Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai (Hardcover)

by Don Cunningham (Author) "Founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu on reclaimed marshland near the mouth of the Sumida River and far from the imperial court in Kyoto, the city of..." (more)
Key Phrases: feudal police officers, grips jutte, drawn katana, Age of the Samurai, Keystone View Company, Pictorial Book (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Don Cunningham’s previous book, Secret Weapons of Jujutsu, focused on the small, specialized hand weapons used in Edo Japan. Taiho-Jutsu examines the variety of weapons available to law enforcement and their uses. This volume includes a history of the criminal organizations, hooligans, feuds, and vendettas that developed in feudal Japan and the civil government, police system, and criminal investigations that arose to counteract them. There are discussions of such law enforcement weapons as torimono sandogu ("the three tools of arresting"), sodegarami ("the sleeve entangler"), and the hachiwara ("helmet breaker"). Cunningham discusses the weapons and demonstrates their use in a series of clear, easy-to-follow illustrations. Also included are historical photographs, reproductions of paintings, and line drawings of these weapons and their bearers.

About the Author
Don Cunningham holds advanced ranks in judo, jujutsu, and kendo, including a second-dan license from the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo. He has studied and written about Japanese modern and traditional martial arts for more than thirty years and is a frequent contributor to many martial arts publications. Cunningham has practiced judo and competed in many countries, including Japan, and has won many state and regional awards. In addition, he has studied Koryu bujutsu styles with various teachers during his frequent visits to Japan. He lives in Aurora, Illinois.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (April 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804835365
• ISBN-13: 978-0804835367
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #486,426 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai, August 29, 2005

By	Karsten (Ft. Worth, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

"Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai" is a very nice book for people, who want to get a simple view of Japanese society, regulations and law enforcement agencies (including their equipment) during the Edo-period.
In general the book is very easy to read and filled with nice and informative illustrations.
However, for readers, who already know Cunningham's "Secret Weapons of Jujutsu", the book gives the impression to be an updated edition of his first work. Most of the information can be found in both books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, September 27, 2005

By	Mat Maiden (Pensacola, FL) - See all my reviews

Other than there being too much carrying over info from Cunningham's first book, I enjoyed it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well researched text on Taiho-Jutsu., December 9, 2004

By	Joseph J. Truncale "bushi kata" (Glenview,ill USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those of you who may not be familiar with the author, he also wrote "Secret Weapons of Jujutsu." If you have read that book and liked it, you are going to love this book. Anyone interested or involved in the martial arts, whether it is Judo, Jujitsu, Karate, Kobudo or any other combat arts, will find this book of great interest. Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the age of the Samurai will also be of great value to law enforcement sholars doing research into law enforcement weapons of early Japan. This book is both a historical document as well as a practical text. It has numerous photographs showing how the Jutte was used by Japanese law enforcement officials to apprehend criminals and to defend themselves against possible attacks. As a law enforcement trainer, I can see the value of using the Jutte as a police weapon even today. However, I would design it a little differently to meet our "politically correct" society. The Jutte is one of 16 martial art weapons that make up my Bushi Satori Ryu. I had the pleasure to see the author's private Jutte collection when he visited our Jujitsu club. The nine chapters in this books cover a wide variety of topics such as The Shogun's city rises from the marshes, Crime and Punishment in Edo, Civil authority and policing, Arrests and arresting implements, Long arm of the law, Arts and practice of Taiho-jutsu, defensive techniques, offensive techniques and arrest techniques. In conclusion, this is a book for serious martial art scholoars and anyone interested in police arrest and control techniques. This is also the type of book that can be used as a college level text on police control tactics.