Steel Against Steel: A Martial Scholar's Comparison of Japanese Swordsmanship and European Fencing Traditions
Two of history's most sophisticated sword-fighting traditions developed independently across opposite ends of Eurasia, each shaped by distinct metallurgy, battlefield demands, and philosophical worldviews. Placing Japanese kenjutsu and European fencing traditions side by side reveals not only technical divergence but a profound meditation on how culture shapes combat—and how combat, in turn, shapes culture. For American martial artists increasingly drawn to both disciplines, the comparison illum