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Peter Boylan

Musings of a Budo Bum Kindle Edition

by Peter Boylan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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"The techniques are really a vessel for carrying all the things that are budo..."

Most books about martial arts (budo) focus on techniques, although some tell the history, and a few wax philosophical. It is rare indeed to discover a book that so fluently combines all this within the broader context of culture and lifestyle, and does so in such a humble, engaging, and accessible way. "Budo Bum Anthology" is a book that answers not so much "how" or "what" as it does "why?" Why call budo teachers "sensei"? Why do we bow? Why kata? Why keep training?

Peter Boylan, aka the Budo Bum, has achieved high rank in several martial arts — judo, iaido, jodo, and more—spending decades immersed within budo, straddling the worlds and cultures of Japan and America, and translating between them. In these essays, the reader is invited to walk alongside a quiet man who thinks deeply about the worlds in which budo was created and is practiced, and who brings the meaning of "all the things that are budo" into our daily lives.

CONTENTS

Introduction
Getting Started
Do you have to study in Japan to understand budo?
Etiquette: Form and sincerity in budo
Sensei, Kyoshi, Hanshi, and Shihan: budo titles and how (not) to use them
Different ranks in martial arts?
Zanshin
Budo
Do versus Jutsu (道対術)
What kata isn’t
Trust in the dojo
Training
Training, motivation, and counting training time in decades instead of years
The most effective martial art
The dojo as the world: learning to deal with violence and power
Budo and responsibility
Investing in failure
The spirit of learning
Training hard and training well are not the same thing
When it comes to training, fast is slow and slow is fast
Getting out of the comfort zone
There are no advanced techniques
Essentials
The most essential principles in budo: Structure
The most essential principles in budo: Spacing
The most essential principles in budo: Timing
Philosophy
The only things I teach are how to walk and how to breathe
Budo expectations and realities: understanding the limits of what we study
Will budo training make me a better person?
Budo as a “professional skill” and professionalism in budo
Budo training and budo philosophy
How to adapt an art form to fit you
Is kata too rigid and mechanical?

Print length

166 pages
Language

English
Publication date

May 30, 2017
File size

2966 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter has been studying Japanese martial arts for over thirty years. He started with Kodokan Judo while in college and added iaido and jodo after moving to Japan, where he lived and studied for nearly seven years. Currently, he is a fifth dan in All Japan Kendo Federation iaido, fifth dan in All Japan Kendo Federation jodo, third dan in Kodokan Judo, and holds a Shomokuroku in Shinto Muso Ryu and a Jun Shihan certificate in Shinto Hatakage Ryu. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071Z6T2QP
Publisher ‏ : ‎ BookBaby; 1st edition (May 30, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 30, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2966 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 166 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,748,182 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,444 in Martial Arts (Kindle Store)
- #6,507 in Martial Arts (Books)
- #33,903 in Exercise & Fitness (Books)

Customer Reviews:
18 ratings

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4 star		9%
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Vicente Bosch

A book for the beginner, the formal student and ... in some decades I will appreciate it too as an experienced student.

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2017

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First of all: What a fantastic read! It actually took me some time to read the whole book but not due to the writing style or due to to the lack of interest subjects covered; quite on the contrary the depth of the subjects covered are so thought provoking I had to give me some time between chapters.

This book tackles a lot of misconceptions and I frankly wish that it was an obligatory read to any person wanting to start practicing a Martial Art.
It covers deeply both technical and philosophical aspects of Budo in a reasoned way cutting through all the new age fad that can be found in the internet.

For sure I will be rereading this book many times during my life .... and hopefully we might have a Volume 2.

Thanks Peter :-)

One person found this helpful

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Smith Family

Seminal Work in English

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020

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Largely concerned with matters that would interest modern martial artists, Boylan’s work consists of a number of essays based on his experiences studying a variety of martial arts, including Judo, Jodo, and Iaido, in the United States and Japan. While themes in Bushido thread throughout the work, the last section, “Philosophy,” is most closely connected to the study. Here, Boylan examines a number of topics shared by ancient and modern scholars alike, from what makes an effective martial art, to what does it mean to be an instructor versus a professional. Throughout the works, Boylan references a handful of important primary sources for readers to examine, both Chinese and Japanese. At its core, this work stands as a text for others in martial arts today—it is not intended as a thorough, academic treatment of philosophy or intellectual history. It is critical for this list, however, in that it helps to demarcate a critical element of the post-war intellectual history of Bushido as a primary source.

- Edward N. Smith budobookreview.com

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Amiad Nesher

Makes you think about your practice

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2017

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Many fantastic insights into the practice of Budo, looking into how we pursue our practice and why. The book includes several interesting studies into how the different forms of practice are interrelated. both from traditional Japanese approach and the many different application to modern life. Its not a book that I read from end to end. I find that as my practice evolve I develop different interpretation for different articles. Together with my teachers guidance, it inspires introspection and thoughtful practice.

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Harold Bryant,

A thing of beauty.

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2017

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I highly recommend this book as a stand alone read or a compliment to other books such as Neil Adams' "A Life in Judo." The beauty of this book is that the author is a working guy with a hobby in the martial arts, such as judo like me. Many times reading this book I found myself agreeing with the author's insight.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

Awesome!

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Jonas Filho

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018

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Excellent book..

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Amazon Customer

Captures the Essence of Budo

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020

Over the years I have looked forward to Peter Boylan's latest musings each month, and each month without fail, it's caused me to think differently about what I am doing in the dojo. Sometimes it's finding a new understanding in the subtly of body mechanics for movements like Tai Atari or Kurai Hanashi in Jodo because of an article on the nature of Irimi (entering). Other times it's less a physical reflection and more a spiritual one prompted by his excellent essay on the nature of Zanshin. So it was with great delight I learned that Boylan was producing a compilation of 28 of his best essays about budo and collecting them into one place.

Aside from my personal enjoyment of Boylan's work, I consistently recommended his blog to my students and readers, this book and the collection of essays' therein now provides me with a convenient entry point to those new on the path of Budo to appreciate some of the deeper considerations of these arts and the philosophies behind them.

Further, Boylan has selected a number of essays and grouped them into the themed topics:
"Getting Started" covers some essential questions, and much-needed information that the vast majority of martial arts practitioners could stand to benefit from. For instance, the amount of times I see seasoned martial artists, quoted in this very magazine, and of course throughout the internet use terms like Sensei, Hanshi etc incorrectly is staggering. The 3rd essay of Boylan's collection does a remarkable job, not only in explaining exactly what those terms and more mean, but how to use correctly. It's short, accessible and will keep you from sounding like a complete idiot in front of your seniors.

This introductory section also covers vital and often misunderstood aspects of social conduct in the dojo - again: "Etiquette: Form and Sincerity in Budo" should be reproduced in every Japanese dojo's welcome pack or beginners book. I'd even advocate printing it out and sticking it to the locker room wall of several dojo's I've visited over the years! :-D Boylan explains the at times confusing labyrinth of Japanese martial culture in a way that encourages and excites the prospective student and provides some wry humor to those more experienced.

In "Training" Boylan addresses some practical and philosophical considerations; and in fact features the essay that first made me a fan of his blog; "The Dojo as the World: Learning to Deal with Violence and Power". This while seemingly obvious was one of the most profound pieces I had read on the nature of martial arts training. And it is one of those essays that stuck with me and had a deep impact on the reasons why I train in koryu bujutsu.

The final section, however, is by far my favorite, "Philosophy". Here Boylan truly shines: delivering a thought-provoking series of essays covering why we martial artists do this. These are the questions that captivate me as a student of Budo and having the opportunity to once again read Boylan's thoughts on these matters after his long career as a martial artist, student, and teacher is an absolute pleasure.

This book is an easy read, written in the same considered but relaxed manner as the blog and the man himself. And while each essay is only a few pages long, they provide many hours of pondering. In a world where so many prioritize technique manuals, they miss the true depth of the martial arts, their purpose, philosophies and principles. Not so with this compilation. In this book no techniques are taught, no ultimate move revealed, but rather instead the greatest thing of value in the Japanese martial arts...

Highly recommended

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Alan Panackia

A very good read

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2017

Peter's book is not about technique, it's about the why. He connects different disciplines and makes very good observations (makes you think). You can benefit from his experiences and observations. A very good read!

2 people found this helpful

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Padfoot

A welcome addition to my library

Reviewed in Canada on August 8, 2019

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A thought provoking, well written treatise on martial studies. This is a book that will be re-read many times. Topics covered are relevant to students of all experience levels.

Battle of echoes

Super !

Reviewed in France on August 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

Excellent bouquin qui donne envie de pratiquer encore et encore...
qui plus est avec Peter!!!

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