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Shorin-Ryu Okinawan Karate Question and Answer Book
Shorin-Ryu Karate USA/Matsubayashi Karate of Okinawa. Question and Answer format, containing history of Okinawan Karate. Geneology charts, drawings of all postures and techniques of the system. Details of the kata and kumite as well as definitions of karate terminology. Descriptions of the all Okinawan karate masters and their respective teachers and students.
- GenresMartial Arts
90 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 3, 2019
The book quite literally is a series of numbered questions and answers about a flavor of Okinawan Karate known as Matusyubashi Shorin-ryu (taught by Ansei Uechiro). From the front cover onward the authors have jammed their book with snippets of good information in seven parts (eg. Introduction(pp.1-12), History (pp13-22), Kata(pp23-34), Kumite and Weapons(pp35-46), Karate(pp47-56), Japanese Terminology(pp57-68) and the Appendix(69-86).
Many questions, regardless of the particular section are probing. Line drawings, illustrations, interesting charts and graphs, tables are shown throughout. Each is filled with tidbits of fairly uncommon information in English. Fascinating quotations of all kinds (martial related and otherwise) are found throughout. Fascinating by themselves an end list or specific citations page of these quotes original sources would have been very helpful. Unfortunately the authors did not use either one.
Yet many questions and their respective answers were of questionable significance or necessity (pp47) "...How long should a student be able to hold kiba-dachi posture without pain before being considered proficient?..." The authors answer (pp.49) "...Two hours minimum. This may take several years to achieve..." While useful such questions, and their respective answers seemed frivolous information, artificial.
The sole photography in the book is in the Kata section (pp32-33). Presumably still photography the movements shown by them are called kata, specifically a kata named "Fukyugata San-dan".
The photography is thankfully larger than many martial arts "how-to" kata book presentations. But the photographs used are sometimes poor quality, oddly angled, difficult/impossible to see because of their placement. Many photos are oddly shadowed. Thirty-seven unique photographs should have been meaningfully enlarged/enhanced or the beautiful illustrations which Maureen and William Cummins made throughout the book, could have substituted these photographs exquisitely.
Perhaps in an updated 2nd edition improvements/changes in the visual presentation of this form will be made?
The final portions of the book on Japanese Terminology and the Appendix were stuffed with information as well. Before the age of the internet, if you were not a Japanese speaker, the terms would have been difficult to translate. The illustrations in this section are extremely helpful. Parallel in quality to the Ratti and Westbrook illustrations in "Secrets of the Samurai" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... or those done in their work "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... . In short, they are simply wonderful!
Similar works more generally on Shorinryu Karate exist since this original publication.
John Sells Unante https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ,
Frank Hargrove's The One Hundred Year History of Shorinryu Karate
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... ,
American Shorinryu Karate Association's Shorinryu an Introduction https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..., Nagamine's Tales of Great Okinawan Masters https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...,
Mark Bishop's Okinawan Karate, Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
An interesting work, with some updates, a tad more editing, it will be even better still.
Many questions, regardless of the particular section are probing. Line drawings, illustrations, interesting charts and graphs, tables are shown throughout. Each is filled with tidbits of fairly uncommon information in English. Fascinating quotations of all kinds (martial related and otherwise) are found throughout. Fascinating by themselves an end list or specific citations page of these quotes original sources would have been very helpful. Unfortunately the authors did not use either one.
Yet many questions and their respective answers were of questionable significance or necessity (pp47) "...How long should a student be able to hold kiba-dachi posture without pain before being considered proficient?..." The authors answer (pp.49) "...Two hours minimum. This may take several years to achieve..." While useful such questions, and their respective answers seemed frivolous information, artificial.
The sole photography in the book is in the Kata section (pp32-33). Presumably still photography the movements shown by them are called kata, specifically a kata named "Fukyugata San-dan".
The photography is thankfully larger than many martial arts "how-to" kata book presentations. But the photographs used are sometimes poor quality, oddly angled, difficult/impossible to see because of their placement. Many photos are oddly shadowed. Thirty-seven unique photographs should have been meaningfully enlarged/enhanced or the beautiful illustrations which Maureen and William Cummins made throughout the book, could have substituted these photographs exquisitely.
Perhaps in an updated 2nd edition improvements/changes in the visual presentation of this form will be made?
The final portions of the book on Japanese Terminology and the Appendix were stuffed with information as well. Before the age of the internet, if you were not a Japanese speaker, the terms would have been difficult to translate. The illustrations in this section are extremely helpful. Parallel in quality to the Ratti and Westbrook illustrations in "Secrets of the Samurai" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... or those done in their work "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... . In short, they are simply wonderful!
Similar works more generally on Shorinryu Karate exist since this original publication.
John Sells Unante https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ,
Frank Hargrove's The One Hundred Year History of Shorinryu Karate
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... ,
American Shorinryu Karate Association's Shorinryu an Introduction https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..., Nagamine's Tales of Great Okinawan Masters https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...,
Mark Bishop's Okinawan Karate, Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
An interesting work, with some updates, a tad more editing, it will be even better still.
April 3, 2011
This is strictly a question/answer book. As such, it's a bit dry as reading material, more of a study guide. But the information is useful for students from white belt to fifth degree black belt (or farther, but I can only speak to this level). It's a nice resource for any student interested in expanding her/his knowledge beyond the physical skills of karate.
Some of the style-specific information (kata list and order) does not universally apply to all branches of Shorin-Ryu.
Some of the style-specific information (kata list and order) does not universally apply to all branches of Shorin-Ryu.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews