What do you think?
Rate this book
Sword and Brush: The Spirit of the Martial Arts
This moment of perfect clarity that is the force behind all the traditional Japanese arts—from archery to flower arranging—is celebrated here in Dave Lowry's exploration of the common principles shared by calligraphy and the martial arts.
Forty-two examples of Lowry's calligraphy, accompanied by his essays, show how the way of the brush reflects the strategic principles of the way of the sword. Each calligraphy represents a term from the martial arts—such as do, the way, or wa, harmony. The accompanying text amplifies our understanding of the term, what it meant to Japanese warriors, and what it means to practitioners of calligraphy and the martial arts today. What becomes clear is that these two seemingly unrelated disciplines actually partake of the same profound elemental spirit.
Forty-two examples of Lowry's calligraphy, accompanied by his essays, show how the way of the brush reflects the strategic principles of the way of the sword. Each calligraphy represents a term from the martial arts—such as do, the way, or wa, harmony. The accompanying text amplifies our understanding of the term, what it meant to Japanese warriors, and what it means to practitioners of calligraphy and the martial arts today. What becomes clear is that these two seemingly unrelated disciplines actually partake of the same profound elemental spirit.
136 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 1995
9 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Read
July 23, 2009Exoticizes the calligraphy of martial arts terms and oversimplifies the stories attached to them. Better to learn of them in other texts instead of in this isolation.
March 30, 2013
just like a ninja this book won't show up on my shelf unless you hover over the blank spot
February 8, 2021
This was a nice overview of Lowry's philosophy through the form of his calligraphy. Clearly, Lowry has great respect for the traditional Japanese arts and culture which comes through in his writing. I enjoyed the overview of how the bushido and arts overlapped with the Samurai class. I struggled a bit with some of the conceptual elements that danced around elements such as Oku, the giving of secrets.
December 22, 2024
Sword and Brush is an amazing book that discusses Japanese martial philosophy through the lens of calligraphy. Lowry demonstrates a master's knowledge of the martial arts and Japanese culture. He shows exactly why there are certain words that just can't translate well to English.
This is a beautifully nuanced read that will appeal to the martial artist and the Japanophile.
This is a beautifully nuanced read that will appeal to the martial artist and the Japanophile.
December 18, 2017
For those who have some Chinese/Japanese language interest, this book provides some martial commentary that expands the understanding of the characters presented either in concept, radical construction, or martial usage. It is a short read.
April 29, 2022
Great book on the duality of the Japanese language.
Explanation of many Japanese words or concepts and the meaning.
Explanation of many Japanese words or concepts and the meaning.
May 2, 2022
Le parole sono viaggi il cui racconto diventa storia....
November 5, 2015
Maybe it’s an early sign of wisdom—I should be so lucky—or maybe it’s more a sign of becoming entrenched in middle age, but the philosophical side of the martial arts has been just as important to me as the physical since probably somewhere around the time I tested for Green Belt.
And this is that kind of book.
Sword and Brush, in a sort of Zen tradition, or what I’m coming to think of as one, at least, discusses what most of us would consider martial arts concepts, although many or most of them can be applied to almost any art, and the Japanese have and do.
Each idea or concept in the book gets a couple of pages of discussion and insight, but it’s not of the format of “here’s the Japanese word for the concept and this is what it means”. Not by any stretch. Mr. Lowry draws links between martial arts concepts and the kanji, Japanese characters, used to write them.
In that small group of pages for each concept, we may get history, mythology, cultural background, or all three. We also get how the kanji visually represent the concept they stand for. Mr. Lowry often shows the reader why the kanji is how it is and, as a long time student of not just martial arts but other arts as well, particularly calligraphy, he offers insights and draws the reader through them in a gentle, logical way each time.
I’ve read a couple of reviews that suggest you could almost look at this book as a series of guided meditations on the concepts it contains, and there’s certainly some value in coming at it from that direction. A lot of martial arts terms that come with the Japanese arts don’t have direct translations. A lot of the semi-direct translations we do have are oversimplified or not terribly clear.
Even just starting with the first chapter, Do: The Way, as English speakers, we already run into trouble. It’s easy to translate Do as “The Way”, but what does that mean, anyway? And what does it require from us? Paying attention to your sensei and the senior students in your dojo, you’ll have some idea of how the way is modelled, locally, and for some that will be enough. But from a Japanese perspective, a traditional Japanese perspective, there’s a lot more there. It’s a journey of mind and spirit as well as body. From there, the author offers up the components of the character for Do, what they signify, and how that relates to the concept itself. And then we’re offered some insights on what it means to travel The Way.
And so on for concepts such as Ryu (Tradition/Style), Kata (Form), Rei (Etiquette), and thirty-eight more. Some are well known to even beginning practitioners, and some will be new even to advanced students. As a shodan, having studied for more than five years when I read this book and still often feeling like I’m just getting started, fifteen or sixteen of the concepts were new to me, and a handful of the ones that weren’t I hadn’t come up against the Japanese term before. For the ones I was familiar with, the author often offered me something new to think about.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars. I really enjoyed this book. The writing is easy to follow and the thinking is deep. If I can’t give it a 5-star rating, that’s likely the fault of the reader, not the author. I think I read this book too quickly, and it’s something I need to return to in a few years with a little more knowledge and understanding under my belt. When I do, I’ll need to tackle it at a much slower pace, I think. On the order of one concept in a sitting, without letting the book pull me through more at a time.
And this is that kind of book.
Sword and Brush, in a sort of Zen tradition, or what I’m coming to think of as one, at least, discusses what most of us would consider martial arts concepts, although many or most of them can be applied to almost any art, and the Japanese have and do.
Each idea or concept in the book gets a couple of pages of discussion and insight, but it’s not of the format of “here’s the Japanese word for the concept and this is what it means”. Not by any stretch. Mr. Lowry draws links between martial arts concepts and the kanji, Japanese characters, used to write them.
In that small group of pages for each concept, we may get history, mythology, cultural background, or all three. We also get how the kanji visually represent the concept they stand for. Mr. Lowry often shows the reader why the kanji is how it is and, as a long time student of not just martial arts but other arts as well, particularly calligraphy, he offers insights and draws the reader through them in a gentle, logical way each time.
I’ve read a couple of reviews that suggest you could almost look at this book as a series of guided meditations on the concepts it contains, and there’s certainly some value in coming at it from that direction. A lot of martial arts terms that come with the Japanese arts don’t have direct translations. A lot of the semi-direct translations we do have are oversimplified or not terribly clear.
Even just starting with the first chapter, Do: The Way, as English speakers, we already run into trouble. It’s easy to translate Do as “The Way”, but what does that mean, anyway? And what does it require from us? Paying attention to your sensei and the senior students in your dojo, you’ll have some idea of how the way is modelled, locally, and for some that will be enough. But from a Japanese perspective, a traditional Japanese perspective, there’s a lot more there. It’s a journey of mind and spirit as well as body. From there, the author offers up the components of the character for Do, what they signify, and how that relates to the concept itself. And then we’re offered some insights on what it means to travel The Way.
And so on for concepts such as Ryu (Tradition/Style), Kata (Form), Rei (Etiquette), and thirty-eight more. Some are well known to even beginning practitioners, and some will be new even to advanced students. As a shodan, having studied for more than five years when I read this book and still often feeling like I’m just getting started, fifteen or sixteen of the concepts were new to me, and a handful of the ones that weren’t I hadn’t come up against the Japanese term before. For the ones I was familiar with, the author often offered me something new to think about.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars. I really enjoyed this book. The writing is easy to follow and the thinking is deep. If I can’t give it a 5-star rating, that’s likely the fault of the reader, not the author. I think I read this book too quickly, and it’s something I need to return to in a few years with a little more knowledge and understanding under my belt. When I do, I’ll need to tackle it at a much slower pace, I think. On the order of one concept in a sitting, without letting the book pull me through more at a time.
July 7, 2009
My aikido teacher recommended this book and I really liked it. Lowry has been a student of Japanese martial arts most of his life, and this book is a series of short meditations on how the written character for various martial-arts vocabulary words relates to the spirit behind the words' definitions. It may be true that it has limited appeal, but the appeal is to more groups than you would think - not just martial artists, but word geeks and anyone who's interested in what Japanese culture was like *before* anime.
October 15, 2009
If you’re familiar with key Japanese terms found in the martial arts – Ki, Do, Kata – Lowry will take your understanding a stage deeper. He examines the written characters that make up these concepts, explaining their origins and meaning in a way that often leads to a fascinating new perspective.
Sword and Brush is the perfect illustration of the link between art, poetry and the practice of ‘Bugei’ (martial arts). The descriptions, in true Zen style are brief, but Lowry packs a great deal of insight into each piece. The vitality of his writing is an achievement in itself. A rare treat.
Sword and Brush is the perfect illustration of the link between art, poetry and the practice of ‘Bugei’ (martial arts). The descriptions, in true Zen style are brief, but Lowry packs a great deal of insight into each piece. The vitality of his writing is an achievement in itself. A rare treat.
July 25, 2015
Lowry gives insight into key terms in Japanese martial arts. It is not like a dictionary, but rather devotes two or three pages to discussing a concept. This is an important book because many martial arts terms do not translate well literally. Lowry goes beyong the literal definition, which may or may not offer insight, into consideration of the nuance of meaning.
It's highly recommended for those studying Japanese martial arts who may not be native speakers.
It's highly recommended for those studying Japanese martial arts who may not be native speakers.
October 25, 2007
This is both a beautiful and insightful book but will be of interest only few. Namely those fascinated by the realtionship between the martial arts and calligraphy.
May 4, 2015
I enjoyed learning about calligraphy, Japanese culture and philosophy. Not sure if it is oversimplified like some reviewers say but it kept my attention and I feel like it increased my knowledge.
March 28, 2017
Nice, to-the-point essays on a variety of topics relevant to martial artists. My one complaint is that the expositions of etymology were cursory. The author's own brush strokes are mere scribbles to the Western eye, and a clearer breakdown of each kanji's components in the text would have been better. For example, telling me there's a radical for "sun" or "halberd" or "broken sticks" in the composition, would be more compelling if that element were shown in the text.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews