Nineteen kata ("forms") of karate-the art of
self-defense without weapons-are presented here in
complete detail. They are the ones selected by the great
master and teacher, Gichin Funakoshi, to give
comprehensive training in Karate-do, the way of karate.
Fully illustrated demonstrations by the translator
cover not only every technique of the kata but also the
fundamentals and applications: how to make a fist; the
correct form of the open hand; preliminary training in
blocking, striking and kicking; the seven stances; and
sparring. The author presents, besides kata that he
himself originated, beginning and advanced kata from
both the Shorei school and the Shorin school, the former
remarkable for their forcefulness and development of
strength, the latter characterized by their gracefulness
and lightning swiftness. This book, the most
comprehensive and authoritative ever published, was
being revised by the author shortly before his death in
1957, at the age of eighty-eight, and is translated for
the first time. Through his advice on both practical and
spiritual aspects of training, the master guides the
student from techniques to the Way of karate.
Complementing the English edition are illustrations of
National Treasures from Kofuku-ji and Todai-ji temples
in Nara and Master Funakoshi's calligraphy. Karate,
whose value for the well-rounded development of
strength, coordination and agility is scientifically
validated, can be practiced at any time and in any
place, for any length of time, by men and women of all
ages, and requires no special equipment. It also fosters
the development of spiritual qualities: courage,
courtesy, integrity, humility and self-control.
Gichin Funakoshi's karate books, the first published
in 1922, are landmarks, for the development of this
martial art in Okinawa was shrouded in secrecy, and
almost no records of its early history, dating back more
than a thousand years to the Shao-lin Temple in Hunan
Province, China, exist. Karate-do Kyohan is a book that
lives up to its title: it is in truth the master text
for karate instruction at all levels and in all aspects
of technique and character development.
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