Martial History Team

   Welcome to the June 2023 book survey, part two. I decided to break this month's survey into four posts. The themes for this month are diverse, but include Japanese arts, Filipino arts, and European arts. These are generally the last print books in my library that have not been previously surveyed. Here is part one . Introduction In June 2023, I (Richard) continued my book survey plan. This post examines several books on karate. Nunchaku: Karate Weapon of Self Defense, Fumio Demura, 1971 My copy of  Nunchaku: Karate Weapon of Self Defense is from the Internet Archive , which has two copies. I prefer this original edition . Sensei Demura passed away recently. so I'm pleased to feature a couple of his books in this post. This book is about 144 black and white pages. It contains pretty clear photos and the composition is sound. Here are a few excerpts: The last photo shows one of my favorite aspects of the book -- comparisons between armed and unarmed applications. This b...

 Welcome to the November 2022 book survey, part four. I decided to break this month's survey into four posts. Part one is  here . Part two is  here . Part three is here . Introduction In November 2022, I (Richard) continued my reading plan. The major theme for this month is American Kenpo Karate, with Okinawan karate as a sub-theme. I've practiced both, so I'm a sympathetic reader. This post focuses on a five books on karate. Tonfa: Karate Weapon of Self-Defense, Fumio Demura, 1982 I bought my copy of Tonfa in August 1995, according to the note I wrote on the first page. My version is a 6 inches by 9 inches black and white paperback with 142 pages. You can download a digital edition for free from the Internet Archive  although there is now a Kindle title for sale as well. There are pictures on every page of this book. It covers stances, similarities with empty hand karate, striking, and self-defense techniques. It's easy to follow and I used it back in the day befo...