Customer Reviews

KODO: Ancient Ways: Lessons in the Spiritual Life of the Warrior/Martial Artist (Literary Links to the Orient)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rev. Furuya's book is quite exceptional. This book is truly inspirational. The author writes ancedotal stories about his life studying martial arts and the things he has learned along the way. He does not beat you over the head and force you to see or do things his way. He respectfully gives you insight into his own journey. It is an easy read and hard to put down. I have been studying Tai-chi for over 30 years and I throughly enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone on the path. A must read for all human beings.

This is a superb book written with great insight and a must read as an aid to training, regardless of style, for the serious martial artist. I have purchased about thirty copies over the years, to give away to friends who are mostly non-martial artists. It is one of two books which I think can offer profound influence on one's life and art, the other is Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. If you train seriously in martial arts, buy two copies of Kodo, because you will probably wear one out.

It is uncommon to meet a true martial arts master, and even more uncommon to meet a Zen master. To encounter someone who is arguably qualified to be both is truly to be in rarefied company. To ask a rhetorical question, if Kensho Furuya is not such a master, then who is? If one takes seriously the ideas in this book, then it might change your life. For martial artists in training and for aspirants to the Zen mind, KODO is a blessing twice received. I, too, am grateful for it.

I have added Kodo: Ancient Ways to the well worn section of my library! This book is a must for the serious traditional Martial Artist. Kensho Furuya Sensei's Kodo Column articles from over the years have been beautifully compiled in this book. It makes for an excellent read on many of the topical issues that face the modern Martial Artist immersed in a traditional Art-form. Many of the most asked questions faced by new students are dealt with using great anecdotes, and the wisdom of the Masters. A great reference

Rev. Furuya's "KODO" is a remarkable collection of essays exploring the meaning of training and attitude. The primary audience for this work is martial artitsts. However, anyone with a serious interest in Eastern arts - and their connections with the subjective philosophical, spiritual, and cultural attitudes that engendered them - will find these essays to be of value. Indeed, Rev. Furuya has a broad range of knowledge about Japanese arts, including Zen, the tea ceremony, Noh drama, sculpture, painting, poetry, and calligraphy. The essays abound with historical and mythical anecdotes that are used effectively to illustrate the meaning and consequences of spiritual commitment to one's teachers and to one's art. Rev. Furuya has provided a first-hand account, necessarily personal and subjective, of the spiritual life of a martial artist.

The content of the book is not matched by the quality of the publication. There are a number of pictures, sketches, and other reproductions in the book that could be improved with higher production standards. Given the price of the publication, this is not surprising. Still, many of the remarkable items portrayed in "KODO" deserve a better exposition.

In summary, this is a unique and important book which can help today's martial artists touch and nurture the spiritual heritage from which their arts have grown. Highly recommended.

Each chapter/article is only a few pages but a lot is contained in each. There are many pictures and illustrations to help convey the current topic. Another feature I like are the quotes in the margin to highlight key aspects of the current topic.

I bought this book in 2002 and among my shelves of martial arts books, it is by far the one I come back to the most often. This book is on how to be the best martial artist and person you can be. The chapters are short but they will spur a lot of contemplation. This book is not meant to be skimmed over. It should be read in small increments and reflected upon. Each time you come back to the book and reread a chapter you will discover new meaning and application to your own training.

Here are a few chapters and quotes:

Learning Is Only the Second Step

The very first step to learning is to become a completely blank slate.

Hard or easy is just in your particular frame of mind. Many people with a lot less than you will accomplish much more than you in their lifetimes. Do not be defeated by a small mind or poor attitude.

You Never Get Good in the Martial Arts

We satisfy ourselves because we settle for less - even when we think we are getting more. Never be satisfied.

Make Mistakes Correctly

Respond to your mistakes correctly. A mistake is only another form of learning

True Learning is Incomplete

We seek knowledge, but when we convince ourselves that we understand that knowledge, the process of learning, training and being sensitive to everything around us ceases.

Cultivate Inner Strength

Please keep in mind that inner strength is not a matter of skill or strength. ... Inner strength is someone trying hard to make a good life for himself and those around him as best as he can.

I hope these few quotes will get you to reflect on your path as a martial artist. There is much more in the book.

A few well timed books can change your life. Kodo was just such a book for me. I discovered it about six years ago at a time when my training could have gone many different ways. The lessons related by Furuya Sensei in Kodo helped me to reflect on the meaning of my training and find my true martial spirit. I will always be grateful for Kodo and for Furuya Sensei's continued teaching.

I must say that it is wonderful to see various opinions on this book and how there is a means by which people can express their opinions. However, I must address the negative comments by some of the reviewers;

Gary L. Grose (Louisville, KY) states, "This is modern society and when you stoop to accept money from a student, then you are in business." I would only say that no matter the trade or field, men always try to make a living or a profit. EVERY person is guilty of that. I'm sure Mr. Grose doesn't give all of his time & talents away for free, otherwise how could he eat. I would leave with one final quote, "The field of martial arts is particularly rife with flamboyant showmanship, with commercial popularization and profiteering on the part of both those who teach the science and those who study it." Miyamoto Musashi (The Book of Five Rings, 1643) It may not be 300 years ago, but people haven't changed. Just because someone sells or buys on eBay does not make them less or more of a monk/teacher/doctor/lawyer/truck driver etc.

Pavel Rott (Rochester, NY) states, "Aparently his dojo is filled with lazy people who are not too well versed in Zen lore and norms of behaviour expected from monastery acolyte. So, Mr. Furuya loses no time complaining about their insolent behaviour and their total failure to live up to his expectations." I agree with Sensei Furuya, many martial arts students are just looking for the next greatest trick, gimic or technique. They are lazy, greedy and lack mindfulness, but hopefully if they stick around in martial arts long enough then they will become something better. Let's not be mistaken, the job of a martial arts teacher is to push you to become better, and not just at the physical level either. Let's not forget, martial arts is not like attending a tea party.....If you enter a dojo, you might just get your ego bruised, but hopefully it gets broken instead.

For those considering this book;
Those who have trained in martial arts less than 5 years, may not get as much out of this book as someone who has trained 10+ years (with the proper attitude of course).

I feel this book is a must have for any serious martial artist.

Kensho Furuya's book Kodo is not only an attempt to uncover some of the 'mysteries' of martial arts and make them tangible to the everyday student, but it is a commentary that reaches beyond the dojo.
In today's high paced, your way right away world, Furuya brings the reader into a dialogue that has been past over for a Tae Bo fix. He explains how today's students are not the students of ancient days, although it may seem obvious, this statement leads us down a slippery slope of self-discovery. Most students of all disciplines are wanting more for less. Wanting to become experts in 2-4 years and quitting if they do not achieve this status and blaming it on the instruction rather than on their own failure to endure.
As a martial arts teacher I cannot learn without good students, but as a student of the Martial Path, I could not have achieved my rank without a good teacher. A good student in any discipline is to take in the whole picture that his/her teacher presents, not to pick and choose as if we were in a cafeteria. Furuya makes this point repeatedly in many ways, because it is a point that is hard to drive through the hard-headed mentality of today's student.
Students today have an expectation and an outline of what they want to learn without ever setting foot into a class. Students tell the teacher what they want before asking what the teacher has to offer. Students are not students when these things occur.
If you are a student, listen to what Furuya has to say and take this as a sign that you can be a better student. If you are a teacher take solace that you are not the only teacher having this difficulty with your students.
The martial path is one of self-mastery and is a two way process. You cannot allow yourself to become passive as a student and expect your teacher to give you all the tools so that you may become masterful. You too must put in an equal amount of work if not more in order to embody the masterful teachings of the ancient ways.

This book is a wonderful volume full of the traditional wisdom that gave the practice of the martial arts (and other spiritual practices) real meaning. I have taught Aikido for many years and have had my own school for 15 years. I can't think of another book that has as much of value to say about how to train, why to train, etc. It has a lot to say about modern attitudes as contrasted with tradition. I highly recommend this volume!