traceless enlightenment; allow this traceless enlightenment to continue forever.”
The word “karate” itself has a very interesting and yet profound implication. It means “empty hand.” We tend to want to grab something, but hold onto it. In a way, it is nice to hold something, but at the same time it obviously restricts the use of the hand. We know that being empty-handed we can use the hand any way we want. But how and how much do we appreciate such freedom and the potential of what the empty hand can do? Karate-do, as the way of empty-handedness, symbolizes the way of freedom and total liberation, not only of oneself but also as the key to establishing a harmonious life both internally and externally.
We are living in an environment where the culture has developed into an extremely mechanized, divided and automated society. This tendency might develop further, but at the same time we hear more and more warnings against such tendencies. I hope those who are interested in practicing karate-do will find harmonious, well-balanced life through the continuous practice of the wisdom and physical discipline of empty hand.
Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi, Roshi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to extend my deep appreciation to Eapen Chacko for the untiring effort he put into the preparation, writing and editing of this text. Without his help, this book would not have been possible.
Also to David Cohen, Ken Glickman and William Best for their invaluable consultation and assistance on this project.
With sincere appreciation to Tom Grill for without his many years of excellent photography and extensive knowledge of design, this book would not have conveyed all that I wanted it to convey.
Finally, I would like to express deep gratitude to Kazuhiko Nagai, Shunichi Kamiya, Editor and the staff of Shufunotomo who are responsible for the publishing of this book.
OSU!
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | |
| FOREWORD | |
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENT | |
| INTRODUCTION | |
| KARATE WAY OF LIFE | |
| 1 | FOUNDATIONS OF KARATE |
| Historical Background | |
| Seido: History and Philosophy | |
| Karate in Everyday Life | |
| Application to Modern Living | |
| Breathing Methods | |
| Postures | |
| 2 | BASICS OF KARATE-DO TRAINING |
| Karate-do Etiquette | |
| Daily Schedule and Diet | |
| 3 | WARMING UP, STRETCHING & CALISTHENIC EXERCISES |
| 4 | POSTURES AND STANCES |
| 5 | NATURAL WEAPONS |
| 6 | HAND AND ARM TECHNIQUES |
| Offensive Techniques | |
| Defensive Techniques | |
| 7 | LEG TECHNIQUES |
| Offensive Techniques | |
| Defensive Techniques | |
| 8 | TAMESHIWARI (BREAKING) |
| 9 | KATA (FORMAL EXERCISES) |
| Definition and Purpose of Kata | |
| Names and Meanings of Kata | |
| Taikyoku Kata #1 | |
| Seido Kata #1 | |
| Gekisai-Dai Kata | |
| Tsuki No Kata | |
| 10 | PRACTICE OF WEAPONS |
| The Traditional Weapon of Karate | |
| Basic Bo Kamae | |
| Sai Techniques | |
| Bo Offensive Techniques | |
| Bo Against Jo | |
| Bo Against Sai | |
| Bo Kata Chion | |
| Sai Kata Ganki-Dai | |
| 11 | KUMITE (FIGHTING) |
| Toh Kon (Fighting Spirit) | |
| Definition and Purpose of Kumite | |
| 12 | KARATE MEDITATION LECTURES |
INTRODUCTION
Karate is more popular now than ever before in its history. Because of the movies, television and magazines, karate is widely perceived as a purely physical art, with spinning kicks and “karate chops.” Karate has also become competitive on the amateur and professional levels, with individual promoters and organizations striving to control this fast-growing sport. Karate certainly develops strength, stamina and physical well-being, which are all desirable objectives. However, this is not the heart of karate-do.
Karate is a way of life, a way of being. I have committed over 30 years of my life to the study, practice and teaching of the martial arts. I am convinced that karate has much to offer modern men, women and children, as we move forward into the twenty-first century. My purpose in writing this book is to show what I feel is the true essence, the kernel of true karate-do: the training of body, mind and spirit together in order to realize the fullness of human potential.
Since the origins of karate are intimately intertwined with Zen, I have included one chapter on the history and philosophy of karate and Zen. I hope that this will be of interest to all martial arts students, as well as to students of Oriental thought
