The clips of Funakoshi are welcome viewing but not always of the highest standard. This is forgiveable of course given the age of the film and the lower technological standard. Other clips are clearer but less interesting to watch from an historical point of view. The clips all show Shotokan in the latter stages of development; that is, when the style had morphed significantly from its Okinawan stylistic origins and had become something more akin to what we see today. This in itself is interesting but I personally would have very much welcomed viewing footage when the karate was more combat-oriented and more traditionally Okinawan (if any such tape exists).
The main feature then of the DVD is Alexander’s recounting of the historical development of karate and his presentation of the philosophy of Funakoshi. Alexander covers the main points of the master's life as they pertained to karate but leaves out a lot of the personal side ( for more information read Karate-Do: My Way of Life). Alexander introduces Funakoshi’s two principal teachers - Masters Azato and Itosu - and how they impacted their famous student in different ways. Alexander also delves back into the origins of karate, tracing the roots back to a mixture of indigenous tode and Chinese Shaolin kenpo, itself developing from the teachings of Bodhidharma and his Eighteen Fists of Lohan reputedly-combative exercises taught to the monks of the Shaolin temple.
Another important figure in the development of Shotokan was Funakoshi’s third son, Yoshitaka, the Young Sensei. Alexander notes that it was through the influence of the powerful Yoshitaka that the stances of Shotokan deepened, the techniques became fully extended, kicks came to be directed at the body and head (as opposed to the knees and groin of the more traditional pre-Yoshitaka version) and the change in combat / training distance from close to long range. For anyone interested in the development of Shotokan this is important and significant information and marked a watershed in the development in the style.
Along with the history and examination of important figures, Alexander also analyzes the central themes of Funakoshi’s philosophy of life and karate. While Alexander acknowledges that there were former masters who were more competent in fighting and in the performance of kata, where Funakoshi shone is in his emphasis on going beyond technique to view karate as a means of perfecting one’s character. It is this emphasis that is most thought provoking and presents karate as a way of life rather than (more simply) a way of fighting.
Alexander covers six principal teachings of Funakoshi as well as one of the best known karate precepts: karate ni sente nashi. Or, There is no first attack in karate. Alexander also discusses the Shotokan Tiger and describes where it came from and what it symbolizes.
Having said that, Funakoshi was no slouch and his karate wasn’t devoid of combative effectiveness. As noted in the DVD, he taught his students to practice striking the makiwara everyday, to practice kata (and, I would add though it isn’t pointed out in the DVD, the application of the moves of kata), to condition the body to be able to withstand punishment and to maintain a level of awareness at all times. Again, all interesting points and something to consider if you are training in Shotokan (or any martial art for that matter): how many of those principals are you training in?
Overall the DVD is a great buy and something to return to for inspiration. I especially like to play DVDs such as this while I am working out at home. The visual content is only a fraction of what you get; the DVD works well as an audio presentation.
The only issue I would say I have with the DVD is that there is no chapter select menu and in fact even while playing the DVD you are not able to skip to new chapters and must instead rely on forwarding or rewinding. This is a small point however and at 59 minutes duration, it is easy to navigate the disc.
A must buy then for anyone serious about Shotokan, the history of karate or in the approach of seeing karate as a vehicle to self-improvement.
