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Flashing Steel, 25th Anniversary Edition: Mastering Eishin-Ryu Swordsmanship
Revised and updated, the classic guide to the techniques, philosophy, and applications of iaijutsu --the art of self-defense with the Japanese sword.
The 25th anniversary edition of the best-selling, highly acclaimed classic Flashing Steel introduces updated techniques, drills, and practices for students and practitioners of iaijutsu (or iaido ). This complete essential resource on the Japanese sword arts expands on the two previous editions with additional practices, deep attention to foundational elements, and practical techniques--including 55 ways of deploying a samurai sword in self-defense.
Expanded and revised, the memorial edition of Flashing Steel includes updates on promotion guidelines, tournaments, extended series of solo quick-draw exercises, and more, plus two added sets of solo techniques and three added sets of partner exercises to develop timing, distance control, angles of attack and defense, mental focus, and attitude. It provides a deep survey of fundamentals like training progression, preparation, etiquette, and proper sword nomenclature. Students will learn realistic defense and attack scenarios with wider applications to martial arts like kendo and aikido, while absorbing the philosophical tenets that inform and infuse the warrior's life with meaning and fulfillment.
Organized into 23 chapters with black and white photographs throughout, this anniversary edition also includes an expanded history of iaijutsu, and an updated biography and tribute to the late Masayuki Shimabukuro, with personal anecdotes from the making of Flashing Steel that reveal his life and character.
The 25th anniversary edition of the best-selling, highly acclaimed classic Flashing Steel introduces updated techniques, drills, and practices for students and practitioners of iaijutsu (or iaido ). This complete essential resource on the Japanese sword arts expands on the two previous editions with additional practices, deep attention to foundational elements, and practical techniques--including 55 ways of deploying a samurai sword in self-defense.
Expanded and revised, the memorial edition of Flashing Steel includes updates on promotion guidelines, tournaments, extended series of solo quick-draw exercises, and more, plus two added sets of solo techniques and three added sets of partner exercises to develop timing, distance control, angles of attack and defense, mental focus, and attitude. It provides a deep survey of fundamentals like training progression, preparation, etiquette, and proper sword nomenclature. Students will learn realistic defense and attack scenarios with wider applications to martial arts like kendo and aikido, while absorbing the philosophical tenets that inform and infuse the warrior's life with meaning and fulfillment.
Organized into 23 chapters with black and white photographs throughout, this anniversary edition also includes an expanded history of iaijutsu, and an updated biography and tribute to the late Masayuki Shimabukuro, with personal anecdotes from the making of Flashing Steel that reveal his life and character.
592 pages, Paperback
Published October 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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December 31, 2025A very complete bible of swordsmanship, including not only the complete Eisin-Ryu curriculum, but also chapters on its history, the ZNKR Seitei kata, test cutting, grading and tournament participation. I especially appreciated the extensive treatment of the culture, traditions and philosophy.
February 21, 2021
If you are studying MJER then you need this edition of this book.
Things to Like
This is a great improvement on previous editions.
Leonard Pellman (what a perfect name for a swordsman) could easily have left the existing edition alone and used the extra material to create a second volume. To his credit, he has not. Instead, the existing sections have been revised and expanded. The history section is particularly improved.
The syllabus covered has been expanded to include the likes of:
Hyanuki
Batto Ho
Bangai
Both versions of TUNK
Tsumeai no kuri
Both versions of Daisho Zume
This makes it, by far, the most comprehensive reference for MJER in English. And it is very generously illustrated.
Masayuki Shimabukuro also has ideas about martial arts as a complete way of life. These will be of interest well beyond MJER. They are philosophical, but firmly grounded in real life.
Things to not Like
The Seitei Iaido chapter feels a bit redundant. There is nothing particularly wrong with it. But kendo organisations produce many Seitei guides and it is, after all, their thing. I would not have noticed if this chapter had not been included. If the author felt the need to step outside Masaoka-ha then I would have preferred something like more detail about something like Shimomura-ha. Or even other Koryu.
Because there are lots of pictures, some of them are a bit poor. There are sections where I think fewer and larger pictures would have been more useful.
The TUNK pictures are not as useful as they could be. They are mostly taken from a wide neutral position and there are too few close-up pictures. What is worse, the models are all out of distance. I appreciate that it is common to demonstrate TUNK out of distance in class for safety and visibility. But illustrations in a book should clearly show where the attacks are aimed.
Things to Like
This is a great improvement on previous editions.
Leonard Pellman (what a perfect name for a swordsman) could easily have left the existing edition alone and used the extra material to create a second volume. To his credit, he has not. Instead, the existing sections have been revised and expanded. The history section is particularly improved.
The syllabus covered has been expanded to include the likes of:
Hyanuki
Batto Ho
Bangai
Both versions of TUNK
Tsumeai no kuri
Both versions of Daisho Zume
This makes it, by far, the most comprehensive reference for MJER in English. And it is very generously illustrated.
Masayuki Shimabukuro also has ideas about martial arts as a complete way of life. These will be of interest well beyond MJER. They are philosophical, but firmly grounded in real life.
Things to not Like
The Seitei Iaido chapter feels a bit redundant. There is nothing particularly wrong with it. But kendo organisations produce many Seitei guides and it is, after all, their thing. I would not have noticed if this chapter had not been included. If the author felt the need to step outside Masaoka-ha then I would have preferred something like more detail about something like Shimomura-ha. Or even other Koryu.
Because there are lots of pictures, some of them are a bit poor. There are sections where I think fewer and larger pictures would have been more useful.
The TUNK pictures are not as useful as they could be. They are mostly taken from a wide neutral position and there are too few close-up pictures. What is worse, the models are all out of distance. I appreciate that it is common to demonstrate TUNK out of distance in class for safety and visibility. But illustrations in a book should clearly show where the attacks are aimed.
June 30, 2021
Often omits important details, both from the kata descriptions and from photographs.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews