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.

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

Linking the time when karate was a strictly Okinawan art of self-defense shrouded in the deepest secrecy and the present day, when it has become a martial art practiced throughout the world, is Gichin Funakoshi, the "Father of Karate-do." Out of modesty, he was reluctant to write this autobiography and did not do so until he was nearly ninety years of age. Trained in the Confucian classics, he was a schoolteacher early in life, but after decades of study under the foremost masters, he gave up his livelihood to devote the rest of his life to the propagation of the Way of Karate. Under his guidance, techniques and nomenclature were refined and modernized, the spiritual essence was brought to the fore, and karate evolved into a true martial art. Various forms of empty-hand techniques have been practiced in Okinawa for centuries, but due to the lack of historical records, fancy often masquerades as fact. In telling of his own famous teachers--and not only of their mastery of technique but of the way they acted in critical situations--the author reveals what true karate is. The stories he tells about himself are no less instructive: his determination to continue the art, after having started it to improve his health; his perseverance in the face of difficulties, even of poverty; his strict observance of the way of life of the samurai; and the spirit of self-reliance that he carried into an old age kept healthy by his practice of Karate-do.

Socio-cultural arguments to preserve Okinawan karate versus the Japanization, Americanization, and Commercialization of the art. Supported and illustrated by an analysis of the training variances between self-protection, self-perfection, and the never changing kata principle's role in Okinawan karate. This work provides a clear picture of the art, void of distortions put in place by people and institutions with their own agendas.

The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do presents the teachings of legendary martial arts master Shoshin Nagamine, founder of the Matsubayashi school of Shorin-ryu karate-do. Used for generations as a practical and pictorial guide, it contains over 1,000 photographs to document eighteen classic karate kata (preset forms) and seven yakusoku kumite (prearranged partner exercises), as well as basic techniques. This book is a precise and easily accessible pictorial guide to performance and perfection of traditional karate. The only book in English with photos of one of the great prewar masters demonstrating the proper execution of Okinawan karate, The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do is a bridge between karate's legendary past and the practitioners of today. This ingenious and imaginative text explains the historical landmarks in the development of style, vividly outlines its leading forms and techniques, and recalls noted Okinawan karate men of the past, including the author's teachers Ankichi Arakaki, Choki Motobu, and Chotoku Kyan.

Throughout the ages, cunning and brave heroes have reached deep inside themselves to find the strength to triumph over long odds. Aspiring black belts will love this action-packed collection of twenty-six stories about the great heroes of the martial arts and their many paths to victory. The stories include the tales of: The legendary Bruce Lee--Kung Fu master and greatest martial artist of his time Miyamoto Musashi--the "greatest swordsman in history" and the author of the Book of Five Rings Jackie Chan--a dyslexic boy, abandoned at age seven who grew up to be a martial arts film star Mu-lan--the brave daughter who went to battle for the good of her family These exciting tales of thrilling fights and wily strategies span the wide world of martial arts--from Aikido, Karate, Kung Fu, Sumo, and Jujitsu to Brazilian Capoeira, Israeli Krav Maga, Korean Tae-kwon-do, Japanese Kyudo, and Thailand's Muay Thai, even the Zen-focused tea ceremony which teaches the discipline martial artists require to succeed. Filled with incredible action and amazing feats of daring and skill, Legends of the Martial Arts Masters will inspire readers of all ages with stories of courage, endurance and self-discovery.