This is a good book on Kusari fundo in terms of history, context and application. The author explores other allied subjects to fully round out his book - some of these discussion points are only loosely connected to the subject - though they are relevant. The only other obtainable book on the “weighted chain weapon” is Spike and chain - written many years ago and produced in a very small format - Kusari-do goes further: showing a variety of examples of the weapon and looks deeply into its origins. The author also looks at the reality of the mythology surrounding samurai and ninja traditions - also the methods by which traditional weapons practice and techniques have been preserved, recorded and passed down - those methods dependability and accuracy - all excellently done with a readable seriousness. One word of caution: I ordered this book twice - soft cover, to find both suffered from printing flaws - most of the books photos are well composed shots of antique items, dark in tone - in the soft back version these suffer from vertical lines and tonal inconsistency. The hard back is a whole different story in terms of quality - though more money it’s worth it: beautiful photos and better quality paper. Read more

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This book is far more informative about the Kusari-Do that I had hoped for, and at 233 pages its definitely going to be read many times. I wish it were in hard cover format, I will take what I can get. Christian Russo, the author did an EXCELLENT endeavor with this topic indeed. I recommend this book to anyone studying martial arts. Read more

Overall this is a decent book, although there are several inaccuracies concerning Japanese characters (kanji) and historical/cultural assertions in the pre-Meiji period—likewise, the translation from Italian means that the English is sometimes awkward in terms of fluency. However, when focusing on the more modern history of Budo and its meaning, the work is on more solid ground. Unfortunately, it's a bit pricey, so I would wait until it drops down a bit more. Read more

Just finished reading the Kusari-Do book by Christian Russo. This is not just a book of techniques and waza. This is a very well researched book on the history of Kusarifundo. I love the images of all the different types of Kusari. If you like reading about traditional Japanese weapon arts, you really need to read this book. Read more

“Kusari-do” is, at first glance, a very attractive book. Production value is high and the book contains a lot of illustrations, and nice photographs. These are all the positive comments there are to make about “Kusari-do”. All the highly positive reviews must come from readers with very little prior knowledge of Japanese martial arts or at least no prior knowledge of Japanese weapons involving chains. The author seems to make up his own Japanese words and concepts. “Kusari” is Japanese for “chain”, not chained weapon, just -“chain” and there is no such concept or word as “kusari-do” in Japanese. The term “soke-sensei” is another combination of words that a Japanese person would never utilize. The contents of the book are all over the place from the headwear of pearl-divers to hidden cane-swords and “ukemi”, falling-technique for martial arts that have nothing to do with chained weapons. The text of the book is wrapped up in metaphorically named chapters; “first link”, “second link” etc. but most chapters have little or no relevance to chained weapons, the supposed subject of the book, The major chained weapon of Japan, the “kusarigama”, which one would expect to receive a lot of attention, is illustrated with a single photo and mentioned in a couple of pages containing hardly any information at all. The little solid information about Japanese chained weapons revolves around the “manriki-kusari” of “Masaki-ryu”, that is, it seems to focus on an Italian version of the weapon, a version sporting extra-long “fundo”. The book presents the “manriki-kusari” as a “possible ninjutsu-weapon” which it never was. A number of “ryu-ha” supposed to contain the use of chained weapons in their curriculum are mentioned by name only with hardly any details about the weapons or the techniques. One of the very few “ryu-ha” that actually teaches the “kusari-fundo” systematically on a serious level, the “Meifushinkage-ryu”, is mentioned by a few lines and the explanation; “….the chain launched as a sort of reusable shuriken” – so much for relevant research. If you are the parent of a teenager who likes to fantasize about samurai and ninja, the book will probably be a great gift. If you are a serious martial artist with an interest in the lesser known Japanese weapons, the book is a complete waste of money. One will be better off obtaining Gruzanski’s “Spike and Chain” of 1968. Not that Gruzanski’s book offers a lot more insight, it just presents the same information about “kusari-fundo” taking up a lot less space and with a lot less irrelevant information in between. Being willing to spend more money, the best source of information on the subject is Serge Mol’s “Classical Weaponry of Japan” from 2003. The rarity and price of this book can be perceived as a testament to its quality. Read more

Second best book on subject. Get it! Read more