Customer Reviews

Karate's Supreme Ultimate: The Taikyoku Kata in Five Rings

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

 

 

This is Bruce Clayton, author of Shotokan's Secret from Black Belt Publications. I picked up this volume to see what the authors had discovered about the history of the Taikyoku katas.

The book is a handbook for beginners... like so many we have seen... but intercut with essays on karate history, philosophy, and Japanese language at a level that is at once more thorough and more accessible than competing volumes. It had me laughing out loud.

The text is colorful and somewhat irreverent... but very, very well-informed. I bought a copy for my senpai, and urge you to take a look. BDC

Very interesting approach: a brand new white belt teams up with an experienced black belt to provide fascinating insights into karate. The book is arranged in five sections in a manner similar to Musashi's famous book of five rings. The first chapter covers foundational concepts while each of the other four chapters describe one of the four Taikyoku series kata in detail. It's a pretty short work, but fun to read and very instructive for beginners. There are some essential basics (dojo lore) like how to understand kanji, count in Japanese, and decipher how ranks and belts are used. There are also a few insightful gems such as how "blocks" are used offensively. This book probably won't interest experienced practitioners all that much but beginners should find it illuminating. A very worthwhile read.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

I received this package very promptly,i am very satisfied,i have been reading this book along with others and it is wonderful.