Georgi Krastev & Alex Allera (authors), Yamamoto Takahiro (contributor)
I have finished reading the most insightful book I have ever encountered on budo thought and philosophy. “Unravelling the Cords: The Instructions of a Master in theTradition of Taisha-ryū” by Georgi Krastev & Alex Allera, with significant assistance from Yamamoto Takahiro (Contributor). Krastev and Allera are longtime students of Taisha Ryu, and Yamamoto is a shihan of Taisha Ryu. They know the ryuha, and at least as important in this case, they know the literary and cultural background of the author they are translating.
What they are translating is Nakano Shumei’s 17th century treatise, “Taisha Ryu Kaichu.” Taisha Ryu is a sister art to the more well-known Yagyu Shinkage Ryu. Like Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Taisha Ryu was founded by a menkyo kaiden student of Shinkage Ryu founder Kamiizumi Ise-no Kami Nobutsuna, in this case, Marume Kurando. Nakano Shumei was a late 17th century master of Taisha Ryu, and he wrote the Kaichu to help later generations better understand and practice the art.
The translation of Taisha Kaichu and other writings by Nakano Shumei is excellent, and makes up about a quarter of the Unraveling the Chords. A history of Taisha Ryu and Nakano Shumei, along with the discussion of the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian thought that flows through Nakano’s writing takes up about half of the book, and reference materials, including the original Japanese for all of Nakano’s writings, makes up the last quarter of the book.
Until this volume was published in 2023, Taisha Ryu Kaichu was unknown outside of a few scholars of Taisha Ryu. Like the Heiho Kadensho by Yagyu Munenori of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, it is a treasure of information and budo wisdom. The authors of Unraveling the Chords have done a masterful job of not only translating Taisha Ru Kaichu, but also locating it in the history of Chinese and Japanese philosophical thought. Through extensive footnoting, the authors have made clear just how much an education in these philosophical concepts is needed to truly understand their subject. They point out where seemingly mundane phrases are references to important philosophical concepts that transform the meaning of what is being read.
This is the last of fifty teaching poems by Nakano Shumei contained in the Kaichu. It seems straightforward, yet the authors of Unraveling the Chords took half a page just to list all of the references contained in this brief poem. Without the copious footnotes, the meaning of the Kaichu and all of the other things translated would be completely missed by readers.
In addition to the translation, the authors provide more than 200 pages of history, as well as explanations of the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian ideas and concepts that are necessary to understand Nakano Shumei’s writings. Alone, this necessary background should be a requirement for anyone who is serious about understanding the mental and philosophical aspects of the Japanese martial arts. As a companion to the widely known and generally misunderstood Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, Heiho Kadensho by Yagyu Munenori, or any of the writings of the zen master Takuan Soho, this book is an invaluable resource.
I’ve read all of these books many
times, but after reading the Unraveling the Chords, I find
myself really seeing them for the first time. What Krastev, Allera,
and Yamamoto have done is lay out much of the philosophical world
that these volumes were written in, and give the reader the chance
to begin drawing sophisticated connections. The discussion of the
much abused terms setsuninto and katsujinken is
remarkable. Rather than being terms that Takuan and Yagyu came up
with in their discussions of budo, these are ancient ideas
from Buddhist thought that carry a great deal more meaning than the
simple translations usually seen of “death dealing sword” and
“life giving sword”. There is far too much to attempt here, but
the depth brought to these concepts is eye-opening.
This is a
treasure for all practitioners of budo, whether classical or
modern. The clear explanations of topics that have been presented in
translations of other books that do not contain the accompanying
history and philosophical explanation make reading this book a must.
I am rereading all of my classical budo texts, and what I have
learned from reading Unraveling the Chords has made all of
them completely new books for me.
This is simply the most important text on budo that I own. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. You could buy it from Amazon if you had to, but if you can, I recommend buying it directly from the publisher so they get as much support as possible from the sale.
Thanks to Deborah Klens-Bigman for editing the mess I gave her.
