Weapons At Hand (Black Medicine) [Paperback]

N. Mashiro (Author)

Book Description

Series: Black Medicine | Publication Date: September 1, 1979

The sequel to N. Mashiro's infamous Black Medicine I: The Dark Art of Death, this book presents 112 parts of the body that are natural weapons, largely because they are very injury-resistant. Also, in a radical break from conventional self-defense theory, it lists more than 180 deadly makeshift weapons that can save your life. Action photos show exactly how to use the "black medicine" techniques discussed. For academic study only.

Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press; First edition (September 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087364168X
• ISBN-13: 978-0873641685
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will change your definition of "weapon", February 15, 2006

By 

Scott Burright (Laramie, WY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weapons At Hand (Black Medicine) (Paperback)

These days, it's bad legal hygiene to carry weapons, and using them, even in self-defense, can result in compulsory participation in legal proceedings both civil and criminal. Sure, you were attacked, and you defended yourself-- but you had a gun or a knife or whatever, and so you must have been out looking for trouble. And if you fought back with an actually effective weapon, such as a firearm with hollowpoint ammunition, well, you broke the law-- guilty, case closed in a lot of states. It seems as if district attorneys are getting confused about who the victims are. Poor criminals! How are they supposed to get by if citizens arm themselves?

So most of us go around feeling defenseless and hoping we stay on the right side of the statistics column. Others carry weapons and risk getting hassled by cops or facing juries. This book changes all that by making the world your armory, and after you read it, you will never be unarmed again. Nor will you have to put your freedom in jeopardy to give yourself a fighting chance against the bad guys.

What prosecutor could go after you with a straight face for cracking a rapist's skull with a Marksalot? Or for removing a carjacker's teeth with a hair brush? Or for narrowing a mugger's reproductive options with a walking cane?

Be careful, though. This book isn't all about legal hygiene. Mostly it's about all-out scrapping for your life when you have no other choice, and a lot of the non-firearm techniques here could get you in as much trouble as shooting someone. Some of them are pretty disgusting, too.

This certainly isn't a book for ninja fans, martial arts aestheticists, or would-be tough guys. Nor is it a book for the kind of person wants to take some karate classes in order to "feel more confident." It's a book that puts weapons in the hands of nice, ordinary, law-abiding people who might otherwise be unable to defend themselves against the other kind.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic, Yet Sound Information on the Subject!, November 25, 2008

By 

Shawn Kovacich "Shawn Kovacich" (The Greatest Little City in the World) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weapons At Hand (Black Medicine) (Paperback)

This is going to be perhaps one of my shortest reviews. Why you might be asking? Well simply put, there is really no reason to go into great detail on this or any of the books in the Black Medicine series because if you have any interest at all in the subject in which is the focus of these books, then all you need to know is this, "Quit reading this, or any of the reviews on this book and buy it and study the material presented within its pages."

Although there are never any real in-depth looks at any one particular subject in these books, the author has really done a good job at presenting some very sound and realistic information concerning various aspects of defending yourself against an attacker.

This particular volume focuses on the various parts of the human body that can be used as weapons against an attacker, followed by a section on various common items that can be turned into a weapon. Some of these items are obvious, while others aren't. I personally found this section to be more useful for me than the previous one, but that is just me.

I am a big fan of the author and this series, although I do admit that there are now some other books available on the various topics that are more detailed and in-depth, but there is still something about the Black Medicine series that still keeps me reading them. Maybe it's all the good material in each book, or maybe even the cool cover.

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concentrated Strikes!!!!, May 8, 2008

By 

Lance "Lance" (Chattanooga,TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weapons At Hand (Black Medicine) (Paperback)

In My opinion the best of this book is the section on the yawara stick or an improvised version of it.
This weapon needs little training too be very effective and will often be a surprise too the most seasoned streetfighter or martial artist!
Try it on yourself!
Point proven!