The Origins of Human Violence

Bibliography:
DeMente, Boye LaFayette. "The Origins of Human Violence: Male Dominance, Ignorance, Religions and Willful Stupidity!" Phoenix Books. Kentucky. 2010.

Review: I, as can readily be determined, am reading yet another book by Mr. DeMente. I am reading his view of Violence. I must say that his view is a bit "different" yet actually the same as others I have experienced. He has a lot to say about "men/males" along with their dominating role in violence. I recommend it as it supplements all the other material nicely.

I mean I had not gotten past the fist two paragraphs before I had to grab the highlighter and highlight both paragraphs. I was flabbergasted and enjoyed those first two immensely.

A teaser: "Throughout human history there have always been elements of ignorance and stupidity in the mindset and behavior of males that have inflected incredible violence and suffering on most of mankind since day one. " - Boye LaFayette DeMente

I am so looking forward to reading all of his thoughts and idea's.

p.s. reader beware, his voice and message can be challenging when you read this one. He really hits hard, fast and without gloves pointing to many uncomfortable views.

Samurai Strategies

Bibliography:
DeMente, Boye LaFayette. "Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets from Musashi's Book of Five Rings." Tuttle Publishing. Vermont. 2008.

Review: Mr. DeMente takes his vast knowledge of Japanese culture along with his expertise and association with Michihiro Matsumoto on Samurai and Musashi Miyamoto to bring clarity to the seven traits of the Samurai and the Book of Five Rings.

Like all his books on the culture of the Orient this opens the door to the relations between the feudal era that brought into being the culture, customs and beliefs that drive the Japanese today to the interpretation of the book of five rings along with close insight to the personality of the "sword saint" Miyamoto Musashi.

The book of five rings can be a bit difficult for us to connect to our martial practice but this book brings a strong spot light on that issue illuminating and educating with benefits to all of us be martial artists or just curious.

A Must have book!

The Lone Samurai

Bibliography:
Wilson, William Scott. "The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi." Kodansha USA. 2004.

Review: A library would not be complete if nothing were on its shelves about "The Sword Saint," Miyamoto Musashi. I started withe the fictional rendition many years ago and then found the book. A complete joy to read.

The Way of Kata

Bibliography:
Kane, Lawrence A. and Wilder, Chris. "The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications." YMAA. New York. 2005.

Review: My first book on kata and what an eye opener. I had read things in the past and had arrived at my own conclusions but this book put many labels and idea's on what I knew and most importantly what I did not know. The gap between the two was not balanced with a much larger gap on the not know side.

If you are trying to work out the why of kata, begin here. Yes, there are other books, etc. on the subject and many are good and informative but this one is great for the first venture into a very complex world of martial art kata (notice I specified martial kata vs. Shikata of Japan).

The only thing better, a solid Sensei who has a solid hold on kata, kata practice and most important teaching kata.

Bibliography:
Okakura, Kakuzo. "The Book of Tea." Dover Publications. New York. 1906, 2010.

Review: Not until today have I come across a better expression of the many facets of a custom, culture and belief system. This is the "first" piece I would recommend be studied for it will connect everything into one cohesive understanding - a beginning.

This is something, similar to the go rin no sho and I Ching, that warrants many readings of which my first is occurring in the present. I can feel that my studies warrant a re-read from time to time just to open the door a bit wider and gain increased understanding.

First, I discover a greater depth and breadth to kata. Second, I lean of specific terminologies that transcend the narrow functions of the dojo allowing for a wider view of life. Third, it provides the results from the origins, i.e. Confucianism, Buddhism and Zen-ism.

Let me introduce you to "The Book of Tea" written by Okakura Kakuzo Sensei. Reading his background leaves me not doubt as to his ability to convey sometimes mystically enshrouded customs, cultures and beliefs of a society. This lead into a culture that gave birth to such as martial arts is illuminating.

Rhinoceros Zen

Bibliography:
Brooks, Jeffrey M. "Rhinoceros Zen: Zen Martial Arts and the path to Freedom." eCommunities LLC/FightingArts.com 2005.

Review: Well written and wonderful account of one's travels in the martial arts direction with additional insight toward the Zen aspects.

One of the favorites in my library. I have read it twice over the years since it was published. Gaining views and thoughts from as many as possible provides the brain data for retrieval and analysis where it comes into play for practice and eventually application. Well worth the few bucks to purchase.

Angry White Pyjamas

Bibliography:
Twigger, Robert. "Angry White Pyjamas: A Scrawny Oxford Poet Takes Lessons from the Tokyo Riot Police." IT Books. 2000.

Review: I read this one a while back and remember I enjoyed and learned a lot from this writer's experiences in Japan. Now that I am discovering some more about the culture in general and some specifics toward martial arts this book becomes clearer and although well explained - more explainable to some spaces between the stories.

This book has many values I can't remember here but I found it a valuable asset to my library and you will too.

Just another indication that a library shall be large simply because no one source can explain such things that took the Asian's centuries to develop into its society, culture and customs. Enlightening ..... besides I kind of like the cover of the karate-gi empty of human's, there is some symbolism here I think ;-)

In The Dojo

Bibliography:
Lowry, Dave. "In the Dojo: A Guide to the Rituals and Etiquette of the Japanese Martial Arts." Weatherhill. New York. 2006.

Review: I can not say enough about the contributions Mr. Lowry has provided by his writing about the many aspects of martial systems. This one in particular is a good start point for the uninitiated before taking on the daunting task of finding a good training facility (dojo).

While your at it, as I will be listing here as we progress, you will find his "Koryu" views meaningful and inspiring. Add this along with the many other recommendations and you can build a good solid foundation of knowledge to build your own martial arts knowledge base.

Remember, the brain needs some data to asses when working so this is a good point to begin encoding such important data but remember it is always, always, open for change, interpretations and new belief systems.

Martial Arts Instruction

Bibliography:
Kane, Lawrence A. "Martial Arts Instruction: Applying Educational Theory and Communication Techniques in the Dojo." YMAA. New York. 2004.

Review: So little has been written with any validation on this subject it is criminal and yet this book does a wonderful job of laying out a plan for Sensei, instructors or teachers. Well written and well thought out material. This is a great start point for anyone who want to open a dojo.

You just cannot lose by reading Kane Sensei's book(s) :-)

Japan's Cultural Code Words

Bibliography:
DeMente, Boye Lafayette. "Japan's Cultural Code Words: 233 Key Terms That Explain the Attitudes and Behavior of the Japanese." Tuttle. Vermont, Tokyo and Singapore. 2004.

Review: This book supplements the Japanese Kata book more than I would have imagined. After all, I only bought this one because it was the same author but it was an excellent purchase and opened my eyes to many more things that I assumed were martial art oriented and confirmed that many aspects of the martial arts, the dojo and the Sensei were merely the Japanese living their culture into the dojo.

This book explains many terms and how they reflect the culture, beliefs and disciplines that seem to dictate how and why Japanese are Japanese.

You may think this is not necessary when you see it mostly discusses the view of doing business in Japan but don't allow that to dissuade you from reading it for it has many connections to the why and how of the Japanese martial arts dojo, Sensei and system.