Flashing Steel, Second Edition: Mastering Eishin-Ryu Swordsmanship Paperback – January 15, 2008

There is a lot of great stuff in Flashing Steel, but there are also a few things to consider before purchasing. The back cover claims, "Flashing Steel is the most comprehensive guide available in iaijutsu...." when in fact its not. It also says, "...with ten partner exercises applying iaido principles in realistic attack and defense situations." I personally wouldn't say they are realistic at all. All that aside, the book is really geared towards beginner to intermediate iaido practitioners and here it delivers.If you are unfamiliar with Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu Iaijutsu, it is a sword art that places tremendous emphasis on attention to detail and precision for mental and spiritual discipline. In fact, this book makes a point of clearly stating the art is not geared toward combat but rather on self-cultivation."The fact that you will probably never engage in a real sword battle may, paradoxically, be the greatest benefit of sword training! Those who train in martial arts that have obvious practical application...too often find themselves so involved in developing skill in the physical self-defense applications of their art that they overlook their mental and spiritual training." (p11)This statement is both very honest and very accurate. The book continues, "...as a martial art that is highly ritualized, moderately paced, and without obvious street-application, iaijutsu provides an ideal environment in which to refine mental and spiritual discipline." Heijoshin is difficult to translate but is roughly equivalent to a 'serene yet fully alert state of mind'. This is the goal of this art.As to the techniques and 42-katas shown, they are very basic and pretty much use the same Nukitsuke (drawing cut), Chiburi (blood removal), and the same Noto (resheathing). To be fair he briefly demonstrates the Chiburi/Noto variation preferred by Katori Shinto Ryu (and myself) but he does not use this in his kata. There is a decent but still slightly lacking description on Kokyu (breath control) and the waza (techniques) are shown from both seiza (kneeling posture) and kamae (stance). The two-man sequences take up a lot of space and the only real value to them from my perspective is to illustrate range, which could have been done with greater economy had that been the author's intention.Beginners may have some trouble following the b/w sequence images for the waza as there are brief actions missing that may not be understood, but as far as martial art books go its not too bad here. I love iaido, but in practice if you are seeking spiritual development, less than a decade of diligent Ashtanga yoga will accomplish more than a lifetime of iaido.Unfortunately the Search Inside feature is not up. The table of contents include:1) History p12) Philosophy p113) Eyes of a Samurai p314) Sword Nomenclature p475) Progression of Training p516) Preparation & Etiquette p637) Fundamentals p858) Omori-ryu Seiza Waza p1239) Chuden Tatehiza (crouching) Waza p15110) Okuden Tatehiza Waza p17511) Okuden Suwariwaza p20912) Tachiuchi (standing) no Kurai p22313) Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei Seitei Iai Kata p25314) Tameshigiri (cutting) p22315) Summary of Eishin-ryu p29916) Promotion Guidelines p30317) Tournament Participation p30918) The Way to Victorious Life p317App A: Samurai no Kokoro-e p333App B: Supplemental MaterialsThe author has the correct positive martial message, and I was continually impressed by this fact. If you are studying Eishin-ryu or plan to in the future, this is an essential guide.

As a self-taught beginner, I wanted one comprehensive, truly instructive book on iaido. This volume is perfect. Unlike a lot of over-priced martial arts books, this has detailed, thorough content and clear photos, at a good price. As a Christian, I disagree with a number of the philosophical/Zen Buddhist themes presented in the book, but even these issues and "precepts" were presented in an excellent generalized format, with room for debate and "translation" into other worldviews. I enjoyed being able to read the philosophical parts of a martial arts book and get something out of it. The actual techniques and descriptions look superlative. The authors keep a good balance between the "art" and actual combat efficiency of the moves. This manual should provide many good hours of learning and practice.

I have read many martial arts books over the years and found this one of the most satisfying. It is so well-written it was actually exciting to read. My yellow highlighter streaks nearly every page. The instructions and photographs are exceptionally clear. The first third of the book (of 338 pp.) deals with fundamentals--and I'm not talking about stance and strikes. The authors offer the clearest summary of martial arts philosophy I've ever read, covering its spiritual basis, attitude and a student's appropriate progression. For example, technique should progress "big-strong-fast-light," meaning get the basic form down accurately, learn to do it well (with power), then speed and lightness will come almost effortlessly and, with repetition will increase one's power and accuracy. These contextual explanations help considerably when doing the techniques.The dual authorship by a Japanese and an American master, who have worked together for decades, greatly enhances the book's presentation. The use of annoyingly obscure (to us English-speakers)Japanese words and phrases is not overdone, as in many martial arts books and is always clearly explained. I don't actually do iajustsu or iado, but this book has helped considerably with my kenjustu practice and bokken workouts.This book is so much better than Nicklaus Suino's "The Art of Japanese Swordship" (on the same Eishin-Ryu Iado), but that's another review.

Good companion for iaido practice, well written, but it only gets 4 out of 5 start because the photos inside are a bit small. Description of the techniques is good.010713. I have the book now for some time and love it even more, it description is good, and the photos give a very good idea about how each technique is performed but would have liked to have some extra photos that show in close up how the hands and fingers are positioned in some of the techniques. Other than that it is worth its price and I use it outside the dojo to review the different waza's ettc.

First let me start by saying the First Edition is a fantastic book as the other reviewers have said. With that said the 2nd Edition is that much better. I own both editions. Where the first edition might have 4 photos of a series, the 2nd edition has 16 to 20. This means that you can see what the intermediate positions look like. The first edition is ~270 pages while the second edition is ~335. Also, the second edition is physically larger.Even if you already own the first edition I would recommend the second edition. Also, I would recommend Samurai Swordmanship Vol. 1: Basic Sword Program by Masayuki Shimabukuro as the author demonstrates what he describes in the book. The DVD does not match up perfectly with the book but is great for actually seeing and hearing how things are done. Also, it will help with your pronunciation.