The Bujutsu Shi Kenkyu: Zasshi Bugeicho Gappon Dai-ni-kan (武術史研究 : 雑誌武芸帖合本 第二巻) is an unmatched masterpiece of early postwar martial arts historiography. Rather than an entertaining storybook, it serves as a cold, academic compilation preserving primary source documents, archaic transcription records, and illustrated manuals from the specialized historical research periodical ‘Bugeichō’. This specific 1967 anthology bridges the gap between hidden classical scroll archives and modern historical preservation, preserved here as a rare, individually hand-numbered copy (No. 140) out of its ultra-limited print run.

Rare and Unusual Facts About the Volume

• Part of a Two-Volume Numbered Set: This book represents the second installment of a cohesive two-volume numbered set. It is designed to be cataloged alongside its direct predecessor, Volume 1 (Dai-ichi-kan), which was restricted to an even tighter ultra-limited print run of only 110 certified copies and authenticated with a mechanical blue stamp.
• The 150 Club Limited Run: Unlike mass-market history books, this specific compilation volume was produced in an ultra-limited print run of only 150 certified copies. The absolute scarcity of this numbered set makes it an incredibly prized acquisition for specialized institutional archives and elite martial arts libraries globally.
• Hand-Numbered Authentication: Reflecting the raw, artisan nature of its independent production, each copy of this 1967 edition features its unique registry number handwritten by pen directly onto the official colophon page box to certify its authentic place in the production run.
• Primary Text Transcriptions (Kanbun): Unlike modern commercial martial arts books that rewrite history in simplified language, a massive portion of this compilation presents original historical texts preserved in their archaic format—including classical Kanbun (classical Chinese text utilized by samurai scholars). It serves as a raw linguistic bridge for researchers who want to translate the records directly without modern distortion.
• Preservation of Vanishing Systems (Inaka-Bujutsu): This compilation acts as the single surviving historical blueprint for multiple obscure “countryside” combat styles (inaka-bujutsu). Many of the rural family lineages recorded within these pages died out completely during the modernization era of the Meiji Restoration, making this text their only remaining footprint in written history.
• The Underground Periodical: The contents of this anthology were originally printed as highly specialized, independent issues of the magazine “Bugeicho” during the 1960s. Because the articles targeted an incredibly small niche of academic researchers and traditional martial arts masters, mainstream book publishers refused to touch the project.
• Bypassing the Industry: To ensure these vital historical findings survived, the author bypassed commercial printing houses entirely. He established his own boutique press imprint—Bugeicho-sha—solely to print his research and distribute copies directly to verified collectors and elite traditional dojo libraries.
• The Master’s Hand-Press Layouts: Operating with virtually no commercial publishing infrastructure, Watatani personally oversaw the typography and layout. He painstakingly transcribed archaic, handwritten clan scroll texts into clean, legible printed blocks alongside vintage woodblock prints, binding these fragile individual magazine issues into a permanent hardcover record.

Unusual Facts About The Author

• Artisan Multi-Generational Legacy: Watatani Kiyoshi’s obsessive eye for detail was deeply rooted in his own ancestry; he was the direct grandson of Yoshikawa Gengobe, a legendary Edo-period master and master iron-gunsmith instructor (Teppō Shihan) for the historical Kishū Clan. This heritage granted Watatani exclusive access to generational private collections and rare scroll networks that typical postwar authors could never reach.
• Watatani Kiyoshi’s Double Life: Author Watatani Kiyoshi did not write under his real name early in his career. He was heavily famous across Japan as a popular novelist and cultural satirist under the pen name Tobushi Tahei (戸伏太兵). His transition into a strict, zero-nonsense martial arts encyclopedia compiler shocked the mid-century Japanese literary scene.
• Dismantling the Mythos: Disillusioned by how historical martial arts were romanticized and heavily distorted by pre-war nationalism and pop-culture fiction, Watatani pivoted completely to objective, archival analysis. He dedicated the latter half of his life to a single mission: auditing ancient scrolls to separate legendary folklore from documented historical military techniques.