from dust jacket This unique history of Japanese armed martial arts-the only comprehensive treatment of the subject in English-focuses on traditions of swordsmanship and archery from ancient times to the present. G. Cameron Hurst III provides an overview of martial arts in Japanese history and culture, then closely examines the transformation of these fighting skills into sports. He discusses the influence of the western athletic tradition on the armed martial arts as well as the ways the martial arts have remained distinctly Japanese. During the Tokugawa era (1600-1867), swordsmanship and archery developed from fighting systems into martial arts, transformed by the powerful social forces of peace, urbanization, literacy, and professionalized instruction in art forms. Hurst investigates the changes that occurred when the military training that was no longer necessary took on new purposes: physical fitness, spiritual composure, character development, and sport. He also considers western misperceptions of Japanese traditional martial arts and argues that, contrary to common views in the West, Zen Buddhism is associated with the martial arts in only a limited way. The author concludes by exploring the modern organization, teaching, ritual, and philosophy of archery and swordsmanship, relating these martial arts to other art forms and placing them in the broader context of Japanese culture. G. Cameron Hurst III is professor of history and director of the Center for East Asian studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He first studied Shito-ryu karate in Japan and then practiced Shotokan at the Nihon Karate Kyokai headquarters and in Hawaii. Later he began the practice of T'aekwondo, receiving his black belt at the Kukiwon headquarters in Seoul. "Hurst knows more than most of us about Japan, with his knowledge on full display in this informative and entertaining book. A rich pastiche of cultural history."-Jeffrey P. Mass, Ichihashi Professor of History, Standford University "For the first time in a Western language, Japanese swordfighting and archery receive the critical scholarly attention they deserve."-Harold Bolitho, Harvard University

Contents Preface Introduction Chapter One Martial Arts and Japanese Culture Part I. Swordsmanship Chapter Two The early tradition Chapter Three From self-protection to self-perfection in the Early and Mid Tokugawa Chapter Four The Sporting element in the Late Tokugawa Part II. Archery Chapter Five The way of the bow and arrow Chapter Six The quest for records in the Tokugawa Part III. Armed martial arts today Chapter Seven Swordsmanship and Archery Chapter Eight The martial and other Japanese arts Epilogue Notes Glossary References Index