Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Volume 1

by Patrick McCarthy

In Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Koryu Uchinadi the western reader has ready access, for the first time, to an extensive collection of the most important documents writtem by and about Okinawa's most famous karate and kobudo masters and their arts, as well as to photographs of kobujutsu katas of historiacal significance. This two voluem anthology includes previously untranslated text by Chojun Miyagi (founder of Goju Ryu Karate), Kenwa Mabuni (founder of Shito Ryu Karate), Shinken Taira (founder of Ryukyu Kobudo), Choshin Chibana (founder of Kobayashi Shorin Ryu Karate) and Choki Motobu (the notorious scrapper who in his maturity went on to teach many who became great masters in their own right). Patrick McCarthy - with the able assistance of his wife, Yuriko McCarthy - provides expert translation and commentary based on his extensive research into these mastersa and the systems they founded, as well as into the establishment of the Okinawan karate tradition in the main islands of Japan.
Volume One, featuring the work and technique of Shinken Taira, includes
Ryukyu Kobudo Taikan: An encyclopedia of Ancient Ryukyuan Martial Arts by Shinken Taira, with photographs by Patrick McCarthy.
Taira Shinken: The Father of Modern Kubudo by Patrick McCarthy