Shinkendo Japanese Swordsmanship

For anyone interested in the Japanese sword - this is the book. Shinkendo is a relatively new sword discipline that combines the essentials of learning the sword. As with most martial arts this is a reference manual and only by getting good instruction can you learn properly. The books instructions are clear and the diagrams are in an easy to follow flow across the bottom of the pages. The preface, biography and history are also well worth a read.

I started Shinkendo lessons 3 months ago. This book is a must for everyone, especially a beginner.... My Sensei here in Athens show this book to me when I first went to his school and I decided to make an order with Amazon. So, here I am reviewing. It has special techniques full of step by step photos of Kaiso Obata (the founder of this special martial art) and of course it has original Japanese sword terminology that is of great help! I enjoyed it!!! It is of great help!

This book is a wonderful resource for those training in Shinkendo. Each of the sections not only comes with in depth explanations of the different aspects of Shinkendo, but also extremely helpful, step by step, instructions on many of the fundamental portions of the art. Furthermore, the introduction and its analysis of Shinkendo provide an insightful and interesting look deeper into the art. It is an extremely useful resource, especially for those just beginning!

A great help in our Kenjutsu training, with clear explanations

As my title suggests, if you plan on or are currently practicing Shinkendo, you need this book. Every single sensei of Shinkendo I've spoken to, as well as current students (quite a few, I assure you), all recommend picking up this book as soon as you can. The first half or so is about the history of the katana as well as a brief history of Japan itself. The rest of the book it seems are frame by frame kata movements. Obata Sensei doesn't recommend trying to learn Shinkendo from a book, and he clearly states that early in this book, so anything you draw from this in terms of movements, shouldn't be set in stone in your mind. Use them more as a guideline to prepare yourself for the true movements you'll learn from a Sensei. p.s. Just as a sidenote, this book is a bit larger than I expected in terms of it's height and width. Think of a large magazine size and you'll have a good picture. Just thought I'd mention that since it suprised me.

The book is very informative and a must read for beginners. Everything regarding Shinkendo, a beginner needs to know, can be found including vocabulary and precise instructions

I trained with Obata Sensei and his teachers for a few years. His books are a good reflection of his teaching style. No nonsense. While an actual class is best his books will give you accurate insight into Shinkendo

Amazing instruction!