Author: Michael DeMarco
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 139
Book Description
If the Way of the warrior is the soul of Japan, their magnificent swords were the tools utilized to form the nation and forge their spirit. You’ll find an abundance of information in this special anthology in support of this thesis. Kimberley Taylor wrote four chapters, the first being an interview with 7th-dan Matsuo Haruna. Haruna offers great advice for practitioners based on his first-hand experience. Taylor’s two highly researched chapters give overviews of two major iaido schools. Excellent photos and descriptions of katas accompany the text. Taylor’s finale is a short piece describing two of his favorite techniques, while Deborah Klens-Bigman’s chapter deals with two of her favorite techniques. Another top ranking swordsman, Nicklaus Suino, gets to the finicky details of sword-drawing techniques as performed by masters. From his two chapters, we learn how to watch for telltale signs of expertise and come to a greater appreciation of the art of drawing the sword. Jonathan Seckler’s chapter translates and comments on an essay written by Chozanshi Shissai in 1729. He argues that Neo-Confucianism rather than Zen became the foundation of swordsmanship, and illustrates how the sword arts began to be appreciated for their use for self-development. Andrew Bryant’s chapter focuses on poems passed down within the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu School of Iaido. These poems correspond to techniques contained within the system created in the 17th century. The author presents each poem and offers provides textual descriptions of their corresponding applications with each sword technique illustrated. Joseph Svinth’s research presents the earliest kendo clubs to form in Canada. The socio-cultural settings add much flavor to this chapter. Information is provided regarding notable instructors, training, and competitions. Another way to better understand a martial tradition of one country is to compare it with another. Matthew Galas compares and contrasts sword arts in Germany with the Japanese traditions. The focus is on general principles and combat philosophy. Devotees to sword practice are well award that scabbards get damaged. Michael Babin’s chapter shows “how to” build a serviceable scabbard according talents of anyone moderately handy with tools. The twelve chapters described above should inspire further research and practice in the Japanese sword arts, plus bring a greater appreciation for their unique place in world history and culture.
The Sword in Japanese Martial Traditions, Vol. 2
Author: Michael DeMarco
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 139
Book Description
If the Way of the warrior is the soul of Japan, their magnificent swords were the tools utilized to form the nation and forge their spirit. You’ll find an abundance of information in this special anthology in support of this thesis. Kimberley Taylor wrote four chapters, the first being an interview with 7th-dan Matsuo Haruna. Haruna offers great advice for practitioners based on his first-hand experience. Taylor’s two highly researched chapters give overviews of two major iaido schools. Excellent photos and descriptions of katas accompany the text. Taylor’s finale is a short piece describing two of his favorite techniques, while Deborah Klens-Bigman’s chapter deals with two of her favorite techniques. Another top ranking swordsman, Nicklaus Suino, gets to the finicky details of sword-drawing techniques as performed by masters. From his two chapters, we learn how to watch for telltale signs of expertise and come to a greater appreciation of the art of drawing the sword. Jonathan Seckler’s chapter translates and comments on an essay written by Chozanshi Shissai in 1729. He argues that Neo-Confucianism rather than Zen became the foundation of swordsmanship, and illustrates how the sword arts began to be appreciated for their use for self-development. Andrew Bryant’s chapter focuses on poems passed down within the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu School of Iaido. These poems correspond to techniques contained within the system created in the 17th century. The author presents each poem and offers provides textual descriptions of their corresponding applications with each sword technique illustrated. Joseph Svinth’s research presents the earliest kendo clubs to form in Canada. The socio-cultural settings add much flavor to this chapter. Information is provided regarding notable instructors, training, and competitions. Another way to better understand a martial tradition of one country is to compare it with another. Matthew Galas compares and contrasts sword arts in Germany with the Japanese traditions. The focus is on general principles and combat philosophy. Devotees to sword practice are well award that scabbards get damaged. Michael Babin’s chapter shows “how to” build a serviceable scabbard according talents of anyone moderately handy with tools. The twelve chapters described above should inspire further research and practice in the Japanese sword arts, plus bring a greater appreciation for their unique place in world history and culture.
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 139
Book Description
If the Way of the warrior is the soul of Japan, their magnificent swords were the tools utilized to form the nation and forge their spirit. You’ll find an abundance of information in this special anthology in support of this thesis. Kimberley Taylor wrote four chapters, the first being an interview with 7th-dan Matsuo Haruna. Haruna offers great advice for practitioners based on his first-hand experience. Taylor’s two highly researched chapters give overviews of two major iaido schools. Excellent photos and descriptions of katas accompany the text. Taylor’s finale is a short piece describing two of his favorite techniques, while Deborah Klens-Bigman’s chapter deals with two of her favorite techniques. Another top ranking swordsman, Nicklaus Suino, gets to the finicky details of sword-drawing techniques as performed by masters. From his two chapters, we learn how to watch for telltale signs of expertise and come to a greater appreciation of the art of drawing the sword. Jonathan Seckler’s chapter translates and comments on an essay written by Chozanshi Shissai in 1729. He argues that Neo-Confucianism rather than Zen became the foundation of swordsmanship, and illustrates how the sword arts began to be appreciated for their use for self-development. Andrew Bryant’s chapter focuses on poems passed down within the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu School of Iaido. These poems correspond to techniques contained within the system created in the 17th century. The author presents each poem and offers provides textual descriptions of their corresponding applications with each sword technique illustrated. Joseph Svinth’s research presents the earliest kendo clubs to form in Canada. The socio-cultural settings add much flavor to this chapter. Information is provided regarding notable instructors, training, and competitions. Another way to better understand a martial tradition of one country is to compare it with another. Matthew Galas compares and contrasts sword arts in Germany with the Japanese traditions. The focus is on general principles and combat philosophy. Devotees to sword practice are well award that scabbards get damaged. Michael Babin’s chapter shows “how to” build a serviceable scabbard according talents of anyone moderately handy with tools. The twelve chapters described above should inspire further research and practice in the Japanese sword arts, plus bring a greater appreciation for their unique place in world history and culture.
Teaching and Learning Japanese Martial Arts: Scholarly Perspectives, Vol. 2
Author: Michael DeMarco
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
ISBN: 1544823096
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
In contrast to the overabundance of writings about martial arts that are often promotional and misinformative, there are rare works by scholars that are praiseworthy for their sincere, unbiased approach to writing. This is the very definition of “scholarly.” This two-volume anthology brings together the best scholarly works published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts on the topic of teaching and learning Japanese martial arts. In this second volume, you’ll find eight chapters that dive deep into Japanese martial traditions, combining aspects of history and culture that explain how teaching methods developed and evolved. Chapter one asks: What defines and gives meaning to the practice of karate? The Dr. Wingate looks to the ideology of karate as presented in the writings of founder Ginchin Funakoshi and traditional Japanese martial arts as “ways” of self-cultivation. This ideology is often greatly different from the ideology held by modern practitioners. This chapter explores the differences. Next, Dr. Donohue comments on the ideological complex surrounding training in the Japanese martial traditions. These systems, while remaining relatively uniform through time, have, in fact, been subject to considerable philosophical interpretation and emphasis. Why many practice martial artists has little to do with the essential nature of these arts. Dr. Grossman presents a thesis in his chapter that we can arrive at a deeper understanding of any martial arts—using aikido as an example—if we consider it to be a symbolic form of communication, as well as a martial art, and utilize the science of semiotics to translate the “message” encoded in the “body language” of aikido techniques. A photographic technical section illustrates this process. The next chapter by Sakuyama Yoshinaga discusses the potential growth for learning in children. How can adults provide the best learning environment? The author believes that inspiration comes through subtle emotions of the human heart, influencing others. The theory is found in ancient samurai traditions and applied by the author in teaching Shorinji Kempo. Chapter five by Dr. Dykhuizen point out how Asian martial arts are being practiced in cultures other than those within which they originated. Specific information concerning how practitioners from different cultures understand them becomes increasingly useful to martial artists and martial arts scholars. This chapter summarizes findings of an investigation among aikido practitioners. The Japanese Imperial family is said to have been given three symbols of authority by the gods: a mirror, a jewel, and a sword. Dr. Donohue uses this symbolic structure to discuss varying perspectives on the Japanese martial arts. Each aid in our understanding and appreciation of the multifaceted dimensions of the martial arts. In his chapter, Dr. Edinborough examines how Japanese martial arts, specifically the approach developed by Inaba Minoru, can be functionally understood as a form of art. Through referring to the aesthetic theories, the article examines budo as a means of organizing experience, recognizable alongside painting, dance, theater, and literature. The final chapter by Marvin Labbate looks close at the training hall. Dressed in a uniform, students line up in a ready position, come to attention, sit, meditate, and bow. This ritualized pattern is performed at the beginning, during, and at the end of each class, but what does it mean? In this chapter, each element of the ritualized pattern will be discussed to provide a clear understanding of its original intent. If you are interested in Japanese martial traditions, you will find much in these eight chapters that clarify why the arts are taught according to a longstanding tradition—and also why there have been evolutionary changes in the instructional methods. There is sound logic for the old traditions, as well as for the changes. The scholarly research presented in this anthology will improve a teacher’s way of instructing and help a student understand what to expect out of his or her studies.
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
ISBN: 1544823096
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
In contrast to the overabundance of writings about martial arts that are often promotional and misinformative, there are rare works by scholars that are praiseworthy for their sincere, unbiased approach to writing. This is the very definition of “scholarly.” This two-volume anthology brings together the best scholarly works published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts on the topic of teaching and learning Japanese martial arts. In this second volume, you’ll find eight chapters that dive deep into Japanese martial traditions, combining aspects of history and culture that explain how teaching methods developed and evolved. Chapter one asks: What defines and gives meaning to the practice of karate? The Dr. Wingate looks to the ideology of karate as presented in the writings of founder Ginchin Funakoshi and traditional Japanese martial arts as “ways” of self-cultivation. This ideology is often greatly different from the ideology held by modern practitioners. This chapter explores the differences. Next, Dr. Donohue comments on the ideological complex surrounding training in the Japanese martial traditions. These systems, while remaining relatively uniform through time, have, in fact, been subject to considerable philosophical interpretation and emphasis. Why many practice martial artists has little to do with the essential nature of these arts. Dr. Grossman presents a thesis in his chapter that we can arrive at a deeper understanding of any martial arts—using aikido as an example—if we consider it to be a symbolic form of communication, as well as a martial art, and utilize the science of semiotics to translate the “message” encoded in the “body language” of aikido techniques. A photographic technical section illustrates this process. The next chapter by Sakuyama Yoshinaga discusses the potential growth for learning in children. How can adults provide the best learning environment? The author believes that inspiration comes through subtle emotions of the human heart, influencing others. The theory is found in ancient samurai traditions and applied by the author in teaching Shorinji Kempo. Chapter five by Dr. Dykhuizen point out how Asian martial arts are being practiced in cultures other than those within which they originated. Specific information concerning how practitioners from different cultures understand them becomes increasingly useful to martial artists and martial arts scholars. This chapter summarizes findings of an investigation among aikido practitioners. The Japanese Imperial family is said to have been given three symbols of authority by the gods: a mirror, a jewel, and a sword. Dr. Donohue uses this symbolic structure to discuss varying perspectives on the Japanese martial arts. Each aid in our understanding and appreciation of the multifaceted dimensions of the martial arts. In his chapter, Dr. Edinborough examines how Japanese martial arts, specifically the approach developed by Inaba Minoru, can be functionally understood as a form of art. Through referring to the aesthetic theories, the article examines budo as a means of organizing experience, recognizable alongside painting, dance, theater, and literature. The final chapter by Marvin Labbate looks close at the training hall. Dressed in a uniform, students line up in a ready position, come to attention, sit, meditate, and bow. This ritualized pattern is performed at the beginning, during, and at the end of each class, but what does it mean? In this chapter, each element of the ritualized pattern will be discussed to provide a clear understanding of its original intent. If you are interested in Japanese martial traditions, you will find much in these eight chapters that clarify why the arts are taught according to a longstanding tradition—and also why there have been evolutionary changes in the instructional methods. There is sound logic for the old traditions, as well as for the changes. The scholarly research presented in this anthology will improve a teacher’s way of instructing and help a student understand what to expect out of his or her studies.
Koryu Bujutsu
Author: Diane Skoss
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781890536046
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781890536046
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
Sogobujutsu
Author: David C. Falcaro
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781475936353
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 484
Book Description
David C. Falcaro, a longtime martial arts expert, presents this textbook exploring the history, philosophy, codes of conduct, psychology, and traditions of the Neji Gekken Ryu. Falcaro is a Sodenkethat is, he has received scrolls after attaining proficiency. Students of the Godaishin Dojo can rely on this guide to excel in their study of Sogobujutsu, learning codes of conduct found in a traditional dojo setting; ways former warriors applied important teachings; forms of martial arts and how they diff er; and terms that can improve your understanding of martial arts. Jumpstart your understanding of martial arts or reinforce important principles youve already learned. With this portable form of instruction, you can strengthen your mental and physical skills so that class time can be efficiently spent on training. This important first look into the many aspects of martial arts etiquette brings meaning to the common acts and actions found in traditional dojo settings. Prepare yourself for success and begin the journey from white belt to black belt with Sogobujutsu.
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781475936353
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 484
Book Description
David C. Falcaro, a longtime martial arts expert, presents this textbook exploring the history, philosophy, codes of conduct, psychology, and traditions of the Neji Gekken Ryu. Falcaro is a Sodenkethat is, he has received scrolls after attaining proficiency. Students of the Godaishin Dojo can rely on this guide to excel in their study of Sogobujutsu, learning codes of conduct found in a traditional dojo setting; ways former warriors applied important teachings; forms of martial arts and how they diff er; and terms that can improve your understanding of martial arts. Jumpstart your understanding of martial arts or reinforce important principles youve already learned. With this portable form of instruction, you can strengthen your mental and physical skills so that class time can be efficiently spent on training. This important first look into the many aspects of martial arts etiquette brings meaning to the common acts and actions found in traditional dojo settings. Prepare yourself for success and begin the journey from white belt to black belt with Sogobujutsu.
Armed Martial Arts of Japan
Author: G Hurst I
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300116748
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
This unique history of Japanese armed martial arts--the only comprehensive treatment of the subject in English--focuses on traditions of swordsmanship and archery from ancient times to the present. G. Cameron Hurst III provides an overview of martial arts in Japanese history and culture, then closely examines the transformation of these fighting skills into sports. He discusses the influence of the Western athletic tradition on the armed martial arts as well as the ways the martial arts have remained distinctly Japanese. During the Tokugawa era (1600-1867), swordsmanship and archery developed from fighting systems into martial arts, transformed by the powerful social forces of peace, urbanization, literacy, and professionalized instruction in art forms. Hurst investigates the changes that occurred as military skills that were no longer necessary took on new purposes: physical fitness, spiritual composure, character development, and sport. He also considers Western misperceptions of Japanese traditional martial arts and argues that, contrary to common views in the West, Zen Buddhism is associated with the martial arts in only a limited way. The author concludes by exploring the modern organization, teaching, ritual, and philosophy of archery and swordsmanship; relating these martial arts to other art forms and placing them in the broader context of Japanese culture.
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300116748
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
This unique history of Japanese armed martial arts--the only comprehensive treatment of the subject in English--focuses on traditions of swordsmanship and archery from ancient times to the present. G. Cameron Hurst III provides an overview of martial arts in Japanese history and culture, then closely examines the transformation of these fighting skills into sports. He discusses the influence of the Western athletic tradition on the armed martial arts as well as the ways the martial arts have remained distinctly Japanese. During the Tokugawa era (1600-1867), swordsmanship and archery developed from fighting systems into martial arts, transformed by the powerful social forces of peace, urbanization, literacy, and professionalized instruction in art forms. Hurst investigates the changes that occurred as military skills that were no longer necessary took on new purposes: physical fitness, spiritual composure, character development, and sport. He also considers Western misperceptions of Japanese traditional martial arts and argues that, contrary to common views in the West, Zen Buddhism is associated with the martial arts in only a limited way. The author concludes by exploring the modern organization, teaching, ritual, and philosophy of archery and swordsmanship; relating these martial arts to other art forms and placing them in the broader context of Japanese culture.
Martial Arts and the Body Politic in Meiji Japan
Author: Denis Gainty
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135069905
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
In 1895, the newly formed Greater Japan Martial Virtue Association (Dainippon Butokukai) held its first annual Martial Virtue Festival (butokusai) in the ancient capital of Kyoto. The Festival marked the arrival of a new iteration of modern Japan, as the Butokukai’s efforts to define and popularise Japanese martial arts became an important medium through which the bodies of millions of Japanese citizens would experience, draw on, and even shape the Japanese nation and state. This book shows how the notion and practice of Japanese martial arts in the late Meiji period brought Japanese bodies, Japanese nationalisms, and the Japanese state into sustained contact and dynamic engagement with one another. Using a range of disciplinary approaches, Denis Gainty shows how the metaphor of a national body and the cultural and historical meanings of martial arts were celebrated and appropriated by modern Japanese at all levels of society, allowing them to participate powerfully in shaping the modern Japanese nation and state. While recent works have cast modern Japanese and their bodies as subject to state domination and elite control, this book argues that having a body – being a body, and through that body experiencing and shaping social, political, and even cosmic realities – is an important and underexamined aspect of the late Meiji period. Martial Arts and the Body Politic in Meiji Japan is an important contribution to debates in Japanese and Asian social sciences, theories of the body and its role in modern historiography, and related questions of power and agency by suggesting a new and dramatic role for human bodies in the shaping of modern states and societies. As such, it will be valuable to students and scholars of Japanese studies, Japanese history, modern nations and nationalisms, and sport and leisure studies, as well as those interested in the body more broadly.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135069905
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
In 1895, the newly formed Greater Japan Martial Virtue Association (Dainippon Butokukai) held its first annual Martial Virtue Festival (butokusai) in the ancient capital of Kyoto. The Festival marked the arrival of a new iteration of modern Japan, as the Butokukai’s efforts to define and popularise Japanese martial arts became an important medium through which the bodies of millions of Japanese citizens would experience, draw on, and even shape the Japanese nation and state. This book shows how the notion and practice of Japanese martial arts in the late Meiji period brought Japanese bodies, Japanese nationalisms, and the Japanese state into sustained contact and dynamic engagement with one another. Using a range of disciplinary approaches, Denis Gainty shows how the metaphor of a national body and the cultural and historical meanings of martial arts were celebrated and appropriated by modern Japanese at all levels of society, allowing them to participate powerfully in shaping the modern Japanese nation and state. While recent works have cast modern Japanese and their bodies as subject to state domination and elite control, this book argues that having a body – being a body, and through that body experiencing and shaping social, political, and even cosmic realities – is an important and underexamined aspect of the late Meiji period. Martial Arts and the Body Politic in Meiji Japan is an important contribution to debates in Japanese and Asian social sciences, theories of the body and its role in modern historiography, and related questions of power and agency by suggesting a new and dramatic role for human bodies in the shaping of modern states and societies. As such, it will be valuable to students and scholars of Japanese studies, Japanese history, modern nations and nationalisms, and sport and leisure studies, as well as those interested in the body more broadly.
Keiko Shokon
Author: Diane Skoss
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781890536060
Category : Martial arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Keiko Shokon is the third volume in a series that aims to demystify the rare and often misunderstood fighting arts of the Japanese warrior. Do these arts still have relevance in a modern technological world? How are they being preserved? What pitfalls face practitioners struggling to maintain these arts in a culture so foreign to that of their origins? These questions are discussed by a unique group of practitioner/writers in eight provocative essays certain to challenge many cherished and widely held preconceptions.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781890536060
Category : Martial arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Keiko Shokon is the third volume in a series that aims to demystify the rare and often misunderstood fighting arts of the Japanese warrior. Do these arts still have relevance in a modern technological world? How are they being preserved? What pitfalls face practitioners struggling to maintain these arts in a culture so foreign to that of their origins? These questions are discussed by a unique group of practitioner/writers in eight provocative essays certain to challenge many cherished and widely held preconceptions.
The Complete Martial Arts of Japan Volume Two
Author: Sadamoto Sugawara
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781499752953
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 126
Book Description
The second volume of a series on martial arts originally published in Japan in 1898. Includes illustrated descriptions of Kata for Jujutsu, the precursor of Judo. Also features restraining techniques using the Jutte, police truncheon, and Iai, or sword drawing. Includes the original illustrations on every page along with a full translation. Key Japanese terms are retained with an explanation given. Part two of a three part series. First time in translation.
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781499752953
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 126
Book Description
The second volume of a series on martial arts originally published in Japan in 1898. Includes illustrated descriptions of Kata for Jujutsu, the precursor of Judo. Also features restraining techniques using the Jutte, police truncheon, and Iai, or sword drawing. Includes the original illustrations on every page along with a full translation. Key Japanese terms are retained with an explanation given. Part two of a three part series. First time in translation.
The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts
Author: Sean Michael Wilson
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834828081
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
A graphic novel version of this classic collection of martial arts parables, written by Issai Chozanshi, an 18-century samurai, brings these tales alive in a captivating and immediately accessible way. The stories, which feature demons, insects, birds, cats, and numerous other creatures, may seem whimsical, but they contain essential teachings that offer insight into the fundamental principles of the martial arts. Infused with Chozanshi’s deep understanding of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto, the tales elucidate the nature of conflict, the importance of following one’s own nature, yin and yang, the cultivation and transformation of ch’i (life energy), and the attainment of mushin (no-mind). Ultimately, the reader learns in a visually exciting way that the path of the sword is a path of self-knowledge and leads to an understanding of life itself.
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834828081
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
A graphic novel version of this classic collection of martial arts parables, written by Issai Chozanshi, an 18-century samurai, brings these tales alive in a captivating and immediately accessible way. The stories, which feature demons, insects, birds, cats, and numerous other creatures, may seem whimsical, but they contain essential teachings that offer insight into the fundamental principles of the martial arts. Infused with Chozanshi’s deep understanding of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto, the tales elucidate the nature of conflict, the importance of following one’s own nature, yin and yang, the cultivation and transformation of ch’i (life energy), and the attainment of mushin (no-mind). Ultimately, the reader learns in a visually exciting way that the path of the sword is a path of self-knowledge and leads to an understanding of life itself.
Clouds in the West
Author: Dave Lowry
Publisher: Lyons Press
ISBN: 9781592285907
Category : Martial arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
CLOUDS IN THE WEST is a thought-provoking look at the essence of traditional Asian martial arts--and how it has been adapted, misunderstood, sometimes perverted, and sometimes enhanced in the West.
Publisher: Lyons Press
ISBN: 9781592285907
Category : Martial arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
CLOUDS IN THE WEST is a thought-provoking look at the essence of traditional Asian martial arts--and how it has been adapted, misunderstood, sometimes perverted, and sometimes enhanced in the West.