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| The Cover of Keinosuke Enoeda: Tiger of Shotokan Karate |
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Buy this book at Amazon.com |
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| The Cover of Keinosuke Enoeda: Tiger of Shotokan Karate |
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Buy this book at Amazon.com |
Karate is not just a sport. Karate is not just a hobby. Karate is not just exercise or a way to stay fit and healthy. Karate is not just a cultural expression. Naturally, karate has all of these elements, but I think that karate is something more as well. Karate clubs and organizations can form very strong bonds between people, bonds between teachers and students, bonds between fellow karate practitioners, and even bonds that form over great distances. There is something interesting about our mutual passion that brings out a certain connection between us.
Rod Butler has written a marvelous book entitled Keinosuke Enoeda: Tiger of Shotokan Karate. This is a beautifully designed book that functions on two levels. On the first it is biographical, and acts as a chronicle of Enoeda's life, who he was, where he came from, and of course the huge impact he has had on British karate. The second level is that this book acts as a testament of love and devotion that a student has for his teacher. There is a sense of awe, and continual respect through and through, but there is also a tone and sense of true affection that Rod Butler has for his karate teacher. I found that quite touching.
The outline of the book runs like this:
The structure of the book is phenomenally well designed, and stands head and shoulders above most karate books that are on the market. The photography is superb, the printing, binding, cover art, and finish of the text make it come alive in your hands. This book is beautifully constructed and produced. This soft-covered text deserves full marks in this regard.
This is a book that chronicles Enoeda's life. Rod Butler has done some very fine research into the man's past, has organized his thoughts and reflections in a very approachable and engaging style, and has done so with class and decorum. I found the book very interesting to read, and found the photos throughout to be nicely prepared and professionally designed.
Where the text seems to have a grey area is where Rod Butler tries to expand his text's objective from a text that honors his past karate teacher and tries to make some sense of the organizational turmoil that ensued after Enoeda's death. The KUGB, the organization which Enoeda had formed so many years ago expected to continue on after his passing as the primary karate organization in the UK. With issues among karate instructors as to who should lead after Enoeda was gone, and with no resolution in sight, two groups were formed. The first was with Mr. Sherry who was one of the original students of the KUGB , and the second was with Mr. Ohta, who arrived in the UK many years later, and served as an instructor in the KUGB under Enoeda as well.
Despite the political turmoil, and unresolved issues of future leadership, Rod Butler publicly endorses Ohta as the heir of “Enoeda-style” karate. This article does not intend to take issue with Rod Butler's approach or conclusions to this controversy, but simply maintains that his conclusions are not held by all parties concerned with the break-up of the KUGB after Enoeda's death. The KUGB in its present state also holds Enoeda up as the originator of their club's style, and have a strong claim to Enoeda as their former teacher as well.
I think that this book would have been greatly improved if Mr. Ohta were not highlighted in any regard, and that the text stayed primarily focused on Keinosuke Enoeda. Drawing a line in the sand on these issues makes the book less universally accessible. The text ought not be a political statement or tool, and should simply celebrate the life of a very powerfully influential karate man, the people he touched, and the approach to karate that he passed forward to his students.
Although it would be easy to focus on this single issue of this text, I think that it is quickly and easily eclipsed by the great writing talent of Rod Butler, his passion for the dedicated work, the marvelous lay-out of the photos on the pages, and the depth and wealth of information that he has assembled in a single text. Whether you are a student or instructor of the KUGB, any other karate organization found in the UK, or have had access or instruction to Enoeda's courses and instruction and found it worthwhile, I think that you would find this book to be a very valuable addition to your personal library.
Enoeda was very fortunate to have such a devoted student as Rod Butler. I think that every high ranked karate instructor secretly wishes that they had someone like Rod Butler to create a strong testament to their lives. That is what this book really is. It is like a candle we would light in remembrance of those passed on before us, and Rod Butler has managed to articulately and eloquently express his impressions, experiences, and affections for a man who he has called “Sensei”.
Recommended reading!
Mark Groenewold
Kanazawa, Japan
January, 2005
This page is copyright © 2005 Mark Groenewold