CompleteMartialArts.com - Karate-Do Nyumon: The Master Introductory Text
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List Price: $19.00
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Manufacturer: Kodansha International
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9784770018915
ISBN: 4770018916
Label: Kodansha International
Manufacturer: Kodansha International
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 120
Publication Date: 1994-12-15
Publisher: Kodansha International
Studio: Kodansha International
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Editorial Reviews:
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Karate-do Nyumon literally means a passage through the gates of the Karate way-in other words, an introduction to the world of Karate. Karate-do Nyumon is the result of Master Funakoshi's wish to clarify Karate thought and practice for those who know nothing about it. It comprises unpublished writings from the years before his death in 1957, together with simplified kata-sequences of movements-synthesized by Funakoshi from the traditional Okinawa Karate-do kata, for beginners.
Master Funakoshi begins by exploding some of the myths of Karate:
"Karate-do is a noble martial art, and the reader can rest assured that those who take pride in breaking boards or smashing tiles, or who boast of being able to perform outlandish feats like stripping flesh or plucking out ribs, really know nothing about karate. They are playing around in the leaves and branches of a great tree, without the slightest concept of the trunk."
In his description of what Karate is, the Master describes the history of Karate-its origins in the ancient methods of unarmed combat in China, and its growth as a fighting method in Okinawa, a country where arms were banned in a succession of decrees from the Japanese mainland. In order to prevent it being subjected to control, or more importantly, to prevent the Japanese overlords from knowing and using the techniques, the practice of Karate was kept a secret. To preserve this secrecy, the habit persisted until very recent times of keeping no records. Master Funakoshi, however, recognized in this book and others the need to formulate the kata precisely, so as to establish a standard of true Okinawan Karate.
The kata in this book are not traditional kata, but they serve to establish the correct habits of stance, thought and action, and to facilitate the eventual mastery of the true Karate-do kata. All these special kata are clearly explained and illustrated by photos.
Lastly, Master Funakoshi recalls stories of men who were living legends when he was a youth in Okinawa, men whose reputations overcame even the secrecy that clung to Karate until the middle of this century.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Remember - this is an introduction to the way of Karate
Comment: I bought this book as I have heard much of Gichin Funakoshi through my training in Shotokan. It is the first book I've read which was written by Funakoshi.
I expected, as the book's title suggests, an introductory text. It therefore delivers.
It is interesting to read the master's thoughts on the way karate-ka should develop. I would say this is a must read for anyone who sees Karate as purely about technique. My teachers have always tried to instil that it's more than that. This book underscores the principle that it should be about enhancing one's self, that through Karate you should develop as a person.
Some interesting points about his teachers, and an interesting Kata i'd not heard of before (Ten No Kata).
I'll be buying Karate-Do Kyohan
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Master does it again!
Comment: There are certain books in which EVERY true martial artists should have in their library. A few of those books are "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do", "Karate-Do KyoHan", "Zen in the Martial Arts", "The Book of Five Rings", "The Art of War", and last but not least, "Karate-Do NyuMon". Gichin Funakoshi has a view of Karate-Do that most practitioners do not see. He wants it more of a way of life...a whole excesize of mind, body, and spirit. In this book, he expands on this belief and even includes the almost forgotten (but SO important) Ten-No-Kata. It is short and worth the study. VERY IMPORTANT! This book contains a lot of "Do" as well as technique. Funakoshi is the "man" in my book, along with Lee, Inosanto, Ueshiba, Rhee, and Hatsumi. I HIGHLY recommend this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Introductory Text
Comment: This book begins with history of te and a couple of masters. Of course in Funakoshi style there is no in depth details nor any dates. Ten no Kata is revisited, which is no longer practiced with frequency today. Funakoshi's books were the text book of karate in the early 1940's. Good for their time, but still a good addition to your library.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A fun overview but nothing deep
Comment: All of us who study karate are lucky that Funakoshi wrote all he did. Except for a very few others, Funakoshi is the only early written information about karate and the earliest material that was translated into English.Unfortunately for myself and many others who study karate history, Funakoshi never goes into much detail about much of anything. He almost never gives a date and he rarely, if ever says where he learned any of his kata or other practices. The material on his teachers (Itosu and Azato primarily) is in summary form, never mentioning more than anecdotes. There are no dates, mentions of other students they had, what they taught etc... Over all, this kind of book is about real karate, certainly enough to get a young mind going in the right direction about karate. It is well written, we can probably thank the translator for that. It contains some interesting material that is fun to read. Beyond that, it lacks detail to keep you interested for long. Most of Funakoshi's books are like this for history. For the real meat of Funakoshi's karate (rather than this introduction), take a look at "Karate-do Kyohan", which contains much more technical information.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Living History
Comment: Karate-Do Nyumon is a wonderful book for any karate practitioner to read. I've read my copy through many times, and that's not counting all the times I've come back to specific areas of the book. This is one of the best books available for the new student in helping them understand just what karate-do really is, and it is no less a very informative read for students and teachers of all other levels.
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