The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship: A Manual of Eishin-Ryu Iaido

Rating:
Summary: Great book for beginners to advanced pratictioners
Review: "The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship" is a great book for anyone who is interested in learning the way of the sword. This book is a manual based on how to use the Katana blade containing the traditional techniques for beginners, intermediate and advanced practictioners. This manual of Eishin-Ryu Iaido also covers information such as the history of the style, about the Japanese sword, and what the style of Iaido is all about. I recommend this book to ANYONE who is interested in Japanese swordsmanship.

Rating:
Summary: A Definite Guide for Iaido
Review: A wonderfully, clearly written and superbly illustrated manual for iaido. No book can perform as a substitute for actual training, but this manual is an excellent supplement. It has a good bit of history and clear explanations, making it useful for any martial artist, but the real focus (and where it really shines) is to the iaidoist, who will find this book indispensable.

Rating:
Summary: A Definite Guide for Iaido
Review: A wonderfully, clearly written and superbly illustrated manual for iaido. No book can perform as a substitute for actual training, but this manual is an excellent supplement. It has a good bit of history and clear explanations, making it useful for any martial artist, but the real focus (and where it really shines) is to the iaidoist, who will find this book indispensable.

Rating:
Summary: Very Bad
Review: I study Ryuseiken Batto-do and I wanted to study some iaido so I purchased this book. This was the worst book that I have ever seen. The diagrams are awful because you can not see which leg or which arm is which. I am very disappointed and I will never recomend this book. The only good that has come out of this is that now I know I need to read the reviews before I buy book. Then at least I can't be mad at anyone but myself for buying a book

Rating:
Summary: Solid guide for new iaidoka, but terrible illustrations.
Review: If you are new to iaido and need a reference guide for when you are away from the dojo, this book is very useful. It explains each kata step by step with meticulous detail, and goes over the basics such as how to grip the sword, how to put on the clothing, and so forth.

As long as you have an understanding of each kata, going back to practice with the guidance of this book will be straightforward. However, the pictures are almost worthless. They are only good for giving you an overview of how the kata proceeds. It's impossible to tell how the feet are positioned, what the hands are doing, and even which way the sword is supposed to be facing when in the saya. Photographs would have been far better.



Rating:
Summary: Hard to follow the moves
Review: The book is a good introduction to the art of Iaido, but the diagrams are difficult to follow and the hand motions could be better explained. Iaido is difficult to follow without a sensei - I could understand some of this stuff because I've had lessons...but for a new beginner without guidance, I wouldn't recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to follow the moves
Review: The book is a good introduction to the art of Iaido, but the diagrams are difficult to follow and the hand motions could be better explained. Iaido is difficult to follow without a sensei - I could understand some of this stuff because I've had lessons...but for a new beginner without guidance, I wouldn't recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: An great book on Iaido
Review: This book is great! It is a good fundation in the art iaido, and swordsmanship as a whole. The pictures are not the easiest to follow, but the discribtions of the pictures more than makes up for that!

Rating:
Summary: A good beginner's guide, useless to the experienced
Review: This book offers a wonderful introduction to the martial artist who has been exposed to limited swordplay in a jujitsu or karate class and wants a way to continue his or her learning seperatly. Unfortunately it offers no kata or even original thoughts on basic kenjutsu or iai. Good illustrations and explanations of the moves and forms entailed, but overall not worth the price to the more experienced swordsman.

Rating:
Summary: A good beginner's guide, useless to the experienced
Review: This book offers a wonderful introduction to the martial artist who has been exposed to limited swordplay in a jujitsu or karate class and wants a way to continue his or her learning seperatly. Unfortunately it offers no kata or even original thoughts on basic kenjutsu or iai. Good illustrations and explanations of the moves and forms entailed, but overall not worth the price to the more experienced swordsman.