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The Essence of Karate
Gichin Funakoshi is a legendary figure and the founder of Shotokan karate, the most popular style of Japanese karate, with millions of practitioners worldwide. In The Essence of Karate , Funakoshi creates, in his own words, a narrative of modern karate. He explains the philosophical and
spiritual underpinnings and includes memories of his own training, as well as recollections of other karate masters and the history of the martial art. He also discusses the importance of winning without fighting, and the reason why many great martial artists improve with age.
The preface has been contributed by Hirokazu Kanazawa, President of the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (and Funakoshi's disciple). He fondly writes of his memories of Gichin Funakoshi during his youth and what he learned from the master. In the afterword, the founder's great-nephew,
Gisho Funakoshi, shares previously unknown personal anecdotes about his "Uncle Funakoshi."
spiritual underpinnings and includes memories of his own training, as well as recollections of other karate masters and the history of the martial art. He also discusses the importance of winning without fighting, and the reason why many great martial artists improve with age.
The preface has been contributed by Hirokazu Kanazawa, President of the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (and Funakoshi's disciple). He fondly writes of his memories of Gichin Funakoshi during his youth and what he learned from the master. In the afterword, the founder's great-nephew,
Gisho Funakoshi, shares previously unknown personal anecdotes about his "Uncle Funakoshi."
128 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2010
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241 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 16, 2024
Aug 15, 2024 ~~ We finished the book this afternoon. It was just as interesting as last time and although I did enjoy it a bit more in this second reading because of being able to discuss each day's reading with Marco, I am leaving my rating as is, 3 stars for I liked it, because I did.
Aug 6, 2024 ~~ Marco and I will begin this book today. I will be back when we are finished to see if I will have any new thoughts to add to my original review.
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Original review from 2015
I stumbled across this and two other books by Funakoshi last year while browsing on Amazon. I recognized Shotokan as the style of karate my husband has studied, and when I showed him the books, it turned out that the teacher of my husband's teacher, a tiny old man skinny as a rail but strong as a tree, had taken lessons from Funakoshi himself so of course I ordered the three titles.
This is a short book, and I read it quickly because I had a chunk of free time, but it deserves closer attention and I plan to re-read it after I read the other two books: The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate: The Spiritual Legacy of the Master , and Karate-Do: My Way of Life .
Funakoshi was from Okinawa, and studied with two different masters of karate, each of whom taught a different style. There is Shorei, which emphasizes mental activity, fine technical skills and agility. Then there is Shorin, which places more emphasis on strength. What made Funakoshi so special is that he seemed to be able to combine these two styles, and developed Shotokan. My husband has always said that Shotokan is not about fighting for the sake of fighting, but about the attitude towards life a student of this style develops.
There is the essence of karate. In Funakoshi's words: More important than technique is the path. That is to say, progressing from the technical aspect of karate to the path that karate itself represents.
And what does Shoto mean, you may be wondering? It is written with two characters which represent pine trees and waves. Funakoshi used it as his pseudonym as an adult. Here is what he told his nephew (who wrote an interesting afterword to this book):
One day I became aware of the sound of the wind sweeping across the pine grove. The sound of the pine grove resonated exactly like surging waves. When I looked up, the undulations of the pine grove itself were already surging waves. However, they were not fierce, aggressively pounding waves. It was a relaxed swaying. Furthermore, the green color was symbolic of spring. The waves created by the pine grove were powerful and abundant, but also gentle. It was then that I made up my mind. When I became an adult, I would adopt the pseudonym 'Shoto'.
Lately the people I have been reading about appeal to me very much. You know the old question Who Would You Invite To Dinner If You Could Invite Anyone At All? I would happily add Gichon Funakoshi to my guest list, along with Michelangelo and Simonides. His personality glows even on these short pages, and I am very much looking forward to reading his autobiography.
Aug 6, 2024 ~~ Marco and I will begin this book today. I will be back when we are finished to see if I will have any new thoughts to add to my original review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Original review from 2015
I stumbled across this and two other books by Funakoshi last year while browsing on Amazon. I recognized Shotokan as the style of karate my husband has studied, and when I showed him the books, it turned out that the teacher of my husband's teacher, a tiny old man skinny as a rail but strong as a tree, had taken lessons from Funakoshi himself so of course I ordered the three titles.
This is a short book, and I read it quickly because I had a chunk of free time, but it deserves closer attention and I plan to re-read it after I read the other two books: The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate: The Spiritual Legacy of the Master , and Karate-Do: My Way of Life .
Funakoshi was from Okinawa, and studied with two different masters of karate, each of whom taught a different style. There is Shorei, which emphasizes mental activity, fine technical skills and agility. Then there is Shorin, which places more emphasis on strength. What made Funakoshi so special is that he seemed to be able to combine these two styles, and developed Shotokan. My husband has always said that Shotokan is not about fighting for the sake of fighting, but about the attitude towards life a student of this style develops.
There is the essence of karate. In Funakoshi's words: More important than technique is the path. That is to say, progressing from the technical aspect of karate to the path that karate itself represents.
And what does Shoto mean, you may be wondering? It is written with two characters which represent pine trees and waves. Funakoshi used it as his pseudonym as an adult. Here is what he told his nephew (who wrote an interesting afterword to this book):
One day I became aware of the sound of the wind sweeping across the pine grove. The sound of the pine grove resonated exactly like surging waves. When I looked up, the undulations of the pine grove itself were already surging waves. However, they were not fierce, aggressively pounding waves. It was a relaxed swaying. Furthermore, the green color was symbolic of spring. The waves created by the pine grove were powerful and abundant, but also gentle. It was then that I made up my mind. When I became an adult, I would adopt the pseudonym 'Shoto'.
Lately the people I have been reading about appeal to me very much. You know the old question Who Would You Invite To Dinner If You Could Invite Anyone At All? I would happily add Gichon Funakoshi to my guest list, along with Michelangelo and Simonides. His personality glows even on these short pages, and I am very much looking forward to reading his autobiography.
July 26, 2012
A quick read with pleasant prose, this book is valuable reading for the serious practitioner of any martial art. At times it read like a memoir, and at other times, like a short philosophical treatise. It reminds us that over-focusing on technique can result in forgetting about the important concepts of honor, Zen, and character, and offers a glimpse into the mind of the man credited with founding modern Karate.
July 17, 2024
An easy read on the foundations of karate. I found this book very interesting and that it was able to convey the true meaning of karate and its history without being too wordy. A must read for any student of karate!
January 19, 2023
As somebody who’s practicing karate, reading this felt like I’m a kid who’s excited to hear about my grandfather’s stories of the past.
The book lived up to its name—it did explain the whys of karate and how it came to life. I just have a problem with the structure. It’s not that cohesive. Master Gichin tends to jump from one thought to another; he struggles to do transition between thoughts. I suppose that’s alright. He's literally telling the tale of karate like how a friend would tell about their day.
I laughed at the part where he had to highlight how karate makes our skin look good. He dedicated an entire chapter for it! That was a hard sell but I’ll take it (and I attest to that).
It’s a light and quick read, and I loved how philosophy is intertwined with the heart and essence of karate. There’s nothing new or mind blowing about the book in terms of the philosophical side of it, but it showed me how connected all religious/philosophical practices are, which I think is great.
The book lived up to its name—it did explain the whys of karate and how it came to life. I just have a problem with the structure. It’s not that cohesive. Master Gichin tends to jump from one thought to another; he struggles to do transition between thoughts. I suppose that’s alright. He's literally telling the tale of karate like how a friend would tell about their day.
I laughed at the part where he had to highlight how karate makes our skin look good. He dedicated an entire chapter for it! That was a hard sell but I’ll take it (and I attest to that).
It’s a light and quick read, and I loved how philosophy is intertwined with the heart and essence of karate. There’s nothing new or mind blowing about the book in terms of the philosophical side of it, but it showed me how connected all religious/philosophical practices are, which I think is great.
March 3, 2021
Can't say I got anything out of this except perhaps a slightly greater understanding of the mindset behind the old-school karate masters.
July 9, 2015
Anecdote after anecdote of unbelievable feats and claims. Historically inaccurate in some instances.
But then again, it's probably my fault for expecting Book of Five Rings-caliber writing.
But then again, it's probably my fault for expecting Book of Five Rings-caliber writing.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews