The Sword in Japanese Martial Traditions : Via Media Publishing Company : 9781893765481 : 1893765482 : 02 Dec 2017 : If the Way of the warrior is the soul of Japan, their magnificent swords were the tools utilized to form the nation and forge their spirit. You'll find an abundance of information in this special anthology in support of this thesis. Kimberley Taylor wrote four chapters, the first being an interview with 7th-dan Matsuo Haruna. Haruna offers great advice for practitioners based on his first-hand experience. Taylor's two highly researched chapters give overviews of two major iaido schools. Excellent photos and descriptions of katas accompany the text. Taylor's finale is a short piece describing two of his favorite techniques, while Deborah Klens-Bigman's chapter deals with two of her favorite techniques. Another top ranking swordsman, Nicklaus Suino, gets to the finicky details of sword-drawing techniques as performed by masters. From his two chapters, we learn how to watch