Mastering the Samurai Sword. Cary Nemeroff

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      Preface

      This book was originally designed as a manual for my own students. I hope it will become an invaluable resource for all students of kobu-jutsu, and certainly for those who are studying some form of iai-jutsu or ken-jutsu.

      I will commence by taking the reader through what I term a brief history of Japan. Next, we will examine two major forms of the samurai fighting arts, which in Japanese are known as kobu-jutsu: the sword techniques of iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu, the drawing of the samurai sword and samurai sword fencing. These evolved by empirical means alone, as the samurai reflected upon their experiences in battle, and honed their technique by applying lessons learned using the battlefield as a laboratory.

      Last, we will delve deeply into Fukasa-Ryu iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu, one modern ryu (style) of iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu that is deeply rooted in some of the oldest extant kobujutsu. When I use the word “modern” here, it is not meant in any way to imply that this is some sort of inauthentic, completely subjective ryu that evolved from a path different from other styles of kobu-jutsu that continue to exist today. In using the term “modern,” I am attempting to accurately describe something that is taught and learned today, contemplated today, and continues to evolve today. Although it was named as a unique ryu in the modern era, modernity was not an intended component of this ryu, which respects and incorporates long-established kobu-jutsu techniques. This ryu’s ideology, saho (formal etiquette), and waza (techniques) have all been conscientiously preserved in the original forms of the ryu that have come before it.

      The Fukasa-Ryu way of iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu is the materialization and documentation of another samurai swordsman’s retrospection upon his life, a retrospection that began with kobu-jutsu study during my childhood and remains a driving force manifesting itself in both my career and my personal life. In writing this book, I am not purporting to reinvent the wheel. I am, however, taking a painstaking look at a variety of well-made wheels and retrofitting them to a more modern car.

      In recent years, the samurai sword has undergone one of the greatest transformations in its long history. While once used by a select class of warriors on the battlefield, it has now found its way into lives and classrooms around the world, as a tool for self-betterment, learning, and reflection.

      Samurai sword training can have a positive effect on the body by calming the mind while simultaneously exercising the muscles. The complete focus it requires turns practice into a form of meditation through movement. On a physical, muscular level, samurai sword practice can build strength and endurance and can burn calories, just like any other comparably sustained, rigorous form of exercise.