Mount Fuji is renowned worldwide as Japan's highest and most perfectly shaped mountain. Serving as a potent metaphor in classical love poetry and revered since ancient times by mountain-climbing sects of both the Shinto and Buddhist faiths, Fuji has taken on many roles in pre-modern Japan. This...

The first book on Japanese calligraphy from the significant Momoyama and Edo periods (1568–1868), 77 Dances examines the art of writing at a time when it was undergoing a remarkable flowering, as illustrated by over one hundred sumptuous illustrations. Everything...

From the ninth to the fifteenth century, the Angkor Empire was the greatest civilization in Southeast Asia, reaching from the coast of Vietnam to Myanmar, from southern Laos down to the Malay Peninsula. At the heart of this great kingdom ruled by god-kings rose the magnificent towers of Angkor Wat...

Since Cambodia's reopening to the world in the past dozen years, following its genocidal civil war, there has been a burgeoning interest in its history, art and architectural relics. In parallel with this growing popular interest has been a renewal of international scholarly work and corresponding...

To scholars in the field, the need for an up-to-date overview of the art of South Asia has been apparent for decades. Although many regional and dynastic genres of Indic art are fairly well understood, the broad, overall representation of India's centuries of splendor has been lacking. The Art...

Most Westerners are familiar with Taiji Quan (often spelled T'ai Chi Ch'uan), the graceful, dancelike exercise movements practiced by the Chinese to promote health and longevity. However, many do not realize that Taiji is also a martial art, and that it includes practice with weapons, including...

This illuminating work outlines the essential principles and techniques that define the art of ground fighting in most martial arts. More than 1,200 outstanding photographs introduce over 195 practical techniques encompassing all types of ground skills: chokes, head locks, joint locks, pins, ground...

This illuminating work outlines the essential principles and techniques that define the art of holding in most martial arts. More than 1,300 outstanding photographs introduce over 155 practical techniques encompassing all types of holds: joint-lock holds, chokes, head locks, nerve holds, pressure...

This lively introduction to Japanese joinery not only delves lovingly into the unique history and development of Japanese carpentry, but also reveals many secrets of Japanese joinery. Presenting 48 joints, selected from among the several hundred known and used today, this visually exciting book...

The original purpose of iaido was to slay an opponent with one stroke of the sword upon unsheathing. This manual of Eishin-Ryu or "Pure Faith" iaido teaches the most widely practiced sword style, and is illustrated with step-by-step drawings to help students, from beginners...

The original purpose of iaido was to slay an opponent with one stroke of the sword upon unsheathing. This manual of Eishin-Ryu or "Pure Faith" iaido teaches the most widely practiced sword style, and is illustrated with step-by-step drawings to help students, from...

This illuminating work outlines the essential principles and techniques that define the art of striking in most martial arts. More than 1,400 outstanding photographs introduce over 400 practical techniques encompassing all types of strikes: hand strikes, elbow strikes, standing kicks, aerial kicks,...

This illuminating work outlines the essential principles and techniques that define the art of throwing in most martial arts. More than 1,200 outstanding photographs introduce over 130 practical techniques encompassing all types of throws: shoulder throws, hip throws, hand throws, leg throws, sacrifice...

This unique work outlines the essential principles and techniques that define armed and unarmed self-defense involving common weapons. More than 1,400 outstanding photographs introduce over 350 practical techniques spanning seven basic classes of weapons—knife, short-stick, staff, cane, rope,...

What is "Basic Japanese"?

This book presents some very basic words and phrases along with some that are not usually considered "basic" at all. In fact, some of the material in this book is not typically presented until the student is well into his or her study of the Japanese...