Investigations into the history of karate

Last week, I received a personal copy of The Lost Karate Goju-ryū: Advanced Techniques and Methodology by Izumikawa Katsuya 泉川勝也. Izumikawa is the son of Izumikawa Kanki 泉川寛喜 (1908– 1967), the founder of Senbukai, who relocated from Okinawa to the Japanese mainland and established his dōjō in Kawasaki in 1939—the first Goju-ryū school on the mainland of Japan. The book is a wonderfully informative English translation of the author’s 2018 book 空手の合気 合気の空手 (The Aiki of karate, and the Karate of aiki) by Eric Shahan. It is not a mere translation but based on subsequent research also an extension of the original version that addresses numerous aspects of karate, including historical developments as well as technical descriptions passed down through three generations of the Izumikawa family. Spanning almost 430 pages, it covers a wide range of topics and offers several interesting new insights. The author, head of the International Karate-dō Gōjū-ryū Senbukai, was awarded the IRKRS Writer of the Year Award in late 2025 in recognition of this work. I was particularly impressed by the careful selection of photographs drawn from the family’s private collection. Over the past year, I had the opportunity to contribute as an assistant editor, helping to refine the English-language edition. I am very pleased to see this book published. It is available through Lulu.com and Amazon.com.