The English translation of Hirakawa Nobuo's 1993 book on kendo. It covers kendo basics such as how to stand and move, swing the shinai, wear bogu, and make basic strikes and defensive moves. Also described are many advanced shikake-waza and oji-waza techniques as well as the Nippon Kendo Kata.

Master the art of Kendo--Japanese Swordsmanship with this illustrated and comprehensive martial arts guide. Kendo or the "Way of the Sword" holds a special place within the martial arts as one of the few practices tracing back directly to Japan's ancient samurai heritage. Modern students flock to kendo for physically--and mentally--challenging activity that combines traditional martial arts values with strenuous physical activity. Author Geoff Salmon has over 40 years of kendo experience gained in and outside of Japan. His goal in this kendo guide is to dispel many misconceptions about the sport and to make kendo training accessible and effective for anyone. His simple, straightforward writing style is especially helpful for beginning students and martial artists from other disciplines who wish to add kendo training to their repertoire. The core of this kendo book is a series of detailed instructional sequences demonstrating the basic kendo techniques. The author also presents the fundamental principles and philosophy that make kendo as much an exercise of the mind as of the sword. For many adherents, the goal is to train your mind to achieve a state of mushin (no-mind). Beyond that, this book also shows you how to win competitions and integrate kendo into your personal fitness routines. This is the first book to clearly link the philosophical and mental elements of kendo to the physical techniques, thereby enabling readers to gain a holistic understanding of the martial art. It offers a comprehensive training program similar to those given by leading kendo teachers in Japan, past and present.

All students of kendo--the formal art and practice of Japanese swordsmanship--will welcome this manual by an advanced practitioner with a deep understanding of the martial art. The work begins with a history of kendo in Japan, followed by a study of basic equipment and its proper care and use and a detailed description of forms and rules--essential aspects of any martial art. Beginners will find this section particularly helpful because of the close attention paid to fundamental techniques of kendo, including the rare two-sword form (nitô ryû), largely unknown outside of Japan. Each technique is accompanied by clear, easy-to-follow illustrations. The Nihon Kendo Kata and Shiai and Shinpan rules and regulations are useful references for those learning the Kata and participating in matches. The author, who is also a practicing physician, is attentive throughout to injury prevention and safety--concerns often overlooked in martial arts manuals. The elements of kendo philosophy, which can mystify even experienced practitioners, are explained in simple terms to aid understanding. The manual concludes with biographies of Japan's most celebrated swordsmen, an extensive glossary of kendo terms, and a history of kendo in Hawaii, where it has been practiced for more than a century and where some of the world's top practitioners can be found.

This comprehensive guide to Kendo features easy-to-follow line drawings toemonstrate techniques, basic information on equipment and lists of officialules and clubs. The book is aimed at beginners and experts alike.

All students of kendo--the formal art and practice of Japanese swordsmanship--will welcome this manual by an advanced practitioner with a deep understanding of the martial art. The work begins with a history of kendo in Japan, followed by a study of basic equipment and its proper care and use and a detailed description of forms and rules--essential aspects of any martial art. Beginners will find this section particularly helpful because of the close attention paid to fundamental techniques of kendo, including the rare two-sword form (nitô ryû), largely unknown outside of Japan. Each technique is accompanied by clear, easy-to-follow illustrations. The Nihon Kendo Kata and Shiai and Shinpan rules and regulations are useful references for those learning the Kata and participating in matches. The author, who is also a practicing physician, is attentive throughout to injury prevention and safety--concerns often overlooked in martial arts manuals. The elements of kendo philosophy, which can mystify even experienced practitioners, are explained in simple terms to aid understanding. The manual concludes with biographies of Japan's most celebrated swordsmen, an extensive glossary of kendo terms, and a history of kendo in Hawaii, where it has been practiced for more than a century and where some of the world's top practitioners can be found.

Kendo Guide for Beginners is a book written to guide kendo beginners. The book introduces what real kendo equipment is, the concept of kendo as budo, how to behave at training, etiquette and manners and all the basic movements that beginners should learn thoroughly. Along with many pictures of the kendo basics, the detailed explanations will help you understand what you should or should not do when learning the basics. When learning kendo movements it is always helpful if you actually see what you have to do or not to do. And it is important for you to visualize the correct movements. With the pictures and detailed explanations, it makes it easy for you to review what you learned at your dojo. Practicing at the dojo and home, you will improve your basics your kendo correctly and quickly. This is a great advantage because by acquiring the good basics, you can move on to the next step easily; putting a set of armor on. With your solid basics, you will have fewer difficulties when you get a set of armor. That's why all the kendo people tell you to learn the basics thoroughly. You can learn the reasons behind the etiquette/manners in detail with this book. And if you learn the etiquette/manners in detail, you are also learning Japanese culture too. Even though the Japanese society is modernized, a lot of the etiquette/manners are still following the rules of the samurai era. By knowing the etiquette and manners, you will be able to understand what's going on at the dojo easily. And more importantly, you will NOT offend other people, especially Japanese people because of a lack of the knowledge. Since the book is written by a Japanese person, all the kendo terms are correctly spelled, so you will learn correct kendo terms. With this book, you can learn all you have to know at the beginning of kendo as a beginner and it makes your kendo life a lot easier.