Japan Books

A fascinating look at a part of our history. It provides an in depth look at the American psyche and the how and why the US was so well served by the young people of that era. A glimpse of the real brutality of the Japanese and why Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the ONLY options for defeating a fanatical army command that espoused no surrender.

"I saw some guys struggling with a pole and I just jumped in to lend them a hand. It's as simple as that." John H. "Jack" Bradley, also known as "Doc" states this in a quote on page 102 in Flags of our Fathers. This passage explains to me that the flag raising atop Mount Surabachi during the battle for Iwo Jima in February and March 1945 was quick and did not seem like a big deal to the flag raiser John Bradley.

James Bradley never imagined the things his dad-Navy Corpsman John H. "Jack" Bradley had endured during the battle of Iwo Jima-a Sulphur Island in the Pacific ocean only 600 miles from Japan-during the closing of World War II in 1945. All James new of his father's war service was that he was in the famous flag-raising photo atop Mount Surabachi. No copy of the famous photo was hung in their house and James' dad never spoke of the other flag raisers. It wasn't until after John Bradley died in 1994 when James was looking at the Joe Rosenthal famous flag raising photo that he began to wonder what the other flag raisers were like. What were there names? What kind of lives did they live? Did they have similar experiences on that sulphur island like Jack Bradley had, troubling and unforgettable?

Soon James Bradley was reading all kinds of books on the battle as he began his search for the other five Marines in the picture. Even though he discovered they were all gone, he interviewed their surviving family members and soon began interviewing other veterans from Iwo Jima. The six flag raisers-John Bradley, Mike Strank, Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, Ira Hayes and Rene Gagnon came from different backgrounds and different parts of America. Although they had little in common other than fighting for their country, and they didn't know it at the time (three later died in the battle-Block, Strank and Sousley) they would all become celebrities for their role for 1/400th of a second in the famous photograph. Flags of Our Fathers gives a very detailed account of the battle of Iwo Jima and the lives of the six flag raisers through interviews with veterans of the battle, interviews with the surviving family members of the flag raisers and letters. Flags of our Fathers is a book you cannot put down and cannot miss!

Great book showing how a major world event shaped the lives of a whole generation. I gained a lot of insight from reading this book.

I consider myself knowledgeable about history, especially WW2. After reading just half of "Flags of our Fathers'" I realize how much I 'didn't' know about this part of the war. Most of my research was of the european theatre.
I am so glad I purchased this book. It makes me feel so humble as to my own time spent in uniform for I never had to endure or sacrifice what these young men did.
Anyone thinking of not voting should read this and be sure to vote for these young men gave everything so that we could have that right. Even more they went through hell before they did it.
Do yourself a favor and get this book.
Richard Neal Huffman - Author of Dreams In Blue: The Real Police

Quite a while ago, Nick Olmsted, a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, recommended that I read "Flags of Our Fathers." I am glad that I finally got around to taking his advice. This story struck me on many levels at once, and this seems to be an opportune time to share some of my thoughts about this remarkable book, written by James Bradley, the son of one of the six Marines whose iconic picture of the raising of the flag over Iwo Jima riveted a war-weary nation.

The film based on this book is due to be released tomorrow. My friend, Nate Fick, former Marines Corps officer and author of "One Bullet Away," had invited me to attend a special screening of the film tomorrow evening in Boston. There will be many Marines present for this gala event to raise funds for a scholarship program for the families of Marines who have fallen in combat. Here is how Nate described to me the work of the scholarship committee:

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation will be showing a benefit premier of "Flags of Our Fathers" at the AMC Theater on Boston Common on Friday 20 October. Military guests of honor will include BGen John Kelly, legislative assistant to CMC, former ACMC's Generals Nyland and Neal, and perhaps others.

For those who don't know, the MCSF is committed to funding higher education for the children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen, especiallythose killed in action. It's a wonderful organization, and one I've been proud to be involved with during the past several years.

So, before I am influenced by the film's portrayal of the events on Iwo Jima and the stories of the six men - Harlon Block, James Bradley, Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, Frank Sousley, Mike Strank - whose picture became symbolic of a nation at war, I will share my take on the book. A review of the film will follow in a few days.

James Bradley was motivated to write "Flags of Our Fathers" after the death of his father. As the family sorted through the papers that John Bradley left behind, they found three cardboard boxes full of photos and documents related to Iwo Jima. Finding this secret stash shocked the Bradleys, since James had refused to discuss his role as a famous flagraiser.

"I hungered to know the heroic part of my dad. Try as I might I could never get him to tell me about it.

`The real heroes of Iwo Jima,' he said once, coming as close as he ever would, `are the guys who didn't come back.'" (Page 4)

My siblings and I had a similar experience. My father, who served in India with the U.S. Army Air Corps, hardly ever talked about his years of service that cost him four years of his life and compromised his health until he died at the relatively young age of 65. It was as if he had locked that part of his life away in some inaccessible vault. The closest he came to revealing that chapter of his life was to lead us in singing Army marching songs that seemed to play in his head like a continuous loop. Our frequent family drives in the country were filled with many hours of such songs. We whiled away the hours and the miles by singing "Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah," "Alice Blue Gown," "Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder," and "I've Been Working on the Railroad." I felt as if Bradley had touched a special rewind button when he wrote these words about the memorial service the family held when they were able to visit Iwo Jima in 1998:

"When I was finished with my talk, I couldn't look up at the faces in front of me. I sensed the strong emotion in the air. Quietly, I suggested that in honor of my dad, we all sing the only two songs John Bradley ever admitted to knowing: `Home on the Range' and `I've Been Working on the Railroad.'" (page 14)

Bradley chose an epigraph for the second chapter of the book that is timeless and haunting:

"All wars are boyish, and are fought by boys." Herman Melville (Page 17)

Bradley lays out in clear terms why he chose to undertake the project of writing the book and sharing the stories of the Iwo Jima flagraisers:

"That was the point, I reminded myself, the point of my quest: to bring these boys back to life, or a kind of life, to let them live again in the country's memory. Starting with my father, and continuing with the other five.

That is how we always keep our beloved dead alive, isn't it? By telling stories abut them; true stories. It works that way with our national past as well. Keeping it alive by telling stories." (Page 17)

I have long been a strong believer in the power of narrative to capture our imaginations and our hearts. The job that James Bradley and Ron Powers have done in this book reaffirms my faith in the power of a well-told story. By Bradley bringing back to life the six Iwo Jima flagraisers and their comrades who fell in battle there, I felt as if he were also connecting me to a piece of my father's history and bringing him back to life, as well. As you can imagine, reading this book evoked powerful emotions.

This book does a very effect job of contrasting the sanitized view that civilians have of war with the messy reality experienced by those in the midst of the fighting:

"To the civilian noncombatants, war was `knowable' and `understandable.' Orderly files of men and machines marching off to war, flags waving, patriotic songs playing. War could be clear and logical to those who had not touched its barb.

But battle veterans quickly lost a sense of war's certitude. Images of horror they could scarcely comprehend invaded their thoughts tortured their minds. Bewildered and numbed, they cold not unburden themselves to their civilian counterparts, who could never comprehend through mere words.

Mike, Ira, and Harlon - these three boys back from the Pacific Heart of Darkness - now embraced death. Two were convinced that their next battle would be their last. And one lingered on for ten years before he was consumed by a living nightmare." (Page 90)

"Today, a battle-scarred Ira Hayes would be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, and there would be understanding and treatment available to him. But in the late forties and early fifties, Ira had to suffer alone. Suffer daily with images of and misplaced guilt over his 'good buddies who didn't come back.'" (Page 333)

Post traumatic stress disorder - or PTSD - reared its ugly head over Iwo Jima and planted its flag in the hearts of those who fought there - and who have fought in every subsequent battle from Pusan and Pork Chop Hill to Khe Sahn and Hamburger Hill to Tikrit and Falujah. (I will return to the topic of PTSD in a series of articles in the coming weeks.)

Throughout the book, Bradley does justice to the legacy of the Iwo Jima flagraisers by addressing an issue that haunted each of them - the question of what it truly means to be a hero. The flagraisers felt that fate had singled them out for notoriety and the label of "hero," but each man felt in his heart that the real heroes were the ones who did not live to see the flag raised or the parades planned or the War Bond rallies held.

"And finally, I found a full-page newspaper ad from the Seventh Bond Tour, which he had participated in. It screamed: `You've seen the photo, you've heard him on radio, now in person in Milwaukee County Stadium, see Iwo Jima hero John H. Bradley!'

Hero. In that misunderstood and corrupted word, I think lay the final reason for John Bradley's silence.

Today the word `hero' has been diminished, confused with `celebrity.' But in my father's generation the word meant something.

Celebrities seek fame. They take actions to get attention. Most often, the actions they take have no particular moral content. Heroes are heroes because they have risked something to help others. Their actions involve courage. Often, those heroes have been indifferent to the public's attention. But at least, the hero could understand the focus of the emotion. However he valued or devalued his own achievement, it did stand as an accomplishment.

The moment that saddled my father with the label of `hero' contained no action worthy of remembering. When he was shown the photo for the first time, he had no idea what he was looking at. He did not recognize himself or any of the others. The raising of that pole was as forgettable as tying the laces of his boots.

The irony, of course, was that Doc Bradley was indeed a hero on Iwo Jima - many times over. The flagraising, in fact, might be seen as one of the few moments in which he was not acting heroically. In 1998 Dr. James Wittmeier, my father's medical supervisor in Iwo, sat beside me silently contemplating my request for him to explain, or speculate on, why my dad never talked about that time. Finally, after many long minutes, he turned to me and softly said, `You ever hold a broken raw egg in your hands? Well, that's how your father and I help young men's heads.' The heads of real heroes, dying in my father's arms.

So, he knew real heroism. He could separate the real thing from the image, the fluff. And no matter how many millions of people thought otherwise, he understood that this image of heroism was not the real thing." (Pages 260-261)

"Flags of Our Fathers" is a moving and loving tribute to heroes - real and perceived. I am glad that Nick Olmsted pointed the way to it. I hope that Clint Eastwood and Stephen Spielberg's translation of the story to the screen will honor the spirit of the men who fought on Iwo Jima.

Al

This is the best book I have read in either Japanese or English that gives a comprehensive, easy to read and balanced overview of the lives of 37 people who contributed into making Japan into what it is today. The book presents people from diverse aspects of Japan: industry, traditional culture, history, modern writers and film directors. The people span from the first ever novelist in the world Murasaki (c.975-c.1025) to Morita Akio, the co-founder of Sony. The biographies are short and concise and are on average 10 pages long. It is not necessary to read the entire book at once, but read one biography and come back to another one at a later time. I have read and reread the book numerous times and have been inspired by the lives of each one of the people profiled.

Much has been written about the history of Japan from the point of view of society and group dynamics. This is understandable given Japan's interdependent culture. Mark Weston's Giants of Japan is one of the first that covers Japan from the point of view of it's great individuals. The subjects of the book range from well known industrialists (Konosku Matsuhita) and leaders (Tokogawa Ieyasu) to lesser known writers (Fukuzawa Yukichi) and directors (Ozu Yasujiro).

The book is good for many different types of people. Those with a deeper knowledge of Japan can pick and choose from the individuals they wish to learn more about. Those newly interested in Japan can read the book cover to cover to gain a broad knowledge of the history and people of Japan.

This book does not attempt to provide a comprehensive Japanese history, or in depth view of any aspect of Japanese society. There are other more suitable books in those genres.

This was the best book I read last year. Very informative and easy to read.

Giants of Japan is a very pleasant introduction to Japanese history, organized in a succession of biographies of the most influential figures in Japanese business, politics, arts and sports. In addition to being well-written, the book offers a good mix of key facts and anecdotes, making the reading both interesting and exciting.

Beyond information about the country itself, Weston takes good care of extracting history lessons from his biographies. For example, it is edifying to learn how (with what vision, strategems, and tricks) Mistui developed from a sake brewry into one of the worldfs largest corporations, with what political purpose tea ceremony was used, and how a single author, Fukuzawa Yukichi, precipitated Japan's westernization.

The book recounts the origins of Shintoism, Haiku, even Aikido (judofs creator, Jigoro Kano, is missing from the book). It depicts the spirit of feudal warriors (both samurais and ronins), and shows how Bushido has survived in 20th century Japan (exemplified by Mishimafs tragic death). It also deals with the dark pages of Japanese history, including Japanese military actions before and during WWII and modern political corruption.

I recommend this book to anyone who has a yet unfulfilled interest in Japan; the biographical structure of the book makes it readable even to a busy audience.

Giants Of Japan: The Lives Of Japan's Greatest Men And Women by journalist and author Mark Weston is an informed and informative biographical survey of great figures drawn from fifteen centuries of Japanese history. Ranging from the internationally famous writer Yukio Mishima and the film director Akira Kurosawa, to historical icons such as Shotoku (the prince who helped bring Buddhism to Japan), and the actress Izumo no Okuni (who created kabuki theater), Giants Of Japan effectively summarizes an eclectic collection of fascinating and remarkable lives revealed in an energetic and raptly interesting presentation. Very highly recommended reading for students of Japanese history and culture.

The Second World War completely changed its major participants and exacted some huge sacrifices from all involved. This and other books about the people who did the fighting shows how similar the attitudes were on all sides. The main character changes some of his thinking after the war, but his thoughts and actions during the war are really interesting, especially when compared to the thoughts and actions of the people on other sides.

If ever a book (other than the Bible) showed the divine hand and providence of God, this is it. I wish I could have met the man.

Excellent detailed story of Pearl Harbor's lead Navy pilot who through special circumstances wrought only by God found himself after the war travelling in the USA with Billy Graham and preaching the Gospel in Christian Crusades.

A friend of mine introduced me to this book in April of this year. He told me it was unlike any book about the Pacific war that he had ever read. Although skeptical at first, I sill went ahead and purchased the book. I left it on my book-shelve for several months and forgot all about it. As I began packing up in July to move I noticed this book again, so I picked it up and began reading it. I found the style of writing extremely fluid, and the chapters were concise. This well balanced account of Mitsuo Fuchida life traces it from his days as an Imperial naval aviator to Christian evangelist. 'God's Samurai' is a truly inspirational book filled with numerous accounts of honor, bravery, loyalty, and sacrifice - all the codes of a Samurai warrior. I have enjoyed this book tremendously, and I have just begun reading, 'Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan: The Japanese Navy's Story' by Mitsuo Fuchida, Roger Pineau (Editor),Masatake Okumiya(Contributor). Both 'God's Samurai' and 'Midway' are 'must-have' books for anyone who is truly interested in the Pacific war and naval battles!

An awesome true story. Definitely one of the three best books I've read in the past decade. In a time like this of Osama bin Labens and shocking inter-civilizational conflict, Fuchida's life story shows how true reconciliation and inter-cultural brotherhood can be experienced. It gives hope in spite of the huge obstacles to inter-cultural understanding. A powerful human interest story. Don't miss it!

The role of the American army in the Pacific between the Spanish-American war and the Second World War is often forgotten. Most don't even know the American army ahd a role so far away from home. Indeed the army was small but the stakes were high. In the wake of the war with Spain in 1898 the U.S gained a number of small protectorates and colonies in the Phillipines and Samoa and elsewhere. Eventually this became part of a defense system, but it was not merely to defend against outsiders. The Army also had a role with the local people and creating institutions. Moreover it also had to fight insurgencies that took place in the Moro area of the Southern Phillipines where Muslim insurgents fought Americans. The insurgency goes on to this day. However at the time the likes of General Pershing were used to put down this uprising with the least possible loss in lives.

This fascinating and detailed book opens up a new history of the American army and its role in the Pacific.

Seth J. Frantzman

Linn notes that the big question of WWII is, "why, with almost four decades to prepare, these (US Army) military forces proved unable to defend the nation's Pacific possessions against Japan." The author notes that the traditional approach has been to focus on events in the short-term prior to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, however his effort is to, "offer a somewhat longer perspective through a narrative history of the U.S. Army in Hawaii and the Philippines from 1902 to 1940....its task is not to delineate the road to Pearl Harbor, but to illuminate the numerous paths the army trod in its long search for a viable Pacific defense....For years it had foreseen both the threat and its own inability to ward it off." From a strategic perspective, this book does a good job of putting America's failure into context. It points out that although the surprise attack of 7 December 1941 was not detected, from a military capabilities standpoint there was little the Army could have done. Although I believe one needs to be careful with historical parallels, a student of strategy can see how political and economic considerations drive strategy. Indeed, a similar issue between today (2004) and then was the tension between what is required to hold ground when forces are deployed vs. the ability to deploy and sustain those same forces over a great deal of distance.

During the first forty years of the 20th Century the U.S. Army had the mission of protecting the Philippine and Hawaiian Islands from attack by the nation of Japan. Although Japan was not originally thought to be a threat, from the 1922 Naval Conference onward the army high command considered Japan as the only real threat in the Pacific. This book provides a unique and very good history of what came to be known and the U.S. Army of the Pacific.

The book provides a good deal of fascinating information on all aspects of the Pacific Army from the life of enlisted men to the strategic thinking that informed its planning. But perhaps the most interesting theme running through it is how the U.S. Army identified the Japanese threat to the U.S. Pacific Islands and sought to mitigate it.

Because of budget and manpower constraints imposed by congress, the U.S. Army in the period between the WWI and WWII was incapable of fighting any kind of war. Yet as this book shows that did not prevent the Army General Staff and the Department Staffs of the Philippines and Hawaii from developing often very well thought out strategies for the defense of the islands. In the case of the Philippines the Archipelago was first considered vital to U.S. interests in the Western Pacific and a keystone in U.S. strategy. Gradually this view changed and by the thirties, the Philippines were considered indefensible against Japan and a strategic liability. Army planners sought to minimize the U.S. military presence there. This same thinking made Hawaii and especially the Pearl Harbor naval base on Oahu the keystone of a defensive arc running from Alaska to Panama which was designed to protect the U.S. Pacific Frontier.

One thing that is clear from this book and that is that the Army General Staff and the Islands' Departmental Commands were quite accurate in their defining the potential threats posed by Japan and fairly realistic in planning defensive strategies against those threats. For example the army was only too aware that the elaborate harbor defense systems that defended Pearl Harbor and Manila Bay were obsolete almost from the day they were completed. Still army planners at both the General Staff and department level tried to develop effective defensive plans. The problem was, as this book states, that there was a tradition that developed early on that allowed department commands to override general staff planning and design their own defensive plans. Thus in 1941General Short of the Hawaiian Department defined the threat from Japan primarily in terms of sabotage while the General Staff correctly saw it as a threat from air attack.

Brian Linn believes that the American annexation of the Philippines damaged rather than helped the U.S. position in East Asia. Even before the outbreak of the Second World War, American military planners knew that the Philippines were extremely vulnerable to Japanese invasion but were relunctant to raise a native force that could also be a threat to the American Army. The security problems only became worse when before the attack on Pearl Harbor, MacArthur authorized the defence of the entire Philippines and not just the Bataan peninsular. As a result of America's fear of a native force to protect the Philippines and MacArthur's overly ambitious plans, the United State suffered a humiliating defeat to the Japanese in 1942. I would reccomend this book foy anyone who believes that a new American empire would enhance national security but has ignored the disasterous example of the American experience with the Philippines.

This is a splendid and pioneering study of the Army in the Pacific, a subject badly in need of more light that it has hitherto received. It brings the Pacific Army to life in a way that no one else had even attempted.

Like any book, however, it has its limitations, and as is usually true it is the ones that author was not aware of (at least at the time) and did not flag for our attention that we must take most care of. In this case the principal limitation lies in strategic view.

The Philippines, as the author makes clear, never had any intrinsic significance for the United States (or for the earlier colonial power, Spain, for that matter) -- no riches or resources to be reaped. The sole significance of the islands lay in their position. Initially, Americans had calculated (like the Spaniards before them) that possession of Manila would provide an important advantage in gaining the rewards of the rich China trade. Luzon and the rest of the islands simply came with the deal. Almost as soon as they had been seized, however, other events eroded Manila's importance in this role greatly. (Perhaps we should say "seeming importance," as there never were the prospects which had been envisioned in 1898.) Finding themselves in possession of a colony of little value, Americans not unnaturally felt reservations about spending large sums to garrison and defend it. Thus a purely nominal force was assigned to its defense, adequate only for internal security and the assertion of sovereignty. The oft-proclaimed "bastion" of the Philippines was in reality no more than a sentry post, bound to be overrun quickly in any serious assault. To invest in a real Philippine fortress or in mobile forces strong enough to quickly relieve it would involve an expense that few Americans could see as justified.

Distant events changed all that. By the late 1930s, of course, the propensity of Japan for aggressive military expansion was manifest, but that did not seem particularly threatening in itself, given that the economic resources of the country were so small relative to those of the U.S. But the outbreak of the European War in 1939, followed by the Nazi defeat of France and threat to Britain in 1940, heightened American security concerns vastly. Then in September, 1940, Japan joined the Axis Pact, making itself an ally of Germany. Japan had intended this to change American perceptions and it did that, but not in the way that had been hoped. Japan ceased to be a disagreeable nuisance in a distant place and instead clearly became a potential part of a serious threat, to be blocked if possible and crushed if necessary. Very suddenly, the importance of the Philippines' geographic position changed dramatically.

It is this transition that Prof. Linn misses in focusing on the local realities rather than the global strategic picture that dominated the awareness of Washington decision-makers in 1940-41. This broader reality is well presented in Waldo Heinrichs, "Pearl Harbor in a Global Context," in _Pearl Harbor Revisited_, edited by Robert W. Love, Jr. (London: Macmillan, 1995) (ISBN 0312095937), and in more extended fashion in the same author's _Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II_, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988) (ISBN 0195061683). For the same issue from a different perspective see Gerhard L. Weinberg, "Global Conflict: The Interaction Between the European and Pacific Theaters of War in World War II," in _Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History_, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995) (ISBN 0521474078), or his book, _A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II_, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994) (ISBN 0521558794).

Beginning with the Japanese occupation of Vietnam in July of 1941, thereby making manifest their determination to continue down the road of active alliance with Hitler, the U.S. began to rush all available military power to the Philippines, reserving only that which was essential to the security of America itself. But years of penuriousness and neglect had left the cupboard largely bare, and re-armament was yet to produce major material results. So the Philippine defenders, like the exposed sentry, became casualties of the brutally inexorable logic of war. Brian Linn's book provides a major and largely-overlooked piece of this picture, but is somewhat weak on the overall context.

There are also other sources which the interested reader may wish to consult in order to get a fuller picture. These include John J. Stephan, _Hawaii Under the Rising Sun: Japan's Plans for Conquest After Pearl Harbor_, (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1984) (0824825500) and the article by Richard B. Meixsel, "Major General George Grunert, WPO-3, and the Philippine Army, 1940-1941," _Journal of Military History_, 59, No. 2 (Apr 1995): 303-24. Both offer insights not fully captured by Linn. In a more recent article, "Manuel L. Quezon, Douglas MacArthur, and the Significance of the Military Mission to the Philippine Commonwealth," _Pacific Historical Review_, 70, No. 2: 255-92, Meixsel introduces some new evidence regarding the events in the Philippines in the 1930s and uses it to call into question some of Linn's claims.

While I have focused on its limitations, I want to emphasize again that this is a very valuable and unique book, even taking them fully into account.

Great book. A must for anyone interested in Japanese Sword Fighting, Ninjutsu, or Budo Taijutsu.

This book is awsome!!! it not only shows you how to do difforent moves in japenes sword fighting but it also teaches you the backround or history of the sword style what the difforent swords are called and it teaches you at least 5 moves for each difforent one. All around this was a very good book and i'm glad i found it.

One of the reviewers of this book used the fact that Soke's creative use of the Japanese language was the source of much of his wisdom. For those interested in language then this description would seem sufficient.

I would suggest to the would-be reader however, that Hatsumi-sensei is first and foremost a budoka and the source of his 'wisdom' stems from his martial art. Soke himself has written that it is his understanding of martial arts that allows him to successfully perform other arts. It is encumbent on the reader, certainly for those who are students of the Bujinkan, to see this book from the perspective of the martial arts.

This book is another testament to the persistance and creativity of Hatsumi-sensei. Forever finding the next step, Soke is always able to continue and, in his own words, 'keep going'. This book is a MUST for any student of Hatsumi-sensei's Bujinkan art.

Informatively written by renowned Budo and Ninja grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi and ably translated into English by Bruce Appleby and Doug Wilson, Japanese Sword Fighting: Secrets Of The Samurai is an in-depth manual about the skill and art of traditional Japanese sword fighting. Black-and-white photographs by Minoru Hirata and Kyuzo Akashi copiously illustrate methods of drawing and resheathing swords, and sword strikes and cuts, while the skillfully translated text delves into the philosophical and spiritual aspects of swordsmanship as surely as the martial arts and physical aspects. Illustrations of traditional samurai dress and full armor, and an appendix of the original Japanese text round out Masaaki Hatsumi's Japanese Sword Fighting, a truly "must-have" manual for Japanese swordsmanship enthusiasts.

Relatively little has been written covering Samurai sword fighting techniques: here ninja grandmaster provides both a history of the art of Japanese swordplay, rich in biographical surveys and cultural insight, and a survey of classical techniques used in two-sword fighting. Vintage and modern black and white photos and illustrations pack an account that blends step-by-step how-to photos with calligraphy, description, biographies, and background history. A 'must' for any serious not just about Japanese sword fighting, but Japanese culture and history as a whole.

Excellent book for those that are intrested in the Historical development of Modern Karate and its evolution. This book has some of the orriginal katas and ideas that Funakoshi Sensei brought from Okanawa.

This is one of the best books for teaching martial arts the correct way. What you learn is realistically how to defend yourself from an attacker or a group of thugs. I studied it nearly ten years ago. Thanks to black belt karate I have not had anyone attack me since I was gang beatin in 1989. This book is the real way to learn the sport or art. WHAT A GREAT BOOK!

If you want to see the evolution of Okinawan Karate from Shuri-te into Shorin-Ryu, Shoto-Kan , and eventually Korean Tang Soo DO you need to have this book and also Karate-DO Kyohan. Then study Hwang Kees Two texts on Tang Soo Do vol 1 and 2 and you'll see Tang Soo Do is the Korean version of Shoto-Kan (which is nothing to be ashamed of). Even though the Koreans don't like to admit it, there's no question where Tang Soo Do's roots lie and it's not in a 2000 year old Korean art, or anything Mstr. Kee learned in China! You will also see the changes that evolved, from the High original stances of Okinawan karate (that Funakoshi was taught by Itosu), to the deeper and longer stances that later developed in shoto-kan (Karate-Do Kyohan), as well as many Shoto-isms particular to both styles such as Pinan 1 and 2 being reversed from Itosu's original order. You'll notice the single index finger knife hand blocks in Seishan Kata (which modern Shoto-kan no longer uses but Tang Soo Do still does, the commonality of the total kata and the overall simularity which is remarkable especially when Tang Soo Do's leaders and most Koreans refuse to admit it.

The above reviewer is correct. I bought Karate Jutsu and was not sure if it was the same as To-te Jutsu, so I went to the martial arts store and looked inside To-te Jutsu. The names are different because of the timing of when the book came out, I think? I think the name of Karate changed from Ryu Kyu Kempo, to To-te Jutsu, to Karate Jutsu? Although Karate Jutsu has fewer pages, it is because they fit 2 photos on one page instead of just one. If you are wondering if all 10 Katas from the To-te Jutsu are in Karate Jutsu, they are. In both books, the first 3 katas are fully illustrated and the other 7 are accompanied with 2-3 photos and the rest of the Kata described in detail. Although I liked To-te Jutsu's cover, I am very happy I bought Karate Jutsu. The binding is better and so is the wording. Please look at the reviews for Karate Jutsu, some of those reviews were very good.

In reading the book you learn that the first book published was only done so in a very limited number and that drawings were used to illustrate the techniques within the book. When the later version in 1925 was published, Master Funakoshi himself posed for photographs which were used in place of the original drawings, allowing a much more detailed look at the techniques. The version I have, the modern English version, still has these same photos of Funakoshi performing the techniques. It was from Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu that Funakoshi much later expanded into the Karate Do Kyohan and his students were photographed performing the techniques. However, if you want to see karate as it looked when men such as Won Kuk Lee and others were learning it in Japan, you must see the book Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu. I can't begin to emphasize enough the importance of this work to the historical understanding of the development of Tang Soo Do. I personally believe this book was one of those that Hwang Kee found to study in the 1930's in Seoul. While the original Ryukyu Kempo Karate was not widely disseminated (if you can find a copy it will be in Japanese and will be worth a fortune), the Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu was widely disseminated through many printings and could readily have been available even in Korea during the time period. For those of us who have seen and had a chance to work with some older members of the Moo Duk Kwan, a glance at Funakoshi in these photos immediately impacts upon you the closeness with our style and what karate was like when Funakoshi was teaching in Japan in the late 1920's. Keeping in mind that only a decade before the Japanese had no knowledge of Karate and that it is considered that Funakoshi demonstrated the populace style of karate extant on Okinawa at the turn of the last century, and you can see the root of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan as far back as the late 1800's. For this reason alone if no other I can't imagine a Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan decendant NOT having Karate Jutsu in their library. It should be kept right alongside "Tang Soo Do/Soo Bahk Do, Vol. 1".

John Hancock
President
International Tangsoodo Alliance

I loved reading this book with my son. I found this book in our library after reading a list at www.bloggermoms.com, and he took to it right away. It gently introduces the concept of how animals are caught to bring them to the zoo, and makes the children sympathize with their plight. Also has some new words such as 'lumbered' 'arctic circle' etc for two year olds.

My nephews love all the little polar bear series by Hans de Beer, and so do I. Great illustrations, he meets animals that he makes friends with, and a nice ending. I'd can recommend them all.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

I buy this for all of my friends little ones - it tells a great story of accepting differences.

An adult might find the storylines a bit repetitive but my 3 year old loves all of the Lars books. We got her some at xmas and she was so pleased that we bought all the others for her birthday 5 months later and she wants them read to her over and over. She even 'reads' them to her younger brother!

My boys love this book ~~ they both grin everytime I show them a page. Right now, my husband and I are on a polar bear kick since the boys both showed an interest in the polar bear at the local zoo.

Lars, a little polar bear, wants nothing more than to have a friend. He soon learns he has to be careful of what he wishes for! He gets kidnapped to be taken to a zoo and along the way, he meets a Walrus and Bea, a little brown bear. They escape to go home and Bea comes home with Lars.

It's a lovely little story with great detailed pictures. It's great to keep the kids' interest while reading ~~ and someday when my boys are older, it'll be a great book for them to learn how to read.

It's a cute addition for any library!

1-8-04

Vol. 6 of Love Hina marks the return of Mutsumi, the girl Naru and Keitaro met on their travels during volume 3. As Mutsumi establishes herself in the Hinata household so she can work towards the Tokyo U exam, she and Keitaro start to grow closer. And by the cliffhanger end of volume 6, Naru discovers a revelation that could mean Mutsumi is Keitaro's long lost "promise girl."

For my money, this volume is the climax of the love triangle aspects of the Love Hina series. In fact, a similar scene was played as such in the anime, and it works just as effectively here despite this being the less-than halfway point of the series. Did Ken Akamatsu plan on finishing the series early at one point? Who knows, but while he does come up with several fresh and intriguing plot threads down the line, none match the emotional angst found here. Next to Naru, Mutsumi has always been the only other serious contender for Keitaro's affections. And with her habit of randomly kissing people, who knows what the next volume will bring?

An important volume of Love Hina. Don't miss it.

This hilarious manga series continues. This time around, we learn who Keitaro's "mystery girl" is (maybe). If you enjoyed previous volumes of this series, you are sure to enjoy this one, too.

If you love manga, be ready to love it even more! Love Hina Volume 6 is packed with prrrrfect graphics, unique and funny characters and a storyline that ever keeps developing.
It has been one year since Keitaro Urashima (our bumbling but lovable hero) arrived in Hinata House, and what a year it's been! Keitaro still has his sights set on Tokyo University, and much to his liking aquires the beautiful Naru as his tutor- again. Still unable to pluck up the courage to tell her how he feels, he takes her out to the cinema. Things are really looking up for the Tokyo U couple until a certain someone shows up on the scene and gets Naru guessing about Keitaro's mystery promise girl... The volume ends in the very sandbox that the promise was made, and the ending certainly made me run and buy the next volume asap!!!

This is one of my favorite manga series. I need to get more cause i only have sailor stars and this one. This is rated 16+ cuz its got some nude and some things that only older teens get. My top mangas are sailor moon, cardcaptor sakura, and Saint tail.

I have no idea how or why I picked up this amazing book. But I like to think it was divine intervention.

Myself being a 17 year old high school student, felt like I had no real direction in life. I was dragging through the days, trying to get by as fast as I possibly could.

But this book... It showed me something.

Much like Keitaro, I lack any major skills and have a lot of doubt in myself. But unlike Keitaro, I wanted to give up, call it quits, try to get by. This amazing story showed me that there's always hope. Hope for new love, new friends, ... a whole new life!

All I can say is that this absolutley breath taking book changed my life for the better. I see now that I can't live my one life by just coating through high school. I have to live it to it's fullest facing all chalanges head one with each and last fiber of my being.

I understand now, and this book showed it all to me. The story, artwork, dialouge, all flawless.

Please, if you haven't read this book, manga, comic, whatever, yet.... Then go out and read it. If a loser like me can pull a 180 and change everything with just 14 volumes of bliss, then I imagine that you can gain even more from these amazing pages.

This book came with another one that I ordered. It's another great book to have.

Had good drawings of eyes, face, and etc. But is for more beginners than advanced drawers. It's kind of show steps you would take to get to the final product.

I must say, that looking at this cover is exactly what you will get throughout all of this book, well almost. Hart put his drawing in their as well, but it's not alot of it. Anyway, This book gives you examples of hair styles, facial expressions, clothes, and girl type. Although Hart's simple so called manga style is in some of the pages,the book is still very good. The contents of this book includes:
The details of the head
Character types
Bishoujo hair
The bishoujo body
Advanced poses
Bishoujo clothing
Drawing characters in costumes
Creating glamour
Creating chemistry (only very little images of this section.)
Magical girl effects. (Only a small portion of effects in this section)

This book is a good start to giving you the basic idea of giving your girl character a appealing standing pose, as well as attractive hair. I definitely recommend this book for those who are having a slight problem with giving their female characters sex appeal, and if this book isn't your cup of tea, then I would recommend "More how to draw manga Volume 1: The basics of character drawing." That is another great book. Other than that Hart picked some good artists' for this book, so it's definitely worth buying.

Manga Mania was actually not bad. Chris Hart's books are rather hit or miss for me, but this book was very comprehensive. It covers the female figure in great detail in Japanese style. The contributing artists were wonderful and did a good job of showing the female figure and face from various angles.

The sad thing about Chris Hart's books is that his own artistic style is so very poor. Frankly I could've done without his own illustrations, which is really too bad since he is the author.

I think the couples illustration at the end, and the drawings of the face from various angles were worth this book's price alone.

5 stars. A book I'll use again and again!

This book is adorable. The art is stunning (That's because Christopher Hart only drew about 22 illustrations out of the whole book.)Christopher was never a good artist in the style of manga. I'm was never a fan of his art and still isn't.
But this book is great to have for refrence, most of the book is not for beginners, But it might be useful for them to buy it anyway. It does has some simple steps for them in drawing the heads.
It starts you off drawing beautiful eyes. Then the many lips and mouths and their expressions.
Then drawing the head in different poses.
And then it goes to teaching you how to draw the Cheat between the Pretty Girl (only two pages though.)
It shows you 9 pages on hair, when wind is blowing, between short, long, medium, and wild hair. The many curves of hair and style. Also "When you change a hair style, you change a character" page. It gives you 12 pages on body expressions and poses and Body Language.
3 pages on the poses of hands and (2 pages)
on feet (note all feet pictures except one, is wearing some kind of shoe.) It also tells you between a Stylish Figure and a Seductive Figure,a Cool Figure, and Warrior Figure(4 pages.)
It also have Advance Action Poses (11 pages.)
It also has Bishoujo Clothing from Primitive to Techno Soldier to School to Professional Uniforms to Magical and non-Human costumes (11 pages.) They have Drawing Characters in Costume
(17 pages)(the following is in order); Futuristic fighter and in medieval Futuristic Fighter, Fantasy Elf Princess and Rich Elf Princess, Traditonal in Country and Tropical, Athlete in Gymnast and Runner, Villian is Fantasy and Sci-fi, Scientist in Pretty and Beautiful, School Girls and their many uniforms.
Glamouring up a Character (9 pages) shows you how you can make a character more glamourous by changing the hair, outfit, or pose. But afterwards it's Creating Chemistry (7 pages).
And last but not least "Magical Girl Special Effects" (on the last 7 pages.) <--That might be very useful if you creating a Magical Bishoujo Manga.
I'll give it 5 stars cause it was a very good book and most of the illustraions were amazing. It was worth the money.
A Super Good Book for Kids. Cause it contains no nudy at all.
But I think that this book is better than Christopher Hart's Shoujo Book.

The author has an agenda to bash America in this work, all the more incredible since one would think the nation of Japan, which has never officially apologized for the atrocities described in this bood, would more than suffice as a punching bag for him, the author. His determination to get that bashing in, in the second half of the work, distracted him from delivering the proper scope and balance in telling the story the author is probably capable of. Worth the price though (especially if you can get it at a discount).

This is why my mother won't visit China. Although she would like to learn more about Chinese culture, she discouraged my visiting China because she was afraid something would bite me or I would bring vermin back not because the Chinese are inherently dirty but because she accurately remembers the strength of vermin warfare inflicted upon China and is convinced that the poisoning of China's water system and soil makes Chinese products suspect even before the industrial accidents in recent news. It takes a widespread intense campaign to deal with this problem. I didn't read this book before visiting China but I believed that she was being practical in her advise and not political. This problem needs to be researched. One must satisfy the most critical person in order to solve the problem correctly.

I came from the city where the Japanse secret germ army operated during the second world war. What the author stated in the book is true. The truth can not be denied by the Japanese Government. Don`t judge anything as lie or truth, unless you find out with yoru own eyes.

I recently attended a lecture by Daniel Barenblatt in NYC. The subject was of course Barenblatt's new book A PLAGUE UPON HUMANITY. Whereas the use of human medical experimentation is now a well known aspect of the Nazi extermination program, the fact that
Japan innovated these same techniques, as well as implementing a lethal biological warfare unit, directed by Dr. Ishii Shiro & imposed upon the Chinese population in Manchuria & Occupied China, prior & parallel to the Nazi regime, is less known in the Western World.
Whereas some books on this topic have been published, Mr. Barenblatt, with integrity & the detachment necessary to cover the terrain, has written a contemporary & updated version of the material That he does so fills an important gap in our historical understanding but moreover, underlies the situation in which we now live.
The 25 photographs speak without words. The 10 chapters & for this reader, in particular the last chapter `What The Deal Brought' wherein the implication of this program for our current policy is clear become apparent.. In an era of lethal indifference , poisoned ambients, both intellectual & environmental, a voice such as Barenblatt's must be heeded.

The author Dan Barenblatt has his special background in chemistry and the most precious common human values to complete such a wonderful book. I can image how much efforts he put to overcome the difficullties since the auther does not read and write Chinese.
The most impressive from in this book is the auther try to understand the facts of the history and the cause of it. Unless we understand the cause of the historic tragedy, it will repeat again.
For example he spent a good amount of efforts to analyze what cause the head of Unit 731 - Dr. Shiro Ishii to commit such a huge crime on germ warfare from his family, social background and political environment at that time and how America knew about it, how the secret deal was made later. The auther wanted to present the whole true history base on the individual has right to know, without knowing the fact, the justice and human values are easily betrayed by interest or other purpose.
You will be touched by this most forgotten or unkown history presented in the book; but as a Chinese auther I was touched and amazed by his efforts and unbiased humaneness