The Human Face of Karate: My Life, My Karate-Do

by Tadashi Nakamura

"This book is the story of Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura's life — his childhood, the early years in Karate, the training in Japan, the trips to Bangkok, his struggles and triumphs in America, and his revolutionary teaching techniques and thought-provoking philosophy. It is also a story of family loyalties and the extraordinary love and devotion of husband and wife. As a tale of intrigue in the international Karate world, it is fascinating reading. In its story of struggle and the victory of the human spirit, it is nothing short of inspirational.”

Genres: Martial Arts, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

😍😍😍

[Gaby · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't what I expected

[Kyren · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational book for any practicing or aspiring martial artist. In particular for karateka. The autobiography of the Kaicho and founder of Seido karate, Kaicho compellingly narrates the details of his life in a way that is interesting, informative, easy to follow, and in a way that sheds a lot of light onto the modern systems of karate and martial arts as well as explains in what ways Seido was designed to be intentionally different from others. For anyone who considers karate or martial arts to be more a path of the heart or spiritual journey, or for anyone interested in thinking about martial arts in a more holistic way, this is a fantastic book. Much of the book details Kaicho's private journey in working through what the philosophy behind Karate is for him and what he hopes to impart to his students.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one as a test requirement for 8th kyu, and expected that it would be a slog (self published autobiography? With a volunteer translation? Never a good sign) but I really enjoyed this as a memoir. Nakamura impressed me by how focused he was on his own spiritual path, and how little nationalism he displays.

I'm still more interested in the ongoing development of Seido than Nakamura's history with Kyokushinkai. The writing style sounds very much like a karate instructor lecturing his class. The part I most enjoyed was the obvious love that Kaicho has for Seido and for martial arts philosophy, with or without translation.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, easy to read, and a compelling story. I read it because I am taking Seido Karate and would have finished it regardless--luckily, I found that I didn't want to put it down most of the time.

[Philip Berghan-Whyman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. A good insight into Kaicho's life and ideas about karate. Occasionally a bit repetitive, although that may have been intentional.