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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Content, Terrible Quality
Review: I've practiced Isshinryu for 20 years at a dojo that emphasizes training the style in the most traditional manner possible. Given this, having a record of Master Shimabuku performing all katas taught in Isshinryu is invaluable. The disc shows (an older) Master Shimabuku performing all eight hand katas, the two sai katas, the three bo katas, and the tonfa kata. They are performed at a moderate 'training' pace, so a viewer can follow the moves. It also shows a few techniques practiced with a partner. The images weren't recorded with the best camera, and no effort was made to clean them up when it was transferred to dvd, but the video is generally clear (not the "excellent quality" given in the description). One disappointment was a glitch in the recording of sanchin kata. About 1/3 of the kata isn't clearly visible. Another problem I have with it is the lack of dvd chaptering. If I want to watch a particular kata I have to "fastforward" instead of moving directly to it as is typical with most dvds. Rating this DVD I would gladly give 5 stars to its completeness, but 0 stars for the quality. I know the source video was bad to start with, but with claims of 'digital-remastering,' and the modern video editing resources available I expected a bit more than a direct transfer from old 8mm film stock (especially for the price). That all being said, if you practice Isshinryu, this is a great resource and a good opportunity to see the founder of the system perform all Isshinryu katas. You can download avi files of Master Shimabuku performing some of the katas if you look around the Internet a bit, but this collection is complete. One last note... If you're new to Isshinryu or are looking for an instructional video, this might not be for you. If you practice Isshinryu and know at least some of the katas, you'll find this interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Content, Terrible Quality
Review: I've practiced Isshinryu for 20 years at a dojo that emphasizes training the style in the most traditional manner possible. Given this, having a record of Master Shimabuku performing all katas taught in Isshinryu is invaluable. The disc shows (an older) Master Shimabuku performing all eight hand katas, the two sai katas, the three bo katas, and the tonfa kata. They are performed at a moderate 'training' pace, so a viewer can follow the moves. It also shows a few techniques practiced with a partner. The images weren't recorded with the best camera, and no effort was made to clean them up when it was transferred to dvd, but the video is generally clear (not the "excellent quality" given in the description). One disappointment was a glitch in the recording of sanchin kata. About 1/3 of the kata isn't clearly visible. Another problem I have with it is the lack of dvd chaptering. If I want to watch a particular kata I have to "fastforward" instead of moving directly to it as is typical with most dvds. Rating this DVD I would gladly give 5 stars to its completeness, but 0 stars for the quality. I know the source video was bad to start with, but with claims of 'digital-remastering,' and the modern video editing resources available I expected a bit more than a direct transfer from old 8mm film stock (especially for the price). That all being said, if you practice Isshinryu, this is a great resource and a good opportunity to see the founder of the system perform all Isshinryu katas. You can download avi files of Master Shimabuku performing some of the katas if you look around the Internet a bit, but this collection is complete. One last note... If you're new to Isshinryu or are looking for an instructional video, this might not be for you. If you practice Isshinryu and know at least some of the katas, you'll find this interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Quality of 8mm, but Rare Film of Tatso Shimabuku a Must
Review: Tatso Shimabuku, founder of Isshin Ryu karate, is on film performing empty hand and weapon katas. He is of old age in the film, and the quality is very poor, probably filmed in 8mm and it was filmed in the 1960s; but to see this interesting martial artist and founder of the system at work is still worth the price (although I received this gift for free).
It does not help to complain of the quality, because I doubt there is much Masterline Video can do with such old footage.
However, they could have established 'scene selection'. Still, the rare footage and special place held in the pioneering for the martial arts by Shimabuku makes this a worthwhile purchase for teh martial arts enthuthaists. Thank you Sensei for this nice gift.
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