from dust jacket

In Japan, only th samurai class retained the exclusive privilege of wearing the daisho, the long and short sword. Nowhere else in the wordld was the sword so revered and honored as in Japan. 'The living soul of the samurai' it was called.

Highly skilled and respected swordsmiths created the fine blades of Japan's samurai. The making of a sword was akin to religious ceremony and was cloaked in secrecy and ritual. The swordsmith imbued a blade with special characteristics beyond strength and beauty, and it was the samurai's task to live up to the expectations of his blade.

As the sword was the privilege of the samurai, so was sthe martial arts. From the inception of the samurai class in Japan, the great swordsmen developed the various schools, or ryu, of sword fighting. These schools basically taught two sword techniques: ken-jutsu, the use of the sword in combat, and iai-juitsu, the quick draw of the sword from the sheath.

Combat was but the 'outer' aspect of swordsmanship; the 'inner' aspect was Zen. 'Zen and the sword are one' the saying goes. The warrior must cultivate 'no-mind,' a mind free of the disturbing influences of external circumstances. Then he could repond to any situation instinctively and decisively.

George R. Parulski began training in the martial arts in 1963 and currently holds ranks in judo, shotokan karate-do, goju-ryu karate-do, aiki-jujutsu, iai-do, and Tai Ch'i ckh'uan kung-fu. Most recently, he was honored with the title of tashi (expert) in ken-jutsu, bestowed on him by Kanyemon Aikira Okazaki under the authority of the All-Japan Seibukan Martial Arts and Ways Association. Parulski also serves as the US president of this organization.

Throughout his career in the martial arts, Parulski has won impressive titles: In 1974, he won the East Coast Judo Championships; he went on to win the weapons division (with the sword) at the Pro-Am Goodwill Karate Championships; and in 1983, he won the Master Kata division and Black Belt Weapons (sword and nunchaku division at the American Karate Federation's Grand Nationals.

Parulski trains martial artists at his school, the Yama-ji School of Traditional Martial Arts in Webster, NY, and is also a prolific wiriter. He has written numerous articles for martial arts magazines and authored books on judo, karate, karate weapons, kung-fu and taekwon-do.

Contents

Preface; Acknowledgments; Foreword by Soke Kanyemon Aikira Okazaki
Part One-Historical Background
Chapter One: The Sword: Its History and Creation
Chapter Two: A History of Japanese Swordsmanship
Chapter Three: Spiritual Strategy: Zen and the Sword
Chapter Four: Classical Ranking in Swordsmanship
Past Two-Fundamentals
Chapter Five: The Uniform
Chapter Six: Fighting Postures
Chapter Seven: Suburito Training
Part Three-Ken-Jutsu: Way of the Sword
Chapter Eight: Bokken Etiquette
Chapter Nine: Two-Man Sword Play: The Kihons
Part Four-Iai-Jutsu: Art of Drawing the Sword
Chapter Ten: Iai Etiquette
Chapter Eleven: Iai Kata with Applications
Afterword
Appendix One: Care of the Sword
Appendix Two: Tying the Sword Cord
Appendix Three: Thing the Sword Bag
Glossary