Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques (Martial Arts) [Paperback]

Mark Bishop (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1990 | Series: Martial Arts

Okinawan karate is the historical grandparent of karate styles practised throughout the world today. This book looks at the development of each Okinawan style and describes the techniques which comprise the various methods of self defence. These are divided into the "Shorin" group, the kobudo and ti styles, and styles based on Chinese boxing systems. Black and white photographs and lineage charts highlight famous families and teachers who have played key roles in promulgating karate for several hundred years. Also included are breathing and relaxation exercises, and glossaries of katas and of Japanese, Okinawan and Chinese words used in the text. Mark Bishop holds a 6th Dan in Okaniwan te, a 4th Dan in Shorin-ryu karate and kobudo, a 3rd Dan in Goju-ryu, and black belt gradings in judo and aikido.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Bishop lived in Okinawa for more than fifteen years, studying with, interviewing, and writing about many of the best-known Okinawan martial arts masters. Married to the daughter of a prominent Okinawan religious leader, he has been allowed unusul access to the inner teachings and opinions of many of the masters he has encountered. Upon his return to England, he established himself as an in-demand martial arts lecturer and teacher. He is the author of Zen Kobudo (Tuttle, 1996) and writes extensively for martial arts magazines. He lives in Sussex, England.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: A & C Black; First Edition edition (March 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713656662
• ISBN-13: 978-0713656664
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,302,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars history of Okinawan karate styles, November 24, 1999

By 

Chad Raymond - See all my reviews

This review is from: Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques (Martial Arts) (Paperback)

Mark Bishop has written a geneological history of most, if not all, of existing karate styles that have their roots in Okinawa. Though his work is not sourced and footnoted as is customary in academic writing, he does indicate that his information comes from interviews with karatedo masters in Okinawa, and presumably these interviews were conducted in the masters' native language. Since the vast majority of martial arts "history" is oral, and his book is so detailed, I find his accounts quite credible. In this book, Mark Bishop has done a good job of conveying the commonalities of all karate styles, despite the efforts by some to differentiate and mysticize them. Bishop should also be commended for debunking the frequently told myth that martial arts began in Okinawa when weaponless peasants developed fighting techniques to counter the aggression of Japanese samurai. He also presents his interview subjects as real people -- some of the karate masters he interviewed struck him as slightly bombastic or secretive, while others came across as humble and eager teachers. Instead of editing these impressions out he includes them.

This is not the book for people with little or no experience in the martial arts looking for a guidebook so they can learn how to win bar fights. The book is most valuable as a historical reference.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Personal Journey Through the Homeland of Karate, February 15, 2003

By 

C. J. Hardman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques (Paperback)

Mark Bishop offers us a look at karate on Okinawa. Not in the usual manner, wherein an author tries to explain techinques through pictures and words, but through descriptions of his discussions with practitioners of different styles of karate and kobudo (traditional weaponry), and descriptions of the many dojo (schools) he visited. Bishop includes photos of the places he visited and the masters he met throughout the volume, and for most schools offers lineage charts showing who the major instructors of each master were, and that teacher's senior students. One emerges with a new awareness of and appreciation for the diversity of Okinawan Karate, both in practice and philosophy.

The author breaks down the book into three major sections. The first of these is on styles and teachers of Karate directly related to Chinese Boxing ("kung fu"), such as Jukendo, Ryuei-ryu, Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu, Pangai Noon, and Kojo-ryu. section Two is concerned with Shorin-ryu styles of karate, including Matsumura Orthodox shorin-ryu, Ishmine-ryu, Tomari-te, Shorinji-ryu, Matsubayashi-ryu, Chuba-ryu, Isshin-ryu, Shorin-ryu (shaolin), Ryukyu Shorin-ryu, Kobayashi Shorin-ryu, Kushin-ryu, Kenwa Mabuni Shiito-ryu, Shinpan Shiroma Shiito-ryu, Tozan-ryu, and Okinawan Kempo. The third section of this book delves into schools and instructors of Kobudo (traditional weaponry), includingHoshin-ryu, Yamani-ryu, Uhuchiku Kobudo, Ryukyu Kobudo, Matayoshi Kobudo, Motobu-ryu, and Bugeikan. Also included are appendixes with a map of Okinawa (detailed names of each region of the Island), a Kata (form) chart showing what kata each school of karate practices, a list and description of Kobudo weapons, and addresses of major teachers and schools in Okinawa. This is probably the best guide to different forms of Okinawan martial arts, since the author is able to include his personal observations, and not simply a collection of data from other sources.

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Full of very biased information with lack of substantiation., April 28, 1998

By 

<[e-mail]> Wade Chron... (Okinawa Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques (Martial Arts) (Paperback)

Even though the book is full of useful information for any interested martial artist, I find the book to be full of biased information resulting in half truths and conjecture. A very good job is done in making sure that most systems are represented; however, it is apparent that in the cases where the author felt he was not received with enthusiasm, he gave very unfavorable accounts of his experiences. The author went so far as to insult and degrade a genuine grandmaster of a very respected Okinawan martial art who is, incidentally, a Japanese Living National Treasure. The fact that he can openly show disrespect and complete disregard for a martial art system and its grandmaster shows that through his martial arts training he has never learned the most valuable lesson taught in the martial arts: to show respect and always remain humble--yet, he continues to write about a subject that he has only a superficial knowledge of.