IRKRS

A decade following one of Charles E. Tuttle's best selling Martial Arts titles, "Bubishi, The Bible of Karate," this new work is a companion text aimed at helping the reader better understand the nature of its abstract practices. Where the original Tuttle publication featured our English translation of the old treatise and my supporting research this work meticulously explores it actual hands-on practices [Forty-eight postures, twenty-nine escapes, Happoren, Nepai, and Rakan-ken, in DVD]. Who better than myself [researcher/translator/seminar instructor] to describe and demonstrate such practices? The nature of my interests took me to many ports of call over the years where I came into contact with various people, some of whom were the senior most authorities of Japanese, Okinawa and Chinese fighting traditions. Losing track of how many times I visited Tokyo's old book district in Kanda/Jimbocho, how much money I pumped into the photocopy machines at the libraries of the National Diet and Kodokan, or Hosei, Takashoku, Keio, Ritsumeikan, Okinawa, Ryukyu and Budo Universities, not to mention my endless browsing through the archives of the Japan Times, Asahi, Mainichi & Ryukyu Shimpo (newspapers). I left no rock unturned. Providing more than just a precise explanation of Bubishi-related practices, I also dispel any and all myths surrounding how this English translation came to be and introduce all the people I met along the journey who had something/anything to do with its publication. I am certain that the Bubishi Companion will be a publication any serious karate-ka won't want to miss.

Learn the two-person engagement drills of Okinawa's greatest fighter as interpreted, performed and imparted by master-level instructor, Patrick McCarthy, Hanshi 9th Dan

During the years I resided in Japan I met and befriended many wonderful people, some of whom were the senior most authorities of various fighting traditions. Thanks largely to networking with those important sources I was able to find and collect many old books, vintage photos and technical insights not available elsewhere...Taira Shinken's 1964 "Encyclopedia of Kobudo" was one such find. The original translation, completed in 1997, was sent to the publication company where it sat unattended through three different editors. Finally, by the time it was ready to be publish I was faced with compromises which changed the end result of this labor of love. Far from anything I had ever envisioned, and to be completely honest, the book was a complete embarrassment. From the cheap paper it was printed on to the exclusion of original photos submitted along with the nasty politics aimed at trying to discredit my connection with the late Akamine Eisuke, the entire project was doomed from the moment it hit the stores. Better late than never, here and now here, in this new presentation, is the book I originally envisioned, complete with the vintage photos and quality paper that a project of this importance always deserved.

Yamane Ryu
"Once an obscure and little-known tradition, Yamane-ryu has grown into an international phenomenon thanks largely to its uniqueness and public acceptance. Characterized by its fluid motion, unique footwork and hip rotation, and dynamic power, the tradition stands alone as a hallmark in the annals of kobudo history. Evolving from the teachings of Chinen Sanda, who fostered many disciples, his valuable lessons have been handed down by only a select few and this vanguard publication clearly illuminates the shrouded passage through which it has journeyed. Yamane-ryu was first popularized in the west by the talented students of Kishaba Chogi, who had learned bojutsu from Chinen Masami, the grandson of Chinen Sanda. Yet, in spite of this, its immense popularity has also given rise to rumors surrounding its lineage and legacy. This situation demands nothing short of a definitive explanation of the tradition and its many lineages.

This book does that and much more. In addition, the recent popularity of Yamane-ryu has also spurred many to explore the alternative sources from which the tradition has been handed down to our times. One such lineage is that of Oshiro Chojo, arguably the most visible students of Chinen Sanda. In fact, it was Oshiro's bojutsu that was included in Miki Jisaburo's 1930 classic, Kenpo Gaisetsu, which contained the first ever published technical record of Ryukyu Kobudo featuring the traditions of Shuji, Sakugawa and Shirotaru. Indeed, it is also the bojutsu of Oshiro Chojo that forms the basis for the Yamane-ryu found within these pages. It can be said that the Yamane-ryu tradition continues to grow and evolve, as practitioners find that they can adapt the principles, body dynamics and flow of Yamane-ryu technique to any bojutsu kata, and to any of the other Ryukyu Kobudo weapons, too.

• Perhaps it may even be more correct to say that Yamane-ryu is compelling all Ryukyu Kobudo to go back to its roots, from a rigid tradition heavily influenced by modern karate to one that is reclaiming its fluidity and powerful application practices. Quoting McCarthy Hanshi, "I am absolutely certain that this is far more in line with the spirit and aims of the original pioneers then it is with today's overblown emphasis placed upon incongruous practices and the conceit associated with one's "style" being the ONE & ONLY CORRECT WAY!"  In either case Yamane-ryu, a tradition once in fear of vanishing all together, has resurfaced and is here to stay. This publication is a journey into this tradition."

Joe Swift

Tokyo, Japan

"My teacher, Oshiro Chojo (1887-1935) was a senior student of Yamaneryu Kobudo founder Chinen Sanda (1842-1925). On October 12, 1934, I participated in a demonstration before Prince Fushinomiya Hiroyasu (1875-1946), at which Oshiro Chojo was the guest speaker. I believe that was one of the highlights of my teacher's, and my own, karate career. On that, I believe that this publication is also a fitting tribute to my teacher and I am grateful to Mr. McCarthy for undertaking this project. Although it may seem easy for a Japanese person to correctly understand the Japanese culture, it is actually very difficult. It is even harder for the Japanese to fully understand a foreign culture. In the same way, there are also difficulties in trying to get a non-Japanese person to understand the intricacies of the Japanese culture.  I pray from the bottom of my heart that Yamaneryu Kobudo will be read far and wide, throughout the world."

Kinjo Hiroshi
Hiratsuka, Japan

"It is with great enthusiasm that I write this for the publication Yamane-ryu Kobudo, by my friend and world-renowned karate researcher, Patrick McCarthy. I know of no foreign martial artist who loves Ryukyu as much as Mr. McCarthy, nor of any enthusiast who has researched the Ryukyuan martial arts to the depth that he has. His understanding of Ryukyu karate is beyond comparison. He is also someone who I have no reservations in calling one of the premier researchers of Ryukyu karate today. He travels the world, spreading the true essence of Ryukyu karate and kobujutsu to all who will listen. In fact, this is his life’s work, and his contributions to the art are innumerable. I have not met a foreign enthusiast who takes more pride in Ryukyu karate than Mr. McCarthy does. I believe that every reader will be able to immediately recognize the importance of this book. It truly is a publication that looks toward Okinawan culture to discover the spirit and the originality of the martial arts that lie hidden within."

Hokama Tetsuhiro

Okinawa, Japan

Treasured for centuries by karate's top masters, Bubishi is a classic Chinese work on philosophy, strategy, medicine and technique as they relate to the martial arts. Referred to as "the bible of karate" by the famous master Chojun Miyagi, for hundreds of years the Bubishi was a secret text passed from master to student in China and later in Okinawa. No other classic work has had as dramatic an impact on the shaping and development of karate: all of karate's legendary masters have studied it, applied its teachings or copied passages from it.

This beautiful new hardcover edition features over 250 line drawings, photographs and calligraphy throughout. Along with additional commentary and a new foreword from Patrick McCarthy, the first person to translate the Bubishi into English, this book is an excellent addition to anyone's library.   

by: Patrick Mccarthy Translator

ISBN:  978-0-8048-3828-3

Illustrations: over 250 b&w line drawings, photographs and calligraphy throughout

Page Count: 256

Binding: Hardcover

Trimsize: 6 X 9

Karate historian and authority Patrick McCarthy has spent over twenty years researching and studying the Bubishi and the arts associated with it. He is also the author of Ancient Okinawan Martial Art volumes 1 and 2.

Available 9/1/2008