Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)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.
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Includes instructional DVD.People the world over are fascinated by the legends of the fearsome Japanese samurai warriors and their skill with the sword. While the samurai themselves may no longer exist, the enduring legacy of samurai swordsmanship lives on. It is still taught and used today in the martial arts iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu.Mastering the Samurai Sword is an indispensable guide to the intriguing and challenging skills of the samurai. A perfect introduction to the samurai sword, this instructional guide not only covers the history, evolution and philosophy of the classic samurai weapon, but also provides practical guidance for mastering the samurai sword yourself.Beginners will learn everything from proper attire and behavior in the dojo to how they might practice at home, while more experienced users of the samurai sword will find a new appreciation for the deeper meaning and tradition behind the graceful way of the sword.
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