Customer Reviews

The Secrets of Okinawan Karate: Essence and Techniques (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior)

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I've seen good reviews and a bad review about this book. What the book is, is a manuscript showing you the technical aspects of the basics, the science of Karate if you will.

This is somthing highly overlooked and in most parts of the world, lost. You can not become a good Karateka without mastery of the basics. Here the author teaches you what you have missed due to constent watering down of techniques as it is passed from master to student throughout the generations.

Basics to Okinawan masters, secrets to us.Until now that is. keep in mind, this book as with all Okinawan Karate books is not designed for sport as much as it is (was) designed for combat.

Time to review your basics and get them right with this book.

I found most of the information here has already published in other books on Okinawa Karate. While there isn't a whole lot here that an experienced Karateka will find new, the information has been arranged well, and ascends in an ordered fashion so that the reader can understand one theory in the light of others mentioned previously. Arakaki discusses principles common to most Okinawa styles, and offers advice on basic techniques. There is decent historical information, and photos of some of the old Okinawan masters which appear to have been "borrowed" from uncredited sources (many of the pictures show cross-grain which means they were taken from other printed sources).

As with most Kodansha books, this volume is a work of top quality. The printing, photos, quality of the paper and binding is top-notch! This is a great book for beginners starting out in Shorin-ryu Okinawa Karate, especially those who practice the style of the author, Muso-kai Karate. For those with more experience, you're probably not going to see anything new here, and might be better served to consider Nagamine's "The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do" for technical aspects, or Bishop's "Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles, and Secret Techniques" for history of various styles and the lineages of the various master teachers from "way back when".

Firstly, let me say that I have been a student and instructor of Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate for over 30 years now and have had many opportunities to train with Japanese and Okinawan teachers.

The best chapter of the book is his first chapter which deals with tsuki (punch). He does a fairly admirable job of explaining how the Shuri styles of Karate rely on relaxed, snappy, whip like body motion to generate energy into their techniques. From there, it goes downhill fast!

Throughout most of the book he presents pet theories such as Imaginary Center of Balance, Imaginary Third Leg, Balance through un-balance and condones practices such as "falling into the punch" and "leaning the body towards the direction of motion". None of these concepts are substantiated by the teachings of any Okinawan instructors I have ever trained with. In fact, they go directly against them as well as against the principles of maintaining good posture, body alignment, and balance.

He attempts to justify his theories by constantly reciting Newton's laws of motion but never really demonstrates how these quoted physical laws prove his theories. While attempting to quote modern physics principles he simultaneously disregards these same principles by stating that "the principles of Western body mechanics do not apply to Okinawan Karate."

His thought pattern is very disjointed and he tends to get off-topic very easily. In many cases, the photographs which he provides are not successfully linked to any of the ideas which he is attempting to justify and could be discarded completely.

The bottom line is that the vast majority of his ideas as presented in this book are not Classical Okinawan Karate principles but rather, his own un-substantiated theories which in fact go against authentic Okinawan teachings.

This is a very good -- though not perfect -- book that presents key concepts of Okinawan karate that are overlooked not only by other books, but by many practitioners of Okinawan karate, beginner and advanced alike. Although it's true that these are "basic" concepts, they are "basic" in the sense of "fundamental" -- requiring a lifetime of practice and refinement -- and not "just for beginners".

The information presented here is not at all, to my reading, a rehash of that already given in Shoshin Nagamine's "Essence of Okinawan Karate-do." Although that is an excellent reference for any Okinawan karate practitioner (Shuri-te at least), Nagamine-sensei doesn't go into any real technical depth about the body dynamics that are really at the core of Okinawan karate. I'm not saying that Nagimine-sensei didn't understand these techniques, just that he chose not to share them in that book, perhaps in order to preserve clarity, or perhaps because they were likely to be poorly understood or misunderstood when described in a book.

Arakaki-sensei's book makes a very solid effort toward explaining these very subtle concepts, and is definitely worth a read for anyone who is interested in the physical underpinnings of Okinawan karate -- for many, even long time students, this will be a completely different presentation of karate mechanics from any they've heard/read before.

As for the text itself, the progression from chapter to chapter is logical and builds well. The translation is solid; the text of the the chapters themselves is occasionally rambly and could have been more tightly edited. A few of the references to science and philosophy are gratuitous, and occasionally nonsensical. Some of the photo sequences in the book are also hard to follow and look like they may not have been properly translated from the Japanese right-to-left edition (just a guess). However, despite these flaws, it is a worthwhile read because of its unique content and in-depth explanations.

Of course you can't really learn karate technique from a book, and this book is no exception. To really understand the concepts presented, you should seek out an instructor who understands the core of what Arakaki is saying (even if s/he disagrees with some of the trappings) and learn all you can. If you are lucky enough to already have such an instructor, this book provides a valuable perspective and reference.

Hello for the most part this book depicts Arakaki's personal techniques as he uses them for his K-1 type of fighting. He gives a decent explantion of Shuri-te's whiplike action, but adds alot of hogwash to fill the rest of the pages. I have trained directly with several very senior Okinawan teachers and still do. I still travel there several times a year and after 30years of doing this im by far no expert in anything. But I think the information should be in a Sabaki or K-1 manual instead of an Okinawa Karate book. Also he severly hyperextends his elbows in MANY of his techniques which is a NO NO whatever someone studies.

This is one of the best books on Okinawan Karate I have ever read! The author opens up a totally different dimension in the world of martial arts. I have never seen or read anything like this before! This book will be great for both advance students and a beginner. It offers so many details on Okinawan karate history and techniques that were lost long time ago. The book is easy to read and also it is full of detailed pictures that helped visualize techniques. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for the true secrets of Okinawan karate!

This is possibly one of th worst books I have ever seen on Karate. Its an absolute mess and mish mash of ideas. The Author tries to present Okinawan karate in japanese Budo context??? instead of trying to find reasonable answers to problems he has jammed various things together to create an ugly hybrid. The techniques shown are more related to full contact kickingboxing than Okinawan karate. There is no relation between the fighting techniques and the kata. Secrets???? the techniques in here are suitable for a beginner on the road to full contact competitions but forget it if you are looking for Okinawan karate.

A Vibrantly Refreshing New Perspective of Authentic Classical Karate before it became diluted by contemporary interpretations - ""The Secrets of OKinawan Karate - Essence & Techniques,"" by Shihan Kiyoshi Arakaki - Founder & President of Okinawa Karate-Do Musokai & American Koshiki Karate Organization is by far a most timely & much needed addition to the libraries of all serious practitioners of any martial art from Intermediate to Advanced Levels (albeit that Beginners shall also Benefit Greatly from the Comprehensive Knowledge contained therein.)

In a Quantitatively Fashionable Superficial Era wherein every man and his dog is writing a book (despite the External Cosmetic Appearances) the vast majority of which are totally Impotent and SubstanceLess, .........................long overdue, Master Kiyoshi Arakakis' ARTFUL CONTRIBUTION (recently translated from Japanese into the English language) has proven to be DYNAMICALLY POWERFUL & TOTALLY SUBSTANTIAL!!!

An Informatively Technical & Scientific treatise on the UNSEEN SUBTLETIES of the Finer Points of Advanced Traditional Okinawan Karate - a Distilation of over 35 years of HardEarned Personal International Experience & Introspective Observations.

Worldwide Martial Art TEACHERS & STUDENTS Alike Shall Most Definitely Find an ENGAGINGLY FRESH PERSPECTIVE on Karate - ..............Throughly Dissimilar from that with which they may have been previously or are presently acquainted.

Every Serious Student of martial arts shall CATEGORICALLY, beyond question, find this book DECIDEDLY REWARDING & EXCEPTIONALLY ENLIGHTENING -presented in a Very Realistic & Pragmatic Manner, Thought Provoking to say the least!!!

Table of Contents:

1) Tsuki & The Inner Physical Dynamic System
2) Imaginary Center of Gravity: A Stance That Creates Energy
3) Walking in Martial Arts
4) Kata: The Ultimate Japanese Art
5) Change: Kata in Martial Arts
6) The Divine Providence of The Universe: The Eternal Truth of All
7) Muso-Kai: Karate That Enriches Life.

No doubt everyone shall be in EAGER ANTICIPATION of the Availability , after translation from Japanese into the English language, of the accompanying 4 other Volumes currently available only in Japanese!

TOTAL QUALITY - BAR NONE!!!

I've Recommended this Necessary Treasure to All my Serious Students, Friends & Collegues.

Not to be disappointed, You Shall Be UTTERLY DELIGHTED!!!

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL!!!---Professor Divakara, West Coast., Canada

A Vibrantly Refreshing New Perspective of Authentic Classical Karate before it became diluted by contemporary interpretations - ""The Secrets of OKinawan Karate - Essence & Techniques,"" by Shihan Kiyoshi Arakaki - Founder & President of Okinawa Karate-Do Musokai & American Koshiki Karate Organization is by far a most timely & much needed addition to the libraries of all serious practitioners of any martial art from Intermediate to Advanced Levels (albeit that Beginners shall also Benefit Greatly from the Comprehensive Knowledge Contained Therein.)

In a Quantitatively Fashionable Superficial Era wherein every man and his dog is writing a book (despite the External Cosmetic Appearances) the vast majority of which are Totally Impotent and SubstanceLess, .........................long overdue, Master Kiyoshi Arakakis' ARTFUL CONTRIBUTION (recently translated from Japanese into the English language) has proven to be DYNAMICALLY POWERFUL & TOTALLY SUBSTANTIAL!!!

An Informatively Technical & Scientific treatise on the UNSEEN SUBTLETIES of the Finer Points of Advanced Traditional Okinawan Karate - a Distilation of over 35 years of HardEarned Personal International Experience & Introspective Observations.

Worldwide Martial Art TEACHERS & STUDENTS alike Shall Most Definitely Find an ENGAGINGLY FRESH PERSPECTIVE on Karate - Throughly Dissimilar from that with which they may have been previously or are presently acquainted.

Every Serious Student of martial arts shall CATEGORICALLY, beyond question, find this book DECIDEDLY REWARDING & EXCEPTIONALLY ENLIGHTENING - presented in a Very Realistic & Pragmatic Manner, Thought Provoking.......................... to say the least!!!

Table of Contents:

1) Tsuki & The Inner Physical Dynamic System
2) Imaginary Center of Gravity: A Stance That Creates Energy
3) Walking in Martial Arts
4) Kata: The Ultimate Japanese Art
5) Change: Kata in Martial Arts
6) The Divine Providence of The Universe: The Eternal Truth of All
7) Muso-Kai: Karate That Enriches Life.

No doubt everyone shall be in EAGER ANTICIPATION of the Availability , after translation from Japanese into the English language, of the accompanying 4 other Volumes currently available only in Japanese!

TOTAL QUALITY - BAR NONE!!!

I''ve Recommended this Necessary Treasure to All my Serious Students, Friends & Collegues.

Not to be disappointed, You Shall Be UTTERLY DELIGHTED,

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL!!!

---Professor Divakara, British Columbia., Canada