At the time of this book’s writing, Shimabukuro Masayuki Hidenobu was an 8th dan (8th degree black belt) in Shitō-Ryū karate-dō, a member of the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame, and technical adviser to the Dai Nippon Butoku-Kai, Japan’s most prestigious martial arts organisation. During his lifetime, he trained thousands of students on four continents in the art of karate-dō. Leonard J. Pellman has been training in classical Japanese budō since 1965, and currently holds the rank of 5th dan in Shitō-Ryū karate-dō. Together, Shimabukuro and Pellman have written several articles on karate-do and other martial arts for Black Belt and Inside Karate magazines, as well as the books Katsujinken: Living Karate (published by JKI, Inc.) and Flashing Steel: Mastering Eishin-Ryū Swordsmanship (published by Blue Snake Books).
