Bokken

Focusing his expertise on the techniques and history of the bokken—the wooden training sword used by both ancient samurai and today’s swordsmen—the author maintains that training with the bokken is important on two levels for the modern practitioner: to build the physical stamina, rhythms, and adroit body movements of traditional swordsmanship and to achieve something of the animating spirit of the traditional swordsman. This history of the bokken combines the author's concise, eloquent writing style with more than 100 photographs to provide the reader with the traditional and modern perspectives of this vital, historically rich practice tool.

About the Book What if most of vampire lore and mythology was wrong? What if being a ‘vampire’ had nothing to do with good or evil, but instead was about a freak manifestation of events that created immortal beings? Joshua Jacob Jones is 600 years old...and the last vampire. Joshua is dragged back to his past when one of his human friends seeks him out after many years apart to share that a small group of very rich and powerful people have acquired vampire blood and are working to unlock the secret to becoming immortal. Joshua agrees to join forces with his old friend to track down and destroy the source of the blood, as well as all the current research. To accomplish this mission, Joshua teams up with an unlikely group of allies, including a young Japanese woman who is incredibly gifted and a deadly samurai, six former special ops soldiers from across the globe and a beautiful middle-aged woman with a past that is key to unlocking the secrets of the rich and powerful group striving to become immortal. But it’s not just her secrets that will play a role in this mission. Joshua’s secrets are just as important... About the Author Craig Hadley earned a history and anthropology degree from the University of South Carolina, as well as a master’s in museum science from Johns Hopkins University. He has worked as a professional archaeologist and historian for more than twenty years. Throughout his career he has consulted and managed museums across the United States. He has also been a historical technical advisor on various motion pictures and documentaries. His specialty is military history, more specifically the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II. Craig is a big classic film buff and has taught the history of film at various colleges, including his specialty, “History According to Hollywood.” He also enjoys science fiction and fantasy.

Liza Roselynn is a young female doctor who grew up in Iron Harbour. She then met a boy who was found floating unconscious near the docks. After treating the boy, the boy discovered he had false memory syndrome. He remembers coming from a different world where smart phones and technology were the hype. When Liza explained to him that there was no such thing as technology and the possibility of him diagnosed with False Memory Syndrome, the boy decided to go on a journey to search for his true past.

In Mikkyo—Japanese esoteric Buddhism—the dragon Kurikara symbolizes the internal energy developed through sword practice. Kurikara is a manifestation of the fierce bodhisattva Fudo Myo O, the patron of ascetics and warriors in Japan, who uses his sword to destroy delusions and sever attachments. Fudo’s sword represents the gaining of discriminative power and decisiveness—the ability to cut through illusion and attachment. This leads to the development of an inner energy that allows one to “burn up” all obstacles to spiritual freedom. Kurikara: The Sword and the Serpent sets out the eight basic principles of swordsmanship common to all Japanese sword schools, emphasizing the cultivation of power and mental focus. Accomplished martial artist John Evans provides practical examples from his experience with the sword arts as well as Mikkyo and shugendo (mountain asceticism). The first foreign student to train with Nakamura Taisaburo sensei—widely acknowledged as the master of the sword art battodo—Evans clearly explains how skill such as Nakamurua sensei’s can be systematically developed through tanren, exercises that meld “inner” and “outer” power. Filled with fascinating anecdotes from Evans’s training in Japan, Kurikara is a useful, inspiring guide to Japanese sword practice and its spiritual underpinnings.

The art of armed and unarmed stage combat thrills actors and audiences alike the world over. This book details many of the foundational techniques used by actors studying stage combat and actor-movement disciplines. A variety of specific training exercises are described that connect the actor's imagination to a cohesive and meaningful actor-training curriculum – integrating stage combat with the actor's process of developing a fully embodied awareness of the physical life of the character. Developing physical awareness and dexterity is an essential component of an actor's training and rehearsal processes. Engagement, connection, the ability to listen and respond with authenticity, clarity, flexibility, intentionality, tactical response, variety are all helpful aspects for the actor studying combat movement. With practical exercises and expert advice, Stage Combat Arts allows the actor to further hone their emotional connection and extension, breath and voice, intention and focus, movement and freedom, and their ability to connect physically to imagery and text – disciplines that are at the foundation of actor-training – all through the art of combat movement.

THE SHOTO'S TRADITIONAL KARATE KAI In this book I wanted to pass on my experience and Standards of excellence, which I have carried over from my years of service I spent in the Grenadier Guards, and of the teaching standards of N.V.Q.'s in Combat sports withi the Martial Art. Of communication and the teaching abilities, on how to get the best possible standard of technique, and practices of your students. To pass on the research of diet and of my own standard of fitness and advice on the ability that I have achieved throughout my life.

All students of kendo--the formal art and practice of Japanese swordsmanship--will welcome this manual by an advanced practitioner with a deep understanding of the martial art. The work begins with a history of kendo in Japan, followed by a study of basic equipment and its proper care and use and a detailed description of forms and rules--essential aspects of any martial art. Beginners will find this section particularly helpful because of the close attention paid to fundamental techniques of kendo, including the rare two-sword form (nitô ryû), largely unknown outside of Japan. Each technique is accompanied by clear, easy-to-follow illustrations. The Nihon Kendo Kata and Shiai and Shinpan rules and regulations are useful references for those learning the Kata and participating in matches. The author, who is also a practicing physician, is attentive throughout to injury prevention and safety--concerns often overlooked in martial arts manuals. The elements of kendo philosophy, which can mystify even experienced practitioners, are explained in simple terms to aid understanding. The manual concludes with biographies of Japan's most celebrated swordsmen, an extensive glossary of kendo terms, and a history of kendo in Hawaii, where it has been practiced for more than a century and where some of the world's top practitioners can be found.

A secret war between angels and demons has been waging in the shadows of human society for centuries. But there is only one who can see past the demon's human host disguises to the demon's true form, the Cipher. Destroyed by a demon ambush, the Cipher is forced to pass on his holy gift to an innocent passerby, Gia McNazare. Gia must struggle to understand her new holy purpose, as a masterful sloth demon is compelled to extinguish Gia's heavenly capability thus deploying his army of minions to carry out his malicious intent. Meanwhile Gia's brother, Caleb, a re-incarnated soul, is a sarcastic homicide detective searching for a serial killer who is decapitating his victims and leaving clues for him to decipher in the bloody poems the killer leaves behind. Caleb must find this sadistic killer and piece together the clues to save his sister from the clutches of evil before it's too late. Angels, witches, elves, and demons representing the seven deadly sins collide in Darkness Light, a fast paced horror/thriller urban fantasy.