Here are some resources on seme (攻め) in English listed by Books, Associations, Authors and Sites (below). For those unfamiliar with the term:
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Seme as defined in the dictionary is “an attack, the offensive, assault, or siege”. In Kendo, it can also be defined as pressure; that is, to pressure the opponent before the attack. – AUSKF
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Put plainly, seme is the process of searching for a means to break the deadlock of kamae in order to put yourself in the advantageous situation where an opportunity to execute a valid strike presents itself. – Oya Minoru
- The state in which an unrelenting, determined position of advantage is maintained on the opponent. – Lorenzo Zago
- Seme is like water, a fluid that penetrates into a material permeating it, till it changes its consistency. – K. Hasegawa Sensei as quoted by Lorenzo Zago
I will likely update this page as I come across more resources. Some resources in Japanese are listed over here.
By Books
- Noma Hisashi (1910-1939), The Kendo Reader (PDF, 55 pages) (Section 22, p. 47 on Kikai and sections thereafter seem relevant to seme.)
- Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings,(五輪書, Go Rin no Sho) HolyBooks.com, (PDF, 49 pages).
By Associations
- AUSKF Promotional Exam Study Guide
- The section on seme is towards the bottom of the page
By Authors
- Minoru Fujii Sensei, Fujii sensei lecture, Kenshikan Melbourne, June 4, 2006 (html)
- The section on seme is located about half way into the article.
- Oya Minoru, “The Act of Seme” (PDF, 1 page)
- Sotaro Honda Sensei, “Tactics in Kendo – Parts 1, 2 and 3” (html)
- Lorenzo Zago (Renshi 7th Dan), “About the meaning of Seme and Tame – Seme? Tame?,” (Translated by Emmanuele Levi).
- B. Sheppard, “Seme-Overview,” Shugo-Nanseikan, Dec. 2010.
- Kay Sakaue, “Seme and San Sappo – An older perspective,” Midlife Kendo, Aug 24, 2015.
By Sites (Kendoinfo, Kenshi247, KendoNotes)
From Kenshi24/7.net (By George McCall Sensei unless otherwise noted)
- The reality of seme, Feb 23, 2010.
- Seme #1: Furukawa Kazuo, Aug 11, 2008.
- Seme #2: Sakudo Masao, May 14, 2012.
- Seme #3 and 4: Nishikawa Kiyonori and Sueno Eiji, Oct 10, 2013.
- Seme #5: Arimitsu Masaaki, Oct 28, 2013.
- Joseph Pielech, “Secrets of Kuzushi (崩し大全), Aug 26, 2018. (kuzusu means to destroy, disturb, throw off balance or unnerve)
From Kendoinfo.net (Geoff Salmon Sensei)
- Full list of the Kendoinfo.net Seme-related articles
- Partial list:
From KendoNotes.com
- A Study of Hikidasu 引き出す- Drawing out the Opponent
- Nakamura sensei, Healing Kendo (癒しの剣道) – Part 3. This translation addresses seme and Nakamura sensei‘s approach to kendo with aging.
- Walking as if Kissing the Earth – for a Shinkansen-like Fumikomi and Seme
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