In the interests of full disclosure, this book was received for review purposes
Title: The Kata and Bunkai of Goju-Ryu Karate
Author: Giles Hopkins
Publisher: Blue Snake Books
Publish Date: 2018
Format: Paperback
Pages: 268
Cover Price: $24.99
For those not in martial arts systems which rely heavily on kata, bunkai is the interpretation of the movements of a form. For many systems of karate, which does rely heavily on forms, the bunkai is of utmost importance. The past masters handed down the kata as an encyclopedia of their form of martial art. Even though many karate systems share kata, or at least variations on kata, their interpretation of these forms can be very different. Digging through them to discover the “hidden meanings” has an almost Indiana Jones feel to it.
The martial art I study doesn’t have kata, in this same sense, and I’m fascinated by this concept. If there are multiple interpretations, is there a right one? Is there some ancient tome that describes the “true meaning” of the kata? It’s a very exciting idea. However, it has also led to some very unrealistic interpretations. That’s where this book comes in.
Content
The main part of the book, as one might expect, is a dissection of the various kata of Goju-Ryu Karate to describe their bunkai. It delves deep into the purposes and transmission of knowledge of 10 different kata. Each chapter on the specific kata also ends with a short story about the author and his time in Okinawa studying karate.
However, I found much more importance in the 32 pages of introduction. In that section, Mr. Hopkins describes the “how and why” he interpreted the kata the way he did. He describes the logic based principles that his work is based on, which is necessary to understand the “how and why” of this interpretation.
Pros
There are several things I really liked about this book. First off, it is very easy to read with no high-level technical terms. It is written for the purpose of being understood. The principles of his interpretation are logically derived and clearly stated. Then, when you do start to go through the individual kata, you can clearly see how those principles are applied. The reader is presented with a clear, internally logical system for analyzing any kata. In fact, the author makes a point of telling you how to apply these principles to your own kata.
I also really liked the stories at the end of the kata interpretations. As far as my limited intellect could detect, there wasn’t a direct correlation between the lessons of the story and the kata. They were just nice little bookends to each chapter.
Cons
The only negative I can say about this book is that many people may not find it extremely useful. If kata is outside the purview of your martial art, then this may not be the book for you. However, a karateka (karate practitioner) of any style or any martial art that relies on kata to transfer information should at the very least read this book. 
Conclusion
My particular style of martial art doesn’t really do kata. At least, not in the way they are used in karate. However, I still found myself enjoying this book. It is presented well and this makes it seem a lot less like the old books describing how to do kata. This book assumes you already know the kata, and want to learn more about them. Before reading a chapter, I found myself on youtube looking at various people doing the kata. That way I could have a better idea of what was being described and dissected. Also, the little stories at the end of each chapter add a lot of flavoring to the book. However, as I stated above, this is not a martial arts book that all martial artists will find useful.
That’s why I’m going to give this book an overall score of 4 out of 5 Ninja Stars. I fully recommend this book. It is a strong, purposeful book, but it may not be a completely useful book, as far as pure information goes, for all martial artists. If you are looking for a book to describe how to logically look at the bunkai of your kata, then do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
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- Suparinpei-The Last Kata of Goju-Ryu Karate - July 12, 2021
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I think I’ll get this book. I started Goju Kai in the summer of 1967. About 18 months later I switched to the Matsumura family system of Okinawa. From my study of history I know of the link between both systems, so this study would be of interest in the further understanding of the thoughts that connect these two systems.
Nice!
I enjoyed it, and i don’t do any form of karate.