The Inner Art of Karate Cultivating the Budo Spirit in Your Practice

by Tokitsu, Kenji; Kohn, Sherab Chodzin

• ISBN13: 9781590309490
• ISBN10: 1590309499
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-14
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

When practiced at the very highest level, the martial art of karate is budo, a path of self-cultivation and self-realization. In The Inner Art of Karate, Kenji Tokitsu, a master martial artist and a scholar of the works of the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi, explains the philosophy of karate as budo and looks deeply at the key concepts that are essential for developing a strategic mind. These concepts-distance and timing, rhythm, anticipation and intuition, and the cultivation of explosive but focused energy-are difficult to teach, but mastering them is the ultimate goal of any true martial artist. Tokitsu is a skillful teacher; he expertly guides the reader through these elusive ideas with clarity and a practical view. While this is an essential book for anyone who practices karate, the concepts that Kenji Tokitsu unpacks are absolutely fundamental for developing a strategic mind in any martial art.

Author Biography

Kenji Tokitsu was born in Japan and began studying martial arts when he was a child. He has taught in Paris since 1971. In 1984 he founded the Shaolin-mon school, where he teaches a synthesis of the original combat arts of Japan and China. In 2001 he established the Tokitsu-ryu Academy (www.tokitsu.com) to teach and promote his method. He is a scholar of the works of the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi, and he holds doctorates in sociology and Japanese language and civilization. He is also the author of Ki and the Way of the Martial Arts, Miyamoto Musashi, and The Complete Book of Five Rings.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
What is Karate?	p. 11
The Origins	p. 12
The Components of Karate	p. 20
Budo and Karate Goshin-Do	p. 31
What Is Budo?	p. 31
Is Karate-do Part of Budo?	p. 35
Budo Is Not a Sport	p. 39
A Multidimensional Definition of Karate: Karate Goshin-do	p. 43
The Dimension of Physical Technique	p. 49
The Two Aspects of Physical Technique: Form and Force	p. 49
Kime: Ultimate Decisiveness	p. 51
The Definition of Progress in Training	p. 55
The Dimensions of Maai and Hyoshi	p. 59
The Notion of Maai	p. 60
The Notion of Hyoshi	p. 74
Training Methods	p. 82
The Dimension of Yomi	p. 91
Yomi in the Warrior Culture	p. 93
Temporality in the Dimension of Yomi	p. 98
Sakki: Sensing the Intent to Attack	p. 108
Five Sword Masters of the Tokugawa Period	p. 115
Yagyu Munenori	p. 116
Ito Ittosai	p. 128
Miyamoto Musashi	p. 136
Issai Chozanshi	p. 155
Matsuura Seizan	p. 160
Conclusion	p. 165
Notes	p. 169
Glossary	p. 175
Names and Works Cited	p. 179
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