DONN F. DRAEGER’S RESEARCH ANALYZED IN LECTURES IN JAPAN

Martial artists from all over Japan recently assembled in Tokyo for a series of lectures on the life and legacy of Donn F. Draeger. The American martial arts researcher and writer is best-known for his book Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts, co-written with Robert W. Smith and published in 1969. The text was the first serious primer on the subject to reach a mass audience.

Draeger’s most influential work, however, was his threevolume set on the martial arts and ways of Japan: Classical Bujutsu, Classical Budo, and Modern Bujutsu & Budo. Those books inspired a generation of martial artists and still define the Western world’s understanding of the Japanese fighting arts.

In addition to writing, Draeger revived the dormant field of hoplology, the study of human combative behavior and performance. The lectures that took place in Japan explored this legacy and gave new insights into the man’s life.

The speakers were uniquely qualified to discuss Draeger’s impact. Three of them were his students and