Kenji Tokitsu

His Life and Writings

Miyamoto Musashi

Musashi Miyamoto

This authoritative and enlightening version of Miyamoto Musashi's classic on confrontation and strategy is translated and annotated by a modern martial arts master. Kenji Tokistu has spent most of his life researching the legendary samurai swordsman and his works. Here he uses his extensive knowledge to present this seminal text along with several ear­lier works by Musashi, putting them into historical and philo­sophical context and making them accessible and relevant to today's readers and martial arts students. While there are several versions of The Book of Five Rings edited by martial artists, Tokistu's is by far the most exten­sively researched, the clearest, and the most packed with valu­able insights from a martial arts perspective. Tokitsu really understands Musashi's writings—and Musashi as a martial artist—and is able to give a rare insight into the man and his historical contribution.

The Complete Book of Five Rings

Sherab Chödzin

Musashi, best known for The Book of Five Rings, is the most famous samurai of all time, and this biography critically examines his life and writings, separates fact and fiction, and gives a clear picture of the man behind the myth, as well as puts the historical and philosophical aspects of the text into context and illuminates the etymological nuances of particular Japanese words and phrases.

Jean-Louis Cavalan

Hervé Vernay

Kenji Tokitsu, fondateur de l'école Shaolin Mon, fait depuis longtemps en France un véritable travail de recherche et de remise en question sur les arts martiaux. " On apprend généralement par le karaté à agir avec rapidité, précision et à frapper fort, mais ceci passe par la contraction et l'augmentation de la tension. C'est un des aspects du karaté que je mets en cause. On apprend à nouer et à sans apprendre à dénouer... " " Je cherche à faire passer le contenu le plus substantiel des arts martiaux japonais dans une autre culture avec l'enrichissement qu'il peut apporter aux hommes d'aujourd'hui. En élaborant la communication, en faisant éclater un cadre trop étroit, il se produit une création ". Kenji Tokitsu. Qu'en est-il de cette création ? Les arts martiaux peuvent-ils être un spectacle ? L'enjeu d'un art martial a-t-il à voir avec une thérapie ? Les objectifs du zen sont ils les mêmes ? Qu'est-ce qu'un maître ? Comment éviter une attaque ? En quoi consiste une méthode d'observation intérieure ? Le taï ji chuan est-il un art martial ? Ce questionnement fleuve sans répit, courtois mais sans concession s'est étalé sur trois ans à l'initiative de Jean-Louis Cavalan, avec la collaboration d'un journaliste, Hervé Vernay. Des élèves de Kenji Tokitsu, psychanalystes, écrivains, journalistes, ont été interrogés à leur tour pour avoir la version "occidentale" de ces questions.

L'art du combat. Entretiens avec Kenji Tokitsu

Miyamoto Musashi es la historia de un guerrero excepcional pero también la de las artes marciales, en una sociedad japonesa que estaba viviendo una nueva página de su historia. La vida aventurera de Miyamoto Musashi ha hecho de éste inevitablemente una figura mítica de la cultura japonesa. Famoso por sus combates, maestro en el arte del sable, este guerrero fue también calígrafo, pintor, escultor y autor de una obra escrita importante por su influencia. A partir de la nueva traducción comentada de la obra de Miyamoto Musashi, y a través de su experiencia personal en este arte marcial, Kenji Tokitsu hace un retrato original de este personaje legendario, cuya vida nos sitúa en una época en que Japón vive el final de las guerras feudales.

Miyamoto musashi/ Myamoto Musashi

The embodiment of the ancient knowledge that underlies the dedication-to-perfection philosophy of Japan • How mastering these specific movement sequences known as katas provides a way to deepen one’s martial arts practice spiritually • Explores the psychological and social importance of the katas in martial arts and Japanese society, including their role in seppuku (ritual suicide) • Includes many examples from the lives of famous masters, from the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi to 20th-century poet Yukio Mishima An essential part of the martial arts of Japan, such as sumo and karate, the katas are specific sequences of movement that originated during Sakoku, Japan’s period of closure to the outside world from 1633 until 1853. The dedication-to-perfection philosophy of the katas, ubiquitous in Japanese society, is vital to understanding the spiritual aspects of their martial arts as well as other traditional Japanese arts, such as flower arranging, chadō (tea ceremonies), and kabuki theater. With examples from the lives of famous masters, from legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi to 20th-century poet Yukio Mishima, this book explores the psychological and social importance of the katas, including their role in seppuku (ritual suicide), the student-master relationship, and gyo (the point at which the practitioner breaks the mold of the kata and begins to embody it). Looking at their origins in the warrior class and how this pursuit of perfection is ultimately a way to accept the power of death, the author explains how performing the katas transmits ancient knowledge much deeper than just technical movements, providing a way to deepen one’s martial arts practice spiritually.

The Meaning behind the Movements

The Katas

While technical prowess and physical power are essential characteristics of a martial artist, true mastery of the art comes by cultivating one's inner strength. Here, Kenji Tokitsu—an authority on Japanese and Chinese combat arts and a respected karate teacher—shows how cultivating ki (life force) and understanding the principles of budo (the martial path of self-development) can make training in martial arts more meaningful, effective, and personally and spiritually rewarding. Tokitsu emphasizes the mental aspects of martial arts practice including: • The importance of ki development • Seme, or capturing your opponent's mind • Understanding ma, the spatial relationship in combat Studying these concepts, he explains, gives martial artists the tools to train for a lifetime and at the very highest level. Tokitsu also gives a historical and cultural survey of budo, and explains how the Western view of budo training is different than the Japanese—a perspective rarely available to Western martial artists.

Ki and the Way of the Martial Arts

Sherab Chodzin Kohn

A master martial artist and scholar of the works of the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi explains the philosophy of karate while examining concepts the author identifies as essential for developing a strategic mind in accordance with those of true martial artists. Original.

Cultivating the Budo Spirit in Your Practice

The Inner Art of Karate

Miyamoto Musashi, who lived in Japan in the fifteenth century, was a renowned samurai warrior. He has become a martial arts icon, known not just as an undefeated dueler, but also as a master of battlefield strategy. Kenji Tokitsu turns a critical eye on Musashi's life and writings, separating fact from fiction, and giving a clear picture of the man behind the myth. Musashi's best-known work, The Book of Five Rings, provides timeless insight into the nature of conflict. Tokitsu translates and provides extensive commentary on that popular work, as well as three other short texts on strategy that were written before it, and a longer, later work entitled "The Way to Be Followed Alone." Tokitsu is a thoughtful and informed guide, putting the historical and philosophical aspects of the text into context, and illuminating the etymological nuances of particular Japanese words and phrases. As a modern martial artist and a scholar, Tokitsu provides a view of Musashi's life and ideas that is accessible and relevant to today's readers and martial arts students.

Kenji Tokitsu

Books

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