Customer Reviews

IAI: The Art Of Drawing The Sword

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book covers a lot of ground! It includes everything from every part of a Japanese sword, seppuku, how the blades were tested (and includes more humane tests one can do at home in this modern age), along with taking care of the blade, dos and don'ts as well as some great history. Great book, I highly recommend it!

This book offers a lot of great information. It starts with care of the blade, and a little history. It then progresses into several basic techniques, a history of ritual suicide, the 47 ronin and how the old blades were tested on prisoners, their results printed on the tang (I have actually found blades with such ratings on them). It also covers identifying marks on blades, what to look for when looking at a historic sword and more.

Worth every penny I spent for it.

Sorry to say that Craig's coverage of Mugai-ryu Iaido, as taught by Shogo Kuniba, is less than accurate. Having also been a student of Kuniba, I see a large number of inconsistencies in the text and illustrations.

Craig's general info is very good regarding sword nomenclature and philosophy, however, so I consider it a decent addition to any library concerning Japanese Swordsmanship, as long as the reader is aware of some of the drawbacks regarding Mugai-ryu.

Craig Sensei has done a wonderful job with this treatise that remains the foremost primer on Iado. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Iado, Kenjutsu or Japanese culture in general. It has been quite a long time since I first read this book and having recently picked it up again I felt compelled to post a review and state that it is still at the forefront.

Iai: The Art of Drawing the Sword is good as a refresher, at best. Craig opens his tome with some personal history and stories, which is a fine method of doing things, until he brings his own opinion into it. He gives the impression that spiritualism should account for most everything in iaido; as most practitioners are aware, spiritualism is only one aspect, and technique is equally or more important.

Throughout the book, Craig provides small interludes detailing Japanese history, and other information, some of which is accurate, some of which is very much exaggerated, and some of which is not true. While the thought was nice, he should have researched his facts more.

The drawings accompanying his descriptions of the kata are sketchy and vague; a beginner would have difficulty following them, although someone with grounding in another Japanese sword art such as kenjitsu may have better luck. However, with knowledge of the kata, or at least of the mechanics of the motions, a reader would find this book a helpful reminder, as long as he does not try to base his study entirely on this book.

Overall, this is not a terrible book, but there are much better on the subject, with regards to technique, illustration, and history.

This book is a MUST for anyone whom is at all interested in swords. Not only does it tell the history but it also illustrates in detail of how kata and testing was performed. It's also very easy to read and will keep you willing to read on for hours. Enjoy.

I found this book to be informative, and well done. It has things for the beginner to the expert. I found the drawings very helpful and the drills were very well described. over all i loved it

IAI- The Art of Drawing the sword is a great place for someone to start their study of iaido. Punctuated with interesting tidbits of info (though I am at a loss as to why so much space was devoted to sword-testing on corpses and on the proper procedure for seppuku), it explains in simple terms the basic movements and kata. A must have for anyone interested in the practice of the Katana or Daito.

Well laid out and informative. Unlike other reviewers I really liked the illustrations. They are simple, but easy to understand and more than adequate to reinforce the commentary. This fascinating book covers everything from understanding the terminology to selecting and purchasing a sword, to caring for your weapon, to etiquette, to technique. It even shows how to fold your uniform. I especially enjoyed the historical vignettes scattered throughout. The section on sword testing was also captivating. If you want a solid education in the fundamentals of iaido this is an excellent resource. It is not really aimed at advanced practitioners but is well written for beginners and intermediate students. I learned a lot from this excellent tome.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

I can appreciate some people's criticism of this book. Many of the techniques are very basic, but from a practice point of view the book is better suited to experienced practitioners who understand what they're looking at. I have not studied Mugai-ryu so I can't comment on that.

For the beginner there is a lot of good information including history, technical terminology, sword care, basics like how to use a hakama, and while there may not be tremendous practical applications, opening up an awareness of things like sword testing and the procedures for Seppuku are certainly valid.

For experienced people, there is a lot of good stuff here. For example Happo no Kame (8-directions), while it may seem basic to some, is a very advanced awareness that requires a lifetime of study. Bunkai is also covered, which is another high awareness dealing with periphery. So many books overlook these concepts you begin to wonder if the writer even knows they exist. This book deserves credit for this.

The section on the 47 Ronin is nice, but at 15-pages it is very abridged. Better to read the john Allyn version to get the full story. This book has some good illustrations of the events. I particularly like that Craig included copies Yoshio's farewell statement, a map of the grave layout, and the rubbings of the tombs at Sengakuzi Temple (Tokyo).

As to the waza (techniques) shown, they are very basic, which in the scope of this book feels totally appropriate. In the absence of a good teacher, someone with the tools, the desire, and a good copy of Go Rin No Sho (Book of 5-Rings) could build a personal practice using this book.

Having done martial arts most of my life, I believe the art of the Japanese sword is perhaps the most difficult to master, if that's even the right word for the skill level most reach. It is unrealistic for people to teach themselves classical sword techniques from a book. Regardless of skill level, this is a great book to own that can offer something to everyone. I like it.