The sword has played an important role in the Japanese consciousness since ancient times. The earliest swords, made of bronze or stone, were clearly, by their design and form, used for ritualistic purposes rather than as weapons. Later, swords were associated only with the warrior class, and lack of physical strength and battle experience was compensated for by handling the sword in a way that was technically expert. Besides this sacred and artistic status, swordsmanship also acquired a philosophical reinforcement, which ultimately made it one of the Zen ‘ways’. Zen Buddhism related the correct practice of swordsmanship to exercises for attaining enlightenment and selfishness, while Confucianism, emphasizing the ethical meaning, equated it to service to the state. This classic text, first published in English in 1978, includes a history of the development and an interpretation of Japanese swordsmanship, now esteemed as an art and honoured as a national heritage. It describes in detail the long, intensive and specialized training and etiquette involved, emphasizing and explaining the importance of both Zen and Confucian ideas and beliefs. [From Google Books.]
Author(s): Chozan Shissai; (Ed. R. Krammer; Trans. B. J. Fitzgerald)
Series: Routledge Library Editions: Zeh Buddhism (Vol. 8)
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2016
Language: English
Commentary: Please note that this is a translation of R. Krammer's translation of the text form Japanese into German. (Krammer, whose German translation was first published in 1969, is listed here as "editor".) In other words, this volume presents a translation of a translation of the original Japanese, plus a translation of Krammer's own brief treatise on the subject. There are notes, and there is a bibliography at the end of the book.
Pages: 118
City: London
Tags: Zen; Japanese Swordsmanship; Japanese Philosophy; Japanese Religion; Martial Arts
Translator's Preface xi
Author's Preface xvii
Introduction: A Survey of the Historical Development
of Japanese Swordsmanship 1
Chozan Shissai's Interpretation of the Japanese Art
of Swordsmanship 12
Text and Author 12
Philosophical Trends and Objectives 13
The Role of Confucianism 17
The Role of Zen Buddhism 26
Form and Technique 81
Instruction and Learning 33
Summary 36
Tengu·geijutsu-ron (Discourse on the Art of the
Mountain Demons) 40
Appendix 1: Japanese Names for Swordsmanship
throughout History 9.J.
Appendix 2: Important Schools of Swordsmanship 95
List of Abbreviations 104
Notes 105
Bibliography 116
