Book review
-
Bringing Funakoshi Gigō’s thoughts to English readers for the first time
Eric Shahan, a highly accomplished translator known for his numerous English editions of classic Japanese martial arts texts—from ninjutsu and jūjutsu treatises to seminal karate works by masters such as Mabuni Kenwa and Motobu Chōki—once again delivers a remarkable contribution to the study of traditional martial arts. With The Fleeting Karate Master: Funakoshi Gigō, his Continue reading
-
Book review: The Seven Innermost Techniques of Toyama Kanken
Tōyama Kanken (1888–1966) was a prominent figure in karate, having trained under masters such as Itosu Ankō (1831–1915) and Higaonna Kanryō (1853–1915). He founded the Shūdōkan dōjō in Tōkyō in 1930 and was instrumental in teaching and spreading karate in Japan. Despite his contributions, he remains less well known than contemporaries such as Funakoshi Gichin Continue reading
-
Book review: The Six-Attribute Model to define martial arts
For the academic study of karate, it is also important to think outside the box. I always look to see what’s new on the market and what scholarly approach the authors have chosen for their research of other martial arts disciplines. What defines martial arts? Various authors have already investigated this question. At first glance, Continue reading
-
Review: German anthology on martial arts, combat sports and society
The ademic study of martial arts and combat sports is fortunately attracting growing interest. Michael Calandra, operator of the popular video podcast Martial Truth and himself a veteran master of various martial arts, even speaks of a golden age of martial arts research. A growing number of research works are now on the market. A Continue reading
-
Review: A collection of biographies that separates fact from fiction
For the academic study of karate, it is also important to think outside the box. I always look to see what’s new on the market and what scholarly approach the authors have chosen for their research of other martial arts disciplines. Biographies of famous martial artists have always fascinated me. That’s also the reason why Continue reading
-
Review: About the Taekwondo spirit
For the academic study of karate, it is also important to think outside the box. I always look to see what’s new on the market and what scholarly approach the authors have chosen for their research of other martial arts disciplines. There is no question that norms, values and ideals play a role in Korean Continue reading
-
Review: About the changing values in kyūdō
For the academic study of karate, it is always important to think outside the box. I regularly look to see what’s new on the publication market and what scholarly approach the authors have chosen for their research of other martial arts disciplines. Kyūdō 弓道 or the “way of the bow” is the art of Japanese Continue reading
-
Review: Karatedō Kyōhan now also available in German
The first German translation of Funakoshi Gichin’s third book, Karatedō Kyōhan 空手道教範 (1935), has just been published. Lehrmuster des Wegs der leeren Hand was published by Werner Kristkeitz in Heidelberg, a publisher that has made a name for itself in Germany by publishing literature on Zen, Buddhism and Asian martial arts. For almost two years, Continue reading
-
Review: Introduction to Karate-Do. Its Inner Techniques and Secret Arts
The book has been in my possession for several weeks. Now I would like to congratulate Tobey Stansbury for his great work. In Introduction to Karate-Do. Its Inner Techniques and Secret Arts (2019) Stansbury offers his translations of the books Karate-dō Okugi Hijutsu 空手道 : 奥技秘術 (1956) and Karate-dō Nyūmon 空手道入門 (1967) by Tōyama Kanken 遠山寬賢(1888–1966), Continue reading
-
Review of important German karate history book
Heiko Bittmann has been one of the most important German experts in the teachings and history of karate, not least since his highly acclaimed German dissertation Karatedō. Der Weg der Leeren Hand (Karatedō. The Way of the Empty Hand) (1999). This was followed in 2000 by Die Lehre des Karatedō (The teachings of Karatedō), a Continue reading
Investigations into the history of karate 