Another Classic Returns: Grandmaster James Mitose on Self Defense in Kenpo

James Mitose on Kenpo

What Is Self Defense?

Although Plum, almost exclusively, represents books and videos on traditional Chinese martial arts, there are times when we bow or nod to important works from among our cousins; in this case, it is GM James Mitose’s classic treatise on Self-Defense techniques and theory, What Is Self Defense, that strongly influenced the development of Kenpo (often referred to as “Kenpo Karate,” “Chinese Karate” or, on the book, “Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu”).

This book is not historical fluff, but an important document of methods and techniques that built the self-defense movement in the latter part of the 20th century. There is also a decided Buddhist bent to his writings, with many admonitions to only use these techniques when absolutely necessary. This book has been difficult to find for a long while, and we are happy to have some copies available at Plumpub.

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