Flashing Steel, the best-selling and highly acclaimed book on iaijutsu (alternatively called iaido), is as much about bringing life into focus as it is about techniques of swordsmanship. Iaijutsu was the martial art of the samurai of feudal Japan who remain the most enduring of warrior icons, equally popular in the East and the West. Iaijutsu sword training has philosophical tenets that inform the warrior’s life, building compassion and self-discipline both inside and outside the dojo.
Shimabukuro Shihan and Pellman Sensei combine practical exercises, photographs, and historical and cultural context in a thoughtful guide to this most popular of Japanese sword arts. The book features Master Masayuki Shimabukuro’s renowned expertise and classical training, with Leonard Pellman adapting the information for a Western audience. Included here are dozens of kata (formal training patterns) that govern iaijutsu, with partner exercises applying the principles of the art in realistic attack and defense situations. These kata are also widely practiced by students of kendo, aikido, and other sword-based martial arts, giving the book a wider relevance beyond iaijutsu. This second edition of Flashing Steel includes new techniques, updated photographs, and theoretical explanations for both new and existing sword forms.
About the Author
Born in 1948 in Osaka, Japan,
Shimabukuro Hanshi began his sword training in 1975 under the direct supervision of
Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa, Hanshi
, 20th generation grandmaster of Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu in Osaka, Japan. Shimabukuro Sensei was appointed Kokusai Bucho (International Chairman) of the Nippon Kobudo Jikishin-kai by Miura Hanshi, and entrusted with dissemination of authentic Eishin-ryu Samurai swordsmanship worldwide outside of Japan. Since that appointment, Shimabukuro Sensei has traveled throughout the world teaching Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu Iaido, Shindo Muso Ryu jojutsu and other traditional Samurai arts. He has established Jikishin-Kai International Training Groups and member schools in Europe, North America, South America, Central America, Asia and Australia.
Shimabukuro sensei is the senior-most student of Miura Takeyuki Hanshi and is presently the highest ranked member of the Nippon Kobudo Jikishin-kai under Miura Sensei in the world.
Masayuki Shimabukuro is presently ranked 8th dan in Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu Iaido (Iaijutsu), 8th dan Shito-ryu Karate-do, 7th dan in Shindo Muso-Ryu Jojutsu and holds the coveted title of Hanshi in both Iaido and Karate-do. Hanshi is the highest title one can achieve in the Traditional Japanese Martial Arts.
Pellman Sensei was first introduced to traditional Japanese martial arts at the age of 14 when, in 1966, his parents enrolled him in a judo school in San Diego, California. His fascination with iaijutsu began in 1973 and he started studying with Shimabukuro Hanshi in 1991. As a senior member of the Nippon Kobudo Jikishin-Kai USA, Pellman Sensei currently heads the Indiana branch dojo of the Jikishin-Kai.
