A Quick Guide to Martial Arts

Yamamoto Kansuke (1493-1561) was a hero of the century long Sengoku Era, roughly 1467-1600. Though partially blind and lame in one leg, Yamamoto Kansuke's prowess as a military strategist was legendary and his methods became a subject of study. In the Edo Era 1600-1868 several illustrated volumes attributed to him appeared, introducing his methods. These books explain his sword, spear and hidden weapon techniques. The A Closer Look at The Sword Scroll series examines the many books attributed to Yamamoto Kansuke. While identical in parts, each book contains interesting variations that collectively add a great deal of information to those interested in traditional Japanese martial arts and military strategy. Originally presented as one volume, each book has been completely re-formatted and expanded, ideal for close study.A Closer Look at The Sword Scroll volume 3 features A Quick Guide to Martial Arts. Both the date of publication and the artist are unclear, however it was probably published in the late Edo Era (19th century.) This version is notable since it includes two sections which are absent from volumes 1, 2 & 4. There is no table of contents in this volume, so I have titled them Unarmed Fighting and Staff Fighting. These two sections are unique to A Quick Guide to Martial Arts. However, they are identical to sections from a Chinese book compiled in 1621 called Treatise on Armament Technology by Mao Yuanyi. Further, the same Unarmed Fighting techniques are partially transcribed in a Meiji Era book called Secrets of the Sword and Spear by Ishibashi Nakawa. This information has all been included and translated.