Mastering the Samurai Sword:A Full‐Color,Step‐by‐Step Guide [ハードカバー]

I was recommended to buy this book when I demonstrated an interest in the Samurai Sword at my local dojo... I heard that the author of the book was trained by Dr. Sacharnoski who is the leader of the Combat Ki style that has been widely televised (those guys take full power hits to every part of their body and then just smile at you). These guys are serious martial artists who know their stuff. Anyway, I was blown away at the amount of attention that this book is getting. It looks like there are a lot of people who are just envious of what one person can do. Nemeroff's skills are excellent... I think there has got to be some kind of animosity toward him or his teacher that is fueling this kind of criticism (his teacher seems to also be a victim of this). Also, as I understand it at one time there were thousands of different sword styles... So how are all these other "experts" in the sword sure that Nemeroff isn't right about anything? What a bunch of cry babies!

This is the best and most informative guide to the Samurai Sword that I've yet read. It also isn't 1000 pages long which helps in digestion, and it includes a DVD which aids in retention. It also makes sense that this was originally meant to be a guide for Mr. Nemeroff's own students however, I'm grateful it was published, as it is also invaluable as a reference for the lesser-known arts of Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu.

There also seems to be much confusion over the subject of this book, as evidenced by some of the reviews. This is a book on Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu. Not Kendo or Iaido. A student of Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu myself, I found that not only in North America, but even when I traveled to Japan, only the oldest and best teachers of the sword seemed to know why I held the sword the way I did, and why I used the sword the way I did. After training in Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu, one learns the true battle methods of the Samurai Sword- not the popular Kendo sport techniques that are only useful for fighting with bamboo swords for points. The more experienced teachers in Japan recognized that my technique came from Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu, the predecessors to modern day Iaido and Kendo. These same teachers were amazed to see that these techniques were practiced outside of Japan as they are truly very hard to find in today's age. Therefore a big thank you to Mr. Nemeroff for this valuable source of rare information in a world dominated by only Kendo and Iaido.

One clear example of the difference between the -jutsu and -do arts is the grip of the sword. This changes significantly between Kenjutsu and Kendo. In the former, you're holding a Katana that's meant to slice through the opponent or through weak spots in armor, thus requiring a very strong grip. In the latter, a bamboo sword is used with the aim of slapping or tapping an opponent as quickly as possible for points. When I went to Japan and started taking Kendo classes, I realized all the slapping and tapping would never work with a true Katana and that this training was suitable only for the sport of Kendo. You'll have to decide for yourself what makes more sense.

With this book, you will either greatly augment your training in Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu, or else be introduced to the power and practicality of these ancient and lesser known arts.

It is then useful to understand that most of the negative reviews of this book come simply and unfortunately from the misunderstanding between the -jutsu (time of war) arts and the modern day, better known -do (ie. Kendo, Iaido) arts. Don't let this stop you from learning about these ancient and hard-to-find arts! As anyone who's had the chance to practice both Kenjutsu and Kendo as I have, will tell you- there is a world of difference between these arts!

Both are wonderful arts, but I happen to prefer the ancient and more realistic sword arts and therefore highly recommend this book to anyone who might be interested in learning about the original usage of the Samurai Sword- before it evolved into a sport.

I suppose its obvious, but I would also be wary of any review from a school meaning to bash the reputation of another school. In my opinion, anyone who engages in this is spending too much time bad-mouthing and not enough time training. In the true spirit of the martial arts we should have respect for all styles while understanding that everyone will have unique preferences for their favorite martial arts. As with all martial arts- you just have to give it a try and see for yourself.

That being said, in my opinion, this is the best guide out there for traditional Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu, I highly recommend it to you the interested reader- and I will certainly recommend it to my students as well. I wish you a wonderful journey in the arts of the Samurai Sword!

I bought this book--at full price (ouch!)--mostly because I wanted a good kenjutsu/iajutsu instructional video. I figured that with its almost-current publication (2008) the chances were good that the DVD quality would be better than some of the older ones I have that were obviously transfered from videos made in the 1980s. The photographs in this book are sharp and plentiful. The DVD is an aggravating disappointment. Why can't these guys ever get it right??? I have yet to come across a well-made instructional video on Samurai-sword-based martial arts. This was definitely not it. The author demonstrates most of the moves covered in the book (in a garden, as for some reason they all like to do), but each sequence is about five seconds long and then immediately reverts back to the chapter menu. Very frustrating. The moves are only demontrated once--ONE stroke. There is no introductional narrative at all, in fact NO AUDIO on the entire DVD (except for the soothing sounds of a brook in the garden...), which has the feel of a home movie. The film quality is not as good as the book's photographs led me to expect.

Cary Nemeroff seems humorless and rather full of himself, and for someone who has freely adapted his own style he is curiously rigid about the one proper way that things must be done. (Compare to George Alexander's videos, which may be dated and a little dramatic, but at least he has an infectous enthusiasm for his subject.) A few of the things I might quibble with: His insistence on buying only a white oak bokken because they are the strongest. He inaccurately states that all Red Oak bokken are weak and doesn't even mention Appalachian Hickory. (I recommend Kingfisher Woodworks in Vermont for a variety of high-quality, reasonably priced bokken made in the USA.) Nemeroff writes that when students are ready to buy a real sword they should only buy one made in Japan by a true Japanese swordmaker. This is laughably absurd guidance for 99% of samurai sword enthusiasts, given the several thousand dollars that such a sword would cost, especially when there are many excellent hand-forged katana available through the Internet (from Hanweii/Paul Chen and others) for between $400 and $900. For a self-proclaimed expert--and the book's glossy, full-color layout does seem to give it credibility--Nemeroff makes annoying blunders, such as perpetuating the misnomer of a "blood groove" rather than the correct term "fuller" or just "groove," which is for making the sword lighter and has nothing to do with reducing suction when piercing a foe.

It should be telling to alert readers when an instructor claims to have achieved a "10th dan" (a rare honor) in a martial arts style HE invented.

Nemeroff spends far too much time describing the details of esoteric things like how to inspect someone else's sword and how to clean your own--both of which he presents inadequately if not exactly wrong. On the positive side, I like that he has combined kenjutus and iado--a logical and long-overdue merging, and I have no trouble with his adapting traditional sword-training styles to do this and to present the art more accessibly to a Western audience. I just think it could be done better, and I found his rigidity with minutae to be off-putting. It's also impressive that he works with people with disabilities and apparently is fluent in sign language.

A used copy of this book from Amazon Marketplace (for $18 or so) makes it a good deal, and worthwhile. Otherwise, if you don't already own it, get the best book on this subject: Flashing Steel, 2nd edition: Mastering Eishin-Ryu Swordsmanship. Also, an excellent demonstration video is All Japan Kendo Federation: Nihon Kendo Kata. Despite its title, these are all kenjutsu techniques and forms with real katana and not kendo or iado, and are very well demonstrated. However, this is again an older videotape transfer and may not play well on some DVD players; it does have a sufficient chapter menu.

There are still many extant traditional martial schools "ryu-ha", with many traditionally qualified teachers. There are also the century-old 'modern' standard curriculum "seitei" systems built by committees of great masters to introduce modern people to classical systems "ko ryu". But these are all famously HARD to learn - it takes decades. Sometimes people spend a short time in a dojo (or just with with a book or DVD), and privately decide its ALL TOO HARD (which it is!). Many quit, some, to their great credit, return and try again with a more open mind and changed expectations ... but some others decide they can run away and "improve" or "modernise" arts that were built up by collecting the experiences of thousands of warriors over many generations. Generally this is done by transplanting half remembered basics and misunderstood observations onto bits and peices of other arts (often karate footwork etc), bits from other cultural weapon systems and "stuff that looks cool" ~ often seemingly borrowed from movies.

When it comes to the Japanese sword, there's a few fairly typical indicators of such people:

* grand self-awarded titles (such as the much abused title "Soke" which actually means 'inheritor' and thus can NEVER apply to a founder!)
* an air of arrogant superiority that permits no questions. (its all a big 'secret' you see! ... because they're still making it up on the fly)
* wearing okinawan karate style belts "obi" with (or even outside) their hakama and other curious & clumsy cultural mismatches. A few patches and stripes are commonplace too.
* clutching the sword in a strangling hammer grip "gyakute" rather than the correct "kirite" or "honte" manner.
* a hasso-no-kamae pose displaying a baseball grip, horizontal 'chicken-wing' elbows and the edge "hasuji" facing anywhere but at the enemy "teki" .
(a position much beloved of cheap ninja movie posters)
* sheathing "noto" techniques which put the sword into the sheath "saya" rather than the scabbard onto the blade.
* cutting techniques where the hands lead the tip

and so on.

Click "look inside" and decide for yourself how many of the above this volume displays.
Buy if you have more money than you can carry. Read for amusement. Use at your own risk. Count your fingers afterwards.

BTW: the correct term for the 'blood groove' found on (just a few) Japanese swords is "hi" (pronounced 'hee')

cheerio!

After reading several of the silly reviews (and having to actually comment on the inaccuracies of one), I decided I had best put my money where my mouth is and write my own.

There is no question that Mr. Nemeroff is highly skilled with the samurai sword. This book, however, is not about showing off his skills or demoing little known techniques. It is (as he says in his first sentence) a manual for his students which he hopes others find useful. As such it is important to read this book with that in mind. The style is clearly very formal and he covers everything from entering the dojo to preparing and housing both your sword and uniform. He starts with a brief history of the samurai sword as well as all the parts of the sword and cleaning equipment. All of this information is accurate and concisely written.

The pictures are terrific and both meticulously placed and described. The sections on the different types of cuts, blocks and evasive maneuvers are very detailed and accurate (these can be check by numerous sources). However, the part that I find so great is the detail that he goes into to describe all of the Katas. Any student of his style that doesn't buy this book would be foolish. How many nights at home would this save after learning a new kata and you agonized over trying to remember the last lesson and being frustrated by having to wait for the next class. This book removes that difficulty and must be a terrific supplement to a student's studies.

There are really three issues one major and two minor, that I have found with this book. The biggest problem is the DVD. The quality of the DVD is poor. Yes it does show all of the moves (and the setting is beautiful) but why take such care with the pictures and descriptions in the book to then include a DVD that looks like you took them with an old video camera. As for the minor problems, I have spent time studying the pictures in the book and I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Nemeroff is a small man. This is not a criticism; I have met other swords men who like him opt to use a sword which is slightly longer than appropriate for their size. The result, however, is that it forces his shoulders to dip during his noto (this is clearly seen in the video). Also, his fingers are not together when he first places the back part of his hand on the tsuka and on the noto his thumb hovers dangerously over the ha.

I would take two stars off the score for the issues above but I have to give one back for two reasons. Anyone who has ever studied the martial arts would love to have this type of manual, which is written specifically for their art. Also, his description of how to fall and roll with the sword is top notch (and executed perfectly on the DVD). The biggest concern about some of these maneuvers is that as simple as he makes them look, they are not for the amateur and should not be attempted without proper instruction first.

Finally, what would truly be fascinating would be a second edition which describes in the same level of detail the unarmed companion art which is mentioned in this book. The set would be fairly unique and show a complete picture of the skills needed to go into battle. Overall I enjoyed the read and have surprisingly found myself continuing to review it more than six months after the purchase. Well done, I will keep my eyes open for the next book!