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Since my arrival in America, I have actively tried to transmit to Americans the true spirit of karate-do and a real understanding of Japanese martial arts culture. Unfortunately, some of the concepts of the Japanese martial arts are difficult to transmit across cultural boundaries. Thus it is with great pleasure that I welcome the publication of this book, since it is the first such work to attempt to explain concepts that are not easily expressed in English. I wholeheartedly recommend it as essential reading for those who wish to understand not only Japanese karate, but the traditions and culture that have fostered it.

Preface

The writing of this book springs from two diverse interests on my part: one, an intellectual curiosity linked to my study of history and the other, a desire to explain more fully the philosophy of the arts that I have practiced for the last twenty-five years.

I have been more fortunate than many in that I have been able to study martial arts under some of the greatest contemporary masters. While in Japan I trained under Master Fumio Nagaoka, a top expert in Shin Kage-ryu jujutsu. I also benefited from the instruction given me by Eizo Onishi of the Koeikan School of Karate. Countless Japanese friends and other experts aided me in learning new techniques in both schools and left me with an unforgettable sense of camaraderie. Upon my return to the United States I was fortunate to become a student of Teruyuki Okazaki, one of the most famous Japan Karate Association masters and Chief Instructor of the International Shotokan Karate Federation. I have been his student since 1963. During the latter half of the 1960s, Master Okazaki was assisted in Philadelphia by two great Japanese national champions, Keinosuke Enoeda and Katsuya Kisaka. Their efforts on my behalf were significant, and I benefited greatly from their instruction. Yet I find that there is still much to learn and many techniques to be perfected.