My Frustration Journey Finding Japanese Martial Arts Guides
Man, I got super hyped watching these flashy samurai movies last winter. Thought “Why not learn some legit Japanese fighting techniques?” Big mistake. Expected smooth sailing finding resources. Reality? Total mess.
Started simple. Googled “learn Japanese martial arts basics” expecting neat tutorials. Got buried under ads for fancy studios in Tokyo charging insane fees. Like seriously, who pays 200 bucks per hour for “introductory breathing techniques”? Not me.
Checked generic video platforms next. Searched “Kenjutsu foundations” hoping for structured lessons. Found 5-minute clips of some dude randomly whacking a tree with a stick. Zero explanations. Scrolled more – absolute chaos. Eight different styles jammed into one chaotic playlist.
Pivoted to book hunting. Figured old-school martial arts manuals existed. Wandered through three local bookstores. Found tons on karate or ninjas. Barely anything on Koryū stuff. Staff looked confused when I asked. One guy suggested I try manga. Helpful? Not.
Joined some online groups. Thought veterans would point me right. Big mistake. Asked about Judo or Aikido starter drills. Got instantly roasted. “Real warriors practice Kobudō!” shouted one guy. Another demanded I pledge loyalty to his secret sword school in Osaka before “revealing the path”. Too cultish.
Dug into academic papers next. Found dusty journals detailing feudal weapon techniques. Super specific stuff like “17th-century Naginata grip variations”. Cool for historians, useless for beginners. Felt like reading ancient tax codes.
How I Actually Got Started After Wasting Months
Eventually smashed my head against these walls long enough to stumble on actual help.
- University Library Rabbit Hole: Spent a full weekend scanning anthropology sections. Found three legit English manuals buried between folklore studies. One actually broke down basic Jo staff moves step-by-step with photos!
- Reddit Goldmine (Seriously): Some smaller martial arts communities were kind. Got three straight-to-the-point PDF guides shared privately. Finally found clear differentiation: Kendō = bamboo swords, Iaidō = solo katana forms, Jūjutsu = grabby stuff. Mind blown.
- Local Workshops I Overlooked: Turned out some guy taught traditional Bō staff stuff at a community center 10 minutes away. Cheap trial session showed proper striking form vs my terrible tree-whacking attempts. Had to humbly admit walking into a room was necessary.
Ended up mixing physical practice with texts. Learned the hard way: True resources exist, but sifting through noise takes brutal persistence. Forget quick fixes. Watch out for self-appointed online senseis demanding loyalty oaths. Real teachers won’t charge you 200 bucks just to breathe.
