The Bible of Karate: The Bubishi (Tuttle Martial Arts): Amazon.co.uk: Patrick McCarthy: 0676251820157: Books

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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.

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent text but - be advised - not a comprehensive one, 13 Jan 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bible of Karate: The Bubishi (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

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.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most important text in the history of karate, 21 Nov 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bible of Karate: The Bubishi (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

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!!!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile with reservations, 31 Dec 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bible of Karate: The Bubishi (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

This is an interesting book, but one should always be aware that generally only those who like the book review it, hence the preponderance of high ratings. Mr. McCarthy is to be appluaded for attempting an English translation of this much translated book. The book comprises a translation of several disparate documents which are gathered under the title of the Bubishi. The documents are from different martial traditions and periods and vary greatly in their relevance. The lengthy preface with testimonials from multiple masters appears gratuitous. The elucidation of vital points and lethal strike information is somewhat questionable given that many martial artists no longer follow moral or ethical codes. The section on herbal remedies could easily lead to disaster in inexperienced hands, resulting in poisoning or worse. Of most interest are the historical passages on the lineage of various styles, training methods and aphorisms. Overall, satisfactory, but hardly "a must have". Osu!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth having a look.
I found the first part of this book interesting but then it became like half a book. It's worth having in your libary however I don't know if you would ever use alot of the text.

Published 23 months ago by nintai