In English, our slang expressions and idioms reflect the role firearms have played in our history. No doubt you've heard many of them: “He's firing with both barrels,” “You should stick to your guns,” and so on. In Japan, the sword was the weapon that dominated. Whether you were a samurai who carried two swords or a member of another class who wore a single long or short sword, the blade played an enormous role in your culture.

Senryu are not as familiar to Westerners as the more popular haiku. Senryu look much like haiku, but they don’t usually contain a seasonal word and they’re often more like aphorisms. They’re little bits of doggerel that often contain truths hidden in humor or quiet commentaries on the human condition. There are several senryu that address the life and culture of the samurai class and its martial arts. It’s revealing to look at them because they give us an idea of how the samu

Imagine a political leader going to Duluth to tell Minnesotans this: “You are the descendants of Vikings. You have the blood of warriors...

There was a saying in old Japan: Bushi wa kuwanedo taka-yoji.  Roughly translated, it means, “When he’s hungry, the samurai uses a...

There are lots of mistakes to be made when learning the sword - beginning with picking one up without having had proper instruction....

Given the proliferation of social media in the martial arts community, one sees all sorts of posts nowadays related to Japanese budo and...