Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92923 in Books
• Published on: 1981-09-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Language Notes
Text: English, Japanese (translation)

About the Author

GICHIN FUNAKOSHI is world famous as one of Karate's great masters. Born in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, in 1868, he studied Karate-do from childhood and organized the first public demonstrations.
He was trained in the Confucian classics and was a schoolteacher early in life. After training for decades under the foremost masters in Okinawa he was elected president of the Okinawa Association for the Spirit of Martial Arts.
He was chosen to demonstrate Karate at the First National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo in 1922, which led to the introduction of the ancient martial art to the rest of Japan and subsequently to the rest of the world. Among his writings are Karate-do Nyumon: The Master Introductory Text, Karate-do Kyohan: The Master Text, and Karate Jutsu: The Original Teachings of Gichin Funakoshi.
Master Gichin Funakoshi died in April 1957.

Customer Reviews

Truly a master
This is a great book for anyone taking Shotokan Karate. This is more of an autobiography on Funakoshi. I think his life is very interesting. He tells of how he was a very sick boy but became 100 times healthier through his study of karate. This book gives his philosophy on the way he lived his life. He reminds us that everybody starts out as a beginner and the true nature of what karate really is. Anyone can learn karate, there is nothing super human about it. If you are interested in the origins of karate and how Shotokan became organized and introduced to the world, then this would be a great book for you. It's an easy read and very much enlightening.

Good insight into Master Funakoshi's life and philosophy
This really gives a great insight into a lot of the philosophy of the master. How you take the information inside this book is up to personal opinion but whatever your opinion it is an eye opener if you wanted to know why perhaps some things are the way they are

Humbled by the master
A wonderful book from the man who effectively created Shotokan Karate.
Funakoshi was a very humble man who was trained by two early Okinawan masters (Yasutsune Azato & Yasutsune Itosu). He never boasts of his acheivements and indeed claims only ever to have used his skills once, when he was quite old, to protect himself and his goods from a young thug. He regretted this act though.

The book is only small, and perhaps this reflects a man who lived a very simple life. As he says "think of everyday life as Karate". Whether you are a new student nervously awaiting your first grading or a Dan grade with years of experience you should really read this book to bring a sense of perspective to your Karate.