Walking Upright is a work that explores traditional Karate-Dō not only as a martial discipline, but as an ethical, cultural, and historical path. The book combines research, narrative, and personal reflection.
Through the history of Karate, of Okinawa, of Japan, and of its masters, Walking Upright proposes a reading that goes far beyond technique. It speaks of values, coherence, responsibility, and ultimately, humanity.
As I approach forty years of Karate-Dō practice, I feel increasingly convinced that I will never fully understand it. And at the same time, the path becomes ever more fascinating, because one begins to grasp something essential: it is not about reaching a goal, but about accepting that the journey is long—perhaps infinite.
As Eduardo Galeano once said:
What is the horizon for? The horizon is that place you walk ten steps toward, and it moves ten steps away. You walk a hundred kilometers, and it moves a hundred kilometers further. So what is the horizon for? For this: to make us keep moving forward.
While one trains, reads, and researches Karate-Dō, one discovers that there is always something more to understand, something more to explain. What we thought we knew rearranges itself when someone appears who has walked a little further, who has looked more deeply, and who offers us a new perspective. Even when the body is no longer fast or agile, one eventually understands that Karate-Dō is not, in essence, an art for fighting others, but a path for confronting oneself.
Karate-Dō is, like Galeano’s horizon, a constant impulse forward. It serves to move ahead, to improve, to sustain an inner struggle that has no end. It is a silent struggle that accompanies the human being until the very last day, whether one practices Karate-Dō or not. And it is precisely there that its most fascinating aspect resides.
That same path—hard, uncertain, profoundly human—was the one walked by Gichin Funakoshi. He did not have it easy. He had to reinvent himself many times. He was a sickly child, with no clear future, who managed to move forward thanks to a “secret” that presented itself as a way of ordering his spirit: the path of Tōde, transmitted by his teachers Ankō Itosu and Ankō Asato. They not only taught him an art, but also taught him to question everything.
Through them he came to know Sōkon Matsumura, who allowed him to understand Tōde from the perspective of someone who was already at the end of the path. All of this unfolded as the Kingdom of Ryūkyū disappeared and Okinawa was absorbed by a modern Japan attempting to impose order upon millennia-old traditions.
Funakoshi could not become a doctor. He became a teacher, a poet, and an instructor of Tōde for children in schools. At just over fifty years of age, he traveled to Japan’s main island for an event in Tokyo… and never returned to Okinawa. With him traveled Tōde as well, already transformed into something new—first called Karate, and later Karate-Dō.
He worked as a janitor. He was a foreigner in his own country. He had to start from zero again and again, until at last the doors of the universities opened. Karate began to spread, almost without his intention. His own students, perhaps inspired by his spirit, carried the martial art to another level.
Then tragedy arrived: the Second World War, the destruction of his dōjō, the death of his son Gigo—his right hand—who had driven a technical revolution that even surpassed Funakoshi himself. Then came the death of his wife. And once again, starting over, now as an old man, watching a new generation take over with different ideas. He was never entirely in agreement, but never entirely opposed either. At some point, he let things happen… and limited himself to observing.
The spark he ignited was enough for an art once transmitted in secrecy to become practiced today by more than one hundred and fifty million people around the world.
This book attempts to tell his story. The good and the bad. Without idealizing him. Showing Funakoshi for what he was: an ordinary person who ended up creating something extraordinary. And reminding us that we—ordinary, human, imperfect—can also achieve extraordinary things.
For that, one must walk upright.
As a fundamental principle.
Because life is full of battles that seem lost…
but one must always rise, lift one’s head,
and keep walking upright.
No. Walking Upright is neither a technical manual nor a conventional novel. It is a hybrid work that moves freely between different forms and perspectives, including:
The history of Karate-Dō and traditional martial arts
The cultural and historical context of Okinawa and Japan
The ethics and philosophy of Budō
Reflections on character, respect, and the transmission of knowledge
Narrative scenes that connect the past with the present
Walking Upright invites readers to understand Karate not primarily as combat, but as a form of education—of the body, the mind, and the spirit.
No prior knowledge of Karate is required. What matters is curiosity, an interest in human stories, and a willingness to reflect on what it means to grow, endure, and walk upright through life.
Walking Upright is intended for:
Practitioners of Karate and traditional martial arts
Instructors and teachers interested in Budō beyond sport and competition
Readers drawn to Japanese and Okinawan culture and history
People seeking ethical reflection applied to everyday life
Readers who enjoy texts where history, philosophy, and narrative intertwine
You do not need to practice Karate to read this book. What matters is curiosity—an interest in looking beyond appearances and exploring the deeper meaning of things.
Karate-Dō understood as a path (Dō), not merely as a set of techniques
The difference between tradition, adaptation, and the loss of meaning
Respect (Rei) as a way of life, beyond formal etiquette
The role of the teacher and the transmission of knowledge across generations
Okinawa and Japan as the historical and cultural context of Karate
Personal dignity in the face of adversity
The value of remaining faithful to essential principles in times of change
Each chapter can be read independently, yet together they form a coherent and profound vision.
Walking Upright includes numerous Japanese terms and key concepts related to Budō. To support a smooth and enriching reading experience, the website offers a dedicated page where these terms are explained clearly and in their proper context.
👉 [View the glossary of Japanese terms used in the book]
This glossary allows readers to understand not only the literal meaning of each term, but also its cultural and philosophical depth—essential for grasping the spirit of the book beyond simple translation.
"Walking Upright"
The story of Gichin Funakoshi
Discover the beginning of a journey that shaped a way of life.
Walking Upright is a historical novel inspired by the life of Gichin Funakoshi, the man who transformed an obscure Okinawan art into what the world would come to know as Karate-Dō.
These opening chapters invite you into a fragile childhood marked by illness, discipline, and quiet perseverance; into the cultural crossroads of Okinawa and mainland Japan; and into the inner world of a man who believed that true strength is forged through humility, patience, and character.
This is not merely the story of a martial artist.
It is the story of a human being learning to stand upright — in body, in spirit, and in life.
Read the first chapters for free and step into a narrative where history, memory, and fiction walk side by side.
Would you like to read a few chapters?
Walking Upright is available in multiple languages, reflecting the international nature of Karate-Dō and the global community that practices and studies it.
The book is available on Amazon in both digital and print formats:
Kindle eBook, compatible with Kindle Unlimited for unlimited digital access
Paperback edition, ideal for traditional reading
Hardcover edition, available in selected editions for collectors and libraries
👉 [View Walking Upright on Amazon]
If you do not usually read on Kindle, you can consult a short and easy guide explaining how to start reading with Kindle Unlimited, including how to read on a phone, tablet, or computer without a dedicated Kindle device:
Milton Chanes is an author and researcher whose work is deeply connected to education, technology, and traditional martial arts. His writing combines historical rigor, practical experience, and a critical perspective on how knowledge, values, and traditions are transmitted—and transformed—over time.
Through his books, Chanes explores Karate-Dō not only as a martial discipline, but as a path of human development, ethical reflection, and cultural responsibility.
Walking Upright does not seek to provide definitive answers. Instead, it offers a path: to observe carefully, to understand deeply, to question honestly, and above all, to remain upright—in practice, in teaching, and in life.