The Katas

by Tokitsu, Kenji

• ISBN13: 9781594773488
• ISBN10: 1594773483
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-03
• Publisher: Inner Traditions

Summary

The dedication-to-perfection philosophy of the katas--specific sequences of movement in martial arts--is ubiquitous in Japanese society. This book explains how the katas transmit a profound ancient philosophy, not just technical movements.

Author Biography

Kenji Tokitsu has doctorates in sociology and in Japanese civilization. Born in Japan, he began studying martial arts as a child. In 1971 he moved to France and began teaching karate. He founded the Shaolin-mon Karate-do school in Paris in 1983 and the Tokitsu-ryu Academy in 2001. The author of Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings and Ki and the Way of the Martial Arts, he lives in France.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part One
An Introduction to Katas

1   Tesshu, or a Model Life

2   Kata, or “Technique and the Man Are One”

Part Two
The Emergence of Katas

3    Closing Japan and Coming Back to Oneself

4    Kami and Japanese Polytheism

5    The Katas of the Social Orders in the Edo Period

6    Breaking Points in History

Part Three
The Dimensions of Kata

7    The Gyō and Self-Investment

8    Death and Time

9    The Psychological Aspect of Kata

Part Four
Persistence and Transformation in a Traditional Culture

10    Seppuku: The Cornerstone of the Warrior’s Kata

11    The Warrior’s Kata in Contemporary Society

12    Effectiveness and Weight of the Katas

13    Katas Today


Conclusion

Notes

Index