Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters.
Separating myth from fact.
My wife knows that from my point of view a book is one of the best gifts that you can give to someone. She also knows that a book on karate always tops my list. This time the book she chose to buy me was entitled, Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters. It was written by a great karateka in his own right, Shoshin Nagamine sensei, 10th Dan, Founder of Matsubayashi Ryu Karate-Do. The book is an English translation of his original work first published in 2000 by Tuttle Publishing.
The book details the results of his personal research to uncover as accurately as possible facts about the great Okinawan Masters. A difficult task in a country where written records were either seldom kept, privately held, or destroyed in the American assault on Okinawa in World War II.
What interested me the most were the chapters on Sensei Itosu Anko, and Sensei Gichin Funakoshi. In particular I liked the fact that the author 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 extent to which Sensei Nagamine went to obtain all of this information definitely make this a book worth reading.
Remember: “Knowledge is all around you. Look for it, select what you need, and then make the most of it.”