Sources

List of sources used for historical texts on this site:

  • A Short History of Karate, Michael Cowie, Robert Dyson – (highly recommended)
  • Karate’s History and Traditions, Bruce A. Haines (highly recommended)
  • The History of Karate and the Masters Who Made It: Development, Lineages, and Philosophies of Traditional Okinawan and Japanese Karate-do, Mark I. Cramer (highly recommended)
  • Karate-Do Kyohan The Master Text, Gichin Funakoshi [translated by Tsutomu Ohshima] (highly recommended)
  • Empty Hand The Essence of Budo Karate, Mabuni Kenei (highly recommended)
  • Karate My Art, Motobu Choki (highly recommended)
  • Okinawan Karate, Mark Bishop (highly recommended)
  • Busishi – The Classic Manual of Combat, Patrick McCarty (highly recommended)
  • The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide to Deciphering Martial Applications, Lawrence A. Kane (recommended)
  • Shotokan Karate – A precise history, Harry Cook (recommended, but please research information on the author before purchasing)
  • Kata: The Folk Dances of Shotokan, Rob Redmond (recommended)
  • Analysis of Genuine Karate: Misconceptions, Origins, Development, and True Purpose, Hermann Bayer, Ph.D.
  • Ryukyu Kobudo Taikan: An Encyclopedia of Ancient Ryukyuan Martial Arts, Taira Shinken (translated and introduced by Patrick McCarthy)
  • Classical Fighting Arts of Japan: A Complete Guide to Koryū Jūjutsu, Serge Mol
  • Japanese Martial Arts, Neil Horton,
  • Karate As the Art of Killing: A Study of Its Deadly Origins, Ideology of Peace, and the Techniques of Shitō-Ryū, Masayuki Shimabukuro and Leonard J. Pellman
  • Koryu Bujutsu Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Diane Skoss
  • Okinawan Den Goju Ryu Karate-do, Eiichi Miyazato, Jitsugyo no Sekai Sha
  • Okinawa Karate Kata, Dirk Ludwig
  • Okinawa: The History of an Island People, George H. Kerr
  • Okinawan Kobudo The History, Tools, and Techniques of the Ancient Martial Art, Andrea Guarelli
  • The Purpose of Kata: When, Why, and for Whom Kata Forms Have Occurred in Okinawa, Edvard Sefer
  • Shotokans Secret The Hidden Truth Behind Karates Fighting Origins, Bruce D. Clayton
  • Tales of Okinawa’s Great Masters, Shoshin Nagamine (translated by Patrick McCarthy)
  • Three Budo Masters, John Stevens
  • Wandering Along the Way of Okinawan Karate, Giles Hopkins

Other references:

  • Various Wikipedia pages where references are also used (specifically on the dates and facts around karate masters and events)
  • The Secret Origin of Karate (Not Japan!), Jesse Enkamp, YouTube video
  • History of karate, lecture by Prof. Kevin Volkan, YouTube video