Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #159998 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-09
• Original language: Mandarin Chinese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Synopsis
Treasured for centuries by karate's masters, The Bubishi was a secret text passed from master to student in China and later in Okinawa. Dealing with philosophy, strategy and medicine as they relate to the martial arts, it has been studied and taught from by all of karate's legendary masters. This English translation includes numerous explanations and notes to ease comprehension. The authro also includes research on Okinawan and Chinese history as well as the fighting and healing traditions that developed in thos countries, making it useful for researchers and practitioners alike.

Customer Reviews

Excellent text but - be advised - not a comprehensive one
This text is essentially constituted by (1) a summary of the theories and folkloric histories of Okinawan martial arts, (2) a section on healing, both through the meridians of acupuncture and herbal concoctions, and (3) a section on the theory of combat with move illustrations and a couple of apparently traditional kata - by their translated, picturesque (like "the dragon snatches the pearls"), chinese names only.

This is all very interesting for practitioners, depending on their level of knowledge of the historical or curative sides of the art, but almost none of the information in the book is, in my humble opinion, practically applicable for such a reader. The herbal cures would be potentially deadly without expertise, the healing extracts are too fragmentary to be of any coherent use to any non-expert, such as myself, and the moves shown are only shown as individual ones - although the bunkai may enlighten, they are not ones that will instantly enhance your fighting prowess by being woven into others.

Overall, it is a very interesting book in terms of the insight provided into the internal world of gong fu, but can only really disappoint if you are looking for the 'secret master texts' of the ancients or any knowledge of vital point strikes or healing, and leave you regretting you didn't get some other book dedicated to it.

So, before getting this, consider what you want from it. As an introduction for the dojo-reared karateka, it is excellent, but as a key to perfection in karate, you may be disappointed. I would imagine this was kept by Masters not to illuminate secrets, but to encapsulate their knowledge.

The most important text in the history of karate
This is undoubtedly the best translation avaidable of this important text. If you paractice karate as a means to self-defence and self-development (as opposed to sport) then this book must be a part of your study. The subjects of kyusho-jitsu and karate's grappling techniques will be of great interest to all traditional karateka and indeed all martial artists. Practicaly all of the great masters revered this book including Funakoshi, Mabuni, Yamaguchi, Matsumura, Istu etc. YOU MUST OWN A COPY OF THIS BOOK!!!

"Bubishi" is a must for all serious martial artists
Beyond the usual "how to" kick and punch manual, this first ever English translation of the Bubishi is a must for all serious martial artists. Prefaced by a comprehensive history of the origins and development of karate, this book will round out any karateka's library. Great for understanding "pressure points".