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Chasing Bushido: How I Learned to Just Say Osu
Learning the Path of the Warrior
Captivated by images of Bruce Lee during the martial arts boom of the early ’70s, Richard Amos began his journey into the world of Bushido: the path of the warrior. His intuition soon told him that karate was much more than simply developing fighting skills. Certain that a life of karate would assure him of philosophical insights and not just competition wins, he began his fascinating voyage from London, to New York, and then Tokyo. Richard tells his story through vividly recounted experiences, showing us that karate is a complete art form and a lifetime endeavour. Equal parts thoughtful and thrilling, this transformational memoir will inspire and bring to everyone a deep appreciation of the dedication necessary to excel in this multi-faceted, exacting discipline.
Captivated by images of Bruce Lee during the martial arts boom of the early ’70s, Richard Amos began his journey into the world of Bushido: the path of the warrior. His intuition soon told him that karate was much more than simply developing fighting skills. Certain that a life of karate would assure him of philosophical insights and not just competition wins, he began his fascinating voyage from London, to New York, and then Tokyo. Richard tells his story through vividly recounted experiences, showing us that karate is a complete art form and a lifetime endeavour. Equal parts thoughtful and thrilling, this transformational memoir will inspire and bring to everyone a deep appreciation of the dedication necessary to excel in this multi-faceted, exacting discipline.
363 pages, Paperback
Published July 29, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 12, 2021
Chasing Bushido: How I Learned To Just Say Osu is the autobiography of Richard Amos, a pioneering karate practitioner, the first instructor from the UK to become a Japan Karate Association instructor. But you don’t practice martial arts? Not to worry. The book’s entry point is as accessible as it is relatable. At age 10, Amos’s imagination, like many of his generation, was caught by Bruce Lee in 1973, where we read of his “posing in the mirror”, copying poses from any book he could get his hands, it made me smile.
What makes this story more than a passing phase? Richard Amos is dead serious about training. He joins his local Dojo (club) in Cheltenham, he perseveres through mental battle after mental battle, through every awkward phase. Moving up the ranks to black belt, teaching, shifting from being a local to international competitor, from his teenage years right up until he commits to the big move to Japan, at age 25, to become a Karate Instructor (Sensei).
But that’s not to say he was born with natural talent, that he had a rock solid tunnel vision, or even spoke fluent Japanese when he arrived in Tokyo “a lost gaijin”. Between moving from home to Tokyo, he spent a year trying to stay afloat in New York, taking on temporary jobs and briefly considers a career in acting, unsure of his next move. A stark contrast, while living in Japan, he makes a living teaching English and lives on a modest income, living in Dojo digs in his first few years.
Amos punctuates his account with the fears and insecurities he had about his own body, unable to stop comparing himself to the Japanese students around him. He is an underdog. He learns to play to his strengths and overcomes his bouts of disillusionment by constantly questioning his practice and taking the time to reflect and critique on his experiences with his friends. He learns to keep his dignity and to maintain healthy boundaries with his colleagues outside of work.
Away from everything he knew, there was aid and he was never completely alone, never failing to acknowledge the friendships he made that helped him keep on and grow as a person. He recognises there is no end to his journey, yet along the way we see his character develop. This is not so much a story of learning how to fight, but to attain the spirit and grace required to pass on his knowledge to others.
Amos gives the karate fanatics among us an exciting glimpse into a golden age of Karate. In his travels up north to the Red Triangle, Liverpool for the famed Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) squad training, we get to see practitioners such as Frank Brennan in his prime at Crystal Palace. In Japan, we get insight into the daily lives of Sensei’s such as Asai, Yahara and Kagawa past their hard exterior. But this is no rose tinted vision of Amos’s glory days. He goes celibate. There are constant visits to the dentist. He gets beaten up, a lot. He gets back up again. He was determined, not just to be a world class instructor, but to keep a hold of his British identity, as he strived to have a rich life outside of karate.
As someone who has background in karate training and who has studied abroad, I can relate to his exploits. I know what it’s like to walk into a new Dojo. I know long it takes to acclimatise to a new country. But I haven’t tried both at the same time. Then there are those feelings of homesickness and alienation that come hand in hand with moving away from home. To combat those while I was on study abroad during the pandemic, I used to sing songs from home to myself as I rode through Maastricht on my daily excersise. I would listen to the radio, and I subscribed to UK news. Why? These things reminded me of home. Amos adopts similar mannerisms and in fact this is common practice among expats.
As a Kenshusei (trainee instructor) Richard Amos became expert at taking pieces of literature and applying them to his own life, quoting the works of Shakespeare’s Henry V. To recite these passages on his cycle rides to class. These rituals helped him cultivate a reality around himself where he is coming out on top, where he is at home, on that Pashley racing green bike. It works. He graduates his Kenshusei training and he blooms.
It is my belief that any hard grafting dreamer who is still trying to work themselves out, anyone who has had to be brave in the face of fear, who has had to knuckle down, who has had to embrace waves of chance, will connect with this book. It has all those ingredients for universal appeal.
Richard Amos is now chief instructor of the World Traditional Karate Organisation (WTKO) and lives between Norwich and New York.
You can find his Facebook page, or also follow updates on the book by searching Chasing Bushido: How I Learned To Just Say Osu.
What makes this story more than a passing phase? Richard Amos is dead serious about training. He joins his local Dojo (club) in Cheltenham, he perseveres through mental battle after mental battle, through every awkward phase. Moving up the ranks to black belt, teaching, shifting from being a local to international competitor, from his teenage years right up until he commits to the big move to Japan, at age 25, to become a Karate Instructor (Sensei).
But that’s not to say he was born with natural talent, that he had a rock solid tunnel vision, or even spoke fluent Japanese when he arrived in Tokyo “a lost gaijin”. Between moving from home to Tokyo, he spent a year trying to stay afloat in New York, taking on temporary jobs and briefly considers a career in acting, unsure of his next move. A stark contrast, while living in Japan, he makes a living teaching English and lives on a modest income, living in Dojo digs in his first few years.
Amos punctuates his account with the fears and insecurities he had about his own body, unable to stop comparing himself to the Japanese students around him. He is an underdog. He learns to play to his strengths and overcomes his bouts of disillusionment by constantly questioning his practice and taking the time to reflect and critique on his experiences with his friends. He learns to keep his dignity and to maintain healthy boundaries with his colleagues outside of work.
Away from everything he knew, there was aid and he was never completely alone, never failing to acknowledge the friendships he made that helped him keep on and grow as a person. He recognises there is no end to his journey, yet along the way we see his character develop. This is not so much a story of learning how to fight, but to attain the spirit and grace required to pass on his knowledge to others.
Amos gives the karate fanatics among us an exciting glimpse into a golden age of Karate. In his travels up north to the Red Triangle, Liverpool for the famed Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) squad training, we get to see practitioners such as Frank Brennan in his prime at Crystal Palace. In Japan, we get insight into the daily lives of Sensei’s such as Asai, Yahara and Kagawa past their hard exterior. But this is no rose tinted vision of Amos’s glory days. He goes celibate. There are constant visits to the dentist. He gets beaten up, a lot. He gets back up again. He was determined, not just to be a world class instructor, but to keep a hold of his British identity, as he strived to have a rich life outside of karate.
As someone who has background in karate training and who has studied abroad, I can relate to his exploits. I know what it’s like to walk into a new Dojo. I know long it takes to acclimatise to a new country. But I haven’t tried both at the same time. Then there are those feelings of homesickness and alienation that come hand in hand with moving away from home. To combat those while I was on study abroad during the pandemic, I used to sing songs from home to myself as I rode through Maastricht on my daily excersise. I would listen to the radio, and I subscribed to UK news. Why? These things reminded me of home. Amos adopts similar mannerisms and in fact this is common practice among expats.
As a Kenshusei (trainee instructor) Richard Amos became expert at taking pieces of literature and applying them to his own life, quoting the works of Shakespeare’s Henry V. To recite these passages on his cycle rides to class. These rituals helped him cultivate a reality around himself where he is coming out on top, where he is at home, on that Pashley racing green bike. It works. He graduates his Kenshusei training and he blooms.
It is my belief that any hard grafting dreamer who is still trying to work themselves out, anyone who has had to be brave in the face of fear, who has had to knuckle down, who has had to embrace waves of chance, will connect with this book. It has all those ingredients for universal appeal.
Richard Amos is now chief instructor of the World Traditional Karate Organisation (WTKO) and lives between Norwich and New York.
You can find his Facebook page, or also follow updates on the book by searching Chasing Bushido: How I Learned To Just Say Osu.
August 15, 2020
I turned the pages of Richard Amos's Chasing Bushido with the hands of a restlessly eager karate student, a fledgling enthusiast of shotokan history, and a listener hungry for physical and mental growth -- and I came away with new and reinforced insights on karate training, detailed backstories of my favorite classic karate videos and admired shotokan legends, lively descriptions of specific competitions and training experiences, and more.
Specific examples of insights on karate training include persevering in difficulties, how to receive and give instruction, mental toughness in competition, psychological nuances in both kata and kumite, and my favorite tip on succeeding in team kata ("We had a unique combination of similar technique with the kind of freedom achievable only through the trust of friends.").
Authentically and organically melded with Sensei Amos's depth of thought are refreshing doses of humor (often the healthy, self-deprecating kind) as well as references you might not expect in a book with "bushido" in the title (Jack Kerouac, the caves at Lourdes, Shakespeare, and the Shackleton Expedition are some examples).
Everyone from a lifelong martial arts student to someone unfamiliar with karate would enjoy this memoir. The latter might even turn from a passive observer into an active learner and participant in the art and lifestyle told from cover to cover.
Specific examples of insights on karate training include persevering in difficulties, how to receive and give instruction, mental toughness in competition, psychological nuances in both kata and kumite, and my favorite tip on succeeding in team kata ("We had a unique combination of similar technique with the kind of freedom achievable only through the trust of friends.").
Authentically and organically melded with Sensei Amos's depth of thought are refreshing doses of humor (often the healthy, self-deprecating kind) as well as references you might not expect in a book with "bushido" in the title (Jack Kerouac, the caves at Lourdes, Shakespeare, and the Shackleton Expedition are some examples).
Everyone from a lifelong martial arts student to someone unfamiliar with karate would enjoy this memoir. The latter might even turn from a passive observer into an active learner and participant in the art and lifestyle told from cover to cover.
January 11, 2021
Very inspiring read about Richard Amos’ time as a youth competing for the UK National Karate team, his time in New York, and subsequent move to Tokyo to live and train as a professional Karate instructor. Osu!
May 15, 2024
Wow what an inspirational read with a look into an incredible world told by an incredible human. Such perseverance and focus, holding on to and developing an art with deep passion. I recently started practicing Goju Ryu so Shotokan is a bit different style but karate is karate and the love for it crosses styles. Arigato Gozaimashita🥋👊🙏
September 6, 2024
Amos does a wonderful job in delivering a multilayered message in a deceptively accessible way. It almost makes you forget how much he has to say about learning, growing and adapting. Oh, and karate, of course. A real page turner.
July 5, 2023
Didn't want the book to end. Captivating and a spiritual experience for me. Definitely recommend.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews