The book

Gichin Funakoshi’s philosophy and technique in 1922

Ryūkyū Kenpō: Karate

In 1922, Gichin Funakoshi published his first monograph on Karate in Tōkyō. This English edition reproduces the original text through a philological translation and an extensive historical and editorial appendix.

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Why this edition

Ryūkyū Kenpō: Karate is not just an old Karate manual; it is a firsthand account of how Gichin Funakoshi presented his art in 1922, at the very moment when Karate began to spread beyond Okinawa.

This English edition stems from a desire to present the work in its most complete form possible, without superimposing modern technical interpretations or later reconstructions. The translation follows the original text, preserving its technical terms, linguistic peculiarities, and the elements necessary to understand the meaning of Funakoshi’s words within their historical context.

The translated text is accompanied by extensive historical and editorial material: notes, photographs, documents, references, and other resources that help contextualize the work within Funakoshi’s life and the history of Karate. The goal is not merely to read what Funakoshi wrote, but to return to the source to understand what Karate was in 1922 and how its author presented it at that time.

What you’ll find in this book

PHILOLOGICAL TRANSLATION

The complete text of Ryūkyū Kenpō: Karate, translated directly from the original Japanese, with particular attention to technical terminology, kanji, readings, and the linguistic characteristics of the 1922 edition.

HISTORICAL AND PUBLISHING BACKGROUND

This volume is more than just a translation. Notes and in-depth analyses reconstruct the context in which Funakoshi wrote and published the work, along with the story of his life, his teachers, and the history of Okinawan Karate as it spread to mainland Japan.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS

Accompanying the text are historical photographs and period documents that help reconstruct the context of the work, along with the famous technical illustrations by Hōan Kosugi featured in the original edition, which have been manually cleaned and digitally restored while preserving the original image.