The Secrets of Okinawan Karate: Essence and Techniques Hardcover – 1 Jan. 2003

I found most of the information here has already published in other books on Okinawa Karate. While there isn't a whole lot here that an experienced Karateka will find new, the information has been arranged well, and ascends in an ordered fashion so that the reader can understand one theory in the light of others mentioned previously.Arakaki discusses principles common to most Okinawa styles, and offers advice on basic techniques. There is decent historical information, and photos of some of the old Okinawan masters which appear to have been "borrowed" from unaccredited sources (many of the pictures show cross-grain which means they were taken from other printed sources).As with most Kodansha books, this volume is a work of top quality. The printing, photos, quality of the paper and binding is top-notch!This is a great book for beginners starting out in Shorin-ryu Okinawa Karate, especially those who practice the style of the author, Muso-kai Karate.For those with more experience, you're probably not going to see anything new here, and might be better served to consider Nagamine's " The Essence of Okinawan Karate-do " for technical aspects, or Bishop's " Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques (Martial Arts) " for history of various styles and the lineages of the various master teachers from karate's origins.