The History Of Karate And The Masters Who Made It

A concise yet comprehensive history of traditional Okinawan and Japanese karate, with biographies of the great karate masters This concise-yet-comprehensive history of traditional Okinawan and Japanese karate includes authoritative biographies of the great karate masters of the past and the philosophical issues they faced as karate changed and evolved. Bringing a fresh understanding to the study of the martial arts, Mark I. Cramer dispels many of the often-repeated martial-arts myths as he details the lineages of the modern styles of karate and describes the social, cultural, and political events that influenced them. While most books focus on a single style of karate or the biography of just one of the great teachers, this book offers a well-researched and detailed overview. By bringing all of this knowledge together in one volume, Cramer—an award-winning inductee into the USA Karate Federation’s Hall of Fame—fills a crucial gap.

"Okinawan Karate: A History of Styles and Masters, Volume 1: Shuri-te and Shorin-ryu" is the most comprehensive and complete book available on the origins of Okinawan Shuri-te and Shorin-ryu karate, with descriptions of the various branches, detailed biographies of the major Okinawan Shuri-te/Shorin-ryu masters from ancient times to today, analytical assessments of some of their accomplishments, and numerous photos and illustrations. This book is a "must-have" for all serious martial arts students.

The Essential Karate Book is an illustrated, informative guide to the techniques, philosophy and practice of karate With 20 chapters covering practically every aspect of karate, this in-depth reference will assist students and instructors as they plot their course through karate instruction, benefiting those at all levels. The Essential Karate Book contains 200 diagrams mapping out moves, 300 color photographs, and downloadable video, making it a comprehensive general karate reference for Western audiences. Readers of this karate guide will learn about: The origins and history of karate Required behavior, clothing and etiquette, as well as the fundamentals of karate and the different styles that share them Stances, blocks, strikes and kicks Preparing your body through warm ups, stretching, and conditioning through karate-specific exercises Kata grading and fighting (kumite) techniques and competition rules Martial arts weapons (kobudo), and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) applications The Essential Karate Book is a must-have for any martial arts enthusiast, from beginners to black belts!

This introduction to karate teaches both the physical training and the mentalhilosophy necessary for karate mastery. The book also provides the completeistory of karate.

A classic text treasured by martial artists for over twenty years, Karate's History & Traditions was long recognized as the most authoritative source on martial arts history and technique. Now Bruce Haines, historian and martial artist, has updated this rich source to reflect changes that have taken place in the last two decades. This detailed but well–rounded martial arts guide covers the history of the Asian fighting arts from antiquity to modern times, answering many of the questions currently being debated by martial artists around the world. Each chapter describes the fighting arts of masters in many areas, including: Okinawa Japan China India Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Cambodia Vietnam Korea The Philippines Undertaking years of arduous research using the most reliable historical data, Haines has filled in many of the gaps in the histories of the fighting arts and has proven false many popular myths.

Gichin Funakoshi is a legendary figure and the founder of Shotokan karate, the most popular style of Japanese karate, with millions of practitioners worldwide. In The Essence of Karate, Funakoshi creates, in his own words, a narrative of modern karate. He explains the philosophical and spiritual underpinnings and includes memories of his own training, as well as recollections of other karate masters and the history of the martial art. He also discusses the importance of winning without fighting, and the reason why many great martial artists improve with age. The preface has been contributed by Hirokazu Kanazawa, President of the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (and Funakoshi’s disciple). He fondly writes of his memories of Gichin Funakoshi during his youth and what he learned from the master. In the afterword, the founder's great-nephew, Gisho Funakoshi, shares previously unknown personal anecdotes about his "Uncle Funakoshi."

Now available for the first time in English, Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters, the late Shoshin Nagamine's groundbreaking work, recounts the legacy and life histories of Okinawa's greatest martial artists. In addition to profiles of the legendary tegumi wrestlers, Nagamine-sensei features many of the world's great karate masters, including the founder of the core styles from which modern karate sprang. Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters corrects historical inaccuracies surrounding Okinawan martial arts and brings alive the greatest of the great masters. In this seminal martial arts history and biography, Nagamine-sensei presents the martial legacy of the Okinawan people and, to complement and emphasize what is of greatest importance in these tales and life histories, concludes with detailed instructions for the practice of zazen (sitting meditation). Already a classic in the Japanese edition, Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters is a must-read for all karate and tegumi enthusiasts, practitioners and researchers alike.

For several years, I have wanted to write the history of karate in Southeastern Massachusetts. However, there always seemed to be other priorities that distracted my focus. In 2009 I retired from my position as a police detective, and having been retired from the armed forces, I now had no legitimate reason not to devote as much time as possible to such a good karate idea well, except for a brief period of hospitalization due to a serious surgery that kept me hospitalized for twenty-seven days and then at home for three weeks under nurses' care with months of recovery. Karate history, in general, is, in some cases, somewhat obscured, including in the United States. I am willing to bet that not many people have thought of or proceeded to put in writing any historical account of karate in specific communities of the United States other than the Armed Services Judo and Jujitsu Academy in Pensacola, Florida, and the paper Helium by Can Tran. There are a number of historical writings as to how karate was introduced to the United States; however, I have not come across any historical account that takes us from Japan to the United States and to a particular community. There are also a number of historical accounts, but only pertaining to individual organizations or instructors. For this reason, I decided that this may spark the interest of other practitioners of martial arts to write factual accounts to the best of their abilities so that other young martial artists may draw some knowledge from these written facts or events. Even if this does not occur, at least the Shotokan practitioners can have some guidance as to the historical facts, at least in a certain US community. The reason I emphasize the Shotokan practitioners is because I have a greater involvement with the Shotokan system of karate. Perhaps this can be used as the basis of historical research or studies, especially among the college clubs and even dojos. I hope to keep your interest from beginning to end as I will cover a short history of karate in general and Shotokan karate to the history of karate in Southeastern Massachusetts. This will also be useful in recognizing specific individuals, masters, and instructors that deserve the credit and acknowledgment since karate remains a sport with less recognition compared to other sports. As Gichin Funakoshi often reminded his students, "The spirit of karate-do is lost without courtesy." Therefore, this written account expresses the acknowledgment of those who brought karate to us, beginning at the grass roots of the communities, for this is how it manifested to national participation. This is one courtesy we often forget; it is like not knowing, or forgetting, where we come from. So often I have come across karate practitioners that are black belts and instructing karate classes and they do not know much, if anything, about how and where karate began and how it spread to all parts of the world. Sure, if you should ask any person with some karate interest as to where karate originated and how it spread, they almost always give the basic knowledge that it started from Dharma in India to China to Okinawa but not a whole lot more than that. In Japan, karate is a culture, not just instructions on how to kick and punch. As to this, I quote Funakoshi's writing: "The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of the participant." Through this, there are a number of dojo kun to be followed, and the five most important are the following: seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavor to excel, respect others, and refrain from violent behavior. These are usually found posted on a wall in the dojo. Additional dojo kun will be listed at the end of the book in both Japanese and English.