberly Taylor wrote four chapters, the first being an interview with 7th-dan Matsuo Haruna. Haruna offers great advice for practitioners based on his first-hand experience. Taylor’s two highly researched chapters give overviews of two major iaido schools. Excellent photos and descriptions of katas accompany the text. Taylor’s finale is a...

What did the samurai in Japan do? How did they begin? And what was so typical or different about them? These and many other questions will be answered in this quick guide that will cover all the basics of the famous samurai warriors in ancient Japan. You will learn about shoguns, bushido, the Meiji time period, Ronin warriors, the Genpei war in 1180, the Kamakura period, the infamous suicide methods for honor (hara-kiri), and much, much more.

In 1868, Japan is a nation tearing itself apart. The age of the samurai is ending. The Emperor's modern, rifle-wielding army marches to erase 700 years of warrior tradition, and their final target is the fiercely loyal Aizu clan, the last bastion of the old world. Based on the extraordinary true story of the Boshin War, this novel brings to life one of history's most remarkable and little-known figures: Nakano Takeko. A woman trained from birth in the martial arts, her skill with the naginata is legendary, but she is barred from the official battle lines by her gender. As the Imperial army ...

An oni fugitive. A stolen goddess. A journey that could free an empire—or bring every season under the control of one ruthless ruler. Tetsumaru has spent years being feared as a monster. Then a tiny spring goddess named Koharu is stolen, imprisoned inside a jar and carried across the Twelve Provinces as part of Regent Aramori’s mysterious plan. Freeing her should have been simple. Instead, Tetsumaru finds himself travelling alongside Kaede, an exiled swordswoman searching for the truth about her fallen clan; Daigo, a disgraced sumo wrestler burdened by an old betrayal; Shunkei, a proud ...