Customer Reviews

Okinawan Kempo

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

 

 

This was the second of what are now 4 special edition reprints of older karate books issued by Master Publication of Canada, run by Don Warrener (Goju). Although this edition of Karate pioneer Motobu, Choki's book is useful and should a part of any historical karate collection, there are several issues which anyone wishing to purchase this edition should be aware of.

The photos have been retouched, severely. Most of what you will see are not reproductions from an original text, but apparently paint or charcoal reproductions (or extreme enhancements, if you will) of the photos from an earlier edition. I found these no more difficult to understand than photos in earier reprints, although some of the ambiance is lost. This Masters Publications "translation" bears a striking resemblence to the English translation put out nearly twenty years before by Okinawa Karate teacher Oyata, Seiyu in 1977("Okinawa Kempo: Karate-Jutsu on Kumite"). Comparing the two texts sentence by sentence, I could not help feeling that the Masters Publications "translation" was simply lifted from Oyata's earlier work, although neither Oyata nor any other translator is credited with this book's work, unlike other volumes in this series. I also found it odd that Masters Publications was not able to translate into common pharmacological terms the exact same herbs Oyata left untranslated. Certainly a professional with today's resources would have had better luck?

Although This newer edition is beautiful (cloth covered boards, cloth covered box, dust jacket, etc.), I must admit that I treasure more the unretouched little booklet translated by Oyata in 1977. For an English translation of Motobu, Choki's OTHER book, contact Patrick McCarthy of the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society.

The work of Choki Motobu is very intersting, but the comments of the editor are not sufficient. The predominent part of the book shows only one charcoat figure on one page and a few words on the other page. There are no words about the basis of Motobus interpretation of Okinawan Karate. In the figures he shows a lot of sequences out of the kata naihanchi ( shodan, nidan, sandan) and some sequence of the Bubushi. He shows atacks to kKyusho points very exactly. But there is no explanation of the new editor, no comment. People who dont know the backround of the special content of Motobus techniques cannot understand the book.
H,Kogel M.D., Professor of surgery, 5th Dan Karate ,Kobudo Renshi, Reg.Dir.IMAF Kokusai Budoin

This book is a reprint of Choki Motobu's 1926 original "Okinawa Kenpo Karate-jutsu Kumite-hen", one of the most legendary karate masters to ever live, a true pioneer in martial arts ahead of his time. Motobu sensei was among the first karateka to stress the importance of kumite in the prewar period. The book was reprinted from the original by Master Publication of Canada.
This reproduction of the oldest manual on kumite (sparring) presents the original kumite techniques which were developed in secret by Motobu Sensei through rigorous fights and intense training. They can be definitely described as genuine classical Okinawan kumite, which have little relation to today's sport karate. Motobu Sensei appears himself in the photos, demonstrating the proper execution of the exercises presented.
However the byuer should be aware of a very important fact which is that the photos from the original manual have been severely retouched, meaning that basically they are almost painted sketches from an earlier edition of the book. It is worth noting though that it is a good attempt, considering that some of the photos did not appear in the original and were created based on the context. A vast majority of them still serves its purpose, meaning that they can be easily viewed, however there are some -important in my opinion- details which are gone.
The book has also a nice cover and an insightful forward, plus the very important herb recipies that Master Motobu left.
Personally if I had the option to I would seek the original little booklet with the original photos (even if they had bad quality) but still this book generally holds priceless historic value and it is a must have for any karateka and historian of the art. It is referenced in several martial arts books (rightfully) and we should consider ourselves very fortunate it exists (for the preservation of the original okinawan martial arts). It helps the reader understand the origin and early development of karate.

I started to count the number of pages that were blank or only had one word on a page, but there were too many.

I looks like a basic instruction booklet that the publisher made into a book.

Out of about 100 pages, probably half have more than one word/number on them.

The only reason that I didn't give it One star is out of respect to the "author". Although I doubt that it was his intention to make a book out of it.

If you're interested in true martial art, the art of war, you should buy this book. Don't pay attention to the quality of the photos and don't forget any detail.
Enjoy!