Apsokardu - Tales from the Western Generation: Untold Stories and Firsthand History from Karates Golden Age

For a book of this scope, you may be wondering how I decided which individuals to include and which to exclude. Its an important question which I would like to address so that you can enjoy the book without worrying about the politics of martial arts.

My selection process utilized a system of checks and balances inherent in the world of old style karate. The more classical practitioners I spoke to, the more I was able to learn about events in years past from multiple angles. By cross-checking this information, I was able to learn about individuals who did a lot to contribute to the growth of karate in the United States. That is how I arrived at most of the guests included in this book.

That being said, I realized very quickly that there was no feasible way I could discuss all the men and women who were important to the development of karate; such a task would expand massively outward. Instead, I had to put the following restrictions in place:

• Interview subjects had to have grown up in the United States (although not necessarily born here). Although a number of immigrants were critical to the growth of karate early on (Demura Fumio , Okazaki Teruyuki, etc.) they were not considered for this particular project.
• Ideal interview subjects trained with either first wave Americans, original Okinawan / Japanese Sensei, or both. The subjects should also have made a lasting impact on the growth of their style.
• In an attempt to cover as many original styles as possible, I avoided including too many interview subjects of any one style.

Some individuals I had hoped to include were not reachable or were in ill health. Others were contacted, but opted not to participate. Still others had complex and confusing histories that were not verifiable. Others I simply missed due to the scope of the project.

I, the author, take full responsibility for any individuals who were missed but belong in a project such as this. Its my hope that the reader understands this is not designed to be a comprehensive encyclopedia of karateka, but more a collection of stories from a number of important practitioners who were critical to the growth of karate.