Kendo: Culture of the Sword

Posted on 26 April 2019 by Alexander Bennett

Kendo is the first in depth historical, cultural, and political account in English of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship, from its beginnings in military training and arcane medieval schools to its widespread practice as a global sport today Alexander Bennett shows how kendo evolved through a recurring process of inventing tradition, which served the changing ideologies and needs of Japanese warriors and governments over the course of history Kendo follows the development of Japanese swordsmanship from the aristocratic aesthetic pretensions of medieval warriors in the Muromachi period, to the samurai elitism of the Edo regime, and then to the nostalgic patriotism of the Meiji state Kendo was later influenced in the 1930s and 1940s by ultranationalist militarists and ultimately by the postwar government, which sought a gentler form of nationalism to rekindle appreciation of traditional culture among Japan s youth and to garner international prestige as an instrument of soft power Today kendo is becoming increasingly popular internationally But even as new organizations and clubs form around the world, cultural exclusiveness continues to play a role in kendo s ongoing evolution, as the sport remains closely linked to Japan s sense of collective identity. New Download [ Kendo: Culture of the Sword ] by [ Alexander Bennett ] – kino-fada.fr It s an interesting book but dry I guess I never trained in Kendo though a group was practicing near the Taekwondo group I was with To me, martial arts are similar in their goal, which is, making better people, train mind and body, teaching discipline and instilling confidence I guess the thing is I didn t feel I need to dive deep...Kendo Culture of the Sword is the new book by Alex Bennett, founder of Kendo World, NZ team coach and the go to guy if you want to know anything about Budo culture but can t speak or read Japanese very well just ask Anthony Bourdain and Terry Schappert , or even if you can but you need to have an expert on hand ask Nicholas Pettas and even the national broadcaster NHK.But Alex is muchthan a TV tarento celebrity , he is a bona fide academic in the area of Kendo and related martial Kendo Culture of the Sword is the new book by Alex Bennett, founder of Kendo World, NZ team coach and the go to g...Los que est is acostumbrados a leer libros sobre artes marciales not reis enseguida que esta obra es diferente al resto Lejos del planteamiento t pico en que el autor, normalmente una autoridad reconocida en tal o cual estilo o disciplina marcial, va exponiendo todas las virtudes y bondades que la hacen superior o al menos diferente al resto de manera un tanto idealizada Alexander Bennett, por el contrario, nos ofrece un riguroso y exhaustivo estudio sobre la historia del kendo, desde sus Los que est is acostumbrados a leer libros sobre artes marciales not reis enseguida que esta obra es diferente al resto Lejos del planteamiento t pico en que el autor, normalmente una autoridad reconocida en tal o cual estilo o disciplina marcial, va exponiendo todas las virtudes y bondades que la hacen superior o al menos diferente al resto de manera un tanto idealizada Alexander B...This is an excellent resource for anyone looking to knowabout the history and development of kendo It can be a bit of a dry read at times, but this is in keeping with the academic tone and somewhat inevitable give...I didn t read all existing books of Kendo, but I can confirm that this is the best book of Kendo ever written Alex Bennett is one of the most non Japanese respected Kendo practitioner around the world He also studies and knows very deeply the Japanese culture and its implications on martial arts.This book was great because it combined the history of kendo with aspects of cultural Japan through history I liked the copious and useful notes, as well as the diagrams.The index wasn t as great as I initially thought That s the only problem I have with the book.excellent dataNote I received a free copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads program.In Kendo, Alexander Bennett follows the technical and cultural evolution of Japanese swordfighting from the days of the samurai warrior class to its current status as one of the sportified martial arts budo In detailing this history, Bennett also gives an overview of the basics of performing kendo however, this is not an instruction manual, and the descriptions of the moves, rules, and equipment are very Note I received a free copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads program.In Kendo, Alexander Bennett follows the technical and cultural evolution of Japanese swordfighting from the days of the samurai warrior class to its current status as one of the sportified martial arts budo In detailing this history, Bennett also gives an overview of the basics of performing kendo however, this is not an instruction manual, and the descriptions of the moves, rules, and equipment are very basic and are used mostly to provide the reader with some grounding for the substance of the book.First off, I must admit that, unlike what I assume is target audience of this book, I am not a kendo enthusiast And by that, I mean that I knew that kendo was a martial art andthat was pretty...Prof Bennett s historical retracing of kendo s beginnings is both educational and eye opening for me, in that it broke the recurring misconceptions or romanticized ideals I keep hearing or reading about with regards to how kendo is a centuries old, samurai practice of honor, discipline, and an all out commitment to face death in battle, when it is in fact an invented modern tradition utilized during the World War as a militaristic propaganda to instill Japa...An account of the development and history of kendo Well written, informative and analytic It might become a must read for kendokas.

English
26 April 2019

Alexander Bennett