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Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this book
Review: ...ok ...I've revised my review to not be so vehement...
leave it at this... set aside the glamour and romantisism of "the Japanese sword" for a minute and really take a look at the guys in these pictures... do they really look competent? You decide... Other than that, there's no secrets being revealed here... it's not the Tokugawa period anymore... and you can't learn kenjutsu (or kendo, or boxing, or a foriegn language)a book...
Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this book
Review: I didn't buy this book... I looked at it in the store and felt obliged to write this review... If you are seriously interested in studying Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, there is a dojo in New York called the Ken-zen Dojo, which is affiliated with the Yagyu-Kai in Japan (Nagoya, Tokyo, and Osaka). Practice seriously for a while and then look at this book and you will see what a sham it is.
Mr.Watanabe is not doing the real thing... only the names are the same... It's a hose job... a shakedown... You'd be better off with a how-to book about ANYTHING else, so long as it was written by someone who knew what they were doing... Mr.Watanbe is simply preying on people's cultural confusion and desire to find something meaningful in the exotic...
If you DO already practice Shinkage-ryu... Don't buy it as a lark, it'll just make you sad.
Rating: 
Summary: A must for the experienced swordsman!
Review: Tadashige Watanabe dared to boldly go where no one has gone before! The techniques of the Shinkage Ryu have been closely and jealously guarded for centuries. To find not one, but two books on the shelf concerning this magnificent and ancient art is astounding. To my knowledge, Watanabe's are the only books on Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship in print. Although this book lacks indepth technical instruction, the hundreds of photos allow the moderatly experienced swordsman, no matter the style, to gain an insight into the technique, practice and application of each kata (form). Although the novice might find this a bit confusing, with a little patience and a lot of practice the "way" will soon begin to become more clear. As mentioned previously, this book is a first for Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship, and to anyone with knowledge of the Japanese culture, the lack of written detail is not surprising. There are, perhaps, those who opposed the release of this manual, but thanks to Tadashige Watanabe's diligent effort, this traditional and secret warrior method can now be glimpsed by all. A must for any martial arts library.
Rating:
Summary: A must for the experienced swordsman!
Review: Tadashige Watanabe dared to boldly go where no one has gone before! The techniques of the Shinkage Ryu have been closely and jealously guarded for centuries. To find not one, but two books on the shelf concerning this magnificent and ancient art is astounding. To my knowledge, Watanabe's are the only books on Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship in print. Although this book lacks indepth technical instruction, the hundreds of photos allow the moderatly experienced swordsman, no matter the style, to gain an insight into the technique, practice and application of each kata (form). Although the novice might find this a bit confusing, with a little patience and a lot of practice the "way" will soon begin to become more clear. As mentioned previously, this book is a first for Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship, and to anyone with knowledge of the Japanese culture, the lack of written detail is not surprising. There are, perhaps, those who opposed the release of this manual, but thanks to Tadashige Watanabe's diligent effort, this traditional and secret warrior method can now be glimpsed by all. A must for any martial arts library.
Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: The first warning is that you should have some experience in the traditional (older) fighting system. this book is not a tool for the novice. It does however bring a wealth of information of the Koryo Kata's of Shinkage-Ryu. Even those that are not practioners of ShinKaGe can glimpse and acquire knowledge from the volume of pictures. If you are a novice buy it and review it every six months to see if your understanding has grown.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: This book has a lot of commendable qualities, but also a lot of flaws. It includes 22 profusely illustrated kata from shinkage-ryu swordsmanship. These are the real meat of the art, and what distinguish shinkage-ryu from other styles of kenjutsu -- which is all well and good if you have experience in Japanese sword techniques. However, the introductory elements to the book explain only guidelines for shinai (bamboo sword) lengths, and a very brief section on stances. Basic techniques, which are necessary for all martial arts but especially for a more obscure art like kenjutsu, are not covered at all.
Also, if you're not a very visual learner, be forewarned that the explanations for each of the kata are very short and mostly rely on the reader understanding the photo. To add to the confusion, some of the number labels for the pictures are impossible to read. That said, I think this book has enough to reward someone with experience in kenjutsu, kendo, etc, but beginners should look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A book fit for swordsman and little else
Review: Well if you are familar with Yagyu Shinkage ryu already, and want a refesher, or detailed notes, this is the book for you. If you want to learn swordsmanship and have a limited background in Koryu style swordsmanship (im not talking about kendo background, or even Iaido) you will find this book with its lack of explantion, a difficult way to learn anything other than Shinkage ryu has a lot of forms.... This is not to say this is a bad book. Many in the "world of koryu" balk at even the idea of these forms being displayed let alone printed with any kind of detail. Not wishing to be harsh on this book's lack of user "friendliness" I will simply state that like the other books by this publisher (namely THE DIETY AND THE SWORD [KATORI SHINTO RYU]) they are good first efforts that hopefully will lead to more detailed, and hopefully better written instructional books in the future. -Vic
Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: You would think this is a lost art but,far from it! It gives you a new awarness of the style and finesse the Japanese had with their sword arts.Very well done!
Rating:
Summary: Shinage-Ryu, the lost art.......
Review: You would think this is a lost art but,far from it! It gives you a new awarness of the style and finesse the Japanese had with their sword arts. Very well done!
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