Karate-do Nyumon: The Master Introductory Text by Gichin Funakoshi

Karate-do Nyumon: The Master Introductory Text by Gichin Funakoshi

Karate-do Nyumon literally means a passage through the gates of the Karate way-in other words, an introduction to the world of Karate. Karate-do Nyumon is the result of Master Funakoshi's wish to clarify Karate thought and practice for those who know nothing about it. It comprises unpublished writings from the years before his death in 1957, together with simplified kata-sequences of movements-synthesized by Funakoshi from the traditional Okinawa Karate-do kata, for beginners.

Master Funakoshi begins by exploding some of the myths of Karate:

Karate-do is a noble martial art, and the reader can rest assured that those who take pride in breaking boards or smashing tiles, or who boast of being able to perform outlandish feats like stripping flesh or plucking out ribs, really know nothing about karate. They are playing around in the leaves and branches of a great tree, without the slightest concept of the trunk.
In his description of what Karate is, the Master describes the history of Karate-its origins in the ancient methods of unarmed combat in China, and its growth as a fighting method in Okinawa, a country where arms were banned in a succession of decrees from the Japanese mainland. In order to prevent it being subjected to control, or more importantly, to prevent the Japanese overlords from knowing and using the techniques, the practice of Karate was kept a secret. To preserve this secrecy, the habit persisted until very recent times of keeping no records. Master Funakoshi, however, recognized in this book and others the need to formulate the kata precisely, so as to establish a standard of true Okinawan Karate.
The kata in this book are not traditional kata, but they serve to establish the correct habits of stance, thought and action, and to facilitate the eventual mastery of the true Karate-do kata. All these special kata are clearly explained and illustrated by photos.

Lastly, Master Funakoshi recalls stories of men who were living legends when he was a youth in Okinawa, men whose reputations overcame even the secrecy that clung to Karate until the middle of this century.

GICHIN FUNAKOSHI is regarded as one of the greatest Karate masters in the world. He was born in 1868 in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, and practised Karate since boyhood, organizing the first public protests. Early in life, he was a schoolteacher and was educated in the Confucian classics. He was elected president of the Okinawa Association for the Spirit of Martial Arts after decades of studying under Okinawa's top teachers. In 1922, he was chosen to perform Karate at the First National Sports Exhibition in Tokyo, which resulted in the ancient martial art's presentation to the rest of Japan and, eventually, the rest of the globe.

Karate-do Nyumon: The Master Introductory Text, Karate-do Kyohan: The Master Text, and Karate Jutsu: Gichin Funakoshi's Original Teachings are among his works. In April 1957, Master Gichin Funakoshi passed away.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9784770018915
ISBN 10	4770018916
Title	Karate-do Nyumon: The Master Introductory Text
Author	Gichin Funakoshi
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Kodansha America, Inc
Year published	1994-11-01
Number of pages	120
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.