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

by Kensho Furuya (Author) "How far to mastery?..." (more)
Key Phrases: hidden taste, great martial artist, handle mounts, Miyamoto Musashi, United Nations, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Forty-one of the best articles of the popular Ancient Ways column in Martial Arts Training magazine are brought together. 150 illustrations, 40 never before published photos. A 6th dan in aikido and 6th dan kyoshi master instructor in iaido, Kensho Furuya is the resident chief instructor of the Aikido Center of Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Black Belt Communications (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897501365
• ISBN-13: 978-0897501361
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!, December 15, 2002

By	Gilbert (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kodo Ancient Ways, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book for Serious Martial Arts Practitioners, April 12, 2003

By	Bill Allen (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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.