pdf Okinawa Kenpō Karate-jutsu: Kumite Compilation

A CENTURY OF KARATE KUMITE

CENTENNIAL EDITION

This Centennial Edition marks a remarkable milestone: one hundred years since the original publication of Motobu Chōki’s Okinawa Kenpō Karate-jutsu: Kumite Compilation in 1926—the first book in the world to describe karate kumite systematically in both words and photographs.

Motobu presented karate explicitly as a practical combat art rather than merely a form of physical education or formalized exercise. A century later, his work has lost none of its relevance.

Motobu’s book remains one of the foundational sources of applied karate. His influence extends across generations, styles, and organizations, embracing practitioners of both modern karate and the older Okinawan traditions. Directly or indirectly, contemporary approaches to authentic Okinawan kumite continue to draw upon the principles he recorded.

At the heart of the book are Motobu’s Twelve Kumite. To this day, organizations and individual practitioners study, demonstrate, and reinterpret these methods as a benchmark for realistic karate application. They continue to shape the understanding of close-range combat, timing, posture, positioning, and fighting intent.

Prepared in close cooperation with the author’s grandson, Motobu Naoki, this Centennial Edition presents Motobu Chōki’s historic work with exceptional care. The original photographs have been painstakingly restored and optimized, while the text and technical descriptions have been carefully reviewed and corrected to provide the greatest possible clarity and fidelity to Motobu’s teachings.

Published in a spirit of respect, preservation, and critical engagement, this edition honors a landmark of karate history while making its teachings accessible and meaningful to practitioners today. It is both a historical document and an enduring source for the serious study of practical karate.