Mugai Ryu: The Classical Japanese Art of Drawing the Sword [Paperback]

Darrell Max Craig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2002

A fascinating account of Feudal Japan, the development of the Samurai's art of swordsmanship, and their codes of honor.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Darrell Max Craig is a highly regarded teacher of many of Japanese martial arts, and a pioneer in their development in the West for over forty years. He holds multiple black belts and is a U.S. Kendo champion, leading the U.S. Kendo team to the world championships. In 1973 he was awarded the title of Shihan, or Master Teacher. Among his many books on the subject is the widely praised The Heart of Kendo. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Ymaa Publication Center; First Edition edition (December 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886969183
• ISBN-13: 978-1886969186
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,268,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Fencing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Craig went over his head., January 25, 2003

By 

R. Pelzer (Kanoya city, Kagoshima, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mugai Ryu: The Classical Japanese Art of Drawing the Sword (Paperback)

This book has been a waste of my money and I will return it as soon as possible. I have an MA in Japanese Studies and have lived several years in Japan, while studying Japanese history as well as practicing martial arts. The main reason for this unfortunate judgement lies in the fact that Mr. Craig should not have attempted to bring Japanese history into his story about the Mugai Ryu. He has consistently misinterpreted, as well as misunderstood, Japanese history in it's factual reality. Furthermore, he has not been very consistent in making his mistakes by, for example, stating that the battle of Sekigahara took place in 1601 (page 3) while the correct date is 1600 (which date is used later on in the text). Another one of the inconsistencies is the date of passing of his kendo teacher, Nakamura Takeshi. On page 111 Mr. Craig writes underneath a picture of Nakamura sensei the year 1997, while on page 113 the same Nakamura sensei is said to have passed away in 1996! This is surely not the way to honor the memory of his teacher. Elsewhere in the text Mr. Craig makes the historically completely incorrect statement that Toyotomi Hideyoshi "became a teacher of martial strategy to all the retainers of the Tokugawa shogun" (page 70). This would have been an extremely strong feat, since Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in 1598 and the Tokugawa family only became historically third in line to be bestowed the title of shogun in 1603! Therefore, the afore-mentioned Hideyoshi could never have become a teacher of anything to the retainers of the Tokugawa, not to mention that Hideyoshi actually was the one person who united Japan under his rule in 1590 after his own overlord Oda Nobunaga, who began the unification process during the late 60's of the 16th century, had been murdered by one of his vassals in 1582. This makes it absolutely impossible to defend that someone in Hideyoshi's position of power would have been teaching anyone at all. Next, Mr. Craig is going completely over his head when he attempts an interpretation of the so-called "heino bunri", which he himself persistently calls "nohei bunri" (pages 4-6). Here he states that "nohei bunri" was an experiment by the Tokugawa to create a peasant army, while in fact the system, called correctly "heino bunri", was the attempt to separate the warriors from the peasants and this process was started, actually, by Hideyoshi in the 80's of the 16th century. In doing so, initially only in the domains under his direct control, Hideyoshi created a standing professional army of warriors! Not peasants! The whole matter has nothing at all to do with creating a peasant army and wasn't even a Tokugawa experiment! The Tokugawa, after coming into power, only capitalised on this earlier institutional novelty introduced, as mentioned, by Hideyoshi. These are just a few of the historical and factual mistakes contained in this book, by which it is rendered wholly untrustworthy for any reference purposes whatsoever. However, should Mr. Craig someday decide to write an autobiographical work on his experiences in the world of Japanese martial arts, I would seriously consider buying it since this part of his book was the only one worth reading to me.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Need A Second Copy!, August 1, 2004

By 

SillyGatos (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mugai Ryu: The Classical Japanese Art of Drawing the Sword (Paperback)

I found this book helpful and informative regarding one form of mugai ryu. I recommend adding the book to your collection if you're interested in iaido (or like to collect Mr. Craig's great martial art stories).

I also found the majority of reviews below helpful. As noted by some, this book isn't a history book, and it clearly doesn't apply to all forms of mugai ryu. I, too, found a few typos, but I find them everywhere and won't condemn a book for that.

I happened to have traveled to Japan with this book and was happy to show it to a well-respected kendo instructor - who admired the book profusely. Of course, the sensei landed up with the book! Now you know why I need another copy!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Simply OK, November 3, 2007

By 

D. Knutson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mugai Ryu: The Classical Japanese Art of Drawing the Sword (Paperback)

I found this book enjoyable, however it would have been better if the author had focused on Mugai Ryu like the title would indicate. At many points in the book the author elaborates what his sensei from Hokoshin Itto Ryu had to say. Going into the history of that style. I bought this book to learn about Mugai Ryu history and tradition. It did NOT cover very much of that at all. In fact, the founder (Tsuji Gettan Tsukimochi) is only briefly discussed in one chapter. Overall there is very little discussion of Mugai Ryu. The title of the book is misleading. Much that was included in this book did not belong. It was disapointing that so little of the book focused on the proposed subject matter.