Shotokan Traditional Karate Organisation (UK)
Karate Books
If you're on the lookout for definitive karate books
about Shotokan karate particularly in Great Britain
then you are definitely in the right place. SHOTO Publishing in
association with Kirby Publishing provides a wide range of
Shotokan karate books for all karate needs. We even provide Shotokan
karate books for wholesale purposes. The following book
selection is a must for the serious karate-ka and all books are
available by filling out the order form. The titles currently available are:
 |
Title: |
Funakoshi On Okinawa: A
Portrait of Life on a Ryukyuan Island in the 19th Century, with Special
Reference to Karate |
| Author: |
Dr Clive Layton |
| Abstract: |
Just what was it like to live
on Okinawa during the nineteenth century? This question is of burning
importance to serious practitioners of karate, for, once answered, it
provides an invaluable insight into the world of men whose influence
still dominates modern training, of whom Gichin Funakoshi is the most
prominent. Weaving into the text original quotes from westerners who
visited the small Pacific island more than one hundred years ago, Dr
Layton creates a wonderful narrative mosaic that leaves a permanent
impression.
At last, a heritage previously made remote by distance, language,
culture, and time, has become available to a twenty-first century
martial arts' audience. From the author of such respected works as the
two-volume Shotokan Dawn, The Kanazawa Years, and Kanazawa
10th Dan, comes another brilliantly researched and innovative work. |
| Cost: |
£19.95 to order click here |
| Title: |
KANAZAWA,
10th DAN: RECOLLECTIONS OF A LIVING KARATE LEGEND THE EARLY YEARS
(1931-1964) |
 |
| Author: |
Dr Clive Layton |
| Abstract: |
A fantastic new biography of Master Hirokazu Kanazawa, 10th Dan. This
book contains a wealth of information about the master and is an
absolute must for the serious karate-ka. |
| Cost: |
£19.95 (Softback) /
£27.50 (Hardback) to order click here |
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Title: |
SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF
FACTS: VOL. I |
| Author: |
Dr Clive Layton, Master Michael Randall MBE, Sensei
Michael Nursey |
| Abstract: |
A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF
FACTS is a valuable, easy to access reference work on general,
historical and technical matters. The authors, all respected senior
karate-ka of long standing, have collaborated to produce a much needed
and well researched quality book, which is considered essential
reading for students and instructors alike, who wish to acquire a
deeper understanding of their art.
Adopting a question and answer format, Layton, Randall and Nursey have explored a
tremendously diverse range of material within their remit. The facts
and figures presented, together with the accompanying photographs,
allow this unique book to stand proud among the classics in karate
publications. |
| Cost: |
£9.95 to order click here |
| Title: |
A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF
FACTS: VOL. II |
 |
| Author: |
Dr Clive Layton, Master Michael Randall MBE |
| Abstract: |
In the wake of the success of Volume
I of A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF FACTS, this book continues
the tradition of providing a valuable reference work for students of Shotokan,
irrespective of grade, who wish to acquire a deeper appreciation of
their art.
Once again, general, historical and technical information is presented
in a friendly question and answer format, and authors' opinions add
much where interpretation is required. Also included in this volume are
signatures of karate-ka and Budoka important in the development of Shotokan
in Great Britain, before the official coming of the Japan Karate
Association. Carefully worked out Kata embusen are additionally
provided which readers are advised to consult. Historical and detailed
photographs accompany the text.
This sequel is one of those rare books which equals the original. A
SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF FACTS is therefore rightly now in two
volumes. Layton and Randall have
not only made a valuable contribution to Shotokan by producing
this work, they are also to be commended for making the information
accessible to a wider audience. |
| Cost: |
£9.95 to order click here |
 |
Title: |
A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF
FACTS: VOL. III |
| Author: |
Dr Clive Layton, Master Michael Randall MBE |
| Abstract: |
A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF
FACTS: VOL. III brings this exceptional and much appreciated
reference work to an end. In all, over five hundred questions -
general, historical and technical in nature - have been answered.
Features of the present volume include signatures from selected senior British
Shotokan karate-ka holding the rank of 6th Dan and above, rare
photographs from Japan, the earliest photographs of Karate ever
published in this country, and Japanese calligraphy. Of course, a whole
range of fascinating questions, some quite bizarre, are answered in the
same friendly manner that proved so successful in the previous books.
In a few cases, Newly acquired information has allowed old gaps in
knowledge to be filled, or corrected, and interesting research by the
authors, published here for the first time, will open up thoughtful
debate. Volume III concludes with a valuable terminology section and
three volume index.
Layton, Randall, and Nursey (Vol.
I only) have written a series of books that are, in a sense, timeless. A
SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF FACTS really must be considered essential
reading for any thoughtful Shotokan karate-ka. One magazine critic
wrote of Volume I, "A 10/10 must buy" and Volumes II
and III may also be said to fall into this elite category. |
| Cost: |
£12.95 to order click here |
| Title: |
THE KANAZAWA YEARS |
 |
| Author: |
Dr Clive Layton |
| Abstract: |
It is, perhaps, difficult for
students of Shotokan karate today to appreciate what training
was like in Britain before the coming of the Japan Karate Association.
Using the Murikami based British Karate Federation training as a
starting point, Master Michael Randall
MBE reflects on the arrival of the JKA's Master Hirokazu Kanazawa, and the
tremendous impact his presence had on the British Shotokan movement.
THE KANAZAWA
YEARS thus mainly focuses on the period 1965 to 1968 when the
master resided in this country. During this time, Michael became a
close disciple of Kanazawa's - one of
the seven Samurai - and was amongst the very first in Britain to gain a
JKA karate black-belt. He is, therefore, exceptionally well qualified
to speak authoratively on the subject, and the book is subsequently
packed full of stories, often very funny, not only about Kanazawa and the rigorous training, but
also of other famous JKA instructors that Michael trained under. The
work concludes with a brief "Kanazawa
Legacy", a personal account detailing the following three decades of
Michael's training, which is seen as a product of those three highly
influential years.
THE KANAZAWA
YEARS, which contains over one hundred historical photographs, is
destined to become a classic and will forever keep alive a period in
British Shotokan history that was perilously close to being lost. |
| Cost: |
£14.95 to order click here |
 |
Title: |
A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF
DATES |
| Author: |
Dr Clive Layton, Master Michael Randall MBE |
| Abstract: |
A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF
DATES is and invaluable, easy to read reference work, written for
both students and instructors alike. Five hundred chronologically
presented date entries are included, generally following an
Okinawa-Japan-Great Britain line. Dates commence with the mid 14th
century and conclude at 1972, shortly after which came a proliferation
of Shotokan karate associations and competitions in Great Britain,
making recording, in the opinion of the authors, often a confusing and
not wholly worthwhile affair.
A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF DATES is another
essential work from two of Britain's most senior grades, whose
collaboration in the past has resulted in the classic three volume, A
Shotokan Karate Book of Facts, and the much praised, The Kanazawa Years.
|
| Cost: |
£9.95 to order click here |
| Title: |
A SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF
QUOTES |
 |
| Author: |
Clive Layton, Harry Cook |
| Abstract: |
The image of Shotokan karate-ka
sharing identical views about the nature of their art is a popular but
inaccurate myth. THE SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF QUOTES is a unique
collection of the thoughts and ideas of many leading Shotokan teachers
and practitioners about the essentials of Shotokan karate-do. Using the
widest possible range of sources to illustrate the sometimes opposing
yet provocative opinions of senior Shotokan karate-ka of many
nationalities, THE SHOTOKAN KARATE BOOK OF QUOTES is an
invaluable guide for anyone who genuinely wants to understand the art
of Shotokan karate-do as it really is. |
| Cost: |
£14.95 to order click here |
Ordering
To order any of the above books, please fill out the order form. Please
note that we can't currently accept credit cards either online or
otherwise. If payment by UK Cheque or Postal Order is an issue, please
email kirbyPublishing@shoto.org,
and we will try to see if an alternative method of payment may be
arranged.
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