The Meiji Period (1868-1912) of Japanese history was an era of immense change. Japan had closed its doors to the West some two centuries earlier under the power of the ruling Shogunate, causing Japan to remain virtually unchanged during this period both politically and industrially. However, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to establish trade with the Japanese throughout the mid-nineteenth century by a number of Western nations, the United States finally managed to establish a foothold at the Dutch-maintained trading post...

Archaeological evidence indicates that swords have existed in Japan for its entire historical period. Short straight swords imported from China and Korea are among the earliest weapons found in historical sites around Japan. After 2000 B.C., when these swords first appeared, the Japanese began making their own swords. Around 700 A.D., Japanese swordsmiths forged the first of what are now considered the finest swords ever made. The person considered responsible for vastly improving Japanese sword design and manufacture was a...

Iaido is the art of reacting to a surprise attack by counter attacking with a sword. An in-depth reading of the Japanese characters for Iaido is: I = being, AI = harmony, DO = way . "The way of harmonising oneself in action”. The Iaidoka (a practitioner of Iaido) wields a sword: not to control the opponent, but to control himself. Iaido is mostly performed solo as a series of Waza. The Iaidoka executes various techniques against single or multiple imaginary...

Jeet Kune Do is a relatively new martial art, developed by the martial arts master, Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee began his martial arts career studying Wing Chun Kung Fu under grandmaster Yip Man in Hong Kong, and then taught his art in the U.S. as Jun Fan Kung Fu. Lee began by taking the best and most practical aspects of Wing Chun and combining these with elements of western boxing; trapping and grappling; and influences from a variety of other...

The sword has been a part of Japanese culture since the earliest surviving records of that country. References to swordsmanship can be found in the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters), and the Nihon Shoki (History of Japan), two of the oldest chronicles of Japanese history. Though it is difficult to make accurate date estimates from those sources (dated to the 8th century A.D.), other sources describe references to the use of the bokken (wooden sword) as a weapon as early...

Aikido cannot be learned from books or from teachers who have learned from books. To study Aikido, one needs to find a qualified teacher probably, to join a school. And, as Aikido becomes better known, more fashionable, and more lucrative, potential students need to be increasingly careful in choosing teachers and schools. But how should people go about choosing? When deciding whether to join a certain Aikido school, what should people think about? What should they look for in a teacher? Here are some suggestions:

Four hundred years ago, there lived a man named Yim Say Koan who had trained for many years in the Shaolin Temple. His bean cake store was the means by which he supported his only child, a girl, named Yim Wing Chun. Mr. Yim started his daughter training in the martial arts under his tutelage while she was still very young. As she reached her mid-teens, she began attracting many suitors. One was a gangster who tried to force Wing Chun into marriage. In order to prevent this, Mr. Yim sent his daughter to Pot Hok Kwoon, a temple where...