Customer Reviews

The Weaponless Warriors: An Informal History of Okinawan Karate

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this book even though I am studying TaeKwon Do and not Karate. While the stories of the individuals featured were interesting I really learned a lot buy the lessons each chapter taught. Richard Kim does a terrific job of teaching the reader lessons, such as why it is important not to become a specialist in one area or why a student of Martial Arts should not study for glory but for personal satisfaction, as well as telling a great story. The book is short and to-the-point but also entertaining. I strongly encourage others to read this and will suggest it to the other students where I study.

Richard Kim is expert in many arts & practices. Writing is one of many.... He brings from his experiences memorable stories of the martial arts. This work is one of a very few accessable today which easily could be read by either adults OR children.... with it's lessons & parables accessable according to the readers "ability". An outstanding book.... acquire it if possible!!!!

This is a great book if you want to hear the tales of the founders of karate. If you are looking to this book however to be a fact based history book then this is not for you.

Master Kim recounts stories of Okinawian martial arts masters bringing the past to life along with important lessons for living in todays world.

tiedhouse@jps.net

This book is truly a great insight into the philosophy and ethics of the true karate-ka. Too bad Mr. Kim did not write this book himself. Shame on you Mr. Kim for not following the path of truth and honesty. For taking Eizo Shimabukuro Senei's journal and notes you have dishonered yourself and your family.

Richard Kim does a masterful job of bringing many of the legends of Okinawan Karate to life in "The Weaponless Warriors". This book is easy to read and is particularly good for the young or beginning karate student. It is required reading in my dojo for promotion to orange belt. I highly recommend that it be part of any karateka's personal library.

Kims book provides the reader with some very colorful tales and great historical background on Okinawan karate and its earliest fighters. The book is well written and well sourced. IT's not so deep that you get lost between the pages, although another chapter or two would have been nice. Kim provides some great insights into karate's ethics and philosophys, which many could learn from today. Although first published almost 30 years ago the information is still a reliable source for todays karate-ka.

To anyone involved in karate, this book will provide a basic understanding of the early masters of Okinawan karate. These stories are both entertaining and educational. To my knowledge, this was the first book available to the general public on some of these early karate masters. There are stories about Yara, Sakugawa, Bushi Matsumura, Itosu Yasutsune, Kyan Chotoku, Myagi Chojun. Gichin Funakoshi and many other ancient masters. There are also some old photographs of the ancient karate masters in this fine book. In conclusion, this book has become something of a classic and will be of interest to all serious followers of karate.

Rating: 5 stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Shotokan Karate Self-Defense Techniques: Practical Combat Karate for the street).

This was a fine book. It tells tales from the origins of Okinawan martial arts. It reflects an extremely positive philosophy for karate specifically and martial arts in general. It's well written and entertaining.
Unfortunately, as history, it's quite weak. The almost utter lack of dates & times and something less than a linear chronology just take away from this aspect of the work.
I do recommend it, but be aware that while it tells wonderful and fascinating stories and contains a powerful and compelling point of view, it just is not a good reference book for any sort of history of Okinawan karate.

Richard Kim does an excellent job describing the development of Okinawan karate. He delves into the history of the art as well as the personalities and exploits of the masters. His stories both educate and enlighten the reader. This book will serve as a source of information and motivation to any karate stylist.