Japan the Ultimate Samurai Guide: An Insider Looks at the Japanese Martial Arts and Surviving in the Land of Bushido and Zen (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9784805313756)

Alexander Bennett first came to Japan from New Zealand in 1987 as a 17-year old high school exchange student. On a whim, he decided to try his hand at kendo even though he had never seen it before, because it looked "cool", like something out of Star Wars. Overcoming the initial language and cultural barriers, he survived many ruthless training sessions meted out by the club's sensei--and yet the more he learned, the more he sensed that there was so much more to Budo than meets the eye. Acutely aware that he had merely scratched the surface, he soon returned to Japan at the age of 19 to embark on a "spiritual journey" of personal discovery. Bennett has since immersed himself for the past 25 years in the world of Budo--the traditional Japanese Martial Arts. He holds the black belt grades of Kendo Kyoshi 7-dan, Iaido 5-dan and Naginata 5-dan. He has competed successfully in many international naginata and kendo competitions, taking second place in the World Naginata Championships in 2011, and best 8 in the team event at the World Kendo Championships in 2012. He co-founded and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Kendo World, the world's first English-language journal dedicated to kendo. He has received two doctoral degrees in Japanese literature and history from Kyoto University and the University of Canterbury (NZ). He is currently Associate Professor at Kansai University where he teaches courses in Japanese history, martial arts, and Budo theory. He is Vice President of the International Naginata Federation, International Committee Member of the All Japan Kendo Federation, Director of the Japanese Academy of Budo, and he represents NZ Kendo as the Head Coach.