Customer Reviews

Karate: The Complete Kata

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just what you would come to expect from one of the all time greats in Japanese Shotokan karate, a large (hard back) 240 page book packed with hundreds of small black & white detailed photos & explanations of all the 26 kata in the Shotokan canon.

Each move & many of the intermediate moves are explained in full detail under the pictures.

One nice little surprise for ALL Shotokan Karate-ka is a new (for me anyway - it's actually very old) kata called Koryu Gankaku or (Gankaku-Sho).

Each of the katas movements are highlighted with easy to read symbols to help you with speed, breathing & kime etc.

Bunkai (application of kata) is shown at the end of each kata as well as a glossary of karate terms.

Quite simply a great book to complete Kanazawa Sensei's bookshelf of books including: Black Belt Karate, Karate Fighting Techniques: The Complete Kumite, Karate My Life

At least in this book you may find all the Shotokan Kata in one place, whereas before you had to buy two books which are now becoming quite hard to get a hold of: Shotokan Karate International Kata: Volume 1 & Shotokan Karate International Kata: Volume 2

I studied Shotokan when I was 18 for 2 years and now in my 40s I wanted to get back into it, particularly kata practise so I bought this book just for that reason. Having just paged through it, it looks like I wasn't wrong in my purchase. Although the photos are B&W and a little old the book presents each kata in a clear and systematic manner. I am looking forward to reminding myself of the kata I learnt as a teenager and eventually moving on to the more advanced forms I didn't manage to get to. I believe this book will certainly allow me to do that. I think would have liked to have this by my side when I was a karate student way back when so would recommend it to any new students, particularly if you have a Sensei who expects you to know your latest kata just a day or two after passing your last grading, like I did....lol

In short, this book features the detailed description of all Shotokan Karate Katas, made by Kencho Kanazawa. A must-have reference for all practitioners.

This book is very thorough in photographing and labelling the movements for each Shotokan kata. The bunkai illustrations and explanations for each kata are worth analyzing. Presenting the tecnique's name and stance in japanese is very good, considering that a complete glossary is included in the last pages. The symbols for kiai, degree of kime, and type of breathing accompanying each technique are also presented and help illustrate the kata.

I am currently using this book to complement my learning of kata in the dojo and it is very helpful for memorizing the sequences of movements. My reasons for not giving a five star review are:

*There are no embusen diagrams presented for the kata. This would have made the kata presentation even more complete.

*The introductory texts for each kata emphasize too much their history and possible origin, but do not explain enough of the meaning that each kata tries to convey.

*On the sequencing format, I would have preferred to have each photograph be labelled directly underneath. Instead, the upper portion of the page presents all the unlabelled pictures while the lower section presents all the text.

Overall, a very recommended book if you're interested in complementing your dojo training of Shotokan kata.

This book is one of two books that I now own that illustrate pure traditonal Shotokan Karate Katas. It has served me well, in the short time that I have owned it, as an invaluable reference. It is not only well illustrated with hundreds of photos but also details the origins of the 27 Shotokan Katas. This is a must have book for all serious Shotokan stylist or any martial artist.

IF you practice Shotokan Karate or any of its variations (Japanese varieties such as Shotokai, Korean varieties such as Tang Soo Do/Soo Bahk Do Mu Duk Kwan, etc.) that use these kata, Then you will find this a valuable reference to help learn, practice and remember the kata covered. I have been practicing martial arts for a lolng time, and I wish I had had this book decades ago - it is really all I would need for coverage of the specific kata covered (although a bit more history/bunkai information would have been even better).

I am a black belt in Karate and I love reading this book. It's full of great illustrations in black and white and was written by one of the Katate Masters. I have tons of respect for the Author and would like to recomend that if you are at any level of Karate that you should check it out.

The item arrived as promised and in perfect condition, thank you. I would not hesitste to use you again or to recommend you to a friend.

Very good book, hardcover, with plenty of images and information about karate, and kata. The book is divided in chapters, so it is much easier to find the information about the kata you want. The quality of the photos is very good, although they are small, compared to the size of the book, which is big, so you may find a lot of pictures in one page, but that's not a problem at all, because they are big enough to understand and see the position of hands, feet, head, hips etc.
I recommend the book , because every shotokan karateka should know kata deeply, once they are the karate enciclopedia of techniques and movements.
Well, and talking about amazon service.. I am from brazil, and I post my order by july 5th , and the estimated data of arrival was august 5th , and it arrived august 7th , so there were no significant delay in the delivery of the book, and I found amazon service very good, so I fully recommend the book , and the store.

This is an excellent book for any serious Shotokan Karateka. It's well laid out, and clearly states the facts complimented by sharp, relevent photos, from well thought out angles. This book answers many questions on the hows, whens and whys of doing S.K.I.F. SHOTOKAN KATA. I had the honor of training under Kancho's masterful 'eye' and he is a genius for detail, correctness and solutions. He's a humble man with many decades expirience and wisdom. If you intend to become a master in Shotokan kata, this is THE book.

I wish you much luck on your path...
PeterAnthony. Las Vegas S.K.I.F.