recommendedreading

Persons who believe they might be interested in practicing a traditional martial art described here should first prepare themselves by reading about koryu. The koryu bujutsu are not like most martial arts taught today in the United States. Even persons with extensive martial arts backgrounds may find that much of what they know and/or believe about the martial arts does not always apply. It is for this reason that we strongly recommend that interested persons read the articles listed below to acquire some sense of how other non-Japanese practititioners have come to understand koryu and why they practice such arts.

We recommend reading the following articles (all of which are available at http://www.koryu.com):

• • "Koryu Bujutsu Introduction" by Diane Skoss

  • "Sword & Spirit Intro: A Coconut Palm in Missouri" by Dave Lowry

  • "Sighting the Grizzly" by Dave Lowry

  • "What is a Ryu" by Wayne Muromoto

  • "Transmission & Succession in the Classical Arts" by Meik Skoss

  • "Classical Martial Arts in the West: Problems in Transmission" by Dave Lowry

  • "The Meaning of the Martial Arts: Some Reflections from Along the Way" by Diane Skoss

  • "Some Thoughts on Learning Koryu in the West" by Diane Skoss

  • "The meaning of Martial Arts Training: A Conversation with Sawada Hanae" by Meik Skoss

We also strongly suggest that interested persons read the "Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan" series by Koryu Books and Donn Draeger's series, "The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan."