Life Secrets of the Amatsu Tatara: The Documents of Takamatsu Toshitsugu, Interviews with Hatsumi Masaaki

This is not a book for everyone. It really is for people who have trained extensively in the Bujinkan and it is material that will connect to your training primarily if you've been training quite a long time.That said, it is the result of a lot of hard work and research and training by the author and it really is a unique work that contains information you are not going to find anywhere else.For those either interested in or starting in the Bujinkan, this book may be hard to really utilize, but it is still an excellent window into one of the deeper aspects of what Hatsumi Sensei teaches to his students.For those interested in other healing arts, I cannot really say what you will find here. If I had to guess, advanced practitioners of such arts would probably find meaning in this work, but less advanced ones probably would not, other than, once again, a window into what exists to be learned.Still, I'm giving a five star review. This is a work of tremendous passion and for those to whom it is relevant, a unique and invaluable resource.

The author has done a fantastic job researching, analyzing and presenting historic life saving information in a modern context for this book. You don't have to be a martial artist to appreciate and learn the life secrets of Amatsu Tatara. However, if you are a martial artist, this book will resonate even more with you. I love how the author compiled the book in easy to follow steps with a ton of references and the quick lookup section in the 2nd half of the book. Its also very interesting to see the legendary Bujinkan Grandmaster Hatsumi himself treating patients as part of the book. The author has done a great service to the world by providing us with this wealth of knowledge from the past that will greatly improve our quality of life in the future. Can not recommend this book enough. Well done and well worth the small price for the book on Amazon.

I am very impressed with this well-documented book covering the conversations and texts of traditional Amatsu Tatara medical methods as passed from Takamatsu Toshitsugu to Hatsumi Masaaki.It is clear from the way the contents are presented that Peter King (author) has many years of research in these methods. In reviewing his background I found he is an osteopath, physiotherapist, acupuncturist, tutor at the British School of Japanese Traditional Medicine and has worked as a osteopathy research supervisor.This 400 page book is divided into conversations shared between the author and Hatsumi, photographs of applications, health issues and treatments, documents of transmission, and the Japanese text.I recommend this book for individuals interested in the Amatsu Tatara, traditional Japanese medicine, researchers of old Japanese medical methods or involved in their related martial arts.

Full of amazing information. Not only will you be amazed by the powerful description of the healing abilities attained by practioners, but there is so much deep wisdom around the martial, cultural, and mindfulness of the ancient Japanese wisdom.

If you are in to chiropractic, oriental medicine, alternative medicine, the Bujinkan or martial arts of Japan then this book is an interesting resource. The book includes many interviews with Dr Masaaki Hatsumi on his medical practice and training with his teacher. It also contains a table / guide to diagnosing various illnesses and then in the text that follows there are suggested treatments. At the end of the book there is Japanese text from the original source documents. One thing the book does need is an index to make it easier to more easily find specific topics; perhaps in a second edition...

First, I was overwhelmed (and pleasantly surprised) at the sheer size of this book. It’s huge, but definitely necessary due to the amount of information contained in this highly detailed, and very informative, book on an aspect of the Bujinkan arts that has had very little, if any, written material available to practitioners of the Bujinkan arts.Highly recommended reading. It’s a blend of manuscript translations, first hand teachings, and interviews with Hatsumi Sensei. It’s well formatted and something that will fit nicely with your other books on Feldenkrais, and other arts commonly associated with Bujinkan practitioners.Five stars!!

The author Peter King worked endless hours along with Dr Hatsumi Masaaki, 34 Grand Master of the Bujinkan Arts. Bringing to light, the life of his teacher: Takamatsu Toshitsugu 33 Grand Master. Who was a deeply spiritual man and renowned martial arts teacher, who travelled widely in Korea and China. Experiencing many actual confrontations and challenges, but also practiced natural medicine that is described in this book. Enjoy this amazing book as I have. Peter is a mentor, teacher and a great friend of mine. I thank him & Sensei for all their hard work putting this book together. Enjoy!

Great book. But for $46 dollars, it shouldn't have been damaged by sending it in a soft shipping "bag". Disappointed about the way Amazon shipped it. $46 and damaged.

I just received this book yesterday. As a student in the Bujinkan and specifically of Amatsu Tatara Hichibuku Goshinjutsu within the Bujinkan as taught by Peter King, I have been anticipating this text ever since Soke Hatsumi-sensei asked Peter to write it. It contains material originally written by Soke Takamatsu-sensei both in translation and in Japanese. It has interviews with Soke Hatsumi-sensei and lots of illustrations and lots of tables of information. There is a life-time's worth of material to study, un-pack, and practice. I cannot overstate how precious this material is and how rare it is to have access to it at all. I cannot overstate my gratitude to Peter for undertaking this task, for teaching Soke's Amatsu Tatara, and to Soke Hatsumi-sensei for sharing this with all of us. For anyone interested in Japanese martial healing practices generally or those specifically interested in the Amatsu Tatara within the Bujinkan, this text is, in my opinion, required study material. Gambatte.

I particularly enjoyed reading the conversations with Dr. Hatsumi Masaaki Sensei.

The importance of this book could never be stressed enough. Through the long history and lineage of the shinobi and bushi, to have the actual words of Hatsumi Sensei transcribed and translated, relating what he was taught by Takamatsu Toshitsugu, makes this book a legacy document that the world can learn from. As a student and practitioner of modern-day Amatsu, I understand the process of this healing therapy, but what this book gives me is the "why" and the sense of connection to the history of this field of work.

To get their hands on a book on the traditional Japanese medicine side of the traditional martial art schools encompassed in the 'Bujinkan' has been a a holy grail for many practioners. Peter King was entrusted with writing the book and hasn't failed to deliver.400 pages of information in the form of personal interviews and lessons with Dr. Hatsumi (Soke of the Bujinkan), photos and information from seminars and translations of scrolls and teachings left from past. A great insight into the tradional medical side of the Bujinkan and a book which one will return to again and again as one's own knowledge and experience grows.

I am so thoroughly impressed with this fine fine work. The material is simply profound. And it's relevance today cannot be overstated, given the toxic nature of big corporation-driven society and all the duplicity, spin, and exploitation involved to shift a product, fool a customer or dupe a patient. ...This wonderful book is incredibly well laid out and peppered with incredible photos and interviews. It will serve as a manual as well as an exciting read. I cannot recommend it enough, and not least because it is endorsed by Hatsumi Soke himself and produced by one of the world's foremost Bujinkan teachers in Peter King. Thank you so much.