Mastering Karate: The Authoritative Illustrated Guide to the Art of Self-Fefense by World-Famed Karate Champion and Teacher Masutatsu Oyama 0448017474, 9780448017471

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MASTERING I{AB,ATE

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MASTER,ING KAR,ATE by Masutatsu Oyarna (Originally published in Japan as, WHAT IS KARATE?)

GROSSET & DUNLAP Publishers til Newyork

ISBN

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0-448-01747'4

l98l PruNnNc Copyright O 1966 by Masutatsu Oyama PublishedbyArrangementwithJapanPublicationsTradingCompany

All Rights Reserved (Originally published in Japan as'What ls Karate?) Printed in the United States of America

preface

In

tlrS ten years since Masutatsu Oyama first decided to do all he gg:lld t.o promote true karate.educatio" oy pi,otirlrtng iii nfu-iad" What is Karate.? his efforts hglte !o1n grbitryfruitinii i"y of is;;"id then havg imagirye|^tlriy would. Todayss worldwide titeiest in karate is the resull of hi1 fi1ffillment of what he'regards as itt hriren-sent mission ond^of his .entire ltfetime of superhuman" devotion to his cause. , Oyama's karate is based oi the true essenge of the Jipanese spirit of the martial arts, and his clarion call to people-s tu recognize the spiritual ualue of oriental culturr'rrr'rrberatei oiii"nd th, iorii. on another plane, when one sees him sincgrely *;yipjra up hii iaily instructions and educational activities, dee/ oaiiioiioi tt the ;;fy appropriate reaction. In this completely re-written and re-designed edition o/ What is Karatel, Qlarya has once a.g,a,in gxpen/ed all"of htt iiniariiot, orywgpcing a book that wtlt be iuit what tle.lieginnu 't-ii iirai ;;1[; i;p; of adding even one more devotbd karate folloviei io ,rrr-growing number. This work is sure to,be part of p,hys|cit thi ii'a spiritual education of the youth of^a.spleicltd the world dnd a jurtiei sirp toward international harmony and peace. I want to take this oppoitunity to se-nd Masutatsu Oyama my deepest admiration and congraiulationi on this fine new bootc aia ;; ;;Ar;;; that he continue the fine work he has und'ertaken.

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November 1966

Ryutaro Azuma

Governor of the Tokyo Metropolis Counselor to the Kyokushinkai

foreword ye.aLs- have !gl, !g*n quickly p! What

since I the original version of is Karate? In that time, karate itself,issued iis tprioi i\t ini with amazing speed.. Letters of prais, ,;";r;;;i;;irn 7ro*- krio-t, .o;q men andfans everywhere now oveirfiow the box wfrrry t iirp o,iioi, of my.:nost prized possessions. have liv,ed ,"qi:iy riolL-ii r'i, pg.st 30, years, and rereading these letters not only ,iriird days, but also served as an impetus to tlrc pilnii;;;;;; irr *fiversion of my book. suppose that the time has now come for me, a man who trained strenuously gll over the world relying soleiy on youth and iirigti'," |o ttop aytd yefl.ect on what has been.-Th; person I was in those aolrTroi io thouq(t.fgr alwlhing.but his .own tyaiiing; notiiig Oii t tered his head. I would never have dreamid then rn'h7'iish ,i,o*riora leader of others or write books, gnu ati *is dr;;irp;;;'iiLi,'" strength, anq to that end would sbcluie *ytrty-ti mountains or travel anywher,! to try,yy,abilities against"thoie of iny strong man about whom I happenia ui hear. While I continrye! t.o spend all my time this way, I heard that it misht be a good thing rf I-pirte4 *y own itrength againsi *ot i'iiti.'iour'r, nly 9yry power and to show clearly n-bverfone the mtght oy kaiiti,'t decided t9 fo.llo,w that suggestion'and actuaily own hands. At last, t waiible both to demonstrate my own strength io the amazement of all and to convince peipli th;''po*r, karate can bring. To inuease my-.own strength ,ri, /ttrthei i rrioTrrd to ai oalite with even stronger bulls. I vowed to with what the limits of human strength \!.,own.!o/y are: lhoug( alre-ady at that; limii, continued severe and strenu'ous training, til! sulely s.trorlger-than anyone else. I realize noi, h,;;-ever, that the (arqtg r then *rr'on, of itri"iin alo,ne. lqc(ing in real spiritualfoQowid de7th. Just as a lacks a true philgso?hy is not worthy oi the name, so a karate that is not built on truth, tho.ugh-it may possesi strength, is not real karate. I then niaii my own intellect to learn the t.riti of hymqn existence itself a",i that .truth agree with the spiritucil tiuth of karate. lhough tlte rygce{s -wa{ gyadual, I leained ti siee things more clearly , and now, when I logk back,- I tliyk pgyhaps that at toii ulttfl my body.andmy spirit. After-I had experienrraiiil, my own bodv tle \erJect union_of flesh and spirit that is' the true way of'troirii, iii, head priest of a Buddhist temp[e adu.ised me that my mission in life was to serve society by rcdching karate to othirs. ffrtt, ii addition tio the. repeated urgings of my friends,led me to decide to irtib a book oi tl* subject. since then have expended,.all my energ-y _on becoming a proper karate leader ond-ha,ye -specially emphasizeT the teaching Z/ spiritual,?spe.c!:. Feeling^tltat thi timd had come for me to i6i, to the results oJ 30 years of karate living,last yeai I wrote Tliis is Karate.

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Karate? of inadequaci,es. lrV^lat is the older the same time, I was aware re.write yliinletglv thinss that I feel ry and decided io take t4, ofp,iitunitv version rorir'";r;h; book and inciude in the ni* some'tzriioii'-dtiectzd specifically This is Kara tB racks, p.artic:,utaity i7 11" preseit book is -ii'ate importo"i"iii tu beginners.-Iyt fgct, ihe ytost -ifrm r,"3 is .oid to help them tu explain to beginner, ,y.oiittr, trt, ,orrect training methods' but anyone mast'er with uooi isiot perfgct, powers I am not a god,ond pribiiiilnii ,h;;ir-d certatiry have the who compreteri, mtasters irr'iir{rr;;;I inteid this book for the beginners am of a rower_dai (grade) t oroii ,dronrr'i--ieaders. fu nresent as much as ind This is Karate for inirn'i;it';;*ptori, firming up pfiiiiii-r',hird' .knowof,u,f,oii,;;,;;ini;i;hi;;i,iiit,,akarate.techniqueSaSfree. 'i' breaking a timeshi ih', i:i'l:tice ond stvte practice fighting it is completed' urir;;;dt. to virieiv of hardiubstancg, *iin"fiii a o"ii-ilrorough course in how o"i"riiiirt, readerr' my wirt have offered

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u;l#iit';'-{iyn:#fr11"*ii.;y,Xsf ;;;;,#!:#",vr!:iii'tl, i n in d i -iL i mv many friends ''l,'; ;; ifii,i,i" ; i, ;; ;; {;i ,han'e I ! ii":"!{ iil tii' 'f ideas i shouta iit