Shadowhand, does anyone have this book?

**mrtnira** · Posted On: 7/21/2010 5:51pm

Shadowhand: The History and Secrets of Ninja Taisavaki, by Ha Ha Lung.

Does anyone own this book, and if you do, can you provide some clarity on its quality and content?

The Amazon reviews were mixed, and ranged from five stars to one star. One of the reviewers looked for the co-author's martial art through an internet search, and found "wan tzu hu chuan" was a non-existant martial art.

Like a lot of books, opinions may vary, but I'm wondering about your experience with this author.

***battlefields*** · Posted On: 7/21/2010 6:24pm

He's full of ****. I have other books by "Ha Ha Lung", nothing useful at all. There are several threads on him, use the search function, it is a pseudonym for Ashida Kim I believe. A fake.

**mrtnira** · Posted On: 7/21/2010 11:28pm

You are correct. I should have used the search engine.... Note to self.

Thank you for your quick reply. The connection to "Ashida Kim" is appreciated. He is disparaged in the U.S., but in Germany his translated books sell well. I will take your advice.

**HereBeADragon** · Posted On: 7/22/2010 3:27am

Some of Kims books are a fun read. Just don't go looking for any useful martial information. I'd equate Ashida Kim's (or Ha Ha Lung) books value to the martial arts community similar to the Harry Potter's books value to witch craft.

**mrtnira** · Posted On: 8/05/2010 8:21pm

It's very fascinating, and at the (now expected) risk of getting dumped on for stating an opinion, some of the material in these books is of limited usefulness. A couple of the concealment technqiues using shadows parallel the same material in older U.S., British, and Soviet camouflage manuals.

Interesting stuff if you are reading for light content, and are not too upset with the way the material is presented. Of course, I'm reading his books for arm chair adventure and wouldn't bet my life on the material. If I ever write a novel.... The action figure will be well versed in the Haha Lung school of martial arts.

***battlefields*** · Posted On: 8/05/2010 8:32pm

As you say, it is information that is light reading and can be better gleaned from other sources. He takes simple concepts that new and impressionable people might not be familiar with and rewords them with a wannabe ninja/ secret agent/ spy slant. You'd be better off just going to the source information he used, such as the camouflage manuals of the countries you listed. They will be more comprehensive. If I hadn't read the books I have on various psychological principles due to my own personal interest, I would have thought that his ideas on the mind were original and mystic. They are not, they are simple concepts rebranded as ninja mystic.