Looking for a Christmas present for your Karate Nerd? Look not futher than...

I often get asked what I would consider the most significant publications, in English, in the study of karate. While there are far too many great works now available, just see what you can find of Lulu. Here are my big five:

The Bubishi (translation) by Patrick McCarthy Patrick McCarthy
The Downfall of a Ryukyuan Samurai by Joe Swift Dojo TokyoMushinkan
An Overview of Karatedo: Translation and Commentary by Mario McKenna
Budo Theory by Richard Rowell
Oni Oshiro by Andreas Quast Andreas Quast

For those who want to explore the foundations of where modern karate came from it is very hard to look past these works. McCarthy's the Bubishi was/is a ground breaker and still, IMHO is having a rippling effect on the karate world. McKenna's work is vital to understanding where the wires got crossed as Karate emigrated from the hidden sanctuaries of Okinawa to the mass University dojos on the main island of Japan. Oni, by Quast is a must read to understand not only the development of Okinawa, its poverty and yet central role in the seas off the coast of China and J, he also has made greater strides in uncovering the pre-1800 origin of karate. Swift's Downfall, may yet prove to be a ground-breaker too. In it he succinctly challenges image of the upper class Pechin with the lived reality, desperation and sad consequences which affected not only the upper, but all classes of Okinawan society. His historically accurate exploration of Kyan is yet to be fully appreciate for the liberation it gives all to question and explore the mythical narrative we have been force fed for too long.