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Recommended Martial Arts Books

Book Reviews

Here are some reviews of martial arts books and other books on various aspects of Japanese culture that we recommend. We only review books that we feel have some special value to those interested in the Japanese martial arts; not suprisingly, not all popular books you find in the bookstores meet our criteria.

Koryu.com Bookstore

Koryu Books has published three collections of essays on the classical warrior traditions of Japan, Otake Risuke's Katori Shinto-ryu: Warrior Tradition, a new hardcover edition of Dave Lowry's Persimmon Wind, and a new paperback edition of Dan & Jackie DeProspero's Illuminated Spirit; we also sell a select group of outstanding or difficult to obtain books on the Japanese martial arts. You can buy directly from us at the Koryu.com Bookstore.

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Koryu.com Book Reviews

Autumn Lightning: The Education of an American Samurai
by Dave Lowry
The A-Z of Judo
by Syd Hoare
Across the Nightingale Floor
by Lian Hearn
The Aikido Student Handbook
by Greg O'Connor
Book of Five Rings
by Miyamoto Musashi; translated by William Scott Wilson
Castles of the Samurai: Power and Beauty
by Jennifer Mitchelhill
Children and the Martial Arts
by Gaku Homma
Clouds in the West: Lessons from the Martial Arts of Japan
by Dave Lowry
Code of the Samurai
a modern translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke
The Connoisseur's Book of the Japanese Sword
by Kokan Nagayama
Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu: Conversations with Daito-ryu Masters
interviews conducted and edited by Stanley A. Pranin
A Daughter of the Samurai
by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto
The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts
by Chozanshi Issai; translated by William Scott Wilson
Dueling with O-sensei: Grappling with the Myth of the Warrior Sage
by Ellis Amdur
The Fighting Spirit of Japan
by E.J. Harrison
Furyu: The Budo Journal
The best martial arts magazine in English, edited by Wayne Muromoto
Geisha
by Liza Dalby
The Good Stuff: Recommended Reading
A guide to the best budo books by Meik Skoss
Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
by Yamamoto Tsunetomo; translated by William Scott Wilson
Heiho Okugisho: The Secret of High Strategy
by Yamamoto Kansuke; translated by Toshishiro Obata
Hidden in Plain Sight
by Ellis Amdur
Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan
by Karl Friday
Illuminated Spirit: Conversations with a Kyudo Master
by Dan and Jackie DeProspero
In the Dojo: A guide to the ritual and etiquette of the Japanese martial arts
by Dave Lowry
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
The essential reference for things Japanese
Japanese for the Martial Arts
by Alexander D.C. Kask
Kata: The Key to Understanding & Dealing with the Japanese
by Boyé Lafayette De Mente
Katori Shinto-ryu: Warrior Tradition New
by Otake Risuke
Keiko Shokon: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, volume three
edited by Diane Skoss
Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan
edited by Diane Skoss
Kyudo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery
by Onuma Hideharu, with Dan and Jackie DeProspero
Legends of the Samurai
translations by Hiroaki Sato
The Life-Giving Sword: Secret Teachings from the House of the Shogun
by Yagyu Munenori; translated by William Scott Wilson
The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi
by William Scott Wilson
Martial Arts & Sports of Japan
The Japan Travel Bureau "Japan in Your Pocket" series
Martial Musings: A Portrayal of Martial Arts in the 20th Century
by Robert W. Smith
Memoirs of the Warrior Kumagai: A Historical Novel
by Donald Richie
Moving Toward Stillness: Lessons in Daily Life from the Martial Ways of Japan
by Dave Lowry
Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions
by Ellis Amdur
Persimmon Wind
by Dave Lowry
The Salaryman's Wife
by Sujata Massey
Samurai: An Illustrated History
by Mitsuo Kure
Samurai Bulldog
by Chibinosuke Dogizaemon
The Secret History of the Sword: Adventures in Ancient Martial Arts
by J. Christoph Amberger
The Spirit of Budo
by Trevor Leggett
Sword and Brush: The Spirit of the Martial Arts
by Dave Lowry
The Sword and the Mind
translated by Hiroaki Sato
Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, volume two
edited by Diane Skoss
Traditions: Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways
by Dave Lowry
Tuttle Kanji Cards
by Alexander D.C. Kask
The Unfettered Mind
by Takuan Soho; translated by William Scott Wilson
Wave Man
by Christopher Bates
A Way to Victory: The Annotated Book of Five Rings
translation and commentary by Hidy Ochiai

Classical Japanese Martial Arts
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Last modified on December 27, 2017
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Classical Japanese Martial Arts