Shimabukuro Masayuki, Pellman Leonard. Karate as the Art of Killing: A Study of Its Deadly Origins, Ideology of Peace, and the Techniques of Shito-Ry

Blue Snake Books, 2022. — 400 p.Grounded in a comprehensive overview of the philosophical and spiritual foundations that underlie karate, The Art of Killing emphasizes its original purpose: to kill an attacker swiftly and brutally.Before 1900, karate-dō was exclusively an art of unarmed self-defense. Its practice was designed for life-or-death situations - effectively, an art of killing. Here, authors Leonard Pellman and the late Shimabukuru Masayuki restore karate to its original intent. They move karate away from its popular modern-day sporting applications back to its deadly origins - and to the restraining philosophy of peace, self-sacrifice, compassion, and service to others that necessarily accompanied it.With chapters on Kokoro (heart, mind, and spirit), ki (spirit and energy), and the seven major precepts of bushidō, The Art of Killing shows readers that the lethal art of karate is more than a method of bringing an enemy down - it’s a philosophical and spiritual system grounded in essential lessons to guard against abuses of power. This book does not contain detailed instruction in killing methods, but it does showcase the deadly power of karate - and explain why purity of intentions matters, and how compassion and respect are the essence of karate training.Readers will learnThe purpose and meaning of karate-dō.
The origins and major precepts of bushidō.
Training methods, preparation, and etiquette.
Fundamentals, spiritual power, training patterns, and analysis and application of kata.
About the body as a weapon.At the time of this book’s writing, Shimabukuro Masayuki Hidenobu was an 8th dan (8th-degree black belt) in Shitō-Ryū karate-dō, a member of the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame, and technical adviser to the Dai Nippon Butoku-Kai, Japan’s most prestigious martial arts organization. During his lifetime, he trained thousands of students on four continents in the art of karate-dō. Leonard J. Pellman has been training in classical Japanese budō since 1965 and currently holds the rank of 5th dan in Shitō-Ryū karate-dō. Together, Shimabukuro and Pellman have written several articles on karate-do and other martial arts for Black Belt and Inside Karate magazines, as well as the books Katsujinken: Living Karate (published by JKI, Inc.) and Flashing Steel: Mastering Eishin-Ryū Swordsmanship (published by Blue Snake Books).