Customer Reviews

Okinawan Karate

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are very good and useful information about some less-popular styles such as Ryuei Ryu and different branches of Shorin ryu. However, the author added so much of his own criticism of instructors, usually about their personalities and manners, and at times I wonder why he has an authority to criticize some senior instructors of Okinawa, the birth place of Karate-do.

The author shows very little, and sometimes no respect to Japanese/Okinawa senior instructors. Having said that, this is still a good book and will add some historical perspective to a serious Karate-ka.

Mr. Bishop certainly has provided some good insights into the way of traditional Okinawan Karrate. His first hand accounts add much to the information provided and his story is rich in detail. He dosen't just give you facts, names and dates, but presents the reader with a source on which you will reflect on for some time. There's not much in the way of mystical karate in this book, just good hard facts that are a wealth of information.

Mark Bishop offers us a look at karate on Okinawa. Not in the usual manner, wherein an author tries to explain techinques through pictures and words, but through descriptions of his discussions with practitioners of different styles of karate and kobudo (traditional weaponry), and descriptions of the many dojo (schools) he visited. Bishop includes photos of the places he visited and the masters he met throughout the volume, and for most schools offers lineage charts showing who the major instructors of each master were, and that teacher's senior students. One emerges with a new awareness of and appreciation for the diversity of Okinawan Karate, both in practice and philosophy.

The author breaks down the book into three major sections. The first of these is on styles and teachers of Karate directly related to Chinese Boxing ("kung fu"), such as Jukendo, Ryuei-ryu, Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu, Pangai Noon, and Kojo-ryu. section Two is concerned with Shorin-ryu styles of karate, including Matsumura Orthodox shorin-ryu, Ishmine-ryu, Tomari-te, Shorinji-ryu, Matsubayashi-ryu, Chuba-ryu, Isshin-ryu, Shorin-ryu (shaolin), Ryukyu Shorin-ryu, Kobayashi Shorin-ryu, Kushin-ryu, Kenwa Mabuni Shiito-ryu, Shinpan Shiroma Shiito-ryu, Tozan-ryu, and Okinawan Kempo. The third section of this book delves into schools and instructors of Kobudo (traditional weaponry), includingHoshin-ryu, Yamani-ryu, Uhuchiku Kobudo, Ryukyu Kobudo, Matayoshi Kobudo, Motobu-ryu, and Bugeikan. Also included are appendixes with a map of Okinawa (detailed names of each region of the Island), a Kata (form) chart showing what kata each school of karate practices, a list and description of Kobudo weapons, and addresses of major teachers and schools in Okinawa. This is probably the best guide to different forms of Okinawan martial arts, since the author is able to include his personal observations, and not simply a collection of data from other sources.

This book is one of the best buys one can get on karate.
But the section on Te/Ti could have been more detailed. Also there was nothing on kobudo techniques.

Wow, I felt as if I visited the dojos addressed in this book. It did serve to demystify Okinawan Karate, which I found a mixed blessing. As they say, "ignorance is bliss." Oriental culture tends to venerate ancestors and "those that have gone before." While that is a noble practice, it can also be maddening for the Westerner that is not adept at reading between the lines to get to the truth. Mr. Bishop does a wonderful job at calling it like he sees it. In the end, this is an excellent overview of Okinawan styles of Karate. It contains a very detailed look at many different styles including philosophies, training methods, history, current conditions, and personalities. Although it didn't address every style of Okinawan Karate, I would recommend this book to assist those interested in picking a style, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone already interested in Okinawan Karate.

I will recommend this book to any one who studies Tradional karate,OR any one who enjoys reading on a whole.This book,gives more like a biography,about many GREAT karate teachers.Eg:Bushi Matsumura,Nabe matsumura,and many more.It is also very informative.
It features some RARE pics of martial artists such as:Shinpan Shiroma etc.
I have personally studied matsumura orthodox shorin ryu,for the past 3 years.And let me say,i learned a great deal about my style from this book.
IF YOU LOVE KARATE BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!
Even if you donot study any of the styles in the book,it is VERY interesting.

This is an impressive book that acknowledges that the history of Okinawan Karate is very personal and subjective. Much of the history is oral, so Mark Bishop takes readers to meet the great masters. I don't agree with some other reviewers who slam Bishop for offering opinions that are not necessarily complimentary to some of his subjects. If you want to see the most natural, day-to-day aspects of any dojo, it's always best to arrive unannounced. If you call or write ahead, most senseis (who are generally extremely hospitable) would be naturally inclined to provide a special reception and demonstration -- especially to a researcher. Secondly, some reviewers decry Bishop's lack of the Karate virtues of respect and humility, while they somewhat demonstrate the lack of the same. Rereading the book, it appears that Bishop relayed an honest account of his experiences, some good and some not so good. In one particular case, where he observed students training to a tape recording, Bishop's opinions seem thoughtful and well-considered.

This book really took me back to my military days and martial art training on Okinawa. Mark Bishop has a depth of understanding of the developement of karate that is insightful and different from traditional books that I have seen over the years. Some of his ideas about karate's developement are different, but with reflection probably dead on! The book is full of pictures and charts showing linage of the different arts.

but it has rather questionable writing. The author seems to have very little respect for the people he talked to. For example, Bishop mentioned that one sensei he interviewed was not impressed with the fact that Bishop showed up to interview him without notice. I don't believe that this is a very professional way to conduct such research. However, the stories and facts in the book make for some good reading. I would simply recommend skipping over the parts where the author conveys his opinion, as they are more or less irrelevant to the actual histories that are being discussed.

Bishop's book gives you a look, a very good look, at 'serious kartae' in Okinawa. The section describing the training methods and emphasis of each school was extremely interesting. Reading this many of the people who carry the banner of 'tarditional karate'will see they are in fact are far cry from the hardcore real traditionalist of the schools highlighted in the book.

Read, Bishops's book. It is full of valuable information.