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Rating: 
Summary: A Welcome Return of a Great Classic
Review: I was delighted to see this in print again. If you have any interest in what the art of ninjutsu is about, this book will give you keen insights and serve as a great teaser to find out if one of hatsumi's students os teaching near you. One of the catchy characteristics of this book is that is is for the most part the transcript of a meeting that Hayes and his wife had with Hatsumi over 12 years ago, back in 1986. Its new conclusion is a modern transcript of a meeting that the three had a year ago. You will especially enjoy this book if you have trained with Hatsumi or his more skilled students. I would also recommend his other books, along with Stephen Hayes' books. Please take the time to look into getting Stephen Turnbull's books on Japanese martial arts. They are very well done and well illustrated! A real gem! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Words to live by
Review: Most people would consider days of listening to an old man drone on about his elders and his life's work to be boring, but this is Masaaki Hatsumi, the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryu ninjutsu. In this book he is interviewed by Stephen K. Hayes, the man known for bringing the art of the ninja to the Western world. In a series of conversations, Hatsumi discusses his own training experiences, his views on the art as it was hundreds of years ago as well as today, and his philosophy on life in general. It is sometimes hard to follow him for two reasons: his words are translated and he's doing it on purpose. Hatsumi doesn't answer questions, he asks them and urges you to find the answers yourself. While not as informative, in a technical sense, as other works by Hatsumi or Hayes, this book is full of valuable insight for the curiosity seeker, amateur practitioner/student, or someone with experience in the art. Reading the book felt like sitting in the room as Hatsumi and Hayes spoke, seemingly holding nothing back. Not the best thing either of them have done, but something you won't want to pass up if you have an interest in this subject. Each chapter is an interview conducted in 1986, and the new chapter in the revised edition is a recent interview. There is also a combat technique section at the end, which is amazing if you've never seen examples of Hatsumi's style. Looking at the pictures, it seems as if he's barely moved from one frame to the next as he effortlessly counters different attacks, armed and unarmed.
Rating:
Summary: Words to live by
Review: Most people would consider days of listening to an old man drone on about his elders and his life's work to be boring, but this is Masaaki Hatsumi, the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryu ninjutsu. In this book he is interviewed by Stephen K. Hayes, the man known for bringing the art of the ninja to the Western world. In a series of conversations, Hatsumi discusses his own training experiences, his views on the art as it was hundreds of years ago as well as today, and his philosophy on life in general. It is sometimes hard to follow him for two reasons: his words are translated and he's doing it on purpose. Hatsumi doesn't answer questions, he asks them and urges you to find the answers yourself. While not as informative, in a technical sense, as other works by Hatsumi or Hayes, this book is full of valuable insight for the curiosity seeker, amateur practitioner/student, or someone with experience in the art. Reading the book felt like sitting in the room as Hatsumi and Hayes spoke, seemingly holding nothing back. Not the best thing either of them have done, but something you won't want to pass up if you have an interest in this subject. Each chapter is an interview conducted in 1986, and the new chapter in the revised edition is a recent interview. There is also a combat technique section at the end, which is amazing if you've never seen examples of Hatsumi's style. Looking at the pictures, it seems as if he's barely moved from one frame to the next as he effortlessly counters different attacks, armed and unarmed.
Rating:
Summary: The Welcome Return Of An Old Classic
Review: Palladin Press has certainly done an outstanding job of reissuing a definite classic in the canon of Ninpo books. The harcover edition is built for endurance, a thankful thing in my dog-eared library of martial arts texts. If you've never experienced authentic ninjutsu before (because there are certainly plenty of fraudulent hucksters out there purporting to teach the real thing) then this book might confuse you at certain points, given the interesting taped-conversation transcripts that make up the bulk of this tome. At certain times, Hatsumi-sensei seems to say things which are contradictory to other statements he's made in the past. Fools will say this simply proves the man is nothing but a fraud. People who have known Hatsumi-sensei and experienced the true nature of this art will understand that such spoken contradictions are merely another aspect of what may well be the most comprehensive and fascinating system of self protection available anywhere. Hatsumi-sensei teaches quite a lot when he talks...and even more when he doesn't. Most interesting to me was the updated chapter "Twelve Years later" which brings both Stephen K. Hayes and Masaaki hatsumi together once again in the recently opened Hombu Dojo to discuss the world of their art since the original conversations in 1986. Hatsumi-sensei once again has a great deal of important things to say - things that a lot of people should listen very carefully to. Having been over at the Hombu Dojo with a group of friends back in February of this year made the chapter all the more stirring for me. There are some illustrated techniques at the end of the book, but the draw for me was to have this book to replace the beaten-to-hell Xeroxed copy I made from another friend's book, since I couldn't find this years ago. I'm glad to have the book itself now, made all the better with the updated chapter and excellent hardcover edition. Don't miss this book!
Rating:
Summary: The Welcome Return Of An Old Classic
Review: Palladin Press has certainly done an outstanding job of reissuing a definite classic in the canon of Ninpo books. The harcover edition is built for endurance, a thankful thing in my dog-eared library of martial arts texts. If you've never experienced authentic ninjutsu before (because there are certainly plenty of fraudulent hucksters out there purporting to teach the real thing) then this book might confuse you at certain points, given the interesting taped-conversation transcripts that make up the bulk of this tome. At certain times, Hatsumi-sensei seems to say things which are contradictory to other statements he's made in the past. Fools will say this simply proves the man is nothing but a fraud. People who have known Hatsumi-sensei and experienced the true nature of this art will understand that such spoken contradictions are merely another aspect of what may well be the most comprehensive and fascinating system of self protection available anywhere. Hatsumi-sensei teaches quite a lot when he talks...and even more when he doesn't. Most interesting to me was the updated chapter "Twelve Years later" which brings both Stephen K. Hayes and Masaaki hatsumi together once again in the recently opened Hombu Dojo to discuss the world of their art since the original conversations in 1986. Hatsumi-sensei once again has a great deal of important things to say - things that a lot of people should listen very carefully to. Having been over at the Hombu Dojo with a group of friends back in February of this year made the chapter all the more stirring for me. There are some illustrated techniques at the end of the book, but the draw for me was to have this book to replace the beaten-to-hell Xeroxed copy I made from another friend's book, since I couldn't find this years ago. I'm glad to have the book itself now, made all the better with the updated chapter and excellent hardcover edition. Don't miss this book!
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