Reviews for 5,000 Years Of Korean Martial Arts

The average rating for 5,000 Years Of Korean Martial Arts based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-03-13 00:00:00 Kevyn Smith A Fascinating History of Korean Martial Arts Author Barry Harmon writes his book, "5,000 Years of Korean Martial Arts" from the perspective of a modern day practitioner of ancient Korean martial arts. Harmon is a ninth degree black belt in Kuk Sool Won, a systematic study of all of the traditional fighting arts spanning the entire martial arts history of Korea. Harmon's mastery of several martial arts systems including Tae Kwon Do and Kuk Sool Won combined with his extensive research into martial arts history make him uniquely qualified to undertake such an ambitious history. A great challenge of documenting Korean martial arts history comes from dealing with centuries of concerted efforts by neighboring countries, particularly Japan, to portray Korean martial arts as inferior, inadequate, and derivative. Harmon builds a convincing case of evidence to suggest that nothing could be further from the truth. Detailed historical descriptions of battles are provided, including translations of letters and journal entries written by generals in the field paint vivid images of courageous, skilled, trained, heroic warriors. I particularly enjoy the numerous pictures and illustrations of antique weapons and historical figures, as they bring to life periods of history so different than anything experienced anywhere else in the world. Exploding cannon balls, arrow tips, and amazing battle contraptions come vividly to life in pictures, making related stories much easier to follow. There is so much breadth and depth to this book, far beyond simply describing military strategy, battles and their outcomes. I love the description of the codes of conduct for the Hwarang, who studied the five cardinal principles of human relations (kindness, justice, courtesy, intelligence, and faith), the six arts (etiquette, music, archery, horsemanship, writing, and mathematics), the three scholarly occupations (royal tutor, instructor, and teacher), and the six ways to serve the government (holy minister, good minister, loyal minister, wise minister, virtuous minister, and honest minister). I highly recommend "5,000 Years of Korean Martial Arts" to anyone interested in the history of Korea, and all serious students of martial arts.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-08-03 00:00:00 Saber Saad I read this because a character in a novel I'm writing told me that he practices ninjutsu. I thought ninjutsu was all about assassins in black doing acrobatic karate, but this book enlightened me on the subject. I really can't comment as to how good of a guide to actually practicing ninjutsu this is, but I can say it does a good job of explaining the philosophy behind the art and the specific practices it covers. The philosophy relates to life as well as fighting, and I think my character's study of ninjutsu will probably work as a controlling metaphor in my novel. Anyway, this is an interesting, quick read, and I really enjoyed it. I give it four out of five stars.