Recommended Reading

My Journey with the Grandmaster

My Journey with the Grandmaster: Reflections of an American Martial Artist on Okinawa

By Bill Hayes

Part historical account, part training notes and part philosophical essay, the author writes about his training with Grandmaster Shimabukuro Ezio on the island of Okinawa.

The History of Karate

The History of Karate: Okinawan Goju-Ryu

By Morio Higaonna

The result of decades of research into the history of Goju-ryu, “The History of Karate” is based on information Morio Higaonna gathered while training as a young student at the Garden Dojo of Chojun Miyagi, on hundreds of hours of interviews he conducted with senior Okinawan karateka, students, friends and relatives of both Chojun Miyagi and Kanryo Higaonna, and on personal research he carried out in China.

The book is of high quality and well illustrated. It is a treasure house of facts concerning the early history of Okinawan karate, descriptions of the early training and, best of all, it describes Chojun Miyagi’s ethical ideals, teaching methods and way of life, providing a valuable source of knowledge and understanding to guide the present day karateka.

This book should be on the shelf of every serious student of karate, and it should be read often.

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