The Bamboo Sword

The Bamboo Sword
Author: Margi Preus
Publisher: ABRAMS
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2015-09-15
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1613128355

Set in 1853 in Japan, this novel follows Yoshi, a Japanese boy who dreams of someday becoming a samurai. Unfortunately, as part of the serving class, Yoshi can never become a warrior. He is taken up by Manjiro, the protagonist of Preus’s Heart of a Samurai, and becomes his servant and secret watchdog. Meanwhile, Commodore Matthew Perry and his USS Susquehanna squadron of steamships arrive in Edo Bay demanding “diplomatically” that Japan open its ports to foreign trade. Aboard the commodore’s flagship is a cabin boy, Jack, who becomes separated from his American companions while on shore. When he and Yoshi cross paths, they set out on a grand adventure to get Jack back to his ship before he is discovered by the shogun’s samurai.

Bamboo Sword

Bamboo Sword
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN: 9781484495421

When American steamships chug into Edo Bay for the first time, it is into the forbidden waters of mid-19th century Japan, and Japan's samurai prepare for war. 13 year old Yoshi longs to join the fight to expel the foreign devils ... But how? Forced to flee, Yoshi meets a strange samurai named Manjiro who, surprisingly, employs him as his "apprentice bodyguard". But something even more unexpected happens when Yoshi and an American bot from one of the ships become entangled in a a web of intrigue involving spies and assassins, and the two boys must rely on each other to survive ... "back cover."

Heart of a Samurai

Heart of a Samurai
Author: Margi Preus
Publisher: Perfection Learning
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012-02
Genre:
ISBN: 9781613833773

Rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island in 1841, Manjiro learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States.

The Conquering Sword of Conan

The Conquering Sword of Conan
Author: Robert E. Howard
Publisher: Del Rey
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2005-11-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0345486056

“For headling, nonstop adventure and for vivid, even florid, scenery, no one even comes close to Howard.”—Harry Turtledove In a meteoric career that covered only a dozen years, Robert E. Howard defined the sword-and-sorcery genre. In doing so, he brought to life the archetypal adventurer known to millions around the world as Conan the barbarian. Witness, then, Howard at his finest, and Conan at his most savage, in the latest volume featuring the collected works of Robert E. Howard, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Greg Manchess. Prepared directly from the earliest known versions—often Howard’s own manuscripts—are such sword-and-sorcery classics as “The Servants of Bit-Yakin” (formerly published as “Jewels of Gwahlur”), “Beyond the Black River,” “The Black Stranger,” “Man-Eaters of Zamboula” (formerly published as “Shadows in Zamboula”), and, perhaps his most famous adventure of all, “Red Nails.” The Conquering Sword of Conan includes never-before-published outlines, notes, and story drafts, plus a new introduction, personal correspondence, and the revealing essay “Hyborian Genesis”—which chronicles the history of the creation of the Conan series. Truly, this is heroic fantasy at its finest.

Kendo - Fundamentals and Waza to Win (Hardback)

Kendo - Fundamentals and Waza to Win (Hardback)
Author: Nobuo Hirakawa
Publisher:
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2019-06-26
Genre:
ISBN: 9784907009281

The English translation of Hirakawa Nobuo's 1993 book on kendo. It covers kendo basics such as how to stand and move, swing the shinai, wear bogu, and make basic strikes and defensive moves. Also described are many advanced shikake-waza and oji-waza techniques as well as the Nippon Kendo Kata.

Mastering the Samurai Sword

Mastering the Samurai Sword
Author: Cary Nemeroff
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 459
Release: 2014-09-02
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1462916252

Memorialized in countless books and movies, the history of Japan's fearsome samurai warriors is known all over the world. Who can forget these Japanese masters' skills with the sword? Today, samurai warriors no longer exist, but their legacy of swordsmanship endures. Now, the way of the samurai sword is learned in the martial arts Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu. This book is the perfect introduction to using this beautiful and ancient weapon. In Mastering the Samurai Sword, you'll learn the sword's fascinating history, its evolution, and the philosophy behind its use. You'll also learn practical guidance for mastering the sword itself. Full-color, step-by-step photographs detail many of the most useful and famous samurai moves, including: drawing the samurai sword guard positions, cutting blows, and blocking falling and rolling techniques, and evasive strategies standing forms and kneeling forms All of the martial arts techniques discussed in the book are performed for readers in the downloadable material to help you perfect your form. Beginners will learn everything from proper attire and behavior in the dojo to how they might practice at home, while more experienced samurai swords people will find a new appreciation for the deeper meaning and tradition behind the graceful way of the sword.

The Swordless Samurai

The Swordless Samurai
Author: Kitami Masao
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2007-07-24
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780312365448

Hideyoshi, who called himself the Swordless Samurai, is the Japanese Horatio Alger. He was of peasant origin, but by bonding to powerful Lord Nobunaga, and being useful to him day and night, Hideyoshi secured a powerful patron. Much later, Hideyoshi became the most powerful man in Japan. This book tells how he did it.

Heart of the Sword

Heart of the Sword
Author: Mark Chin
Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
Total Pages: 726
Release: 2016-09-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1482879611

For almost three centuries, the Tokugawa Shogunate has held sway over Japan, bringing an unprecedented period of peace and political stability where once anarchy reigned. Yet all things must pass. As the world beyond its firmly-shut borders changes the restless nation stirs with the murmur of new ideas, like democracy, freedom, and industrialization. Some embrace the change that these words bring, while others will die to preserve the Old Order. The ancient samurai are caught in between. Among them is Saitou Hajime, a ferocious assassin, who lives by the power of his sword alone, and who will kill for duty and honor. While engaged in a life or death brawl, he accidentally stabs a young woman named Tokio. They form an unexpected and mutual bond that includes a marriage of convenience that has no place for love. But nothing is simple in this time of upheaval. Both stand at the crossroads of history but share one destiny in a country aflame with passion and ambition.

Mirror, Sword and Jewel

Mirror, Sword and Jewel
Author: Kurt Singer
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2013-10-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1134248458

Edited with an Introduction by Richard Storry. First published over 20 years ago and long out of print, this is a unique interpretation of the essence of Japanese society and individual psychology.

Shadow on the Mountain

Shadow on the Mountain
Author: Margi Preus
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1613123787

“Newbery Honor winner Preus . . . delivers a riveting story about teenage freedom fighters in WWII Norway” (Publishers Weekly). After Nazi Germany invades and occupies Norway, fourteen-year-old Espen and his friends are swept up in the Norwegian resistance movement. Espen gets his start by delivering illegal newspapers, then graduates to the role of courier and finally becomes a spy, dodging the Gestapo along the way. During five years under the Nazi regime, Espen, his sister, and their parents live in fear of nighttime raids and arrests, and they begin to question the loyalties of the people around them. Espen gains—and loses—friends, falls in love, and makes one small mistake that threatens to catch up with him as he sets out to escape on skis over the mountains to Sweden . . . Award-winning author Margi Preus crafts a thrilling adventure based on the real-life experiences of Erling Storrusten, a Norwegian spy during World War II. Praise for Shadow on the Mountain “Engrossing. . . . This is at once a spy thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a chronicle of escalating bravery. Multidimensional characters fill this gripping tale that keeps readers riveted to the end.” —School Library Journal, starred review “A morally satisfying page turner.” —Kirkus Reviews