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Moving Zen: One Mans Journey to the Heart of Karate
A classic story of one man's confrontation with the self through Karate.
In 1962 at age twenty-two, C. W. Nicol left Wales to study Karate in Japan. He quickly found that the study of the martial art engaged his whole being and transformed his outlook on life. Moving Zen is the multifaceted story of a young man who arrived in Japan to study the technique of, and spirit behind, Karate.
Joining the Japan Karate Association, or Shotokan, Nicol discovered that Karate, while extremely violent, also called for politeness and a sense of mutual trust and responsibility. He learned that the stronger the Karateka, the more inclined he was to be gentle with others. Those who have gained a measure of skill but have not yet achieved spiritual maturity are the dangerous practitioners. Studying kata, Nicol came to realize that these forms are, in essence, moving Zen and that the ultimate goal of all the martial arts is tranquility.
Through the help of many gifted teachers, C. W. Nicol gained his black belt, and moved progressively closer to his goal of tranquility. His story, Moving Zen, was first published in 1975 and has achieved the status of a modern classic.
In 1962 at age twenty-two, C. W. Nicol left Wales to study Karate in Japan. He quickly found that the study of the martial art engaged his whole being and transformed his outlook on life. Moving Zen is the multifaceted story of a young man who arrived in Japan to study the technique of, and spirit behind, Karate.
Joining the Japan Karate Association, or Shotokan, Nicol discovered that Karate, while extremely violent, also called for politeness and a sense of mutual trust and responsibility. He learned that the stronger the Karateka, the more inclined he was to be gentle with others. Those who have gained a measure of skill but have not yet achieved spiritual maturity are the dangerous practitioners. Studying kata, Nicol came to realize that these forms are, in essence, moving Zen and that the ultimate goal of all the martial arts is tranquility.
Through the help of many gifted teachers, C. W. Nicol gained his black belt, and moved progressively closer to his goal of tranquility. His story, Moving Zen, was first published in 1975 and has achieved the status of a modern classic.
183 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
47 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
C.W. Nicol
21 books8 followersC.W. Nicol was born in Neath, Wales, and from a young age expressed an interest in wildlife and the environment.
In 1958 he visited the Arctic Circle to research Eider Duck for McGill University, taking up Canadian citizenship. By the early 1960s he was studying karate at JKA, and soon thereafter began to study Japanese at Nihon University.
He then spent two years (1967 to 1969) as a game warden in Ethiopia, setting up the new Semien Mountains National Park for the Ethiopian Government. He returned to Japan, writing a book about his Ethiopian experiences: From the Roof of Africa (1971, ISBN 0-340-14755-5).
Since taking up residence in Japan he has written many books and other literary works. In 1980 he won the Japan Broadcasting Writer's Award for a television drama written in Japanese. He continued to be an active environmentalist, and to this day he travels in Japan and elsewhere giving talks and lectures about the environment, addressing issues such as deforestation and the preservation of natural environments. He is particularly interested in restoring Japan's vast woodlands, and due to these and other endeavours he is well known in Japan.
He now holds Japanese citizenship, which he wrote about in the book Boku ga Nihonjin ni natta riyū ("Why I became Japanese") and he owns a plot of forest land in Japan where he lives.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction books. His books are written in English and translated into Japanese by others. His books include books about whaling (for which he went on a trip on a whaling vessel), books about the environment, and also children's fiction. His book are all published in Japanese but several are also published in English.
In 2005, he was awarded an MBE.
In 1958 he visited the Arctic Circle to research Eider Duck for McGill University, taking up Canadian citizenship. By the early 1960s he was studying karate at JKA, and soon thereafter began to study Japanese at Nihon University.
He then spent two years (1967 to 1969) as a game warden in Ethiopia, setting up the new Semien Mountains National Park for the Ethiopian Government. He returned to Japan, writing a book about his Ethiopian experiences: From the Roof of Africa (1971, ISBN 0-340-14755-5).
Since taking up residence in Japan he has written many books and other literary works. In 1980 he won the Japan Broadcasting Writer's Award for a television drama written in Japanese. He continued to be an active environmentalist, and to this day he travels in Japan and elsewhere giving talks and lectures about the environment, addressing issues such as deforestation and the preservation of natural environments. He is particularly interested in restoring Japan's vast woodlands, and due to these and other endeavours he is well known in Japan.
He now holds Japanese citizenship, which he wrote about in the book Boku ga Nihonjin ni natta riyū ("Why I became Japanese") and he owns a plot of forest land in Japan where he lives.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction books. His books are written in English and translated into Japanese by others. His books include books about whaling (for which he went on a trip on a whaling vessel), books about the environment, and also children's fiction. His book are all published in Japanese but several are also published in English.
In 2005, he was awarded an MBE.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 9, 2010
After reading this, I am ashamed to have presumed myself to be among the true karate-ka of this world. This book is a vignette of a disciplined mind of the kind I have not yet experienced. It's also an interesting window into Japanese dojo life in the mid century. Sometimes the prose (or translation) is crude, but this is worth a read anyway.
August 3, 2019
Nic preceded me in Japan by over a decade. We met briefly, shortly before he moved to northern Japan. . One of his many adventures is more than most people ever live. He had so many, and all epic and all different. A fine writer, his descriptions of Japan and of the dojo environment are beautifully rendered. Every once in a while, he repeats a not-longer-believed myth on the origins of karate, but so what. His accounts of training in Shotokan, the social hierarchy, the combination of rigidity and the masculine affection of men at arms are all spot-on. There are also small cameos of Shotokan greats, of DonnDraeger, and Wang Shujin.
It is a small gem.
It is a small gem.
February 20, 2024
This was a deeply personal read for me. Nicol's reflections on his time as a Karateka in Japan felt like having a conversation again with my dad, who was a third degree black belt in Kyokushin karate. He includes a few of the principles and guiding philosophical frameworks which guided his study and experience. It's sparked an interest for me to learn more about Zen philosophy. I'll forever be thankful to the dear friend who handed me this book, not realizing it was a favorite on my dad's shelf and that he would give me the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the profound experience which shaped his life.
September 21, 2011
C.W. Nicol, a "Martial Scholar" with few equals. Moving Zen is a story of one persons training experience(s) in the Japanese-Okinawan Martial Art of Kara-te, the Way of the Empty Hand. This book describes, with a razor sharp and pristine clarity, not the techniques of martial arts, but rather the soul of them, as was taught in Japan to the author beginning in 1962.
Where others have "attempted" conveying these experiences, in the 36 years since Nicol originally wrote it, NONE have done it, even half as well. Devastatingly potent, and a h-i-g-h-l-y "moving" book !!!!!
If there were merely three books in a martial artist's library, clearly this book, should be two of them!
Where others have "attempted" conveying these experiences, in the 36 years since Nicol originally wrote it, NONE have done it, even half as well. Devastatingly potent, and a h-i-g-h-l-y "moving" book !!!!!
If there were merely three books in a martial artist's library, clearly this book, should be two of them!
July 20, 2018
This is the story of a guy from Wales who went to Japan, and earned a black belt at the age of 24 in 1964. He describes what it was like to train in a traditional "hard" Japanese karate school. I don't know what was "zen" about what he was doing. His description makes it sound like he and his teachers were very violent and abusive, and the author of this book seems like kind of a dick to me. I'm sure his ability to hurt people with his bare hands is very impressive, but I wouldn't want to be friends with the guy. He describes multiple instances of when he seriously hurt other people without any real provocation, and he doesn't seem to have any remorse about it.
September 22, 2011
Moving zen is about CW Nicol's time spent in Japan learning Karate. It's a pretty good story, but the book suffers from being tersely written. It's a brief read though and there's some good stuff in it, mostly based around the Karate and not so much about being in Japan. I think it mainly comes from Nicol's being kinda of a badass that things that would at least shock most people, dude is an Adventurer! Yes with a capital A, well if it was an actual profession, as it should be. More than anything Moving Zen feels more like a good chunk of a kick ass autobiography.
October 6, 2013
Four stars only because it needed a bit more depth to be a complete autobiography. This is a love song for Japan and a hymn to Karate; giving an insight into dojo life for a foreigner in the seventies. As a brand new karateka (literally had my first class yesterday after watching my little girl grade up to yellow), I think it's inspiring.
June 27, 2018
Thought provoking and inspiring read.
I picked up a few tips that will help with my practice.
If you are deep into your Karate-Do then this is a must read for you - some excellent descriptive language that bring situations & sceneries alive in the mind of the reader.
I will read this book again.
I picked up a few tips that will help with my practice.
If you are deep into your Karate-Do then this is a must read for you - some excellent descriptive language that bring situations & sceneries alive in the mind of the reader.
I will read this book again.
January 5, 2025
En este libro se hallan las memorias de los, aproximadamente, 3 años que C.W. Nicol pasó en Tokio y sus cercanías a principios de los años sesenta del siglo XX antes de cumplir los 25 años de edad.
Nicol, expedicionario y marinero de origen galés, viajó a Japón principalmente para estudiar artes marciales, la primera experiencia con las cuales había tenido en su adolescencia mediante el Judo. Nicol cumplió su propósito. En particular se centró en el aprendizaje intensivo del Karate, y tuvo el privilegio de vivir en primera persona la edad dorada de esta disciplina en el proceso de su institucionalización moderna, disfrutando de la instrucción de maestros de talla legendaria, como Hirokazu Kanazawa, Masatoshi Nakayama y Taiji Kase.
Este libro no solo contiene el relato de sus experiencias en la práctica del Karate y en la vida diaria del país del sol naciente (trabajó de profesor de inglés, se casó con una japonesa, se sumergió en las costumbres populares), sino también sus reflexiones personales y su exposición de la filosofía y espiritualidad que va absorbiendo del ambiente.
Sus explicaciones precisas sobre los entrenamientos, los rituales y comportamientos en el Dojo de Karate pueden servir de baremo respecto al arraigo y mantenimiento de la tradición filosófico-marcial en los gimnasios marciales contemporáneos. Es por ello que mi maestro de Karate recomienda esta lectura a partir del 3r Kyu (primer cinturón marrón).
Su estilo es sencillo, personal y atractivo. Creo que su lectura es, no solo accesible, sino también placentera para personas que no sean karatekas; y más aún para aquellas que sienten curiosidad y fascinación por la cultura nipona.
He leído la traducción al español (cortesía de mi Dojo), la cual lleva descatalogada más de 20 años. Por este motivo he redactado este comentario en este idioma y no en inglés (lengua original de la obra y en la cual hoy sigue disponible). Es una lástima; ojalá se reedite.
Nicol, expedicionario y marinero de origen galés, viajó a Japón principalmente para estudiar artes marciales, la primera experiencia con las cuales había tenido en su adolescencia mediante el Judo. Nicol cumplió su propósito. En particular se centró en el aprendizaje intensivo del Karate, y tuvo el privilegio de vivir en primera persona la edad dorada de esta disciplina en el proceso de su institucionalización moderna, disfrutando de la instrucción de maestros de talla legendaria, como Hirokazu Kanazawa, Masatoshi Nakayama y Taiji Kase.
Este libro no solo contiene el relato de sus experiencias en la práctica del Karate y en la vida diaria del país del sol naciente (trabajó de profesor de inglés, se casó con una japonesa, se sumergió en las costumbres populares), sino también sus reflexiones personales y su exposición de la filosofía y espiritualidad que va absorbiendo del ambiente.
Sus explicaciones precisas sobre los entrenamientos, los rituales y comportamientos en el Dojo de Karate pueden servir de baremo respecto al arraigo y mantenimiento de la tradición filosófico-marcial en los gimnasios marciales contemporáneos. Es por ello que mi maestro de Karate recomienda esta lectura a partir del 3r Kyu (primer cinturón marrón).
Su estilo es sencillo, personal y atractivo. Creo que su lectura es, no solo accesible, sino también placentera para personas que no sean karatekas; y más aún para aquellas que sienten curiosidad y fascinación por la cultura nipona.
He leído la traducción al español (cortesía de mi Dojo), la cual lleva descatalogada más de 20 años. Por este motivo he redactado este comentario en este idioma y no en inglés (lengua original de la obra y en la cual hoy sigue disponible). Es una lástima; ojalá se reedite.
April 25, 2024
Amazing.
A great "slice of life" book, it covers three years of the life of sensei Nicol: it begins with his arrival to Japan, at 22 years old, after a trip to Antartica, and it ends when he earns a black belt. Life can change a lot in three years, and there's a lot of wisdom in this book (written 10 years later).
Nicol ("Nic San"), is not just a wise man, but a great writer. It's a short, inspiring book. The best part: it's authentic. Nicol does NOT brag, but rather accepts a lot of his mistakes: anger issues, getting in street fights, and he even talks about con-men and racism he encountered in Japan. He would later become a Japanese citizen (renouncing both his British and Canadian citizenships), and dedicate his life to environment conservation there. As he states in the prologue, written when he was +75 years old: 30-yards from his home, he had a small dojo where he trained daily, that was also a small bar, because life should have balance.
So far, the best book I've read this year, and overall the best I've read in martial arts.
A great "slice of life" book, it covers three years of the life of sensei Nicol: it begins with his arrival to Japan, at 22 years old, after a trip to Antartica, and it ends when he earns a black belt. Life can change a lot in three years, and there's a lot of wisdom in this book (written 10 years later).
Nicol ("Nic San"), is not just a wise man, but a great writer. It's a short, inspiring book. The best part: it's authentic. Nicol does NOT brag, but rather accepts a lot of his mistakes: anger issues, getting in street fights, and he even talks about con-men and racism he encountered in Japan. He would later become a Japanese citizen (renouncing both his British and Canadian citizenships), and dedicate his life to environment conservation there. As he states in the prologue, written when he was +75 years old: 30-yards from his home, he had a small dojo where he trained daily, that was also a small bar, because life should have balance.
So far, the best book I've read this year, and overall the best I've read in martial arts.
December 26, 2023
A very impressive book. I have long admired it, having been introduced, indeed recommended to it when I began learning Shotokan karate around 1978 at Harrow Leisure centre under the then 4th Dan, now 8th Dan Nick Adamou. I was fortunate enough to receive a number of training sessions from the amazing and inspirational Hirokazu Kanazawa sensei, who graded me to first dan black belt in 1981.
The book is very well written, dealing clearly with the concerns and uncertainties of a young Englishman immersing himself in a very foreign culture, where ancient traditions and culture are held in very high esteem and unknowing breaches strongly affect the ability to progress. I would strongly recommend this book to any early student of karate and my 5 star rating reflects my confidence in its ability to provide valuable insights into mental and physical attitudes.
Nigel Bartram, sherborne, Dorset.
The book is very well written, dealing clearly with the concerns and uncertainties of a young Englishman immersing himself in a very foreign culture, where ancient traditions and culture are held in very high esteem and unknowing breaches strongly affect the ability to progress. I would strongly recommend this book to any early student of karate and my 5 star rating reflects my confidence in its ability to provide valuable insights into mental and physical attitudes.
Nigel Bartram, sherborne, Dorset.
February 19, 2021
I enjoyed Nicol's journey and noted the similarities in the training techniques between the JKA and the ISKF training I received from 2004-2008. Sensei Haase was my instructor and I admired his technique and skill. It was interesting to see Nicol's viewpoint shift over the years as he became more advance and his relationship with violence shift towards non-violence the more advance his technique became, a reflection of the seek perfection of character. I recommend this book to any martial artisans or artists and I appreciate Nicol's humbleness in the telling of his tale.
January 27, 2019
Some repetition/overhype of the lethality of karate, but a helpful intro to the mindset from a self-described brawler. Western-tourist-learning-a-martial-art in the vein of Iron and Silk or Angry White Pyjamas kind of felt like I'd read it before, but as expected, he has some fun examples of hard training and mastery: breaking the third brick in a stack, and breaking a hanging board.
June 10, 2019
If the book had a different name, I would give it more stars. As an anecdotal account of the experience of a Westerner learning karate in Japan, it is quite good. But as a book about zen in the martial arts and how to achieve peacefulness through karate, it is quite empty of insight.
January 16, 2024
Thought provoking
The book I have started and stopped without completing many times and, upon completion, realized that I just had to stay the course. Interesting and insightful both for it's exploration of the martial arts culture as well as Japanese culture at the time.
The book I have started and stopped without completing many times and, upon completion, realized that I just had to stay the course. Interesting and insightful both for it's exploration of the martial arts culture as well as Japanese culture at the time.
July 1, 2017
A must read.
One of the pioneers of karate. A must read for any serious karateka. Thanks for the recommendation Seamus O'Dowd. Really enjoyed it.
One of the pioneers of karate. A must read for any serious karateka. Thanks for the recommendation Seamus O'Dowd. Really enjoyed it.
July 9, 2020
Quick but moving read about a wanderlust Brit falling in love with the discipline and spirit of Japanese culture & various martial arts
April 3, 2021
I expected a more profund read about the journey of Karate do. As a biographical reading is fine, however it lacks a bit of inspiration in order to motivate martial artists.
January 8, 2023
Loved this book, great read for an martial arts enthusiast.
July 31, 2024
For the journey
As a karateka who began the karate journey a short time ago, this was a great and familiar read. The author describes techniques and dojo procedure during his own journey within the context of a foreigner in the source country of Okinawa. I found myself encouraged and not quite as alone as I walk my own lifelong path of learning in karate.
I would recommend this book to any adult karateka looking for a writer who has been there, done that.
As a karateka who began the karate journey a short time ago, this was a great and familiar read. The author describes techniques and dojo procedure during his own journey within the context of a foreigner in the source country of Okinawa. I found myself encouraged and not quite as alone as I walk my own lifelong path of learning in karate.
I would recommend this book to any adult karateka looking for a writer who has been there, done that.
September 25, 2020
This is a good, straightforward narrative of the author's martial arts training in Japan. It is told with a self-deprecating sense of detachment as he relates the ignorance and misconceptions with which he started his journey. By the end of the book he has achieved his black belt, as well as a deep appreciation for the levels of instruction that he has received that go beyond the physical training itself.
June 16, 2014
I read this years ago as a library book, when I first started my journey in the martial arts and it had a profound impact on me and became part of my philosophy on the martial arts and life.
I had been trying to get a copy of my own and I recently downloaded it on kindle and am enjoying it once again.
This is a book which shows you what the martial arts is really about.
I had been trying to get a copy of my own and I recently downloaded it on kindle and am enjoying it once again.
This is a book which shows you what the martial arts is really about.
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July 23, 2009A foreigner's modern journey through Japan and its hard-style martial art. From what I remember, this was a simply told portrait of Nicol's journey. A little bit arrogant; not as generous as Salzman's Iron and Silk.
December 18, 2012
A someone who is easily bored by biographies, I had a hard time putting this book down. Nicol writes with beautiful prose and really captures the essence and spirit of karate. For anyone interested in Shotokan Karate (or any karate really) I highly recommend this book.
November 28, 2013
Although I am on the last chapter of this book as I write this review, this book is awesome! It gives great history/ terms on certain weapons as well as overall Japanese terms. A must for every karateka.
November 20, 2015
Brilliant. Could not put this book down. Extraordinary characters, beautiful scenery, sore bones and bloody knuckles all woven together with a zen thread that exits you from this world for a time. Timeless.
December 1, 2015
Third book in Lessons in Mindfulness, Lesson 1. Loved the descriptions of Japan. Learned new things about kiai and kata in particular which will help my study of the art. Want to study jojitsu even more now! (Stick fighting)
September 13, 2007
This is the finest, most inspiring book on martial arts I have ever read. Thank goodness it is back in print.
January 6, 2009
It really help me understand the life in a dojo. It made me a more conscientious karate-ka with regards to my sensei and fellow karate-ka.
April 9, 2010
Very good read about his life and progress in karate and knowledge of Japanese Culture
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews