11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit of a dissapointment, November 26, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Koryu Uchinadi, Vol. 2 (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)
This book is mostly copies of already published articles by Mr. McCarthy, including:
Standing on the Shoulder's of Giants: The Mabuni Kenwa Story by P. McCarthy
An Outline of Karatedo (1934) by Miyagi Chojun translated by P. McCarthy
The Dai Nippon Butokukai by P. McCarthy
Karate-do: Development, Essence and Aims by P. McCarthy
The biggest tragedy of this publication is the lack of photos. I have seen several of Mr. McCarthy's publications in the past and he usually includes an excellent collection of old pictures. These are mostly absent in this text except for one place at the end of the Miyagi Chojun section where all the photos were just lumped together. I think that this was a problem with the the publisher, but unfortunately, this still effects the quality of the book and hence my rating.
Similar to volume 1, the book isn't the quality that I was expecting. The number of small typing errors is just too high. One read through and I found literally tens of errors of this kind.
Sticking to criticizing the articles themselves, I have to say, for the large number of references included in the text, there were a few that were missing that I think should have been included. There was no reference to lots of Aragaki material, including how Mr. McCarthy knew what kata were passed to Mabuni from Aragaki and how he knew that Aragaki brought the Unsu kata from China, or how we know that Aragaki corrected the Sochin kata that Mabuni originally learned from Itosu Anko.
The last article should probably be titled "An introduction to the new karate vocabulary" as Mr. McCarthy wordily states what could be stated in far fewer words. I get the feeling that as he publishes more and more, he feels the need to be wordier and wordier. Strunk and White had it right when they said "less is more".
Overall, the book is a little inconsistant in giving references, although I give it 3 stars because some of the information isn't available elsewhere without a lot of digging. I just wish it had been presented in a more formal and scholarly manner.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ancient but Not Irrelevant, March 25, 2002
This review is from: Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Koryu Uchinadi, Vol. 2 (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)
Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Koryu Uchinadi; volume one, ISBN 0-8048-2093-7, and volume two, work well separately but best when taken together. I will review volume two here separately from volume one so that one might make a better decision when it comes to purchasing.
For both the novice and advanced Karate-ka this volume will prove to be an indispensable reference. It contains a brief outline of Karate-do master Kenwa Mabuni's life, details on the influence of Southern Chinese fighting systems (particularly White Crane and Monk Fist styles and their use of Qin Na), and the process which led to the transformation of Karate into a system of Bodo. Of special note in reference to this is the minutes of a meeting featuring Karate-do notables which is reproduced in this volume.
For those practicing Goju-ryu Karate-do take special note of this volume for the text "An Outline of Karate-do" by O'Sensei Chojun Miyagi is contained in full in this volume. Those practicing Kyokushinkai and Isshin-ryu will also find this text of interest. Those in Shotokan-ryu will be surprised to read of the controversy that arose between O'Sensei Funakoshi and controversial Choki Motobu.
If what you want is Okinawan Karate-do technique none surpasses The Essence of Okinawan Karate-do by Shoshin Nagamine, ISBN 0-8048-2110-0 which compliments volume one. If what you are interested in is more specifically the history of Okinawan Karate-do and Kobudo get this book along with Patrick McCarthy's Bubishi: the Bible of Karate, ISBN 0-8048-2015-5.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book on Kobudo is a geat reference text!, September 15, 1999
This review is from: Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Koryu Uchinadi, Vol. 2 (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)
This text has included a great amount of info on Shinken Taira and his great teachers. There also is a fantastic listing of Okinawan kobudo katas. Mr McCarthy has done a great job on history tracking on this topic
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
