Ki and the Way of the Martial Arts

by Kenji Tokitsu

While technical prowess and physical power are essential characteristics of a martial artist, true mastery of the art comes by cultivating one's inner strength. Here, Kenji Tokitsu—an authority on Japanese and Chinese combat arts and a respected karate teacher—shows how cultivating ki (life force) and understanding the principles of budo (the martial path of self-development) can make training in martial arts more meaningful, effective, and personally and spiritually rewarding.

Tokitsu emphasizes the mental aspects of martial arts practice

   •  The importance of ki development
   •  Seme, or capturing your opponent's mind
   •  Understanding ma, the spatial relationship in combat




Studying these concepts, he explains, gives martial artists the tools to train for a lifetime and at the very highest level. Tokitsu also gives a historical and cultural survey of budo, and explains how the Western view of budo training is different than the Japanese—a perspective rarely available to Western martial artists.

Genres: Martial Arts, Nonfiction, Japan

123 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Kenji Tokitsu (時津 賢児) is a Japanese author and practitioner of Japanese martial arts. Dr. Tokitsu has also written a scholarly work about the legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto. He holds doctorates in sociology and in Japanese language and civilization.

Kenji Tokitsu was born on 1 August 1947 in Yamaguchi, Japan. A practitioner of Shotokan karate since youth, in 1983 Tokitsu started his own school, the Shaolin-mon ("door to Shaolin", compare the Mumonkan) school in Paris, where he had taught Shotokan karate since 1973. The Shaolin-mon teachings were a hybrid of Tokitsu's dissatisfaction with Shotokan karate combined with what he learned of Chinese martial arts. Still later, he founded the Tokitsu-ryu Academy in 2001.

Reviews

[Mark Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting insight into the mind of Mr Tokitsu through his reflections, and from what I remember (I read this maybe over 10 years ago) this is more an account of his own journey to study the phenomenal power of ki and zen philosophy in relation to the martial arts. If you're interested in that kind of thing, give it a read. It's not an instruction manual on conjuring up balls of energy to destroy your foes.

[Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been practicing martial arts for 38 years and I found this book to be enlightening. I think to really understand Ki you have to be willing to be open to new thoughts and techniques. It is a short read that needs to be read several times.