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CLASSICAL BUDO
THE MARTIAL ARTS AND
WAYS OF JAPAN,
VOLUME 2
By
Donn F. Draeger
Weatherhill, 1973.
ISBN 978-0-8348-0234-6
Description
The classical budo, or "classical martial ways" are not combat systems like
their forerunner, bujutsu, or "martial arts"; nor are they sports like
modern kendo, judo or karate. They are first and foremost spiritual
disciplines, whose ultimate goal, achieved though the most rigorous
mental and physical training, is self-realization.
The author details the history, philosophy, and methods of
a variety of these "martial ways", some using weapons, and some
weaponless.
Concerning Zen Buddhism
The Federation recommends the book above but have following comment:
Eugen Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery, and D. T. Suzuki,
Zen and Japanese Culture, pp. 87-214, are perhaps the two authors most
responsible for creation the association of the bugei and ko-budo with Zen. Most
subsequent works on the bugei and ko-budo seem to have accepted this association
rather uncritically, discussing at lenght the nature of Zen and why it
ought to have appealed to the samurai, but never questioning whether or
not it actually did have a widespread influence on the bugei and ko-budo prior to
modern times.
In the near future the Federation will supplement the list of literature
with a couple of books which have a better perspective on the intersection of
Zen with samurai traditions.
Donn F. Draeger
Author
Donald "Donn" Frederick Draeger (1922-1982) was
Captain in the U.S. Marine
Corps and a historian of martial arts disciplines, in which he
held a variety of expert ranks and teaching licenses. Draeger founded
the International Hoplology Society in order to study the evolution and
development of human combative behavior. Draeger gained
membership to Japan's oldest cultural organization for the study and
preservation of classical martial arts and ways, the Nihon Kobudo
Shinkokai and author of many books on fighting arts of Asia. The most significant studies of the Japanese martial tradition and
its combative systems come from the researches of Draeger. Basing his
work on first-hand experience, participant-observation, and interviews
with leading contemporary practitioners, Draeger is the first author to
present a general specific features of organization, philosophy, and training
methodology. Presented in development order Draeger's trilogy
Classical Bujutsu, Classical Budo, and Modern Bujutsu and
Budo are the most complete volumes on the Japanese martial tradition
in English. Furthermore Draeger successfully
gave lectures on Japanese martial culture at several universities.
Danish Traditional Kendo Federation