Funakoshi Gichin Collectors 1924

Description

Considered to be the father of modern karate and the originator of the Shotokan style, Sensei Gichin Funakoshi is captured on this remarkable documentary film demonstrating the Tekki 1,2, and 3 katas and the Meikyo kata shot c. 1924.

Shot on location at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan at the Keio Karate bu (Karate Club of Keio) which was the first University to adopt Karate into it's physical education curriculum.

In addition to Sensei Funakoshi, there is lots of the other footage covering the training of the University students and summer training camps (Shochu Keiko) at the beach. Approx. 30 minutes B/W.

Customer Reviews:

Vintage footage on writable DVD.......2004-02-13

This DVD briefly showed demonstration of the katas, but it's great to be able to see the Master perform his kata in his youth. The is the oldest martial arts footage I have ever seen.
If only other Masters made the effort to document themselves.

Now, for the bad news related to the production of this DVD. I received a DVD-R, not a DVD-ROM. So, I was unable to play this disk on one DVD player and one laptop. I think the issue is that the DVD-R media is El Cheapo. AT the very least, use better DVD media. I have no trouble playing DVD-Rs in general

There is silly footage of Funakoshi getting out of a pool and rowing a boat. The performer is often obscured by the movie noise, so it's not obviously Funakoshi to the untrained eye.

I can understand that the footage is old, but I wouldn't
say that the image quality is any better than the worst black&white movie you've ever seen on a VHS. I'm also guessing
that this DVD is just a digital recording of a VHS output.
There are no DVD chapters, just a main menu and Play button.
There are Japanese titles and an English narration. I would
have appreciated a Scene Selection menu.

Overall, buy it.

DVD:

DVD

DVD