Kendo Books

[Commander]

Does anyone know of a good kendo book with lots of info/pics on various waza etc and kata?

Thanks

Commander :)

[Kirsty]

"Kendo The definitive guide" by Hiroshi Ozawa is pretty helpful. It has a lot of drawings (not real pictures) or waza and kata. I'm sure there are a lot of others, but this one is the best I've seen so far. (I haven't actually seen many though).

[RC_Kenshi]

"Kendo The definitive guide" by Hiroshi Ozawa is pretty helpful. It has a lot of drawings (not real pictures) or waza and kata.

I'll agree with this assessment. Ozawa's book is one of the better ones I've seen. I got another book last year, but I can't remember the title (big help, I know); I think it's either written by someone from Hawaii, or published by University of Hawaii (in other words, some connection to the Islands). It's pretty good, but I like Ozawa's book better.

[Kirsty]

I also have a book called "The Heart of Kendo" by Darrel Max Craig. Its good too, but not as easy to understand. It does have a few interesting stories about the author's experience in kendo and interviews with his sensei...but not as much waza or anything. So I still say the first book RC_Kenshi and I recommended is the best one I know of. um....even though I don't know of that many.... ^_^;

[Commander]

Does the definative guide have kata in it?

What else does it have?

[Neil Gendzwill]

As you're in the UK you may be able to get your hands on "Fundamental Kendo", the BKA did a reprint of it. It's an english translation of a ZNKR publication and very good.

The standard book is "This is Kendo", it was published about 40 years ago but it's still a worthwhile book.

[Kirsty]

Does the definative guide have kata in it?

What else does it have?

Yeah it has kata. It also has waza, keiko, etc.

[crabbi]

Does the definative guide have kata in it?

What else does it have?
Hi Commander-San...

As a general guide, 'Kendo: The Definitive Guide' is hard to beat... It's an excellent book - one of the best Martial Arts books I have seen (comes in a close second to 'Aikido and the Dynamic Spheres' which is a real beauty !)you can pick it up for around £13 - £16 on Amazon.co.uk... They've got a new copy from Superbookdeals for £12.87 as we speak... whereas the Amazon price is just over £16...

For Kata specifically, the best book is 'Looking at a Far Mountain: A Study of Kendo Kata' by Sensei Paul Budden. I recently went to a Kata Seminar that was led by Sensei Budden at Kodokan in Rickmansworth... It was absolutely excellent... If you get a chance to train with him don't miss it!!!

This is available on Amazon.co.uk for between £7 and £9...

If you bought both from Amazon at the Amazon price (Total £25.92) then you would get free shipping...

Cheers

[JSchmidt]

As you're in the UK you may be able to get your hands on "Fundamental Kendo", the BKA did a reprint of it. It's an english translation of a ZNKR publication and very good.

That has been out of print for a decade (or something like that)...

Jakob

[Commander]

Is there alot of reading in the definative guide and looking at a far mountain?

[crabbi]

...for a short report on the Kodokan Kata Seminar take a look here : http://www.kendo.org.uk/newsevents/seminars/kata/0405/katareport.shtml

In the photo, the chap at the back on the far right (with a beard) is me...!

Funny how the camera only made me look fat... the other seem in fine fettle!!!

Cheers

[Kirsty]

The definitive guide mostly has pictures and explanations to each picture. You could probably figure out what the pictures were demonstrating without even reading anything.

[crabbi]

Is there alot of reading in the definative guide and looking at a far mountain?
Loads of piccies in both... the Definitive guide has great drawings and the Far Mountain has great photos... I recommend both...

cheers

[crabbi]

Also check out this link: http://www.ninecircles.co.uk/product_details.asp?ProdID=156&CatID=43

Neill-San is this the 2 volume re-print of the ZNKR Fundamental Kendo book you were talking about?

This is £18 whereas a secondhand copy of the original on Amazon.co.uk is around £170 !!!

Cheers

[stuartwilson]

These two books are essential. But note that "Looking at a Far Mountain" is about kata, and it is the overall best english language book on kata that I have found. Far Mountain, and a DVD/VHS can help you a lot with the basics of kata.

[Andoru]

Kata:

Kendo Kata: Essence and Application
By INOUE Yoshihiko, Hanshi 8th dan,

http://www.kendo-world.com/kw_publications/index.php


Ozawa's "O-waza" book is okay...

[Commander]

What is better books or DVD's/VHS? :confused2

[sjp]

What is better books or DVD's/VHS? :confused2

The short answer is 'Just DO Kendo'.
No amount of reading or watching will improve your kendo to any great degree.
However the books are useful as general guides/information. You will need them perhaps to answer your grading questions.
My list includes.
Definitive Guide... Ozawa
Fundamental Kendo.... BKA
This is Kendo ... Sasamori/Warner
Looking at a far mountain... Budden
Kendo .. philosphy & means to spiritual growth.. Minoru something.
( i am trying to recall these as i am sitting in the office
Japanese/Eglish Kendo dictionary... BKA
Kata essemce and application.. Inoue Sensei... KW publication
the Hawaii Book is by Junichi Tokeshi.. This is excellent .. fairly new one.

Daryl Craigs Book as mentioned in an earlier thread.

Zen and confcious and the art of swordsmanship... now out of print.

some are good for describing the techniques others for mental attitudes.

I just collect anything in English to do with kendo.

You will find all have some value over the years.

[Commander]

What would come in most handy for my ikkyu grading?

What questions get asked?

Thanks :)

[JSchmidt]

This is £18 whereas a secondhand copy of the original on Amazon.co.uk is around £170 !!!

Cheers

Don't go by the 2nd hand prices on Amazon..it's usually some scammer and you can find the book (much) cheaper elsewhere.

Jakob

[crabbi]

Don't go by the 2nd hand prices on Amazon..it's usually some scammer and you can find the book (much) cheaper elsewhere.

Jakob
You may be right in some cases Jakob-San... however I have never had such an experience in all the years I have been dealing with Amazon, nor have I heard of any such problems...

Also, in this case, you will not find a Fine secondhand copy of the original book anywhere for less than £170...

If you can prove me wrong I would be delighted, but I have searched all my usual online secondhand book stores... over to you...

cheers

[JSchmidt]

The 2nd hand books on Amazon are not sold by Amazon, but by 3rd party dealers. All Amazon does is to provide the links.
Last year I was looking for a couple of speciality books, got the usual £180-220 links from Amazon, but ended up finding the same books, from new, for $20 at Barnes & Noble.
There's been another couple of elusive books where I got similar results from Amazon, but ended up being able to buy directly from the publisher at much much lower price.
Finally, there is no way that "Fundamental Kendo" is worth £180.

Jakob

P.S. Drop the 'san' please..I'm not Japanese.

[Commander]

Im going to get the definative guide.

What do you get when you pass your grading, a certificate or something?

[Neil Gendzwill]

Neill-San is this the 2 volume re-print of the ZNKR Fundamental Kendo book you were talking about?

I don't know, it might be. The one I've got is a single volume, white, with the kanji for kendo being the only cover decoration. It's on loan right now and I don't recall the authors offhand - the entry I have for it in the faq just says compiled by ZNKR, just like those shown in the link.

What do you get when you pass your grading, a certificate or something?
I got a cookie :) Yeah, you get a piece of paper - no belt or anything.

[Lucien]

An excellent book which I have just started reading on the advice of Theodore is 'One Touch at a Time'. It is written by an olympic fencing coach turn sports scientist.

Although I agree that reading is no substitute for training, he does give good ideas about how to focus your training. Most of the parallels he draws with European fencing have a resonance with kendo.

I ordered mine directly from the publishers because the Amazon price was over $100 more expensive.

Another great read - especially because it is free - is Noma Hisashi's Kendo Reader. You can google it easily.

[Usagi San]

I think "Looking at a far mountain" is an excelent book, but my favorite kata book is:

Kendo Kata: Essence and Application
By INOUE Yoshihiko, Hanshi 8th dan,
Kata Committee, All Japan Kendo Federation
Translated by Alex BENNETT

Superb. A must have.

[JeremyMartin]

I have self-taught kendo myself for years and when i first started i bought the Kendo:The Definitive Guide.I have not once been to disappointed with it,it's a great book and very informative for people who are interested in kendo i recommend it to anyone just starting kendo or just looking for some more instructional material. :)

[Anime12478]

I have self-taught kendo myself for years and when i first started i bought the Kendo:The Definitive Guide.I have not once been to disappointed with it,it's a great book and very informative for people who are interested in kendo i recommend it to anyone just starting kendo or just looking for some more instructional material. :)

Kendo: The Definitive Guide is a great book for supplemental instruction. Sometimes doing it in the dojo and looking at the pictures and explanations afterward can really help.

By the way Jeremy, are you going to a dojo now? If you were to go against someone who goes to a dojo, I would assume that you would get beat. Not to mention that you don't have someone telling you how to do those things. A book is just a book. It tells you how to do things but sometimes words on paper can be quite limiting.