Legacy of the gods: Classical traditions of Japanese swordsmanship

The veritable art of war is the art of defeating the enemy in combat and nothing else – Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) Japan knows many traditions. One of them is the martial art, originally the privilege of a small group of feudal rulers, but eventually anchored in the soul of the Japanese people. In Legacy of the Gods, the great authority on Japan, Willem Bekink, offers an as broad as possible overview of the classical Japanese art of sword-fighting. This book can never be complete, but is intended as an introduction to the world of the unique traditions of Japanese martial art. All information has been gathered from own long experience as a fencing master, from literature, and from conversations with several Japanese sword masters. Whether everything is true cannot always be established. Much is shrouded in the mists of the past, and could have become a legend. Sometimes there are contradictions, because one grandmaster's vision may differ from that of another. It is not all that important, really. It is the large scheme that matters, the thread, and, especially, to look at what of it is left today. Legacy of the Gods was written for all those who practice a Japanese combat sport and Japanese martial art. Kenjutsu is the mother of all Japanese martial arts, and that is what the book is about. Kenjutsu is the legacy of the gods. The many, fine illustrations in black-and-white and color were largely created by the author himself.