Karate Books

Karate Jutsu : The Original Teachings of Gichin Funakoshi by Gichin Funakoshi, John Teramoto (Translator), and Tsutomu Oshima

From the Amazon.com web site:

Book Description
Gichin Funakoshi is considered the father of modern karate. In the 1920s, he wrote the first of several classic karate texts, culminating his career with the publication of Karate-do Kyohan, which remains among the most important and influential works on karate today.

The Kyohan, however, evolved from Karate Jutsu, a much earlier work. In the formative writings of the Jutsu, Funakoshi set out the philosophy and forms that he would practice and refine for the rest of his life.

As the Kyohan's earliest version, Karate Jutsu has attained legendary status. Legions of enthusiastic martial arts practitioners have sought out the original Japanese version, and pirated English-language editions have circulated for years.

This is the first official English publication of Karate Jutsu. Translator John Teramoto has gone to great lengths to accurately convey the essence of Funakoshi's original manuscript, and has contributed an informative introduction and revealing footnotes that clearly note where the forms in Jutsu vary from those of the Kyohan. Karate Jutsu also includes rare historical photographs of Funakoshi himself demonstrating the kata, his early writings in their original form, and a foreword by Tsutomu Ohshima, the founder and chief instructor of the Shotokan Karate of America.

ISBN: 4-7700-2681-1

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Karate-Do Nyumon : The Master Introductory Text, by Gichin Funakoshi & John Teramoto (Translator)

From the Amazon.com web site:

Excellent reading material.
Reviewer: A reader from Canada, February 9, 1999
I am a practioner of MANY martial arts and I have to say, without a doubt, the Master Funakoshi has put together a great text which describes a part of his martial heritage and how his masters dealt with adversity in the past. The stories he tells us are not only for entertainment, but they serve as an example on how one should ACT, not REACT, in a situation. I esspecially respect the fact that Master Funakoshi is an innovator and not mearly an immitator. My praises.

Reviewer: Joe Swift from Kanazawa, Japan, July 8, 1998 - Myself, being a student of Okinawa Karatedo and this book being one by the great Funakoshi Gichin himself, I must give it a good rating, because it is a good book. His tales of his teachers are a very good read, and the chapter on Karate in Ryukyu tells people exactly what all these kyusho-jutsu people are telling us now: that there ARE "secret" movements in the kata! (Unfortunately, Funakoshi Sensei does not go into detail).

ISBN: 4-7700-1891-6

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Karate-Do Kyohan : The Master Text, by Gichin Funakoshi & Tsutomu Ohshima (Translator)

From the Amazon.com web site:

Excellent, but the original was better. Reviewer: Joe Swift from Kanazawa, Japan, October 19, 1999 - Although not a practitioner of Shotokan Karatedo, I have had an original 1935 copy of this book for many years, when I finally broke down and bought the English translation. I was not disappointed. I do feel however, that Oshima Sensei should have left in the photos of Funakoshi Sensei himself performing the techniques and kata, or at least left in the photos that show womens' self defense, in only from an historical point of view. All in all, though, this book is one of the most comprehensive on the market today.

Focus is everything. Reviewer: A reader from Louisiana, United States of America, October 2, 1999 - The text in this book very enlightening. I recomend this book to all people, from the begginer to the most advanced pupil of the Art. Master Funakoshi expresses his ideas and methods very well.

Work of Art! Reviewer: A reader from indiana, July 19, 1999 - There are ton of books and manuals that have a hard time coming close to this one. While reading this you get a good feel that "he's done this before". You can tell his is a professional and loves his work. This makes it easy to read and learn. From the 4 other books I've bought on the subject and trained with - this one easily outshine the others.

ISBN: 0-8701-1190-6

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Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na : Instructor's Manual for All Martial Styles, by Jwing-Ming Yang

From the Amazon.com web site:

Comprehensive review of important martial art area. Reviewer: A reader from New York City, USA - October 4, 1999 - Comprehensive review. However, like this author's other books, hard to read. Best used as a reference for someone with martial arts experience, or when practicing with a partner. To really gain competence in this area, it is necessary to have a teacher. Although his later book, "Comprehensive Chin Na" is more complete, this has the advantage of being organized by areas of the body on which the moves are applied. It also contains counters.

A must have for any serious martial artist. Reviewer: A reader from NC, USA, October 2, 1999
Regardless of the art you study, this book, with its clear photographs and easy to read, concise instruction will teach you many ways to seize and control most adversaries. Also contains some good basic information on cavity pressing and striking methods. I have read several of Dr. Yang's books on Qin Na and Taijiquan and they are all worth the price tag. Definately not just for instructors.

An excellent book for all, not only instructors. Reviewer: T. Bush from New Hampshire, April 4, 1998.
Only an 8 because I do not know if I've read enough of these to know what a 10 would be. Concise, clearly written, with illustrations that provide sufficient information to follow the text. This probably should not be for beginners or those who've not had some exposure to chin na in class; for others, this will be an excellent out-of-class handbook to continue research/practice. An excellent (9 or 10) video is available.

ISBN: 0-9408-7104-1

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