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 - EXCELLENTI am partial to this style of the martial art. I have met Master Oshima and practiced with him. This is a traditional style of karate and an excellent illustration. Rating: - Karete-Do Kyohan: The Master TextThis was my first time using Amazon to bought a book that I am looking for. So far, I am satisfy with this service instead of I buy in book store. Price is my concern and Amazon give this. Rating: - not much to sayIf you do Shotokan or any karate for that matter you should have this book, If you do Shotokan you HAVE to have this book and you are very luck to have so much of the founders works published in english and still in print, i train in Kyokushin and most or Mas Oyama's work is in Japanese only and long out of print Rating: - An Invaluable Resource, Among the First Karate DocumentsI am a 2nd-dan practitioner under Tsutomu Ohshima, the translator, and I want to point out a few things, regarding the comments. Mr. Ohshima read the original Japanese text of his teacher(Funakoshi), at least 50 times (before translating), and was authorized by his family to translate it into English. With those considerations (and the fact that it took 10 years), it was a monumental undertaking--personally, professionally, and historically. I can appreciate that he used his own photos, because, as someone else pointed out, the stances got lower and longer, and some things were in transition at the time the book was written--think of it as a "2nd, updated edition." For more information on the changes going on at the time, investigate Shigeru Egami's excellent Karate-do Nyumon, also available here. Egami was Mr. Ohshima's senior and very close friend, considered by many to be the top karateka during his life. Master Funakoshi mastered 2 styles--shorei-ryu and shorin ryu-during his lifetime, instructed by Masters Itosu and Azato. The former has powerful, hard directed movements, rooted in deep stances, while the latter has swift, sweeping, bird-like movements, and we have kata from each style (Ie. the Heian/Pinan forms are Shorin, while Tekki/Neihanchu kata are shorei). Traditional "karate" come from Okinawa, and the different regional styles, named for the towns, drew some influence from Chinese sailors trained in kung-fu, who washed ashore and trained the villagers, further influencing their styles, and differentiating them. "Shotokan" means "House of Shoto." "Shoto" was Master Funakoshi's nickname. When a karateka was asked where he was going, he'd say "Shotokan," or Shoto's house. "Shoto" also means the sound the wind makes when blowing through pine needles, which Master Funakoshi loved. Numerous styles claim heritage through Funakoshi, and widespread, unauthorized use of the Shotokan "circled tiger" has ensued. This symbol was created by one of Funakoshi's students, and is trademarked. You can see it in the opening of one of Jet Li's movies, and probably many others. Traditional Tae-Kwon-Do was created by practitioners who got their karate black belts in Japan in the 20th century (according to my research) although there's a raging debate about the "ancient" origins of those arts. Some claim Tae-Kwon-Do descended from a children's game in which practitioners tried to knock down their opponents with a kick, which was banned by elders long ago--a view that is often ridiculed by martial art historians. This is buttressed by the fact that many Tae-Kwon-Do schools use this Kyohan as their text, and either the exact same kata (particularly the Heian), or lightly modified (usually with modified or added kicks). Not all "karate" styles are directly descended from Shotokan. Goju-ryu and others at least partially developed in parallel, but they definitely influenced each other, and had common roots. To be called "karate," however, implied, originally, Chinese roots. This changed, later, to mean "open-hand" styles, so karate, today, is more generally loosely defined. This website has a clear "family tree," of karate heritage, as well as incredibly useful information and links-- [...]. Ohshima Shihan's website is [...]. Also see [...] (in English or Spanish). One reviewer criticized the Shotokan punch, and it seemed that he was responding not to the book, but to Shotokan generally. Our stances have gotten longer and narrower. When Funakoshi brought karate to mainland Japan, many practitioners were already experts in judo and kendo. One effect was the lengthening of the distance between fighters--often a judo expert would immediately slam a karateka to the ground, or a kendoka would quickly "spear" the uninitiated with a punch. These 2 aspects, as you might imagine, caused a relatively immediate change, not unlike (although it's a long-shot) the effect Gracie Jujitsu had on early mixed martial arts events. These three disciplines (and others) combined to develop the efficacy of Japanese karate, as practiced by Funakoshi's students. Another reviewer sharply pointed out that the book was written for beginners, as well as advanced practitioners. One isn't meant to punch (and fight) with the hand opposite the punching hand pulled back to the hip (ie. "pulling hand), so there is no "arm ending up behind one's body" as the other reviewer had mentioned. This is taught to beginners to show them the proper movement, and is often reverted to by the advanced, to refine the development of power through the thrusting of the hips. In a real engagement (and sparring), fighters hold their hands up naturally, like boxers or MMA fighters. This review is supplemented by my material here--[...] The highly-rated Karate Jutsu: The Original Teachings of Gichin Funakoshi, by Ohshima godan John Teramoto (and also available here on Amazon) is the first official English translation of an earlier Funakoshi book. Also do not miss Funakoshi's Karate-do: My Way of Life. Rating:  - A must haveThis book is a fantastic must-have for any Karate enthusiast. It really is The Master Text (it says so right on the cover). The early chapters provide an insightful background and history of Karate and Shotokan, and are a great read. The later chapters serve as wonderful reference material for the practicing Karate-ka. Highly recommended.
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