Recommended Reading

Every Jissen Kobudo Jinenkan student's reading list should start with Manaka-Sensei's book, of course. At this point it is only sold through dojo-cho, so your best bet to buy it is to click here: Reflections of Manaka Unsui for more information, or you can buy it directly from the honbu website. This is an excellent compilation of an amazing man's life and 40 years worth of martial arts training.

Takagi-Ryu Chugokui MokuRoku contains an extremely detailed and well footnoted historical look at the Takagi family and what was going on around them throughout the history of Japan. This is followed by an actual copy of a Takagi Ryu densho (scroll) the author has obtained that was written in 1844. He includes both images of the entire scroll as well as a full translation.

Admittedly this is probably way more detail than many people care to wade through, but for those of us who enjoy reading about the history of our Ryu-ha and trying to piece together details of each family line this book has information not available anywhere else in the world. Please be aware the densho is NOT directly from the branch of Takagi Yoshin Ryu we currently train in, but was most likely written by another menkyo kaiden holder (there were many) and handed down to one of his students in 1844. Nothing has been found about either the writer or the receiver of this scroll, so we have to assume this branch died out. However - it is both old enough to be interesting and current enough to be pretty similar to the branch we train in. At this point this can only be purchased here: http://www.takagiryubook.co.uk/

Another excellent book is Toshitsugu Takamatsu, the Last Shinobi, by Wolfgang Ettig. Wolfgang did a great job of compiling all of the Takamatsu stories, putting them in chronological order, and comparing them to other historical happenings in Japan so we can all better understand how a truly impressive man lived. This book is for now only self-published by Wolfgang's publishing company, Tengu Publishing. You can buy it here: Tengu Publishing Website

The rest of these below are links to Amazon.com for books I have read and enjoyed relating to the martial arts. The comments I have included below each link are to give you a little better idea of what to expect from each book. Feel free to email me at info@jinenkanseigi.com with any questions or comments about this reading list.

This was ghost-written by Stephen Hayes, so all of the techniques are not completely accurate and there is a little much "ninja-ness" for my liking, but this is still the best overall overview of the history, weapons, and traditions of the art we study.

This book is not specific to our Ryu-ha, but contains excellent words of wisdom as written by the zen monk Takuan Soho. He was writing to his friend and pupil Yagyu Munenori, head of the Yagyu Shinkage school of swordsmanship and teacher to two generations of shogun. Some of the writings are concerning zen in general, but much of it relates to swordwork.

Writings by and about Yagyu Munenori - while these are again not specific to our Ryu-ha, there is much good insight into sword techniques and general skills/strategies.

This includes both the "Heiho Kaden Sho" (Family-Transmitted Book on Swordsmanship) from the Yagyu family, but also several other writings by Takuan Soho, and some brief history overviews to better understand the period in which these pieces were written.

There are many translations and different versions of "A Book of Five Rings", but I feel this translation applies best to actual swordplay and martial arts. As above, the specific techniques are a little different from ours, but the general strategy and mindset lessons are well worth the read. Even in the techniques one can see many similarities between Musashi's teachings and what we study.

A great book written by an Englishman that goes to train with the Tokyo Riot Police (extremely difficult training). There are many inspiring and humorous accounts along the way - none specific to our Ryu-ha, but similar in intensity and focus. You may find particular interest in the "suwarigata" chapter while struggling to learn Takagi Yoshin Ryu and wondering how on earth your knees will ever survive the training!

While the techniques of another iaido school are interesting, the main value of this book to kobudo students are the many sections on sword history, manufacturing details, proper handling/etiquette, cleaning, and testing. There is also a small section on how to properly tie a hakama.

A great collection of articles by Kensho Furuya, a zen monk and practitioner/teacher of aikido and iaido. His outlook and lessons discuss many good traditional martial arts values.

This is NOT a manual for "how to be a samurai" as many people think, but more almost an anthropological look at the history and the why's and how's of daily living of the samurai class. It is an excellent way to better understand the driving forces behind Japan's warrior class.

This is a great book about the history and meaning of all the little things we do in the dojo. From what we wear to how the dojo is laid out to what we say, this book explains it all. It is very interesting reading, and not only explains why we do what we do, but also dispels some of the many myths about our history.