Preface vii

1. WHAT IS KENDO? 1
Kendo and Sport 1
Mushin: An Altered State of Consciousness 3
Ki-ai and Body-Mind Integration 7
Kama-e and Ma-ai: Positions and Spacing 9
Suki and Zanshin: Openings and Alertness 16
Sutemi and Heijo-shin: "Go-for-Broke" Attack and Mental Calm 17
Dojo: The Hall of Discipline 19

2. THE IMPACT OF BUDDHIST THOUGHT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SWORDSMANSHIP 22
Shingon Mikkyo's Influence on the Katori-ryu 22
Zen's Influence on the Yagyu-ryu 31
Kendo Meditation 38

3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SWORDSMANSHIP 42
The Historical Setting 42
The Warring States Period (Late Fifteenth to Early Seventeenth Centuries): The Development of Combative Swordsmanship 43
The Tokugawa Period: 1603–1868 63

4. THE DEVELOPMENT OF BUSHIDO, THE CODE OF THE SAMURAI 84
The Historical Development of Bushido 84
Bushido: Its Three Major Features 96
A Critique of Nitobe Inazo's Bushido: The Soul of Japan 99

5. THE MODERN PERIOD 105
Kendo in the Modern Period 106
Bushido in the Modern Period 109
Integration of Martial and Liberal Arts 112

Appendix: Ryu Lineages 117
Notes 121
Annotated References 127
Glossary 135
Index 151