Best Karate by M. Nakayama (Masatoshi Nakayama)
Best Karate (Complete 7-Volume Set, All Near Fine)
Masatoshi Nakayama's Seven-Volume Illustrated Shotokan Karate Curriculum from the Japan Karate Association
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Best Karate: Comprehensive; Fundamentals; Kumite 1; Kumite 2; Heian, Tekki; Bassai, Kankū; Jitte, Hangetsu, Empi
- Author: M. Nakayama (Masatoshi Nakayama)
- Publisher: Kodansha International Ltd., Tokyo
- Publication Date: 1977
- ISBN-13: 9780870113178
- Edition Details: Seven-volume set, Volumes 1 to 7, sold together as a single set. Volume 1 published by Kodansha International, Tokyo, 1977.
- Binding: Publisher's illustrated card wrappers, perfect bound, with black printed covers and coloured titles, colour-coded spine tabs and a volume number on each front cover.
- Physical Format: Medium softcover, roughly 200 x 130 mm. Illustrated with demonstration photographs.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Near Fine (NF)
- Exterior / Wraps: All seven volumes have clean black printed card covers with bright coloured titles and clean spines carrying their colour-coded tabs. Volume 5 shows light scuffing and scratches and a small mark near the top of the front cover. A few volumes show slight edge wear. Otherwise the wrappers are bright and tidy across the set.
- Interior: The pages are clean and white throughout. No inscriptions, stamps or ownership marks.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Best Karate is the Japan Karate Association's comprehensive instructional series, written by Masatoshi Nakayama and illustrated with photographs of JKA instructors demonstrating the techniques. This lot brings together seven volumes as a single set.
The opening volume sets out the foundations: the parts of the body used as weapons, stances, blocking and attacking, with an introduction to kata and kumite. The later volumes move on to fundamentals, sparring (kumite) and the individual kata, among them Heian, Tekki, Bassai, Kankū, Jitte, Hangetsu and Empi.
The series is widely regarded by Shotokan students as essential reading. A complete run in uniform format with consistent condition makes a practical study set for the dojo and an attractive group for collectors of martial arts literature.
Author Profile: Masatoshi Nakayama
Masatoshi Nakayama (1913-1987) was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture and entered Takushoku University in 1932. He co-founded the Japan Karate Association in 1949 and served as its chief instructor until his death in 1987.
He was the first Shotokan practitioner awarded 9th dan during his lifetime and received 10th dan posthumously. Besides the Best Karate series, he is known for Dynamic Karate.
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