HISTORY

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Chapter 1 - The History of Karate 歴史空手

Before we begin, you must understand that the early history of karate (空手) was shrouded in complete secrecy and that there were never any written records of karate teaching, techniques or physical and mental applications. Instruction, generally, was given by word of mouth by a teacher to an individual or very small numbers of students. Therefore, with most things that have been passed on by verbal means (Chinese whispers) over the centuries, personal preference, misinterpretation, personal prejudice, a lack of true understanding and exaggeration a deviation from the real meaning or even the mean must have taken place. The data for calculating this deviation from the mean is unavailable. Therefore, accuracy is something that cannot be guaranteed with what is presented here. All that we can do is to look at the available information and decide for ourselves as to the true origins of karate. Note, karate-do (空手道 the way of the empty hand) is a Japanese concept and is therefore not presented here at this time. This opens the gates for the three fold path, discussed later.

All the information contained here is a result of a number of year’s research and study, not only in karate but into the martial arts in general, and is by no means meant to be exhaustive. It is my intention to present the information and facts available as accurately as possible. Any misinterpretation or false information is purely accidental.

Those of you who read these words without questions are missing the whole purpose of karate. Karate was developed for human beings to use their minds to better themselves. The answer is never as obvious as first appears, and the greatest hindrance to full understanding is human nature itself. Free yourself of ego and let yourself go, view things with the mind of a child, uncoloured by emotion and preconceptions. By doing this, you will see things as they really are and not what you think them to be.

Study the old to understand the new. By doing this, we can appreciate exactly where our art came from, and whether it is what we indeed thought it to be. It is for you to assimilate the available facts, process the information and decide for yourself.

Introduction

There might be a number of questions that you are probably wanting to be answered and some of these might be:-

·      Where did karate originate from?

·      Did karate come from Okinawa?

·      Was karate brought from China?

·      Did Okinawa have its own an indigenous fighting art?

These are just a few of the most commonly asked questions about the history of karate and hopefully by the end of this you will have an answer for all of them. If you ask three different people these questions you will get three different answers, this is because each of us will have our own opinion, knowledge and understanding on the subject.

It will help you to appreciate a little better how the art might have developed if we take a look at the history of Okinawa itself, focusing on the events that happened to influence the birth and generation of a fighting system.

A Brief History of Okinawa

Okinawa prefecture, made up from the southern and central Ryukyu Islands, is now controlled politically by and is an integral part of modern Japan. Okinawa, from which the prefecture gets its name, has been the most significant of the Ryukyu Islands, in an economical as well as cultural sense, from the earliest time of its history.

The island itself is not large, having a total area of 1,256 sq. km. The north of the island is sparsely populated due to heavy forestry, whereas the south is densely populated, having several cosmopolitan cities. The largest of these cities is Naha which includes the boundaries of former towns Shuni and Tomani, where the hub of karate, originally called Te (手) or Tode (唐手 Chinese hand), is believed to have originally perpetuated.

Prior to 1429, the island of Okinawa was ruled by feudal lords known as anji or aji. The island was divided into three kingdoms of Hokuzan in the north, Chuzan in the middle and Nanzan in the south.

One theory about how Okinawa may have attained its own indigenous fighting system comes from an exiled Japanese warrior called Tametome (1139-70), who overran parts of the Japanese island’s as well as the Ryukyu archipelago. Upon arriving on Okinawa he made contact with the anji of that area called Ozato, who befriended him. Tametome brought with him many bushi (warriors), who new the fighting ways of the Japanese samurai. The techniques of striking, kicking, grappling, archery and swordsmanship are most likely to have taught to the Okinawan’s from these early times.

Subsequently, an indigenous fighting system could have been born from the roots of the Japanese samurai. There are several other events of note that happened that undoubtedly fuelled the need for a system of self defence, as we will shortly discover.

In 1372, official relations between China and Okinawa were instituted, thus throwing open the doors for greater cultural exchange between the two countries. A major event took place on Okinawa in 1392/3, when 36 Chinese families were allowed to settle on Okinawa. They set up a mission at Kume village, and it is believed that within the 36 families there were people who new Chinese boxing, called kempo (拳法).

Two words began to be used to signify which martial art came from where. The word te or ti was used to identify the indigenous art of Okinawa, and the word tode or toudi was used to identify the Chinese martial art. Here we have the first real evidence that Okinawan te was practised alongside Chinese kempo or tode. A merging of the two arts could have occurred at this point or sometime soon after.

In 1429, king Sho Hashi unified the three kingdoms of Okinawa and formed a centralised government. However, it was king Sho Shin in either 1477 or 1507 that put an end to feudalism, by prohibiting the private ownership and stockpiling of weapons. He made the remaining anji withdraw from their castles and move to his castle in Shuri, strengthening his control over them. This event is most significant as it shows why the Okinawan people began to intensely cultivate an unarmed system or means of self defence, as they had no weapons to use. It also shows that nearly a century before that Japanese invaded (see later) bringing with them the Edo keisatu (policeman who established civil restraint techniques), the Okinawan pechin officials had already cultivated their own self defence methods based upon Chinese kempo.

Also at this time cultural exchanges were taking place between Okinawa and china in the form of exchange students from Okinawa, going to china to study their language and customs, as well as Chinese envoys going to Okinawa for trade purposes. It is most likely that whilst they were there, the exchange students came into contact and indeed studied the Chinese martial arts, and on their return home passed on what they had learnt to their fellow countryman. Amongst the Chinese envoy’s entourage were of course interpreters as well as security experts. These martial arts specialists could have passed on some of their fighting skills to the Okinawan people who were studying tode.

As we can see, already we have a possible origin of an Okinawan fighting system as early as the twelfth century. The introduction of the Chinese martial arts, tode, in the later half of the fourteenth century. A merging of the two arts for the purposes of law enforcement personnel, perpetuated by the banning of wearing and having weapons. This is only the very beginnings of karate as we see it today, there are many more events that took place that helped shape and mould the karate of today.

Some historians believe that the single most important event in Okinawa’s history happened in 1609, when the powerful Satsuma clan from Japan’s southern Kyushu Island, led by the shimazu family, invaded the Ryukyu islands. This was done to punish the islands for refusing to supply Japan with materials needed in their attack on China in 1529. This military action ended Okinawa’s independence and paved the way for complete Japanese control over the island.

The warlord of the shimazu decided that all weapons should be banned on the island. Anyone found with weapons would have them confiscated and a severe punishment handed out to them. Total subjugation was obviously difficult to bear and frequent violent clashes occurred, which forced the islanders to use the only weapons they had, their own bodies, as well as any agricultural implements that they had.

It could have been at this point that many tode and te society’s united together to formalise a system of self defence, using both the hands and feet, as well as weapons, in order to defeat their invaders. Subsequently, an indigenous form of self defence may have flourished at this stage of Okinawa’s history.

As a result of other proclamations which tried to eradicate any trace of an Okinawan fighting art, the very early development of te was shrouded in mystery and secrecy. What is known is that there were three centres where te flourished and these were the three major towns on Okinawa - Shuri, Naha and Tomari. Hence we have terms like Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te, indicating which techniques were taught at which town. From this time te developed two distinct features.

Firstly, the art was understood only by a select few practitioners to avoid detection by the shimazu samurai. Secondly, it became an extremely violent art, as its sole purpose was to main or kill the enemy. All we have from this period are tails that have been handed down over the centuries, and needless to say, authenticity is impossible.

The military occupation of Okinawa lasted some 270 years, and during this time some Okinawan pechin (a class within Okinawan society) were sent to Satsuma to study the art of the samurai, known as Jigen ryu ken jutsu. Upon their return, it is believed that they shared what they had learnt with their fellow countrymen, and an indigenous fighting art was developed from these men.

It is also noted in Japanese encyclopaedia that lord shimazu instructed the jigen ryu headmaster, called Shigekata (1602-59), to teach self defence tactics to Okinawan farmers and peasants. This was done so that if invaded, they would serve as a line of defence for their homeland.

Sometime between 1784 and 1903 the term karate was used instead of te to describe the fighting forms of Okinawa. However, it must be understood that karate during this time meant “Chinese hand” and not what it means today. Perhaps the term Chinese hand was used to signify the role that the Chinese art had upon the development of a fighting system. Also, the various fighting systems that evolved began to be categorised into schools or ryu (流).

These ryu took on the characteristics and ways of thinking of individuals thought of as masters. By 1903, karate had more or less become standardised into schools, some of which are still in existence today.

Up to this point we can see that Okinawa may have had its own unique fighting system influenced from early times by the Chinese martial arts. The Japanese invaded Okinawa and they too banned weapons, encouraging an increase in the need for a self defence system. The art of the Japanese samurai may have been taught to the pechin classes, as well as to the farmers and peasants, of Okinawa, and these fighting techniques may have been merged with both te and tode forming a new fighting system.

Let us look now at a major event that took place in Japan that helped shape karate into the modern art we see today.

The Meiji Era 明治時代

The Meiji restoration brought Japan from feudalism into democracy in one foul swoop. It abolished the shogunate class structure and certain samurai practices. The change was sudden, however, modern Japan still retained some elements from its feudal past, and these elements help shape the modern history of Japan, which included perpetuating old traditions whilst encouraging new social pastimes. The bugei (martial arts) thus became an instrumental force in shaping modern Japan.

The bugei were based upon ancient customs, some rather inflexible ideologies and spiritual conviction, subsequently Japans modern Budo (武道) became more than just social recreation. Budo served in many ways to funnel the national empire, morality and Japaneseness. The arts of Budo nurtured a deep respect for these values.

The samurai warrior’s combative skills were based upon various schools of ken­jutsu (剣術) or swordsmanship and ju-jutsu (柔術) or grappling. These arts served as the infra structure through which the modern Budo phenomenon developed. What occurred was a transition in emphasis from a pure fighting form or “jutsu” (術), into a way of thinking or behaving “do” (道). Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit marga meaning the "path" to enlightenment. Subsequently, ju-jutsu transformed into ju-do (柔道) , and ken-jutsu into kendo (剣道). This suffix, ”do”, indicates a “path” or “way”, meaning a way of life or path you travel whilst pursuing karate’s goal of perfection. This meant that the new ways have gone beyond mere combative physical boundaries, and embraced all that was culturally Japanese. This meant, in turn that anything that was not Japanese by nature was frowned upon and this included karate or karate jutsu which became karate-do.

Let us look now at how and why karate went “public”, opening the art to the outside world meant that karate would never again be so secretive and practised in hiding. It was not for these events perhaps karate would still be as secretive as it was in its distant past.

Ankoh Itotsu 1831–1915

Karate Goes Public

Around the turn of the twentieth century, a small group of Okinawan karate enthusiast led by master Itotsu, established a campaign to introduce discipline into the Okinawan school system in the form of physical exercise.

This meant that karate jutsu 空手術 (the fighting system of Chinese hand) had to be changed and radically revised in order to make it safe for children to practice it. Remember, its sole purpose was to main and kill your opponent(s).

They removed most of what was considered to be too dangerous, shifting the emphasis from self defence to physical exercise in the form of group exercises, which included basic punching and kicking drills, as well as the practice of kata. However, the kata was practised with no bunkai or applications. By not teaching the hidden self defence techniques, the actual true nature of kata became so obscure and altered, that a new tradition began to develop. One that taught only good form and movement. This transition represented the end of the secret self defence art, and the beginning of a social and spiritual recreational ideal. Subsequently, when karate was introduced to Japan in 1922, the changed form of karate had become the norm and accepted as the true way to practice the art.

At this stage though, karate was not organised, and when compared to the arts of kendo and judo, it has been described by some as a shambles. It had no set practice uniform (see picture above), no syllabus and no set standards of proficiency. Of course this was totally unacceptable to the Japanese, whose life was about order. Therefore, in order to be accepted as an art for the Japanese people to be able to practice, it had to change.

The National governing body for the combative traditions, the Dai Nippon Butokai, introduced certain guidelines that karate had to adhere to in order to be accepted. These included having recognised qualified instructors, a unified teaching syllabus, the adoption of a standard practice uniform (衣 called gi), a system for evaluating levels of proficiency i.e. a syllabus( called youmoku in Japanese), the implementation of Jigoro Kano’s kyu-dan ranking system and the development of a safe means of competitive matches where student could practice and demonstrate their skills. It was their intention to set universal standards for all the arts, as kendo and judo had done.

The term karate meaning “Chinese hand” could not be used as this was not nationalistic, therefore, the leading figure in karate jutsu were compelled to find a more suitable ideogram (character) for their art, one that symbolised discipline and not China. The old terminology underwent a change of meaning into karate-do or the way of the empty hand’. It was not until 1933 that the butokai accepted karate do as a modern Japanese Budo art. Hence, karate had been transformed from an indigenous fighting art from Okinawa, into a modern Japanese martial art.

It was hoped that karate do would reach the high standards of kendo and judo, but the further development of karate do was stopped by the Second World War. With the abolishment of the butokai and other organisations by the Allied forces in 1945, the development of karate do as a unified an organised system was abandoned.

In Summary

It is believed that Okinawa had it’s own unique fighting system, called te, and could have been developed as far back as the twelfth century.