New Book of Don Cunningham, Ph.D.
KIAI Lifetime honorary member
Dr.
Don Cunningham’s third book, Samurai Weapons, is scheduled to be released early
next year by Tuttle Publishing. His previous two books, Secret Weapons of
Jujutsu and Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai, are also
available from Tuttle Publishing.
Ranked in judo and kendo, Dr. Cunningham is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of English and Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in
Menomonie, Wisconsin, where he teaches courses in Technical Writing and Freshman
Composition. However, he has accepted an offer to join the faculty at Radford
University in Radford, Virginia, and will be relocating there later this summer.
Secret Weapons of Jujutsu was the first book in English to offer a detailed
introduction to exotic defensive weapons like the tessen and jutte as well as
other hibuki (concealed weapons), small hand weapons used by the Japanese
commoners, samurai, and constabulary. Topics include the history and development
of such weapons, as well as the philosophical and practical reasons for
employing non-lethal alternatives.
“My new book, Samurai Weapons, was originally going to be a revised edition of
Secret Weapons of Jujutsu,” Dr. Cunningham explained. “Once I started updating
the material, though, my editor convinced me to expand even further and to
complete an entirely new book. I believe this not only has corrected some of the
minor errors in my first book, but also covers even more variety of the
samurai’s weaponry. This book looks closely at the more unusual and less well
known weapons that are not often discussed.”
My second book, Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai, provided
an introduction to the civil society of Edo-period (1603- 1867)
Japan—particularly the police procedures and organization. The book paints a
colorful picture of life during the oppressive Edo period, and the measures
taken (and weapons used) to uphold the law. With illustrations, historical
photographs and reproductions of paintings of the era, Taiho-Jutsu: Law and
Order in the Age of the Samurai provides the reader with the most complete and
accurate impression of law enforcement and the “arresting arts” during the
samurai era.
Prior to joining the faculty at UW-Stout, Dr. Cunningham taught graduate and
undergraduate courses in Technical Editing and Academic Writing. Dr. Cunningham
has also lectured on Japanese feudal era history.
Dr. Cunningham has a Ph.D. in Technical Communication from Illinois Institute of
Technology in Chicago (2005). He is an alumnus of Texas A&M
University-Commerce (formerly East Texas State University), with a Master of
Science (1984) and a Bachelor of Science (1978), both in Journalism.
A professional journalist, Dr. Cunningham was an award-winning reporter,
photographer, and news editor for several daily newspapers in his home state of
Texas and in Florida. For the past twenty years, Dr. Cunningham worked in the
telecommunications industry as an editor, technical writer, documentation
manager, and applications engineer for central office switching system
manufacturers specializing in the international (Pacific Rim) markets. His
former employers include NEC Corporation, Fujitsu, Nortel, Tellabs, and Lucent
(Bell Laboratories).
A senior member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), Dr. Cunningham
served terms as the Chicago regional chapter's vice-president and president. He
is also a member of Association for Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW),
Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication (CPTSC), and
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
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