The Katas: The Meaning behind the Movements

by Kenji Tokitsu

The embodiment of the ancient knowledge that underlies the dedication-to-perfection philosophy of Japan

• How mastering these specific movement sequences known as katas provides a way to deepen one’s martial arts practice spiritually

• Explores the psychological and social importance of the katas in martial arts and Japanese society, including their role in seppuku (ritual suicide)

• Includes many examples from the lives of famous masters, from the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi to 20th-century poet Yukio Mishima

An essential part of the martial arts of Japan, such as sumo and karate, the katas are specific sequences of movement that originated during Sakoku, Japan’s period of closure to the outside world from 1633 until 1853. The dedication-to-perfection philosophy of the katas, ubiquitous in Japanese society, is vital to understanding the spiritual aspects of their martial arts as well as other traditional Japanese arts, such as flower arranging, chadō (tea ceremonies), and kabuki theater.

With examples from the lives of famous masters, from legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi to 20th-century poet Yukio Mishima, this book explores the psychological and social importance of the katas, including their role in seppuku (ritual suicide), the student-master relationship, and gyo (the point at which the practitioner breaks the mold of the kata and begins to embody it). Looking at their origins in the warrior class and how this pursuit of perfection is ultimately a way to accept the power of death, the author explains how performing the katas transmits ancient knowledge much deeper than just technical movements, providing a way to deepen one’s martial arts practice spiritually.

Genres: Martial Arts

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2010

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

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I have mixed feelings. Since Tokitsu is a karate sensei and the title is "The Katas" I assumed the book would be about karate katas. Instead, it's is an abstract analysis of the development of katas in Japanese sword martial arts, and Japanese culture, and the role of kata in following the do or way. And it was interesting, and if you're not familiar with Japanese martial arts history then you would enjoy this book. But, as Tokitsu points out in the last chapters, karate kata was developed in Okinawa under very different circumstances than the mainland martial arts, a different master/student relationship, and not as closely connected to the sword, and so is a somewhat different matter than the kata he spent the whole book writing about. So realize that this is not a karate book, but does have important historical and contextual information for anyone studying a Japanese martial art.

[Stan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book that I can recommend. While there are some insights that a martial artist can find in the pages, this book is more of a sociological/psychological analysis of the Japanese. It reminds me a bit of, "Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II," not a bad book, but not a martial arts book either. I think this book disappoints because it is labeled, "Martial Arts/Eastern Philosophy," it reads more like social science. While it isn't a great read for a martial artist, it might be interesting for a hard core lover of all things Japanese.

[Adam Balshan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars [Military Science]
The front cover is misleading. Virtually no treatment of martial arts katas are to be found here. Instead, this book is almost wholly a work of (Japanese) philosophy, with some interesting (Japanese) sociological applications.

The middle bogs down with an over-explanation of Japanese existentialism (Zen), but the end livens back up with answers about seppuku--the morbid, violent suicide of Japanese culture more popularly known as "hari kari."

The Katas is worth one read, particularly if one is interested in Japanese culture.