Content in this issue: Editorial By Michael Ishimatsu-Prime In the editorial, Michael Ishimatsu-Prime reflects on visiting the 109th Kyoto Embu Taikai in May and discusses some of the highlights, most notably the participation of the last two Hanshi 7-dan sensei who are 99 and 90 years old, and also the bout between Sakud Masao-sensei and Hamasaki Mitsuru-sensei which was the epitome of "katte-utsu" - "win and then strike." The upcoming Sport Accord Combat Games that will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, is also discussed along with Olympic kendo. Kiwada Daisuke Interview By Blake Bennett KENDO WORLD EXCLUSIVE Staff writer Blake Bennett visited the Osaka Police training centre to interview the current All Japan Champion, Kiwada Daisuke. Kiwada discusses his motivations, difficulties and aims in kendo. Hanshi Says Hanshi Says is a popular series in which Japan's top Hanshi teachers give hints of what they are looking for in grading examinations based on wisdom accumulated through decades of training. This issue features Aoki Hikoto-sensei from Oita prefecture who passed the 8-dan examination in 1987, and was awarded the title of Hanshi in 1995. He talks about the importance of cultivating one's overall capacity and using seme effectively. Nuts n' Bolts of Kendo: Effective Training Methods - Kirikaeshi By Nakano Yasoji (Hanshi 9-dan) In this article, Nakano-sensei discusses the importance of kirikaeshi and points to consider for both the kakarite and motodachi. sWords of Wisdom: "Remember, then forget" By Alex Bennett H z in In'ei was a Buddhist monk at the K fuku-ji temple in Nara who founded a prominent school of s jutsu (spearmanship) known as the H z in-ry . This article discusses In'ei's encounter with another renowned warrior of the Warring States period called Kani Saiz, and a valuable lesson that he taught him. Reidan Jichi: Kihon D sa - Part 4 By ya Minoru (Kendo Ky shi 7-dan) Kihon-d sa, or basic movements, refers to kamae, footwork and manipulation of the shinai. In other words, it entails all of the principles behind the striking and thrusting movements for scoring y k -datosu (valid attacks) in kendo. This article examines striking basics and the theory behind striking motion. Unlocking Japan Part 24: Gaijin Style By Lockie Jackson Lockie Jackson's column continues as he ruminates on the image of foreign men in Japan. The 43rd Kanagawa-ken Yonsha Taik Kendo Taikai By Michael Ishimatsu-Prime On Sunday February 17, 2013, Michael Ishimatsu-Prime visited the Kangawa Prefectural Budokan in Yokohama to report on the 43rd Kanagawa-ken Yonsha Taik Kendo Taikai (The 43rd Kanagawa Prefecture Four Team Kendo Competition). This exciting competition pits 15-member teams of the prefecture's strongest police, teachers, company workers and students against each other in a league. The Kendo Coach: Sports Psychology in Kendo: Part 9 - Aggression in Kendo - part 4 By Blake Bennett Blake Bennett's continuing series of articles on aggression in kendo uncover the factors as to why the kendo student is willing to undergo and tolerate ongoing harsh training methods. Following on from part 3 of this series, this article will examine the issues of kitae and shitsuke (discipline) in the dojo, in addition to discussing group identity, the use of j ge-kankei, and the idea of k ken-chiai in an attempt to show how the objective of polishing the mind in kendo is facilitated. Overall, the various aspects of kendo that generate a motivation in the student to willingly undergo and tolerate ongoing harsh training methods will be examined. ... .... ....

Rapier fencing and duelling during the 16th and 17th centuries was dominated by the Italian masters, whose systems of sword fighting became increasingly sophisticated. Breaking away from this trend, Nicoletto Giganti developed something different: a frugal system of fencing that cut to the core of what a swordfight was and how to win it. Giganti's Scola overo Teatro, or The School of the Sword, became one of the most influential systems of fencing across Europe in the seventeenth century. In this remarkable new translation by historical fencing instructor and historian Aaron Taylor Miedema, author of Bayonets and Blobsticks, Giganti's work is presented fresh to the modern reader. Copiously illustrated with redrawings of dozens of Giganti's original plates, over 60 new photographs, and even a new plate, Giganti's detailed curriculum is augmented by comprehensive annotation and commentary. Regardless of whether you are a historian, a casual reader with an interest in the sword, or an accomplished swordsman, Nicoletto Giganti's The School of the Sword is a fascinating guide to the art of rapier fencing."

Serving as an instructor at the elite Japanese Naval Academy in Etajima in the late 1800s, Francis James Norman was one of the first Westerners to take up the study of the two "noble sciences" of kenjutsu and jujutsu. With sections on kenjutsu, Japanese military history and education, sumo, and jujutsu, his book, originally published in 1905, provides a fascinating insight into the Japanese martial arts and society around the turn of the twentieth century. After publishing this book, however, he mysteriously disappears from sight. Apart from a brief mention in The Times of his participation in a jujutsu and kenjutsu demonstration in London, nothing was known of his fate until Dr. Alex Bennett uncovered the facts behind the remainder of his life after residing in Japan. This republication of F.J. Norman's book is meant to serve as a celebration of the man's intrepidness, and demonstrate how far ahead of his times he really was.

Dr. Sotaro Honda (R7-dan), student of H8-dan Masatake Sumi-sensei, has been a longtime contributor to Kendo World, and has spent much of his kendo career helping international kenshi. His latest book is a must have for all practitioners and instructors, and explains various aspects of kendo training in a way that is both accessible and eye-opening. He covers the basics from footwork, to various keiko methods such as kakari-geiko and ji-geiko, and offers many useful hints for shiai strategy.

Of all Professions, that of Arms has in all Ages, since their Invention, been esteemed the noblest and most necessary; it being by them that the Laws preserve their Force, that our Dominions are defended from the Encroachments of our Enemies, and ill designing People kept in the Subjection due to their Sovereigns; and of all Arms, the Sword is probably the most ancient: It is honourable and useful, and upon Occasion, causes a greater Acquisition of Glory than any other: It is likewise worn by Kings and Princes, as an Ornament to Majesty and Grandeur, and a Mark of their Courage, and distinguishes the Nobility from the lower Rank of Men. The Attitudes which are in the Book, are copied exactly from the Originals; tho' I might perhaps have made some Alterations, in my Opinion, for the better, yet I chose rather to leave them as they are, than to run the Hazard of spoiling any of them.

In recovering from this Thrust, the Wrist must be in Tierce, and the Sword without the Enemy's whilst the other Parts take their Situation. The Parade of this Thrust is made by a Half-circle of the Sword within, the Wrist raised in Quart, and the Point low. See the 7th Plate.

In recovering from this Thrust, the Wrist must be in Tierce, and the Sword without the Enemy's whilst the other Parts take their Situation. The Parade of this Thrust is made by a Half-circle of the Sword within, the Wrist raised in Quart, and the Point low. See the 7th Plate.

This new edition of Mathewson's work is intended to be useful to those wishing to recreate the training regime of one particular fencing master from the reign of George III. This particular manual is of relevance and use because it seems to have been written with the intention of offering instruction at varying levels starting with the complete beginner and is therefore, unlike many earlier manuals and indeed some contemporary ones, suitable for those modern fencing masters who have recruits to teach. One envisages it as being of value to three categories of people, as well as hopefully being of interest to those with a more general interest in the history of fencing. Firstly to those within the Western Martial Arts community who may wish to study a different master's works from the earlier ones that seem to be the most commonly followed. Secondly I hope it will be of value to those re-enactors who portray the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century enabling them to produce a more authentic representation of sword work of that period and for displays away from the battlefield I particularly draw their attention to the drill en masse as presented in appendix 1 which would make an interesting display in those circumstances where fighting may not be appropriate. Finally, this work may be of some value to those staging theatrical events in that it gives these a grounding of correct sword moves and postures. Indeed to all the foregoing the particular value of this work is that it draws attention to the differences between sword drill as taught and practised in the Napoleonic period and the modern versions of it that are based, as is modern sport sabre, on the late Victorian sabre drill as exemplified by Alfred Hutton's works.

Camillo Agrippa's widely influential "Treatise on the Science of Arms" was a turning point in the history of fencing. The author - an engineer by trade and not a professional master of arms - was able to radically re-imagine teaching the art of fencing. Agrippa's treatise is the fundamental text of Western swordsmanship. Just as earlier swordsmanship can be better understood from Agrippa's critiques, so too was his book the starting point for the rapier era. Every other treatise of the early-modern period had to deal explicitly or implicitly with Agrippa's startling transformation of the art and science of self-defense with the sword. Likewise, all of the fundamental ideas that are still used today - distance, time, line, blade opposition, counterattacks and countertime - are expressed in this paradigm-shifting treatise. This is a work that should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the history, practice or teaching of fencing. His treatise was also a microcosm of sixteenth-century thought. It examines the art, reduces it to its very principles, and reconstructs it according to a way of thinking that incorporated new concepts of art, science and philosophy. Contained within this handy volume are concrete examples of a new questioning of received wisdom and a turn toward empirical proofs, hallmarks of the Enlightenment. The treatise also presents evidence for a redefinition of elite masculinity in the wake of the military revolution of the sixteenth century. At the same time, is offers suggestive clues to the place of the hermetic tradition in the early-modern intellectual life and its implications for the origins of modern science. Camillo Agrippa's "Treatise on the Science of Arms" was first published in Rome in 1553 by the papal printer Antonio Blado. The original treatise was illustrated with 67 engravings that belong to the peak of Renaissance design. They are reproduced here in full. "Mondschein has at last made available to English-speaking readers one of the most important texts in the history of European martial arts. Agrippa marks a turning point in the intellectual history of these arts.... Mondschein's introduction to his work helps the reader understand Agrippa - and the martial practices themselves - as pivotal agents in the evolving cultural and intellectual systems of the sixteenth century. Above all, Mondschein's translation is refreshingly clean and idiomatic, rendering the systematic clarity of the Italian original into equally clear modern English - evidence of the author's familiarity with modern fencing and understanding of the physical realities that his author is trying to express. Mondschein's contextualization of his topic points the way for future scholarly exploration, and his translation will doubtless be valued by both students of cultural history and practitioners of modern sword arts." - Dr. Jeffrey L. Forgeng, Paul S. Morgan Curator -Higgins Armory Museum, Adj. Assoc. Prof. of Humanities, Worcester Polytechnic Institute First English translation. Paperback, 234 pages, 67 illustrations, introduction, bibliography, glossary, appendix, index."

In recovering from this Thrust, the Wrist must be in Tierce, and the Sword without the Enemy's whilst the other Parts take their Situation. The Parade of this Thrust is made by a Half-circle of the Sword within, the Wrist raised in Quart, and the Point low. See the 7th Plate.

Dave Lowry juxtaposes his singular experience as an adept student of "kenjutsu" (the art of swordsmanship) under a Japanese teacher in St. Louis with a riveting account of the samurai tradition in Japan. Intertwining tales of the masters with reflections on his own apprenticeship in the samurai's arts, he reveals in their time-honored methods a way of life with profound relevance to modern times. The result is a fascinating, singular autobiography. Lowry captures the sense of wonder and mystery that makes martial arts compelling to so many practitioners. Even those who do not practice martial arts will delight in this unusual coming-of-age story.

By the Sword is an epic history of sword fighting—a science, an art, and, for many, a religion that began at the dawn of civilization in ancient Egypt and has been an obsession for mankind ever since. With wit and insight, Richard Cohen gives us an engrossing history of the world via the sword.