Secrets of the Samurai ─ The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan

Secrets of the Samurai is the definitive study of the martial arts of feudal Japan, explaining in detail the weapons, techniques, strategies, and principles of combat that made the Japanese warrior a formidable foe. Beginning with a panoramic survey of the tumultuous early struggles of warlords contending for political ascendancy, the work outlines the relentless progression of the military class toward absolute power. In addition to illustrating actual methods of combat, the authors discuss in detail the crucial training necessary to develop a warrior's inner power and to concentrate all his energies into a single force.

Secrets of the Samurai is an essential text for anyone with an interest in Japanese combat techniques, weaponry, or military history. This edition also contains a new foreword by Adele Westbrook and numerous previously unpublished illustrations by Oscar Ratti. Chapters include:

• The Bushi
• The Heimin
• The Centers of Martial Instruction
• Armed Bujutsu
• Unarmed Bujutsu
• Control and Power
• Strategic Principles
• Morality of Bujutsu

Oscar Ratti received his degree in classical studies and law from the University of Naples. He later came to the United States and began to study aikido with Yasuo Ohara, one of the first instructors to teach in New York. He and Adele Westbrook shared a longtime interest in the thought and rituals of ancient civilizations and were experts on Japanese warrior arts and ethos.

Adele Westbrook studied philosophy at Columbia University at the same time co-author Oscar Ratti was doing graduate work in the classical languages. They began to practice aikido together, and studied under a variety of instructors in the United States and Europe. They are the authors of the best-selling Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere.