This book is a treasure trove of information for the student of Japanese martial arts and the scholar alike. It lives up to its name as an encyclopedia of the martial arts of Japan. The book contains entries on a broad range of subjects relating to the martial culture of Japan. Here are some examples:
Lineages and histories of numerous schools including both traditional and modern arts.
Definitions of terms-some very well-known like ki or kata and some obscure such as tohosen (warfare on foot).
Biographical sketches of both historical and modern people, ranging from Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido to Otusubo Yoshihide Dozen, founder of a school of combative horsemanship in the 15th century.
The entries are arranged alphabetically. For the reader who can read Asian languages there are references to Japanese, Chinese and Sanskrit words. In many cases these are highly specialized terms and would not be found in modern language dictionaries.
682 pages.