Posted Feb 21st 2007, 11:06am

Karate - a history

A feature on the history of karate. I hope you find it interesting.

I have been writing about karate and its development for a few years now and would like to hear from other people who are looking to trace the history and impact of the sport, as well as revel in the modern-day enjoyment of it.

"Karate does not fit the definition of a ‘martial art’ in that it was never developed to be used on the battlefield, it is and always has been a method of civilian self defence.

The Ryukyu island of Okinawa served as a melting pot of Asian fighting traditions for hundreds of years as the Japanese and Chinese contested ownership. During this time Okinawa was used as a trading post, with the large port of Naha serving as a centre where merchants from all over south-east Asia would trade.

The practitioners of the indigenous Okinawan ‘di’ meaning ‘hand’ had the opportunity not only to trade ideas with travelling martial artists, but many travelled to China to further their study. The hsing (forms) of various styles of gong fu were brought to Okinawa and the development of these kata (form) is the basis for the development of karate, and the art began to be referred to as ‘China Hand’.

The varying styles of Chinese gong fu and its fusion with indigenous grappling means that karate is varied and eclectic in nature, but it is quite simply the development of a knowledge in applied anatomy and physiology – how the body works and how to generate (pain generated) responses to your advantage in a fight or when restraint is necessary.

At this time karate was not taught as it is today. It would generally be done in groups of around four or five and the actual teachings would be only passed on those thought ready. A great deal of mysticism has been generated about this era – ‘karate was a secretive art practised at night’ but this is largely a glorification of the truth that people trained at night because they worked during the day, and because the tropical climate meant that arduous training in the heat of day would be difficult. The art was not aught to anybody, but it is thought that the Okinawans would know who taught karate in their community.

For may years this is how karate developed; if a teacher from another style arrived or if someone learned something whilst abroad, it would be studied and brought into training. The deeper level of study was prompted in the 15th century when King Sho Shin banned the use of weapons on the island and again later in the 16th century when the government of the 5th Satsuma established complete anti-weapon laws. This urged the Okinawans to develop their methods of self-defence.

At the turn of the twentieth century a small group of Okinawan karate-ka led by Itosu Anko (1832-1915) campaigned to get karate included into the physical education syllabus in the island’s school system. This led to a radical overhaul of the way in which karate was practiced, with many techniques deemed too dangerous s being removed, and a shift in emphasis from self-defence to physical development through repeated kata training. Application principles were overlooked in favour of this new approach and when karate was introduced to Japan it was forced to conform to its society and so marks a radical shift in the definition of the art.

One of the first Okinawans to demonstrate karate on mainland Japan was Funakoshi Gichin (1868-1957), others such as Miyagi Chojun (goju ryu), Mabuni Kenwa (shito ryu) and Choki Motubu (shorin ryu) soon followed. The karate they taught was mainly that which they taught in Okinawa: it was kata based, but still with little application theory. It was the influence of Konishi Yasuhiro and Ohtsuka Hirinori that initiated the modernisation of karate by forging it in the image of kendo and judo to conform to the modern budo concept.

The masters teaching karate at that time adapted to this new way primarily because they wanted to see the survival of their art at a time of cultural upheaval. In order to this they needed to be endorsed by the Dai Nippon Butokukai, and for this to happen the teaching curricula needed to be standardised, correct etiquette observed, a training uniform needed sorting, and a method of contest needed to be devised.

As there was much anti-Chinese sentiment at the time the kanji for karate meaning ‘China Hand’ was replaced with kanji meeting ‘Empty Hand’. Such changes were made in response to cultural forces seeking conformity; in Japanese society anything ‘different’ is thwarted and so to keep karate going it had to adopt some systems used in judo and kendo – for example the dogi, dan and kyu ranking system, and a competitive element.

The introduction of competition has been a powerful force in shaping karate. It has drawn an emphasis on winning – massaging the ego of the individual, and many believe that this detracts from the philosophical and holistic aims of karate.

After the second world war the Japan Karate Association (JKA) was established, inviting master from many styles. Unfortunately only shotokan, the style led by Funakoshi Gichin, joined and since then it has sought to promote this modern concept of karate around the world. Its instructor’s course has graduated all of the current masters; Kanazawa Sensei was one of the first to complete the course, but left in the 1970s to create the Shotokan Karate International Federation, of which Jin Sei Kai was once a member.

It is a remarkable feat that 100 years ago little had been heard of this art outside of Japan, but now you will struggle to find a country or city without a strong karate presence. This has strengthened the art to some extent, but it has also had some detrimental consequences as the struggle for political power has led to misunderstandings and adaptations. It is the responsibility of karateka to learn the old ways, preserve them and pass them down to their students, so that the art can be restored to perfection."