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.

Progression is a positive trait, as long as one keeps in touch with the past and has a staple backdrop to focus or fall back on. Although the Revised Expanded Third Edition contains all the wording and photographs that are reproduced in both the first edition, as well as this Revised and Expanded Second Edition, it comparatively represents a step into what was, for these latter two books, the future. The year 2019, in which I am writing this foreword, represents respectively 30 years and 20 years into the future since the publication of these two books, so I think this faithful reproduction of the Master Version by Q&I Publications is well timed. For some readers it might bring about nostalgia, for others it might be an eye-opener into a world that is not always truthfully represented, due to commercial or other reasons. For the teachers who I interviewed and have been embodied herein, I hope this Master Version will remain a testament into how they wished to be represented for time immemorial.

Pat McCarthy, a shorinji-ryu stylist and triple-crown winner of the North American Karate Championships in 1974, demonstrates 11 karate kata. A detailed history of Okinawan karate and biographies of 37 of its greatest patriarchs are also included.

An instructive text on the etiquette, kata, stances and powerful techniques of the renowned goju-ryu system as practiced in Okinawa. Includes a detailed section on sanchin breathing and step-by-step photos with foot patterns.

Grand Master Fusei Kise has devoted his life to teaching traditional Okinawan karate, From the main dojo of the All Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo Federation in Okinawa City, he and his students have branched throughout the world, bringing to thousands the tradition of Shorin-Ryu Matsumura karate as passed to him by his teacher, Master Hohan Soken. In this book, Hanshi Kise tells his the story of his life and his karate.

A personal, philosophical, and historical exploration of Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate written by an experienced master. In Wandering Along the Way of Okinawan Karate, Giles Hopkins draws on his fifty years of martial arts experience to take the reader on a journey through the meaning of kata (form) and bunkai (application) in Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate. Hopkins offers his personal reflections on the enigma of karate kata while explaining many of its little-understood applications. With skill and insight into kata's connection to nature, the book addresses key topics such as why some movements are done slowly while others are fast, the significance of steps and turns, and the role of tradition in karate. The purpose of kata solo patterns is to solidify specific self-defense techniques. Contrary to the commonly held belief that kata techniques can have multiple interpretations, Hopkins argues that kata embodies specific martial principles that must be followed rigorously for it to be truly effective. He also reveals the spiritual dimensions of martial arts by explaining its deep connection to nature. Providing new understanding of kata structure, themes, and martial art principles, Hopkins sheds light on the practitioner's journey.

A guide to goju-ryu fundamentals that narrates the author's personal history of Okinawan goju-ryu karate. It covers advanced kata, its evolution and its importance. It features step-by-step photographs that show the advanced techniques of shorei-kan karate, including stances, strikes, blocks, kicks and two-man training styles.

At long last we are pleased to announce that the 3rd edition of the 1932 Motobu Choki publication, "Watashi no Karate-jutsu," is finally completed thanks only to the assistance and co-operation of many kind people. The publication is approximately 182 pages in the same size and format as our Funakoshi Gichin publication, Tanpenshu. Here, in this small but provocative publication, lies yet another milestone in the legacy of Karate. "Watashi no Karate-jutsu" ("My Art of Karate"), introduces comprehensive insights into a fighting tradition as known and taught by one of its early Okinawan innovators, Motobu Choki (1870-1944). One of only two books he ever published on the art it is not widely known in modern karate circles or outside the spectrum of those who research its history. Straightforward in its approach, this modest work outlines those unique methods that made Motobu Choki, pound for pound, possibly the greatest technician and karate fighter of his generation. One mistake the modern Karate-ka often makes, when trying to grasp the technical ambiguities surrounding the application of early karate practices, is to depend on contemporary assumption. This small but powerful book provides a window through which the reader is better able to perceive the cultural landscape and social mind-set of those people who shaped its practice. What could possibly improve a reader's overall understanding of the art more than walking in the footsteps of those people most responsible for pioneering it? Great people should never be forgotten, if only to remind us of the potential latent in ourselves. By studying the anthropology of this tradition it becomes evident that many of the early pioneers established a symbiosis with karate so that their lives became as much a product of the art as was the art a product of their lives. Researched and translated by Patrick & Yuriko McCarthy

History of Okinawan karate and its growth, told through vignettes about its most famous practitioners.

The book investigates the deep roots of Okinawan Karate and its gradual evolution and development prior to the 20th century, revealing important cross currents in the evolution of Okinawan Karate. Part 1 defines the background and the historical field in which Karate developed. Part 2 elaborates on the issues discussed in Part 1 and thoroughly investigates changes, trends and stages of progress that have been influential in bringing Karate into the 20th century. The book investigates the relationships between Okinawan-te and the Chinese, Japanese and even Siamese environments. It advances the discussion of significant topics such as the Bubishi and White Crane, and analyzes the subject of Shaolin Monastery Combat thoroughly, as well as its relationship with Chinese Martial Arts and Ryukyuan Bare-Hand Combat. The nature of transferring knowledge throughout history. The components of Kihon and Kata, its role and its fundamental practical importance. What did Ryukyuan-te look like? Find the thorough answers to many ambiguous issues and topics. Learn the little-known about the Origin of Authentic Karate. Understand Key Points in Karate evolution. The extensive quantity of material is supported by references to historical sources that are examined carefully and in accordance with their relevance and reliability. The book traces and defines the characteristics of those who engaged in ancient Ryukyuan Bare-Hand Combat, their skills, the nature of their activities and the development of Ryukyuan-te, which became known as Okinawan-te, and then later became known as Karate. The author awarded the honorable title of - Writer of the Year - By "The International Ryukyu Karate Research Society" (IRKRS)/December 2017. Mr. Patrick McCarthy, Hanshi 9th Dan Director of IRKRS:"Remarkable research undertaken and produced in this work. The volume and extensive resources used to complete his publication is, without question, outstanding... This work belongs in/on the bookshelves of any/every serious learner of the art... Mr. Cohen had undertaken an enormous task of researching and documenting his lengthy study. I found his work intelligently weaved together the very fabric holding together the twin arts of Karate and Kobudo, along with its personalities, social, military, spiritual/religious and cultural events, that helped shape their evolution. Without doubt, this gentleman had produced an outstanding piece of work and worthy of high praise. I did feel it deserved a hard cover, simply because of the value it represents... Cohen wrapped up the end of each section with his personal summation. A really nice and revealing touch".