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LEGENDS OF
THE PAST
Separating
myth from fact
I recently
received another karate book as a gift, my wife knows me
so well.
She knows
that from my point of view, a book on any subject that
they are interested in, is one of the best gifts you can
give to someone.
The book is
entitled "Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters" and
it was written by a great karateka in his own right,
Sensei Shoshin Nagamine, 10th Dan, Founder of
Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate-Do. The book is an English
translation of his original work, by Sensei Patrick
McCarthy of the International Ryukyu Karate Research
Society, and it was first published in 2000 by Tuttle
Publishing.
The book
details the results of the personal research done by
Sensei Nagamine over the years to uncover as accurately
as possible facts about the great Okinawan Masters of the
past. A difficult task in and of its self in a country
where written records were seldom kept, privately held,
or destroyed in the American assault on Okinawa in World
War II.
While I
found the book full of interesting historical facts about
Masters I had heard of, and others I was unfamiliar with,
what interested me the most as a Shotokan stylist were
the chapters on Sensei Itosu Anko, and Sensei Gichin
Funakoshi. In particular I liked the fact that the he
speaks of Sensei Funakoshi in the first person, having as
he says spent time with him on many occasions.
Regardless
of your particular style of karate the detailed comments
about each Master and the extent to which Sensei Nagamine
went to obtain some of the information, definitely make
this book worth buying.
As for me I
enjoyed it, in fact I am on my second reading, amazing
what you can miss the first time you read a book, or
watch a movie. This time my journey through the eyes, the
heart, and mind, of Sensei Nagamine is a lot slower, and
if possible, even more enjoyable than the first time.
I suspect that experienced
instructors, and students already familiar with some
aspects of karate history and the men who contributed to
its development, will probably get the most out of this
book, none the less even for a novice this is a great way
to learn more about where the art of karate we enjoy
today originated from.
Happy reading.
Remember
Knowledge
is all around you, just look for it,
select what
you need, and make the most of it.
- Part the
clouds - see the way.
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- "The
objective of karate-do is to contribute to the evolution
- of the
human spirit through physical and mental training."
- Sensei
Peter Lindsay
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