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Martial Art Classic Writings

  • 05-08-2009 11:56AM
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,154 ✭✭✭


    Thought I'd start such a thread, here's a few for a start please add?

    Nei Jia Quan (Internal Style Boxing)
    • Tai Chi Chuan Classics (Tai Chi Chuan Lun, Tai Chi Chuan Ching, The song of the Thirteen Dynamics, Mental Eludication of the Thirteen Dynamics, The Fighter’s Song)
    • Li I Yu’s Tai Chi Chuan Classics (5 Character Secret, Plain Sayings on each posture etc.)
    • Wu Kung Tsao – Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan ( same as Yang Family Secret Transmissions.)
    • Chen Family Writings
    • The Xin Yi classics
    • The Ba Gua Classics
    • Chang Nai Zhou’s writings

    Other:
    • Sun Tzu Art of War
    • Qi Jiguang’s Boxing Cannon
    • Musashi’s Book of Five Rings
    • Yagyu Munenori's Book of the Sword
    • Takuan Soho's Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom, The Peerless Sword and other essays


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 498 ✭✭Damo W


    Thought I'd start such a thread, here's a few for a start please add?

    Nei Jia Quan (Internal Style Boxing)
    • Tai Chi Chuan Classics (Tai Chi Chuan Lun, Tai Chi Chuan Ching, The song of the Thirteen Dynamics, Mental Eludication of the Thirteen Dynamics, The Fighter’s Song)
    • Li I Yu’s Tai Chi Chuan Classics (5 Character Secret, Plain Sayings on each posture etc.)
    • Wu Kung Tsao – Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan ( same as Yang Family Secret Transmissions.)
    • Chen Family Writings
    • The Xin Yi classics
    • The Ba Gua Classics
    • Chang Nai Zhou’s writings

    Other:
    • Sun Tzu Art of War
    • Qi Jiguang’s Boxing Cannon
    • Musashi’s Book of Five Rings
    • Yagyu Munenori's Book of the Sword
    • Takuan Soho's Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom, The Peerless Sword and other essays

    The Bubishi.

    Arguably, the Bubishi has had enormous impact on many of the pioneers of modern karate. Funakoshi Gichin (Shotokan) quoted the Bubishi extensively in several of his definitive publications. Referring to this historically important text as, “The Bible of Karate,” Miyagi Chojun (Goju Ryu) chose the name of his karate style from it. Mabuni Kenwa (Sh1to Ryu) actually published a version of it in 1934.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 24,609 ✭✭✭✭arybvtcw0eolkf


    Good thread, one I having been thinking of compiling for awhile.

    At the moment I'm reading 'The Fighting Spirit of Judo' - by Yasuhiro Yamashita
    Other books I've read and which I recommend to anyone interested in Judo are The Pyjama Game by Mark Law - although mostly one man's journey through Judo I'd highly recommend it.

    Angry White Pyjama's by Roberty Twigger although primarily about Aikido, again its another ordinary man's journey through his chosen style and another fantastic read.

    Then of course there's the original Kodokan Judo book by Jigoro Kano himself.

    .


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 24 zappazappa


    Add this one....

    HAGAKURE (The Book of the Samurai) by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, 1716. Used as a guide to Samurai ethics until about 1868 (end of the Feudal Period).

    zappa


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,154 ✭✭✭Niall Keane


    Mods,

    Can we make this a sticky? Think it might help for all to further explore and/ or find out about their martial art, and martial arts in general? I don't think this has been done before, with the experience through various styles active on boards, maybe this is the place for such a project to happen?

    I know that I wish I knew what to look up when I started. I know that personally, I'd love to hear of any Muay Thai "Classics", or I believe the Gracie’s have some writings, I've heard that they are similar the Tai Chi Classics, but I haven't read them, as are Bruce Lee's writings (his father was a WU stylist).

    I'm sure such postings would lead to further threads discussing such. In Nei Jia circles, the fact that Wang Lan Ting, Cheng Nai Jaoi, Cheng Fa, operated around the same time and in the same area (near the Chen and Zhao Bao villages and the Shaolin temple), all have writings or taught styles that are similar yet with subtle differences, to me they seem like training partners with different personalities and so different outlooks, this is fascinating, and given that a different pair of "Chen" brothers brought Jiu Jitsu to Nagasaki in 1650 i.e. a soft art taught by Wudang Stylists, I feel that maybe the whole multitude of styles actually stem from a very small root. Having a resource of classics from all the styles here would help me personally in this area, and I'm sure others on boards would have similar questions about their styles development.

    For posters, I think and this is just a suggestion that we should stick to posting the names and authors only, without review, having the intention of actually creating a list. I'm sure peoples opinions on the material could be trashed out on separate threads?

    I haven’t posted any links to the material, for two reasons, 1- I'm sure boards don't want this to be a marketing tool, but also, 2- translations are notorious, what is it the Russians say? Translation is like a woman, if she is faithful she is not beautiful, and if she is beautiful she is not faithful?
    So although, for example, I can read a tai chi Chuan translation and know from experience where jin (focused power / strength in the right direction), or Chi (breath / circulation / nervous system) should replace the word "energy" I would be hesitant to point someone unfamiliar in the direction of such weak translations, yet sometimes they have a unique and valuable take on other areas, and so would hesitate to dismiss them totally. My guess is that other arts have similar issues?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 159 ✭✭witty username


    Not a classic in the sense that the above books are, but Chinese Boxing: Masters & Methods by Robert Smith is a good read. Motivational, if not particularly educational.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,803 ✭✭✭dunkamania


    Eddie's Bravo's "Mastering the rubber guard" is a classic, probably not what you mean though


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 24,609 ✭✭✭✭arybvtcw0eolkf


    Mods,

    Can we make this a sticky?
    I haven’t posted any links to the material, for two reasons, 1- I'm sure boards don't want this to be a marketing tool, but also, 2- translations are notorious, what is it the Russians say? Translation is like a woman, if she is faithful she is not beautiful, and if she is beautiful she is not faithful?
    So although, for example, I can read a tai chi Chuan translation and know from experience where jin (focused power / strength in the right direction), or Chi (breath / circulation / nervous system) should replace the word "energy" I would be hesitant to point someone unfamiliar in the direction of such weak translations, yet sometimes they have a unique and valuable take on other areas, and so would hesitate to dismiss them totally. My guess is that other arts have similar issues?


    I've no problem making it a stick, I think its worthy tbh. But we'll let it run for a few days and see where it goes and what kind of interest it generates.

    Tbh, and its just my opinion - I'd rather see a linky to the book or author so save me the time in searching for it myself.

    As an example, the list you posted in the first post. It mostly doesn't mean a bucket of crap to me without going to researching/googling each and every title, but a short preview or bio of the book may have caught my interest and sent me on a more fruitful search.

    But I hope you don't think I'm taking away from an excellent post with an excellent ideal.

    .


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 42 westcoastshuri


    Tao of Jeet Kun Do , Flashing Steel , Book of five rings , Watch my back to name a few

    Great thread .

    Dar


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 673 ✭✭✭pearsquasher


    I go by authors...

    Masaaki Hatsumi of the Bujinkan
    Karl Friday
    Meik Skoss
    Don Draegar
    ... all classical Japanese Budoka.

    I also like William Scotts biography of Musashi.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4 midletonaikido


    Alan Ruddock's.....Aikido Memoirs. One Irishman's lifetime search for the answer to the mystery of Morihei Ueshiba's Aikido.

    Great Book about Mr Ruddock's expereinces of living and training with the Founder of Aikido during 1960's Japan.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 498 ✭✭Damo W


    Shotokan Dawn over Ireland By Dr Clive Layton.

    Product Information
    From a Dublin back garden in 1960 sprang the beginnings of Shotokan karate in Ireland. Alan Ruddock, a mature and enterprising sixteen-year-old schoolboy, after practicing karate techniques from books with friends and unable to locate a club in his native land, became a member of Vernon Bell's emerging British Karate Federation. Using BKF documents as a backbone, Dr Layton, with the same meticulous eye for detail that was evident in his two volume Shotokan Dawn, weaves a wonderfully readable account, from the trials and tribulation of establishing the first Shotokan Dublin dojo, through BKF Summer Schools and training with the infamous Tetsuji Murakami, to its coming of age, when the club aligned itself directly to the Japan Karate Federation.
    From the author of such classics as Kanazawa, 10th Dan, and Funakoshi on Okinawa, Shotokan Dawn over Ireland is another brilliantly researched work that ensures that the foundation of Irish Shotokan has been recorded for posterity.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31 30rock


    The Unfettered mind = Takuan soho
    Moving Towards Stillness & Clouds in the West = Dave Lowry
    Fighting = Bob Breen
    Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu = Dave Camarillo
    Tao of JKD and Bruce Lee Libary = Bruce Lee and co.

    Not all old but worth a read I feel.

    James


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,533 ✭✭✭iceage


    Only three classics that I own
    Hagakure-yamamoto Tsunetomo.
    The art of war-Sun Tzu.
    The Tao of gung fu-Bruce Lee.

    The rest of my library thats left, Lent many but had few returned.

    The Samurai Sword-John m. Yumoto.
    The spirit and practice-Fumon tanaka.
    IAI, the art of drawing the Sword-Darrell Max Craig.
    Heart of kendo-Darrell Max Craig.
    Essense of Ninjutsu-Hatsumi.
    Tai Chi Wu Style-Dr Yang, Ywing ming.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,154 ✭✭✭Niall Keane


    Lads,
    this is all great so far, I'm already seeing stuff that I want to find out about. And my opinion on what should constitute a classic has been broadened. Some people are wondering about the word classic that I posted, i.e. does it have to be old, I would say no, I believe that there are books from the 90's on BJJ that would be considered classics by BJJ standards, given its perceived "Newness". All I meant by classic was a writing that dealt with theory and martial method as opposed to "my schools sylabis", however I now think that we should be open on this, as "Masters and Methods" for example is a book I've read, origionaly I hadn't included it, as from my outlook I didn't consider it a classic, at the time of posting I was thinking "bibles of principles, advice on application and mechanics" however I now admit this book should be considered a classic re. exploring the psychology and history of the various chinese styles.
    I see a post on the origins of a style of Irish Karate, I havn't read this, but I'm sure it would probably lend some knowledge into the foundation mind set of such Irish Karate, its outlook and intent so as to speak? And isn't the concept of intent central to any martial art? So what I'm saying is, for someone of this style, this book is probably well deserving of the title classic. Even if it was simply a historical record of setting up the style and the reasons / personalities behind it, rather than an exploration of strategy. (I'm only guessing here, for all I know it could be another Tai Chi Chuan Lun?)
    Basically I see no faultwith anything that has ben posted, I'm sure this thread can be expored by key words, and so will become a central reference for anyone exploring their martial art, or indeed others?

    Makikomi, I take your point on web references, I was anxious about posting links so as to avoid any squabling entering the thread re. correct translations etc. but here you go, if you want my recomendation re. the Tai Chi Classics, I propose the following with commentry and photos of applications of the principles:
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tai-Chi-Chuan-Decoding-Classics/dp/1847970842

    Google "peter Lim Tai Chi chuan" for another set of translations. YMAA have some nice translations and commentaries of the Xin Yi and Ba Gua classics, I can't comment on their tai chi translations, as I havn't read them.

    Hope this is o.k. and doesn't lead to an avalanche of bullsiht artists posting links to their seafoods publications.

    regards,

    Niall


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 205 ✭✭Andrew H


    Here's a few books id recommend:

    The Essence of White Crane :Martial Power and Qigong by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming

    Comprehensive Applications of Shaolin Chin Na by Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming

    Chinese Fast Wrestling for Fighting :The Art of San Shou Kuai Jiao by Liang, Shou-Yu and Tai D. Ngo

    Bruce Lee's Fighting Method Volumes 1 -4 by Bruce Lee & M. Uyehara

    Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee

    Gracie Jiu-Jistu by Helio Gracie

    Andrew


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,883 ✭✭✭wudangclan


    two i particularly enjoyed were:
    'the lone samurai:the life of miyamoto musashi' (the 17th century japanese swordsman)
    and 'a fighters heart' by sam sheridan.

    neither of them are instructional books but there is plenty of good advice in both for the aspiring martial artist.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 220 ✭✭joe_dunne


    Hi all,

    Anything by Kodansha International is probably going to be worth it.

    Kodansha English Language Section

    They have some of the best translations of classic texts available in english.

    Joe
    Bujinkan Portlaoise


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