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The Fighting Spirit of Japan
An examination of the place of the martial arts in Japanese culture includes discussions of the history, philosophy, and techniques of judo, karate, wrestling, and fencing
- GenresMartial ArtsHistory
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1912
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38 people want to read
About the author
E.J. Harrison
26 books2 followersErnest John Harrison was a journalist, author, and judoka. He wrote many books about the practice of judo, some of which were among the first books in English on the practice.
Harrison began his career as a journalist, working for newspapers in England, British Columbia, and Japan. He enjoyed wrestling, and while working for the Japan Herald in Yokohama, he began training in jujutsu. He later moved to Tokyo, and in 1911, he became the first foreign-born person to achieve shodan (black belt ranking).
In World War I, Harrison served in the Labour Corps of the British Army, and later transferred to Military Intelligence. Following the war, he became the official press attaché and ELTA correspondent in the Lithuanian legation to the U.K. in London. He published several books about Lithuania. During the Second World War, Harrison worked as censor in the British Post Office. After the war, he wrote and translated judo books.
Harrison began his career as a journalist, working for newspapers in England, British Columbia, and Japan. He enjoyed wrestling, and while working for the Japan Herald in Yokohama, he began training in jujutsu. He later moved to Tokyo, and in 1911, he became the first foreign-born person to achieve shodan (black belt ranking).
In World War I, Harrison served in the Labour Corps of the British Army, and later transferred to Military Intelligence. Following the war, he became the official press attaché and ELTA correspondent in the Lithuanian legation to the U.K. in London. He published several books about Lithuania. During the Second World War, Harrison worked as censor in the British Post Office. After the war, he wrote and translated judo books.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 10, 2016
Good no-nonsense budo story. I liked the chapters on Zen, Kenjutsu and the role of females.
September 3, 2021
I borrowed an old and tattered copy from a libray in a dojo in Okinawa. I read it during my commute on the bus on the island from one town to the other. This book is part philosophical and part informational. It talks about the mindset of a fighter, but also touches on the different martial art forms in Japan, their history and evolution. It talks in length about karate, aikido and judo. I really enjoyed learning about specific fighting concepts that have definite terms in Japanese. For example, "Kurai" is the state of mind of a person afloat on a boat, or "Fudochin" is imperturbability of a mind in a state of emergency.
June 25, 2015
A great book about the beginning of Judo and Kodokan which also expertly skims the surface of the esoteric aspects of the art.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews