Karate Bio & Autobiographies
Explore the best karate autobiographies and biographies, featuring inspiring stories from legendary martial artists. Discover their journeys, techniques, and philosophies in these must-read books.
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Karate-Do
by Gichin Funakoshi
This text presents the autobiography of the man who made karate an international martial art, in which he recalls his own teachers and of his efforts to define and spread knowledge about karate without compromising its spirit. Linking the time when karate was a strictly Okinawan art of self-defense shrouded in the deepest secrecy and the present day, when it has become a martial art practiced throughout the world, is Gichin Funakoshi, the Father of Karate-do.' Out of modesty, he was reluctant to write this autobiography and did not do so until he was'
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Moving Zen
by C. W. Nikoru
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.
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Iron and Silk
by Mark Salzman
Salzman captures post-cultural revolution China through his adventures as a young American English teacher in China and his shifu-tudi (master-student) relationship with China's foremost martial arts teacher.
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My Journey in Karate
by Kancho Joko Ninomiya
Follow the path of budo—the warrior’s code of conduct—as it unfolds in the life of karate master Kancho Joko Ninomiya. Grandmaster of Enshin Karate and creator of the Sabaki Challenge, Kancho Ninomiya reveals how the spirit of feudal Japanese warriors inspired him as a boy and continues to shape his life as a man. My Journey in Karate describes the rigors of Ninomiya’s early training in judo before a chance meeting introduced him to an innovative karate sensei who changed his life. In addition to Kancho Ninomiya’s own story, My Journey in Karate includes an extended section of Ninomiya’s reflections on training, competition, strategy, and the lessons of karate both in and out of the dojo.
