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Yamabuki's World -- 12th Century Japan

Yamabuki travels from the Taka compound to the capital of Heian-kyo.

22 December 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence
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Archery and War

Hazard Sensei used to say that archery was the prefered method of fighting in old Japan. Swords were too personal. Too in close. Too involved with the opponent. Archery was “better.” In fact, the old Japanese root word for “war” is said to come from something approximate to “archery exchange.” As I draw to a close in my work on Cold Heart, I draw inspiration from a very nice video that resonates....

6 December 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence
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Matsue Castle: Still original, now a treasure

Truly a treasure.

10 August 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence
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Will a long sword best a shorter sword? The “Nodachi” double-length sword.

Toshiro Mifune carries a nodachi in Seven Samurai. In Kurosawa’s film Seven Samurai, Toshiro Mifune plays the character Kikuchiyo, the seventh (and odd-ball member) of the seven samurai. For those not familiar with the film, the concept is that seven unemployed samurai (sometimes called ronin, literally “man of the wave”) are hired by a group of hapless farmers to protect the farmers’ village against a relentless band of marauders. Mifune’s character is shown hefting a sword so long that it has to be carried over the shoulder like a lance....

9 August 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence
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Seventh Book, COLD RAIN, 冷雨, Added to the Yamabuki Series

An excerpt.

22 July 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence