This Is Karate

372 Pages·1973·45.84 MB·English

by  Masutatsu Oyama

Ea Revised Edition

: \
$34,95

code und ‘oday a subject of worldwide intrest, is

one af Mankind’s most priceless pieces of wisdom,
Everyone prizes the sor: of increciale strength the karate
nuaster uses tosmash wood and ste with his bare hanes,
‘because i isa sor: of magic that brings the impossible into
‘the realm of possbil'y. Though tke history of karate 3s
Jong, is power and ievhniques are ferever new. Karte
‘extends back to Man's orjgins and eon:inues in usefulness
to the present

‘Asameans af defense, karats hes & vigour and p
‘that otlier martil arts lack. Conveived from the wisdam
and strength that made life possible for Man's ancestors,
Karate as fused with nodern rationality te vecome a truly
miraculous art of selfefense

Karate has beem the lst stronghold of defease for tens
‘of thousands of people; it can be yours te.

In this 690k, Masutatsu Oyama,a kasaie master sta
{ng nt the very pinnacle of today"s Xarate world, msk:s
available (o everyoae the essenve ol his thirty years of
Karate study and tra ning. Mir Oyarve poured his whole
being into writing this book and has itoluded a large nc:
ber of special techniques. There ere two thousand photo-
braplisin this massive work, which took four years to cor:
plete from plenning to final produeties

Oyaina karate begins and ends with points and cirles,
fn which lic the siraculous strengt!s asd the life of the
system: Through these poinis and circles, a sense of Rowing
motion esllsfarth dynamic waves and erentes great hillowe
of sitength. Mc. Oyama, whose psyviology is based on
22a Buddhism ané Shisco, has developed a karate that is
serene in movement, and refined und stsblein form, In dhs
Io, the reader will id seveaied any of the mysteries of
‘he martial arcs, Ue tue aim of whiehis peace:and freedosn

For the firs: vime, in this book, yo. wi
your eyes the entice content of the Karute
Jnierest and excitement raraighout the weld, We enn s-
ly say that ng oer karate book will ever present so musi
of the real meaning and value of this cus:ending art.

Kara is sire but wih a Hille speed, ils mauie can.
transform your entire bady inte. a weapon. The inner
meaning of katate les in an instancaseous explosion 0° lite
fores

This book wil! not only delight those who have an in=
terest im Kneate, bur ir will also be a novel and colorfsl
souree of endless interest to thousarids of readers Who Wil
see how constimmate huma skil, combined with ifs Force
and explosive powet, can make the .npossible possible.

Ks che foustainhead oF the Japanese wartivs

368 pages with mere than 2000 gravure illustrations,
many diagrams, wu sketches, Photographs were taken
mainly by a snultestenbasenpte technique inhiated far
this purpose. In widition, 29 chapiers of iext expl
arate completely for primary students ae well ax for
the more advan, and also for the yenerai reader,
Cloth-aver-iards binding with faminmted jacket
slipease, Library of Congress Cutalog Card Number
85-17218, ISBN-6-87040-254-4

4336189
About the Author: MasuTaTsy Oxama was born in Wa-
Ryong-Ri Yong-chi Myo'n Chul Na Do Korea in 1923,
ané completed mide.¢ schoo! in Seoul. In 1938, when he
‘was 12 years old, he came to Japan to live, where in 1941,
hie entered the Tokye Takushoku University. Oyama had
mastered the Eighteen Techniques of Chinese kempo while
hhe was still in his hemzland. When he came to Japan, he
became & pupil of Gichin Funtkoshi, the man who inirn-
duced karate into Japan, and soon achieved the status of
a second-grade (dan) ksrate master. He ‘interrupted

college education when he was drafted into the military in
1943, but he contince his karate studies with Sode'ju,
then karate instructor at the Goju shee. By the time the
war was over, Ire had become s fourth-grade karate master.

Though, when World War Il as aver, he temporarily
volunteered to assist his mative land in its recovery, be-
a3 ofthe conilict shat soon followed 'esween North and
South Korea tie gave up these efforts and concentrated on
karate. In 1947, sfter he had won the AllJapan Karate
Tournament, he iesolved to live hs life in che way of
karate and deter-ined to follow the doctrines of its way.

‘Aster 1948, for a Cul three yeurs, he sesluded himself
‘kom human society, devoting himself completely to a life
aecording to the precept oi zen, He lived in temples and in
the mountains and subjected himself to the disciplines of
the martial arts beth right and day. Through such Figor-
cous training as seated meditation under waterfalls, strug-
ales with wild animals, and smashing itees ard stones wit
his bare hands, Oyama refined not erly his éoctrine of
karate, bul alsv his own mind ané body. When he had
‘completed this cons of rigid discipline, his self-confidencs
returned to hi

Tn 1951, he rotuencd to civilization from: his mountain
sctteat to deack: the rue meaning of karate to the world.
His amaving techniques, manifested most dzamatically in
bis ability to rip the horus from bulls, eaused a sensation
‘nthe karate wor'd. The renewn of Oyama kavate flashed
abroad with such speed that a sraiting hal, soon became
necessary for the many students clamoring to be trained in
the Oyama way.

Oynma’s 1982 karate tour of thirty-tve of the United
States met wath great success, In 1996, lie toured South-
eset Asia, and in 196, siacing in Europe, he went around
the envire world ex:ablishing training halls for the Oyama
karate method. Now Oyama karate halls sumber 17 in the
United States and 76 in 16 otter countnies ul the world
This number of stucerts sIready exezeds 100,000. In 1958,
for the sake of these students, Oyama published his ‘rst
urave guide book, What ir Karate?

In Japan, the frst Oyama t1a:ning hall, the Kyokushin
Kaikan, opened in 1955, and in 1964 a row five-story hall
wih present Prime Minister Eisaku Saw as hosorary
<baitman, began earrying on the master's t mining program’
Masuratsu Oyama is the most outstanding teacher of the
‘eal meaning of knrare, sor only in Japan, but in the entire
world,

PRINTED (N JAPAN
ISBN 6-87040-254-4
This is KARATE
a a
This is
KARATE

by MASUTATSU OYAMA

JAPAN PUBLICATIONS, INC.
rransiated by
RICHARD L. CAGE

kotographed by
AKIRA KOTANT

SS 1973 by Meas LANSU O¥AMA
Published by
Japan Publications, Inc. Tokyo.» New York

Disarbusors
Unrren Starnes; Kodnshe JarernationalISA, Lad, through Harpor &

Row, Publishers, Inc, 1) East $3nd Stree, New York, New York 10022.

Sour Awanica: Harper & kav, Publishers, ne, International Deparment.
CaKADA: Flchenry & Whiteside Lie, 150 Lasmiti Road, Dow Mills, Ontario
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Library of Congress Catalog Card Nomiber 05-7218
ISBN 0-87040-254-4

Fitse edition: March 1965, Reprinted October 1965, March 1365;
Argue? 1966, November 1966; April 1967: Semersber 1968. April
1976 June 1971; September 1972.

Revived edition: December 1978. Reprinted June 1976; August 1975;
‘August 1976; Jamuar 1978; Second revised eaitom: April 1980;
“Fourth printing Fane 1984.

Printed Japon
foreword

Recenthy the Japanese martial arts have been coming in for careful
study fn many countries throughout the world, and the munber of
their admirers and practitioners és increasing daily, An indication of
this corditian was the appearance of juido, for the fst tine as a cone
petitive sport, in the 1964 Tokyo Obynipi

We con imagine thar the dissemination of these martial arts among.
ihe peoples of the ‘cork is the result of an muderstanding of their value
us bovis moral cultivation and physical waiving. At the same tine,
irowever, we must fake notice of the cuthusiastie efforts of the teachers
of the martial arts to spread their knowledge to other counties.

Masurctsu Ovama is certainly an oustanding representative of
ihis tyne of teacher. From his earliest years, he kay shawn astounding.
natural taleut and strength, and today he stands at the very pinnacle of
the Japanese karate werkd. in addition, he can probably Be considered
‘one of the greatest figures in the martial arte that this century has
produced. He fas made many pligrlmages throughout ike world 10 fos-
ier the spread of karate, to whick he has been and is devoting tus whole

present work represeists the culmination of this man's owe
standing career

Even if you have doubts as to whether it i passible ta put all of a
inaetal art ur sport into onc: work, as you turn ihe pages of this haok,
the enthusiasm of a tan who has devoted hunself completely to karate
will come flaiing out Hke a torrent. Oyama’s devout prayer to make
karate accessible io evervane in every nook and cranny of the world is
apparent in every photagraph and every word of this book and is a
reat example of the impossible mude possible.

Wirhout hesitation Freconmend Masuiatsu Oyama’s This Ts Karate
as wiparalteied, ever in the generat publishing field, and I earnestly hope
thar ft wil belp further ihe realization of tits man’s dream.

February 1965

EIsAKU Sato
Honorary Chairman,
Japan Karatedo Kyokushinkat