Shadowhand: The History and Secrets of Ninja Taisavaki [Paperback]

Haha Lung (Author), Christopher B. Prowant (Author), H. LUNG (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1581600712 | ISBN-13: 978-1581600711 | Publication Date: March 1, 2000

"Avoid being seen; seen, avoid capture; captured, avoid being held." This was the credo of the shinobi ninja of medieval Japan, and the strategy and skills required to accomplish this ideal were known as taisavaki-jutsu - the art of avoidance or, more simply, "the shadowhand." Through this careful study of these ninja shadow-masters, including in-depth discussion of the nine training halls of ninjutsu, the basics of human sight and the quest for invisibility, the serious martial artist gains an appreciation of the devastating techniques of stealth, secrecy and subterfuge they collected, honed and practiced in order to strike down their enemies. The second half of the book shows the modern shadowhander how to apply the strategies and techniques of ninja taisavaki, including ukemi methods of movement used to disguise intention, and strikes, kicks, combinations and grappling techniques used to misdirect the enemy's attention.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Haha Lung is a prolific author with a vast storehouse of knowledge about the martial arts and the mysterious cults and killer cadres of the East.

Christopher B. Prowant is a noted researcher, author and martial artist. He holds a shodan ranking in zendokan-tyu taijutsu and has a teaching degree in wan tzu hu chuan (tiger-style kung-fu).

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581600712
• ISBN-13: 978-1581600711
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,166,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hmm slightly disappointing., December 7, 2003

By 

"wudangshan" (Aberdeen, SD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadowhand: The History and Secrets of Ninja Taisavaki (Paperback)

I bought this book thinking that since it was written by the same author as the "black science" it would be just as good.
I was very wrong this entire book falls under the realm of common sense for sale, and I am sorry I even bought it.
For those who are new to martial arts this may be gold, but I am afraid they are asking for more than it is worth.
Things this book covers is destractions, concealing weapons in a matter conducive to attack (appearing as without a weapon). Hiding (sounds like the other book "the black science").
Check it out at a library or something before you commit to buying this book.
Personally I recommend "the black science" instead.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TO ALL MARTIAL ARTISTS -BE THEY STUDENTS OR TEACHERS, January 30, 2005

By 

Luke W. Wolf (new york) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadowhand: The History and Secrets of Ninja Taisavaki (Paperback)

this book is worth more than its price for it.ive been in the martial arts for at least 25 years.i started when i was 13 now im 40.ive taken jkd-concept and original,wing chun,judo,kenpo,boxing,and of course the jkd concept version covers aspects of muai thai,silat,grappling,wing chun,etc.etc.etc.what ive found out that ALL martial arts have some stuff that is practical and some stuff that is what i term junk-of course you dont know its junk until you can perform the movement at a level that is accepted by your teacher then you try it in sparring.if it doesnt work its most likely junk! fact is even bruce lees jkd has alot of junk in it-which im sure if he were still alive his art would be based more on actual conditioning then so MANY techniques.case in point-im not a speed demon in my punching or kicking skills but ive yet to see ANYONE AND I CHALLENGE ANYONE to block my punch and grab it at the wrist before i can retract it!.this is taught in so many martial arts disciplines and its BS.YES in so many kung fu styles even in wing chun or jkd -the original or the concept version-the tan sao to same hand lop sau is a joke and BS to say the least.you would be better off learning to punch harder,faster,non telegraphically then trying to block and grab an oppponants punch at the wrist! even using a bong sao then go into other hand lop sao into a punch or backhand is a joke to say the least!!!!!!!! nobody keeps their hand out there long enough after they have punched for you to grab it! no wonder bruce stated- yes ,even in dan inosantos book on page 9 of a guide to martial arts training with equipment that "its not daily increase but daily decrease-hack away the unessential! and on the same page "man ,the living creature ,the creating individual ,is ALWAYS more important than ANY {YES THAT ANY EVEN APPLIES TO BRUCES JKD OR ANY ART FOR THAT MATTER} established style or system"-i truly believe that bruce wasnt finished with his art and to test the truth of that try out some jkd techniques in your sparring.there is alot of good stuff in jkd and in all arts -its up to YOU to see if its practical enough after drilling it and trying it in sparring to see if its actually worth "keeping" -and that applies to any martial art!.you see, most students just want more and more technique -if they were willing to REALLY train hard instead of just learning the techniques for the next belt,sash etc.their fighting skill would increase dramatically! good books to use for training ideas are books to increase your speed and power,deceptiveness your "ATTRIBUTES"- ARE ONES LIKE like loren christensen's books on speed and power development.most martial artists know this is true but they get so caught up in achieving a higher belt rank learning so many techniques -most of them garbage, especially at the higher levels-{and we thought that the higher levels covered more effective techniques! ha what a joke that was!}.in fact look at a professional boxer and look at how many punches he uses or a professional kickboxer like superfoot wallace and youll even hear them say that all if not most of the techniques they use in the ring or in the street are basic punching and kicking techniques polished to a high level of effectiveness by hard work/training!in fact an average persons punch with no martial arts experience would be hard to block with a tan sao or even a bil sao -palm up or palm hand down block then grabbing the opponant at the wrist to pull his arm.SO After my little sermon ive given here-ha-on practicality you may be asking what does all this have to do with this book? if you have had the patience to read this with an open mind ill tell you and believe me youll have to have ALOT of patience learning any martial art so here it is------the chapter on tecniques of the shadow hand -the COLLAPSING PRINCIPLE- is worth more ,much more than the price of the book! ive taken years of martial arts classes and seminars and ive spent THOUSANDS of dollars learning stuff that works and doesnt work and this principle called the collapsing principle is worth its weight in gold! i wish the author would have more books utilizing this principle but just to see it and read it is more than whats needed to apply it in your own martial arts techniques/style! it makes your whole fighting system so MUCH more effective! good luck and enjoy the path to realization of what works and what doesnt work! the SCHOOL OF HARK KNOCKS! YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT [e-mail]

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars an o.k. book, January 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadowhand: The History and Secrets of Ninja Taisavaki (Paperback)

This was an entertaining book with some good concepts on stealth. But it makes me wonder when co-author Christopher Prowant claims to have a teaching degree in "wan tzu hu chuan" I have done extensive research and have come to find that this martial art does not exist.