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jks9199
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Please return to the topic, and please keep the discussion polite and respectful.
jks9199
Sr. Moderator
Value of Kata
- Thread starter K-man
- Start date
I've just gotten about 1/3 of the way into what seems to be shaping up to a fantastic book that discusses quite well EXACTLY the topic going on here.
Take a read when you get a chance:
Kata and the Transmission of Knowledge: in Traditional Martial Arts"
by Michael Rosenbaum
The author is thus far doing a very good job of discussing the use of "kata" in both ancient Greek training and in ancient Japanese training, and the ways in which formalized, codified training regimens were used to enhance and improve both individual skill sets, and team efforts as appropriate.
Take a read when you get a chance:
Kata and the Transmission of Knowledge: in Traditional Martial Arts"
by Michael Rosenbaum
The author is thus far doing a very good job of discussing the use of "kata" in both ancient Greek training and in ancient Japanese training, and the ways in which formalized, codified training regimens were used to enhance and improve both individual skill sets, and team efforts as appropriate.
Ojisan
Yellow Belt
This is a rather lengthly article that I wrote for my sensei on kata-centric training. FWIW (sorry for the length)
An Inquiry as to the Validity of Traditional Okinawan Karate Kata as a Training Methodology for Self Defense
William Bent (copyright 2008)
Within the martial arts community today the purpose and utility of karate kata are poorly understood and much debated. Most practitioners from traditional Okinawan Ryu would describe the practice of kata as fundamental to their training, however proponents of more modern eclectic or reality based martial systems often disparage the practice of kata as outmoded, inadequate, or of little practical value. This paper seeks to address the prevailing misconceptions regarding traditional karate kata as a training methodology and to challenge many of the erroneous assumptions that have led to such beliefs.
Inasmuch as there is virtually no written material on the early history of karate we do not know who invented it and developed it, nor even, for that matter, where it originated and evolved. Its earliest history may only be inferred from ancient legends that have been handed down to us by word of mouth, and they, like most legends, tend to be imaginative and probably inaccurate.1
Uchinadi (Okinawan hand) or te (hand) was the ancient indigenous fighting system of Okinawa. Over time Chinese unarmed fighting systems (chuan fa), were introduced to Okinawa and eventually became integrated with the native Uchinadi. The resulting practices were known as tode (China hand) or karate (the alternative pronunciation for the written characters for tote).
Historic documents relating to the practice of karate on Okinawa prior to the early 1900s are essentially nonexistent2. What can be determined from the earliest published works3 and from oral tradition is that the central training methodology was, invariably, the practice and exploration of kata.4That being said, it should be understood that the traditional practice of kata entailed far more than the mere repetitive solo performance of the form.
The original purpose of karate practice was to acquire proficiency in combative skills sufficient to defend ones self and ones family. To that end, kata were used to develop proper body mechanics for the most effective and efficient generation of power. They also functioned as mnemonic exercises that taught and preserved the various postures and movements used for self defense. Although classified as a martial art, tode was not derived from military applications. It was a folk art, practiced predominantly by the Okinawan upper class, used to deal with ruffians. The techniques of kata were never developed to be used against a professional fighter, in an arena or on the battlefield. They were, however, most effective against someone who had no idea of the strategy being used to counter their aggressive behavior."5
Traditional Training Methods (mid to late 1800s)
Some tode experts would only teach within their own family, but others could, on occasion, be persuaded to pass on their knowledge to deserving students. Training was conducted in secret6, away from the public eye. As was the custom at that time, kata were taught through emulation. Movements, demonstrated by the teacher, were in turn, replicated by the student. The student would perform the movement; the teacher would offer correction, and so on. Through this process the postures and transitional movements of the kata were introduced to the student, gradually, in short segments. These segments would later be woven together into a defined sequence that eventually became the entire form. Kata training, however, rarely involved the performance of the form from beginning to end.7
Teaching in this manner provided the student with an opportunity to fully explore and internalize the principles of body mechanics, and self defense, represented in each segment. This was a slow and incremental process and it was not uncommon for a beginning student to spend many years in acquiring and mastering a single form.
Each kata was unique, as were the kihon, the fundamental movements that made up that kata. While there are movements, and in some cases, entire sequences that appear in more than one traditional form; the rhythm, timing, focus, and method of application of those movements is unique to the kata in which they are practiced. The kihon were not trained separately, because it was only within the context of the kata that they could be understood. It wasnt until much later, when techniques were standardized and isolated from the kata, that kihon training began to be treated as a practice in and of itself.
Solo kata performance could provide little actual knowledge of, or skill in, the various self defense techniques recorded within the form. A necessary and integral aspect of kata study was the breakdown and analysis of techniques for their self defense potential. Just knowing how to perform the steps of a kata does not offer any skill in self-defense .. the real knowledge is taught by means of oral communication8
There is deliberate ambiguity in the traditional kata. There are movements that might be suggestive of self defense scenarios, but they are not complete representations. A posture could represent a response to an attack, or it could depict the actual assault for which a defense is required. The revelation of those possible interpretations was usually deferred until a sufficient level of trust had been established between the teacher and the student. At that point, the teacher would begin to demonstrate defensive applications that were commensurate with the students abilities and understanding.
Kumite (literally crossing hands) is most commonly translated to mean sparring, but sparring has a very broad meaning today, which encompasses both self defense and sporting engagements. Before the introduction of modern karate, kumite consisted of pre-arranged defensive exercises wherein a designated attacker might attempt a strike, a grab, or a push, and the defender would perform a technique, drawn from the kata, as the appropriate response. Kumite was used to teach distance, timing, footwork, evasion, and angles of attack. two-person drills and kata application came from Ordinary-Te.9
Over time, the speed, randomness, and aggressiveness of the attacks would be gradually increased according to the skill of the practitioners. Later on, as the training progressed, the attacks would become more unpredictable and might, sometimes, include the use of a knife or a club etc. In traditional karate training, kumite was viewed simply as a part of kata training, and not as a separate, competitive practice.
Kata were designed to address escalating confrontations and common assaults10 by untrained attackers. While there are only a finite number of defensive scenarios, the particular threats and responses explored in kata analysis were necessarily based on the experience of the instructor. It was not at all unusual, therefore, for teachers to send advanced students to other tode masters to benefit from their knowledge and expertise.
Supplementary Training
If you reverse the (Japanese) characters for kumite, you get tegumi which was a form of wrestling highly popular among Okinawan boys and young men. Although sometimes referred to as Okinawan Sumo, it differed from the Japanese practice in that it more closely resembled modern submission wrestling or, more to the point, schoolyard scuffling. Unlike tode, it was practiced openly, and each village had its local champion.
Tegumi contests provided karate students with an opportunity to practice their non percussive skills, openly, against a wide variety of resisting opponents. There are few rules except for certain prohibitions: the use of fists, for example, to strike an opponent, or the use of the feet and the legs to kick him. Nor are opponents permitted to grab each others hair or pinch one another. Prohibited also are the sword hand and the elbow blow used in karate.11
Another way in which some young karate adepts sought practical fighting experience was to frequent the brothels and drinking establishments that were scattered about the entertainment district adjoining Naha harbor. -----almost every night he (Choki Motobu) went to a bar district such as Tsujimachi, (sin neighborhood) and challenged a man who looks strong to street fighting.12
(Chotoku) Kyan taught that karate practice itself was not enough and that students should engage in bouts of drinking and associate with prostitutes to complete their training!
Master Kyan was said to have loved rooster fighting and would actually enter his own rooster in fights. During a trip to one of these fights, (Anchiki) Arakaki and (Taro) Shimabukuro, (two of his most favored students) wanted to test out their masters skills. To do this they started a fight with three men and then ran and hid behind some bushes. Master Kyan came over to find out what was going on , and the enraged men attacked him. ..Kyan easily defeated all three men. ..during the entire fight ..Kyan held his rooster under his arm.13
Physical Conditioning
Old style training was Kitsui, Kiken and Kitani (hard, dangerous, and vulgar) . endless, self-imposed training on a handful of techniques both in pairs and by oneself, combined with weight training using the old style equipment and impact training on the makiwara and/or kaki-ya.14
Tode students were expected to train and strengthen their bodies in conjunction with kata study. The most common daily practice was the hitting of the makiwara (striking post). Not only did this toughen the hands and other parts of the body, but it provided feedback with regard to proper alignment of the limbs for maximum impact and depth of penetration. Tamashiwara (the test breaking of objects) was used to evaluate progress in developing destructive power and helped the student to overcome their bodies natural inhibition to striking objects with their full strength.
Stone weights, iron bars, and jars filled with sand were used to develop muscular strength and a strong grip. Two person conditioning drills (kote-kite) were used to desensitize and harden the limbs of students, who would repeatedly strike each other in reciprocating exchanges of attacks and parries.
What all this meant was that the traditional tode student, after some years of study, would be stronger, faster, and more agile than the average untrained assailant. He would be familiar with the most common forms of assault and would be practiced in defense against them. Because of his training, he would be skilled in seizing, striking, choking, or throwing. He would be a very formidable adversary for any thug who might seek to inflict harm upon him. Such was the karate of the late 1800s.
Changes in Training Methods on Okinawa
In 1898, a military draft was imposed on Okinawa. The doctors examining potential draftees noted that those who had studied karate had very well developed physiques. In 1901, at the urgings of Anko Itosu (see below), the Okinawan Ministry of Education decided to add karate training to the public school curriculum as a form of preparation for military service.
Anko Itosu (1831-1915) had an enormous effect on the method and direction of karate training on Okinawa in the early 1900s. Having trained in both Uchinadi and tode, he sought to refine what he had learned into a new, more modern form of karate. He standardized many of the traditional kata and he introduced newly devised forms, (Pinan kata) as the preliminary kata to be taught in the public school curriculum.
The introduction of karate to the public schools required significant changes to the way in which it was taught. In order to accommodate large numbers of novices, the traditional, one on one, instruction model had to be abandoned. In its place was a new training paradigm modeled after European military gymnastic drills. The practice of kata as the central focus of training was gradually replaced by the drilling of kihon (fundamental movements).
The goal of this new training was to instill patriotism and martial spirit. Little time was spent exploring the subtleties of kata or the principles of self defense. Kata were now taught as a method of solo performance, as demonstration, and not as a subject for analysis or partner practice.Many of the more dangerous techniques in the kata were modified to prevent injury when being practiced by unskilled adolescents.
Itosu stated The purpose of karate can be summed up as follows: physical education; preparation for military service; engender loyalty to the State, respect social justice; respect peace; and have consideration for others, etc.15
The students learning this school karate were, for the most part, unaware that this was not the original tode. In fact, many of these students went on to become instructors and unwittingly passed it on as the traditional art. Genwa Nakasone said "Itosu first taught at the Okinawa Prefecture School for Teachers but it was modern karate that he taught there, not the old style. Except for a few experts who realized he was teaching the modern form, most of the people thought he was teaching the old style, and this misunderstanding exists even today! This is a very serious misunderstanding."16
Even while this new school karate was being taught openly, there were tode masters who continued to teach the original karate, to chosen students, behind closed doors. Some of them even taught school karate during the day and traditional karate in the evening. These instructors were mainly the more literate nobles who had formerly held administrative positions at the palace, but now were forced, through economic circumstance, to accept teaching positions in order to make a living. Thus, the original tode was preserved and passed on, to a few, through private instruction.
He (Itosu) taught karate secretly at his home to a select group of about six or seven followers. They trained in Bu (or karate as practice as a martial art), not as sport, as they do now.17
Karate in Japan
Gichen Funakoshi (18681957), often called The Father of Japanese Karate, was trained in traditional tode from childhood, by some of the most famous masters of the period."18 In 1888, he became an assistant teacher in the Okinawan school system. There, he taught the Chinese classics, Japanese literature, and after 1900, school karate. Following a series of karate demonstrations (see Appendix II), he traveled to Tokyo where, in 1922, he established karate clubs in several of the most respected Japanese universities.
Very early on, Funakoshi had recognized that he would have to modify his art to make it more acceptable to the mainland Japanese. Although karate had been taught in the Okinawan school system for over twenty years, it was still a comparatively informal and unstructured activity. Unlike the Japanese martial arts (Kendo, Judo, etc.), karate had no established ryu (systems); no formal syllabus; no ranking hierarchy; no lists of techniques; no written history; no uniforms. It was, therefore, viewed by the Japanese as deficient compared to their well documented, well organized, highly structured martial systems.
Funakoshi was aware of these perceived shortcomings and was also cognizant of the pervasive Japanese xenophobia at that time. In an effort to make the art seem less foreign, he adopted the white uniform (kekogi), the belt ranking system, and the many formalities of dojo etiquette from the unmistakably Japanese art of Judo. Because the Okinawan kata names could be seen as foreign, he endeavored to change them to their Japanese equivalent e.g. Kusanku became Kanku, and Neiseishi was rendered Nijushiho, etc.
The very use of the term tode was problematic. The Japanese ideographs to and de literally translated to tang hand (the first character, tang referring to China). As there was open antipathy toward China at that time, a more acceptable, more Japanese, term for the new art was required. Fortunately, the solution was relatively straightforward. Due to the idiosyncrasies of the written Japanese language, If you change the first ideograph from tang to empty, you would then have empty hand but you could still read and pronounce it as karate.19
Funakoshi would go on to make many, more substantive, changes: I embarked upon other tasks of revision and simplification. ---- I set about revising the kata so as to make them as simple as possible. Times change, the world changes, and obviously the martial arts must change too. The karate that high school students practice today is not the same karate that was practiced even as recently as ten years ago, and it is a long way indeed from the karate that I learned when I was a child in Okinawa 20
Karate as a Sport
Although he had opposed any form of competitive sparring, 21 Funakoshis students were looking for some way to test their skills in contests similar to those held in Judo and Kendo. 22 At the same time, the Butokukai23 was beginning to push for some form of competitive skill assessment for karate practitioners.
Initially, the Japanese karate clubs attempted to conduct full contact sparring matches where competitors wore kendo armor or protective padding (bogu). This was soon abandoned, however, as impractical. Instead, jiyu kumite (free or unrehearsed sparring) was devised. With this innovation karate introduced a new scenario to a potential fighting situation, mutual agreed upon combat.24
In order to limit the risk of injury, only certain techniques were to be allowed. To reduce contact, kicks and punches were pulled short of impact. Strikes to the genitals were forbidden, as were throws, joint locks, strangles, head butts, eye gouges, biting, and the myriad of other techniques that had always been an integral part of the traditional practice of kumite on Okinawa.
Point sparring was closely modeled after shiai (kendo fencing contests), and Ippon (one point) was awarded for the clean execution of a controlled strike. Since points were awarded by a judge, the actual effectiveness of a strike soon became significantly less important than its perceived success. The kendo strategy of ichi gekki hissatsu (one cut, one kill) was adopted, the goal being to attack the opponent with a single, lightening fast, perfectly timed strike.
New strategy required new tactics. Opponents now kept their distance, waiting for an opening, and then, suddenly, darted in to score a point. Feints and false openings began to play a role because the engagement distance was now sufficient to draw the opponent into a trap. Ironically, while the emphasis had shifted away from self defense, much greater caution was required in the initial maneuvering, because the slightest opening would draw an instantaneous attack.
All of this was very far removed from kata-based kumite, where the engagement distance was at arms length, or less, thereby leaving no benefit to fakes or other uncommitted movements. With the addition of the mutually agreed upon combat scenario the techniques of the kata did not produce the skills needed and the kata began to change along with the kihon of "karate".25
Body conditioning and supplemental weight training were supplanted by repetitive drills of kicks and punches, which were viewed as more useful for sparring. In order to build strength in the legs, stances were lowered and lengthened, and this, in turn, changed the way in which both kata and kihon were performed. Pre-arranged sparring was largely abandoned by the more senior students, who viewed it as a beginners training exercise. Although the virtues of kata continued to be extolled in written articles and in class lectures, the real emphasis, in most Japanese dojo, was centered on jiyu kumite.
This emphasis on competition led, inevitably, to the introduction of competitive kata performance. Just as with jiyu kumite, the reliance on judges and the awarding of points resulted in changes to the way in which kata were practiced. ever since Karate was introduced to the mainland (of Japan) kata have become stylized ....standardized for competitive purposes, too much emphasis is place(d) upon symmetry and performance, rather than understanding of application. 26
The Japanese culture is one of conformity and consensus. Once these changes were introduced in the university karate clubs, it was only a matter of time before they spread throughout the mainland dojo, and even began to effect how karate was practiced back in Okinawa. While never universally embraced, this kihon-centric, competitive, sport oriented karate of the Japanese Universities became the source from which most karate instruction would eventually be drawn.
Following the Great Pacific War, the practice of karate spread throughout the world and was, in turn, influenced by the cultures that embraced it. The inevitable commercialization of karate instruction, both in Japan and abroad, led to further changes. As a result of the social disorder that followed the end of World War II, the karate world was dispersed, . Quite apart from a decline in the level of technique during these times, I cannot deny that there were moments at which I came to be painfully aware of the almost unrecognizable spiritual state to which the karate world had come." 27
Modern Karate
While a small number of schools still teach traditional, kata-centric karate, by far the vast majority of instruction available today is in modern karate. This term refers to systems that evolved from the highly modified Okinawan school karate or from the kihon-centric, competitive, sport karate that was disseminated worldwide after World War II.
On Okinawa, we learned that there are two forms of martial arts. One is real and teaches the true fighting applications of each move. The other form is false, called meikata (dance), and teaches only the shape of the techniques, hiding the real application within the form. 28
To a considerable extent, modern karate has lost the intrinsic connection between kata and self defense application. By reason of the many changes made to the kata, the original techniques have been incorrectly transmitted, and without the proper understanding of the principles of kata analysis, the function of those movements is frequently misinterpreted. In consequence, much of what is presented today as the practical application of the kata movements is complete and utter nonsense, and simply will not work. This has led to a widespread belief that kata are merely a cultural artifact, to be practiced as part of karate tradition, but have no real practical application.
Kata Does Not Teach Fighting
There is a famous, and oft quoted, saying viz. karate is kata and kata is karate. I take this to mean that the traditional Okinawan kata exhibit all of the underlying principles of karate and contain the essential training paradigms necessary for achieving proficiency in its exercise.
There is still another famous adage; karate ni sente nashi which translates roughly as karate is without the first hand. This is usually taken to mean that there is no first attack in karate, and that pre-emptive attacks are not sanctioned. The truth in this saying, is in its literal meaning. From a strategy perspective, kata assumes that you are already in the process of being attacked, or are in imminent danger of being assaulted.
The self defense tactics depicted in kata are typically responses to pushes, grabs, or sudden assaults. These defensive techniques can only be effective against a fully committed attack, at close range. Once the distance between the attacker and defender is increased beyond arms reach, the strategies of kata no longer apply. All too often, I find that the people shown in Karate books demonstrate their techniques when they are too far away from each other 29
Most self-defense drills are practiced at an optimum distance where the attacker must take at least a half step to contact. This gives techniques like blocks enough time to have an effect. You rarely have this time or this distance in an assault. 30
Kata then, have little utility in training for engagements at sparring distance. The skills and techniques most useful for jiyu kumite or tournament sparring are simply not found there. .most modern karate, especially sports karate, often limit(s) or bar(s) the use of grabs and traps. . I think this is a great loss and this changes the very nature of karate self-defense. 31
Kata is also of little use in preparation for mixed martial arts, arena contests. By definition, these contests require closely matched competitors who are skilled at fighting, at all distances. Long range engagement and ground grappling are scenarios that kata do not address.
Long range fighting distance is suggestive of a contest, by mutual consent. Of course there could be exceptions, where the confrontation is non-consensual, but typically untrained assailants do not begin their assault from that range. Kata do contain a certain amount of standing grappling techniques and simple takedowns, however the strategy of the kata is to remain standing whenever possible. Ground grappling, in a padded arena, with a referee, is a vastly different experience than rolling around on a hard, un-cleared surface, with an opponent who is trying to injure you. In most self defense situations, the last place you want to be is on the ground.
Finally, kata is not, and never was, preparation for hand to hand combat. The ancient Japanese art of jujitsu was originally developed as the defensive methodology for Samurai who found themselves unarmed or needed to subdue an opponent without the use of weapons. Karate is not jujitsu, and was never intended for use on a battlefield.
Aims & objectives must always be supported by corresponding training methods. If kata was forged to be used against a fighter in an arena, warrior on the battlefield or any other kind of MUTUAL confrontation, its configuration and training method would be diametrically different to the way they are. 32
The Utility of Kata
I believe the true utility of karate kata is the same today, as it was 150 years ago. The primary function of karate kata is to provide a structured format, conducive to the development of optimal methods of movement (body mechanics), and the generation of power. The purpose of kata is to teach you how to use your technique, how to move and how to release energy. 33
Kata offers a unique method for introspective analysis of body mechanics. Through emulation of idealized movements, choreographed for that particular form, the practitioner eventually internalizes the optimal method of moving through the various postures with grace and power.
The traditional kata were also designed to encompass and reflect, the accumulated body of knowledge regarding self defense from common assaults.
The advantage of kata, as a training method, is that they can simultaneously train proper body mechanics, instill reflexive responses, convey and preserve defensive principles, and provide a template for the practice of offensive and defensive strategies. There is an inherent principle of parsimony involved which allows the user to use and re-use a small set of postures and movements for many purposes. 33
If I were to, today, devise a training regimen for unarmed self defense against assaults, I would start with an exercise program that would develop core strength, speed, and power generation. I would include impact training for striking and kicking the heavy bag, focus mitts etc. to develop accuracy and penetrating power. I would identify and catalogue the most common assaults and determine the most effective defenses against them. I would create two person drills, where the attacks and appropriate defenses could be recreated, and practiced in safety. Finally, I would devise a loosely structured practice where opponents could apply these tactics, against each other, in an increasingly aggressive and random manner, in order to more closely approximate assaults in real world circumstances.
I firmly believe that the classic Okinawan kata, trained in the traditional manner, along with the supplementary training (as described earlier in this paper), meet all of the criteria required for effective training in self defense.
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1 Karate-Do: My Way of Life. (1956) by Gichen Funakoshi PP 20-21
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2 I visited the university library and many other large libraries to find valuable books on karate, but I could not find them. From "Karate Denshinroku ( True History of Karate) by Akio Kinjo, a karate researcher in Okinawa. PP 35 (Okinawa Tosho Center, 1999)
3 Title Author Published
Ryukyu Kenpo Toudi Gichen Funakoshi 1922
Rentan Goshin Toudi Jutsu Gichen Funakoshi 1925
Okinawan Kenpo Toudi Jitsu Choki Motobu 1926
Kenpo Gaisetsu Mizuho Takeda & Nisaburo Miki 1930
Okinawan Karate Kenpo Mizuho Mutsu (Takeda) 1933
Karate Kenkyu (articles) (various) edited by Genwa Nakasone 1934
Kobo Jizai Goshinjutsu Karate Kenpo Kenwa Mabuni 1934
KarateDo Gaisetsu Chojun Miagi 1934
KarateDo Kyohan Gichen Funakoshi 1936
Karate Do Taikan Chomo Hanashiro 1938
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4 Although kata for the use of Okinawan weaponry (bo, sai, tonfua etc.) were typically taught in conjunction with empty hand forms, the scope of this paper will be limited to the utility of kata for the empty hand.
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5 from Okinawan Kempo Toudi Jitsu by Choki Motobu PP
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6 At that time the practice of karate was banned by the government, so sessions had to take place in secret, and pupils were strictly forbidden by their teachers to discuss with anyone the fact that they were learning the art. , suffice it to note that karate practice could then be held only at night and only in secret. From Karate-Do: My Way of Life. (1956) by Gichen Funakoshi
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7 I was told by my teachers that in the past their teachers taught them applications and postures first and then the kata sequences. In fact the practice of the kata from start to finish was only utilized in the group training classes held for the general student training. From History Through Different Eyes by Dan Smith posted November 01, 2000 08:40 http://www.seibukan.org/history/kata_history.html
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8 Quote from interview with Toshihiro Oshiro by American Samurai
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9 from Sokon Matsumura and his students October 5, 2002 By Mitani Kazuya English translation by Patrick McCarthy
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10 see Patrick McCarthys website http://www.koryu-uchinadi.com/ . He identifies 36 Habitual Acts of Physical Violence and posits an underlying strategy for kata application.
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11 Karate-Do: My Way of Life. (1956) by Gichen Funakoshi PP 64
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12 from an article Choki Motobu, a forerunner of Combative Karate by Seijin Jahana in Aoj Umi (Blue Sea) issue No 70 February 1978 (pages 106-110)
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13 Okinawan Karate Teachers, styles and secret techniques (1989) by Mark Bishop PP 80
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14 Quote from E-Budo Thread on White Crane / Hakustsuru Mario McKenna (posted 12-15-2004)
http://www.e-budo.com/
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15 From the introduction of Ryukyu Kempo Toudi by Gichen Funakoshi 1922 in an excerpt from a statement by Anko Itosu
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16 quoted from Article 1 When I went to University (1998) by Vince Morris http://www.practical-martial-arts.co.uk/practical_karate/vince_morris/vm01_when_uni.html
Genwa Nakasone was involved with various karate-related publications in an editing, writing and/or publishing capacity. He is also credited with organizing the 1936 Meeting of the Masters.
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17 Quote from Chosin Chibana from the article listed in footnote 19 (above)
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18 Funakoshi was a student of Anko Azato and Anko Itosu as well as a minor student of Sokon Matsumura. He also learned kata from Kiyuna, Aragaki, and others.
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19 Funakoshi seems to have wanted to take credit for the change to empty hand but the general consensus for the use of the new term was not actually reached until a meeting of karate masters in Okinawa in 1936. At around the same time that the characters for karate were being changed to empty hand, the suffix jutsu was being replaced by do (see the explanation re: Judo above). This change symbolized the final transmutation of karate-jutsu to a modern Japanese martial way similar to kendo, judo, or aikido.
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20 Karate-Do: My Way of Life (1956) by Gichen Funakoshi PP 23
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21 Funakoshi taught that sparring does not exist apart from the kata...When one becomes enthusiastic about sparring; there is a tendency for his kata to become bad. Karate...should be practiced with kata as the principal method and sparring as a supporting method. From Karate-Do Kyohan (1936) by Gichen Funakoshi
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22 In 1927, three of Funakoshis students, Miki, Bo and Hirayama decided that kata practice was not enough and tried to introduce jiyu-kumite (free-fighting). They devised protective clothing and used kendo masks in their matches in order to utilize full contact. Funakoshi heard about these bouts and, when he could not discourage such attempts at what he considered belittling to the art of karate, he stopped coming to the Shichi-Tokudo (karate club). Both Funakoshi and his top student, Otsuka, never showed their faces there again.
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23 In 1895 the Dai Nippon Butokukai was established to standardize, promote, and preserve all the various Japanese martial arts. As Japan became more nationalistic and bellicose, the Butokukai became very influential within the military, because many of its members were high ranking military officers, and influential politically because many of the high ranking political figures had trained in martial arts while attending the universities.
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24 From: LETTER 6. Sente no kata. By Dan Smith Vice President: International Okinawan Shorin Ryu Seibukan Karate Assn www.karate.org.yu/articles.htm
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25 see footnote 24
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26 comments by Hiroshi Kinjo (student of Chomo Hanashiro) from article in Irish Fighter
Vol. 6 # 4 p 36
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27 From the Preface To The Second Edition (dated October 13, 1956) in the1973 reprint of Funakoshi's book, "Karate do Kyohan,"
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28 from Okinawas Shorin-Ryu: How It Differs From Japanese Karate by Wendy Ann Weinstein, PhD, Karate Kung-Fu Illustrated 17 (8):30 (August, 1986).
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29 From The Why of Bunkai, a Guide for Beginners by Charles Goodin
http://seinenkai.com/art-bunkai.html
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30 From Four Basic truths of Violent Assault by Rory Miller
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31 From A Glimpse of Old Karate from Hohan Soken by Christopher Caile
http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/get_articles.php?cat=Karate
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32 see The Facts of Kata by Patrick McCarthy http://www.koryu-uchinadi.com/ .
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33 Quote from interview with Toshihiro Oshiro by American Samurai
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34 Quote from Uechi Ryu forum (Dojo Roundtable) By Bill Glasheen
http://forums.uechi-ryu.com/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=640eb2289fee7a6dd4062af23cafd909
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Appendix I.
Political Events that Influenced Karate
In 1854 a U.S. Naval Fleet, under Commodore Matthew Perry, was sent to Japan to coerce the opening of all Japanese ports to foreign commerce. This ended 200 years of political and economic isolation for the Japanese.
In 1868 the political/military leader of Japan, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu "put his prerogatives at the Emperor's disposal" and resigned his position, effectively restoring imperial rule (Meji Restoration). As a result, throughout the new Japanese empire, there was an impetus to modernize, to catch up with the European nations, and to embrace new and foreign methods. The following year, (Army) General Yamagata Aritomo toured Europe in order to study modern military strategy. So impressed was he by the Germans, that he returned to Japan strongly advocating gymnastics, drill, and mass conscription as ways to instill discipline and patriotism. while General Yamagata liked gymnastics, drill, and mass conscription, most Japanese youths did not. .resistance to military conscription included fifteen riots, plus countless self-mutilations and flights to avoid service. (As late as 1889, the Japanese government noted that 10% of the eligible male population changed residences annually to avoid military service.1a
In 1879 the kingdom of Okinawa was declared a prefecture of Japan. The subsequent abdication of the Okinawan king led to the abolition of the old social ranking system and the loss of privileges and financial support for the upper class. Many of the well known practitioners of tode that had formerly held positions at the palace were now forced to take menial jobs and to scrabble for a living. Chotoku Kyan, for example, and Choki Motobu were reduced to pulling rickshaws in order to earn money.
The Japanese government allow(ed) gangsters to organize and control the ..rickshaw taxi companies... While Kyans occupation do(es) not prove any direct links between Okinawan karate men and the yakuza, they certainly suggest them.1a
In order to raise revenue, the Japanese government imposed new taxes on the Okinawans. Occasionally Ryukyuan youths would get into fistfights with Japanese tax collectors, some of whom were former Satsuma samurai. . These tax riots were probably a root for subsequent stories about unarmed Okinawan peasants using their karate against armed Satsuma samurai1a
In 1882 The Japanese government declared that the four principles of public education were:
1. to form a strong constitution through physical exercise; 2. to fill students hearts with loyalty and patriotism; 3. to inculcate necessary knowledge; and 4. to produce the strength necessary for military men.
Responding to this declaration, Jigoro Kano (1860-1938), a newly graduated 22 year old teacher at the Peers School in Tokyo, began to instruct his students in Ju-Jitsu in order to instill patriotism and encourage fitness. As this training was primarily intended to mold their character, Kano eliminated the more brutal and dangerous techniques. He named what he was teaching Judo (Ju meaning pliancy and the do reflecting a Tao or way as opposed to Jitsu or science). Other Japanese martial traditions such as Ken-Jitsu (sword strategy) soon followed suit and were re-named Kendo (way of the sword), Kyudo (way of the archer), etc. This movement of emphasis away from practical application and toward character perfection would also influence the practice of karate once it was brought to the Japanese mainland.
Students attending the Peers School were the sons of the Japanese elite, and through this association, Kano was eventually to become a very prominent figure in both Japanese education and amateur athletics. Kano would also later play an important role in the introduction of karate to Japan.
1898 The Japanese introduced a military draft on Okinawa. At that time, the proportion of Okinawans rejected for service because of illiteracy, shortness, and so on, was the highest of any Japanese prefecture. Opposition to the draft was widespread and many karate students fled to Fuzhou (China) in order to avoid conscription. While there, they studied Chinese martial systems which they brought back with them upon their return.
In 1891 a .teacher in Okinawa began to teach karate to the students Primary school students then were older than they are today, and students as old as twenty were not uncommon. Later, when the military draft came in, it was noted that during medical examinations those who had karate training were immediately distinguishable from the other draftees, because of their well developed physiques, .., the Prefectural Commissioner of Education, Ogawa Shintaro, invited master Itosu to .a karate demonstration. Qgawa was greatly impressed by the demonstration and by Itosus opinions. in a report to the Ministry of Education, he enumerated the benefits of karate. The ministry .. granted permission to include karate in the physical education programs of the First Public High School of Okinawa and the Officers Candidate School.2a
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1a Kronos; A Chronology of the Martial Arts and Combative Sport Copyright © 2000-2004 Joseph R. Svinth http://ejmas.com/kronos/NewHist1860-1899.htm
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2a Gichen Funakoshi Karate-Do Nyumon PP 25
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An Inquiry as to the Validity of Traditional Okinawan Karate Kata as a Training Methodology for Self Defense
William Bent (copyright 2008)
Within the martial arts community today the purpose and utility of karate kata are poorly understood and much debated. Most practitioners from traditional Okinawan Ryu would describe the practice of kata as fundamental to their training, however proponents of more modern eclectic or reality based martial systems often disparage the practice of kata as outmoded, inadequate, or of little practical value. This paper seeks to address the prevailing misconceptions regarding traditional karate kata as a training methodology and to challenge many of the erroneous assumptions that have led to such beliefs.
Inasmuch as there is virtually no written material on the early history of karate we do not know who invented it and developed it, nor even, for that matter, where it originated and evolved. Its earliest history may only be inferred from ancient legends that have been handed down to us by word of mouth, and they, like most legends, tend to be imaginative and probably inaccurate.1
Uchinadi (Okinawan hand) or te (hand) was the ancient indigenous fighting system of Okinawa. Over time Chinese unarmed fighting systems (chuan fa), were introduced to Okinawa and eventually became integrated with the native Uchinadi. The resulting practices were known as tode (China hand) or karate (the alternative pronunciation for the written characters for tote).
Historic documents relating to the practice of karate on Okinawa prior to the early 1900s are essentially nonexistent2. What can be determined from the earliest published works3 and from oral tradition is that the central training methodology was, invariably, the practice and exploration of kata.4That being said, it should be understood that the traditional practice of kata entailed far more than the mere repetitive solo performance of the form.
The original purpose of karate practice was to acquire proficiency in combative skills sufficient to defend ones self and ones family. To that end, kata were used to develop proper body mechanics for the most effective and efficient generation of power. They also functioned as mnemonic exercises that taught and preserved the various postures and movements used for self defense. Although classified as a martial art, tode was not derived from military applications. It was a folk art, practiced predominantly by the Okinawan upper class, used to deal with ruffians. The techniques of kata were never developed to be used against a professional fighter, in an arena or on the battlefield. They were, however, most effective against someone who had no idea of the strategy being used to counter their aggressive behavior."5
Traditional Training Methods (mid to late 1800s)
Some tode experts would only teach within their own family, but others could, on occasion, be persuaded to pass on their knowledge to deserving students. Training was conducted in secret6, away from the public eye. As was the custom at that time, kata were taught through emulation. Movements, demonstrated by the teacher, were in turn, replicated by the student. The student would perform the movement; the teacher would offer correction, and so on. Through this process the postures and transitional movements of the kata were introduced to the student, gradually, in short segments. These segments would later be woven together into a defined sequence that eventually became the entire form. Kata training, however, rarely involved the performance of the form from beginning to end.7
Teaching in this manner provided the student with an opportunity to fully explore and internalize the principles of body mechanics, and self defense, represented in each segment. This was a slow and incremental process and it was not uncommon for a beginning student to spend many years in acquiring and mastering a single form.
Each kata was unique, as were the kihon, the fundamental movements that made up that kata. While there are movements, and in some cases, entire sequences that appear in more than one traditional form; the rhythm, timing, focus, and method of application of those movements is unique to the kata in which they are practiced. The kihon were not trained separately, because it was only within the context of the kata that they could be understood. It wasnt until much later, when techniques were standardized and isolated from the kata, that kihon training began to be treated as a practice in and of itself.
Solo kata performance could provide little actual knowledge of, or skill in, the various self defense techniques recorded within the form. A necessary and integral aspect of kata study was the breakdown and analysis of techniques for their self defense potential. Just knowing how to perform the steps of a kata does not offer any skill in self-defense .. the real knowledge is taught by means of oral communication8
There is deliberate ambiguity in the traditional kata. There are movements that might be suggestive of self defense scenarios, but they are not complete representations. A posture could represent a response to an attack, or it could depict the actual assault for which a defense is required. The revelation of those possible interpretations was usually deferred until a sufficient level of trust had been established between the teacher and the student. At that point, the teacher would begin to demonstrate defensive applications that were commensurate with the students abilities and understanding.
Kumite (literally crossing hands) is most commonly translated to mean sparring, but sparring has a very broad meaning today, which encompasses both self defense and sporting engagements. Before the introduction of modern karate, kumite consisted of pre-arranged defensive exercises wherein a designated attacker might attempt a strike, a grab, or a push, and the defender would perform a technique, drawn from the kata, as the appropriate response. Kumite was used to teach distance, timing, footwork, evasion, and angles of attack. two-person drills and kata application came from Ordinary-Te.9
Over time, the speed, randomness, and aggressiveness of the attacks would be gradually increased according to the skill of the practitioners. Later on, as the training progressed, the attacks would become more unpredictable and might, sometimes, include the use of a knife or a club etc. In traditional karate training, kumite was viewed simply as a part of kata training, and not as a separate, competitive practice.
Kata were designed to address escalating confrontations and common assaults10 by untrained attackers. While there are only a finite number of defensive scenarios, the particular threats and responses explored in kata analysis were necessarily based on the experience of the instructor. It was not at all unusual, therefore, for teachers to send advanced students to other tode masters to benefit from their knowledge and expertise.
Supplementary Training
If you reverse the (Japanese) characters for kumite, you get tegumi which was a form of wrestling highly popular among Okinawan boys and young men. Although sometimes referred to as Okinawan Sumo, it differed from the Japanese practice in that it more closely resembled modern submission wrestling or, more to the point, schoolyard scuffling. Unlike tode, it was practiced openly, and each village had its local champion.
Tegumi contests provided karate students with an opportunity to practice their non percussive skills, openly, against a wide variety of resisting opponents. There are few rules except for certain prohibitions: the use of fists, for example, to strike an opponent, or the use of the feet and the legs to kick him. Nor are opponents permitted to grab each others hair or pinch one another. Prohibited also are the sword hand and the elbow blow used in karate.11
Another way in which some young karate adepts sought practical fighting experience was to frequent the brothels and drinking establishments that were scattered about the entertainment district adjoining Naha harbor. -----almost every night he (Choki Motobu) went to a bar district such as Tsujimachi, (sin neighborhood) and challenged a man who looks strong to street fighting.12
(Chotoku) Kyan taught that karate practice itself was not enough and that students should engage in bouts of drinking and associate with prostitutes to complete their training!
Master Kyan was said to have loved rooster fighting and would actually enter his own rooster in fights. During a trip to one of these fights, (Anchiki) Arakaki and (Taro) Shimabukuro, (two of his most favored students) wanted to test out their masters skills. To do this they started a fight with three men and then ran and hid behind some bushes. Master Kyan came over to find out what was going on , and the enraged men attacked him. ..Kyan easily defeated all three men. ..during the entire fight ..Kyan held his rooster under his arm.13
Physical Conditioning
Old style training was Kitsui, Kiken and Kitani (hard, dangerous, and vulgar) . endless, self-imposed training on a handful of techniques both in pairs and by oneself, combined with weight training using the old style equipment and impact training on the makiwara and/or kaki-ya.14
Tode students were expected to train and strengthen their bodies in conjunction with kata study. The most common daily practice was the hitting of the makiwara (striking post). Not only did this toughen the hands and other parts of the body, but it provided feedback with regard to proper alignment of the limbs for maximum impact and depth of penetration. Tamashiwara (the test breaking of objects) was used to evaluate progress in developing destructive power and helped the student to overcome their bodies natural inhibition to striking objects with their full strength.
Stone weights, iron bars, and jars filled with sand were used to develop muscular strength and a strong grip. Two person conditioning drills (kote-kite) were used to desensitize and harden the limbs of students, who would repeatedly strike each other in reciprocating exchanges of attacks and parries.
What all this meant was that the traditional tode student, after some years of study, would be stronger, faster, and more agile than the average untrained assailant. He would be familiar with the most common forms of assault and would be practiced in defense against them. Because of his training, he would be skilled in seizing, striking, choking, or throwing. He would be a very formidable adversary for any thug who might seek to inflict harm upon him. Such was the karate of the late 1800s.
Changes in Training Methods on Okinawa
In 1898, a military draft was imposed on Okinawa. The doctors examining potential draftees noted that those who had studied karate had very well developed physiques. In 1901, at the urgings of Anko Itosu (see below), the Okinawan Ministry of Education decided to add karate training to the public school curriculum as a form of preparation for military service.
Anko Itosu (1831-1915) had an enormous effect on the method and direction of karate training on Okinawa in the early 1900s. Having trained in both Uchinadi and tode, he sought to refine what he had learned into a new, more modern form of karate. He standardized many of the traditional kata and he introduced newly devised forms, (Pinan kata) as the preliminary kata to be taught in the public school curriculum.
The introduction of karate to the public schools required significant changes to the way in which it was taught. In order to accommodate large numbers of novices, the traditional, one on one, instruction model had to be abandoned. In its place was a new training paradigm modeled after European military gymnastic drills. The practice of kata as the central focus of training was gradually replaced by the drilling of kihon (fundamental movements).
The goal of this new training was to instill patriotism and martial spirit. Little time was spent exploring the subtleties of kata or the principles of self defense. Kata were now taught as a method of solo performance, as demonstration, and not as a subject for analysis or partner practice.Many of the more dangerous techniques in the kata were modified to prevent injury when being practiced by unskilled adolescents.
Itosu stated The purpose of karate can be summed up as follows: physical education; preparation for military service; engender loyalty to the State, respect social justice; respect peace; and have consideration for others, etc.15
The students learning this school karate were, for the most part, unaware that this was not the original tode. In fact, many of these students went on to become instructors and unwittingly passed it on as the traditional art. Genwa Nakasone said "Itosu first taught at the Okinawa Prefecture School for Teachers but it was modern karate that he taught there, not the old style. Except for a few experts who realized he was teaching the modern form, most of the people thought he was teaching the old style, and this misunderstanding exists even today! This is a very serious misunderstanding."16
Even while this new school karate was being taught openly, there were tode masters who continued to teach the original karate, to chosen students, behind closed doors. Some of them even taught school karate during the day and traditional karate in the evening. These instructors were mainly the more literate nobles who had formerly held administrative positions at the palace, but now were forced, through economic circumstance, to accept teaching positions in order to make a living. Thus, the original tode was preserved and passed on, to a few, through private instruction.
He (Itosu) taught karate secretly at his home to a select group of about six or seven followers. They trained in Bu (or karate as practice as a martial art), not as sport, as they do now.17
Karate in Japan
Gichen Funakoshi (18681957), often called The Father of Japanese Karate, was trained in traditional tode from childhood, by some of the most famous masters of the period."18 In 1888, he became an assistant teacher in the Okinawan school system. There, he taught the Chinese classics, Japanese literature, and after 1900, school karate. Following a series of karate demonstrations (see Appendix II), he traveled to Tokyo where, in 1922, he established karate clubs in several of the most respected Japanese universities.
Very early on, Funakoshi had recognized that he would have to modify his art to make it more acceptable to the mainland Japanese. Although karate had been taught in the Okinawan school system for over twenty years, it was still a comparatively informal and unstructured activity. Unlike the Japanese martial arts (Kendo, Judo, etc.), karate had no established ryu (systems); no formal syllabus; no ranking hierarchy; no lists of techniques; no written history; no uniforms. It was, therefore, viewed by the Japanese as deficient compared to their well documented, well organized, highly structured martial systems.
Funakoshi was aware of these perceived shortcomings and was also cognizant of the pervasive Japanese xenophobia at that time. In an effort to make the art seem less foreign, he adopted the white uniform (kekogi), the belt ranking system, and the many formalities of dojo etiquette from the unmistakably Japanese art of Judo. Because the Okinawan kata names could be seen as foreign, he endeavored to change them to their Japanese equivalent e.g. Kusanku became Kanku, and Neiseishi was rendered Nijushiho, etc.
The very use of the term tode was problematic. The Japanese ideographs to and de literally translated to tang hand (the first character, tang referring to China). As there was open antipathy toward China at that time, a more acceptable, more Japanese, term for the new art was required. Fortunately, the solution was relatively straightforward. Due to the idiosyncrasies of the written Japanese language, If you change the first ideograph from tang to empty, you would then have empty hand but you could still read and pronounce it as karate.19
Funakoshi would go on to make many, more substantive, changes: I embarked upon other tasks of revision and simplification. ---- I set about revising the kata so as to make them as simple as possible. Times change, the world changes, and obviously the martial arts must change too. The karate that high school students practice today is not the same karate that was practiced even as recently as ten years ago, and it is a long way indeed from the karate that I learned when I was a child in Okinawa 20
Karate as a Sport
Although he had opposed any form of competitive sparring, 21 Funakoshis students were looking for some way to test their skills in contests similar to those held in Judo and Kendo. 22 At the same time, the Butokukai23 was beginning to push for some form of competitive skill assessment for karate practitioners.
Initially, the Japanese karate clubs attempted to conduct full contact sparring matches where competitors wore kendo armor or protective padding (bogu). This was soon abandoned, however, as impractical. Instead, jiyu kumite (free or unrehearsed sparring) was devised. With this innovation karate introduced a new scenario to a potential fighting situation, mutual agreed upon combat.24
In order to limit the risk of injury, only certain techniques were to be allowed. To reduce contact, kicks and punches were pulled short of impact. Strikes to the genitals were forbidden, as were throws, joint locks, strangles, head butts, eye gouges, biting, and the myriad of other techniques that had always been an integral part of the traditional practice of kumite on Okinawa.
Point sparring was closely modeled after shiai (kendo fencing contests), and Ippon (one point) was awarded for the clean execution of a controlled strike. Since points were awarded by a judge, the actual effectiveness of a strike soon became significantly less important than its perceived success. The kendo strategy of ichi gekki hissatsu (one cut, one kill) was adopted, the goal being to attack the opponent with a single, lightening fast, perfectly timed strike.
New strategy required new tactics. Opponents now kept their distance, waiting for an opening, and then, suddenly, darted in to score a point. Feints and false openings began to play a role because the engagement distance was now sufficient to draw the opponent into a trap. Ironically, while the emphasis had shifted away from self defense, much greater caution was required in the initial maneuvering, because the slightest opening would draw an instantaneous attack.
All of this was very far removed from kata-based kumite, where the engagement distance was at arms length, or less, thereby leaving no benefit to fakes or other uncommitted movements. With the addition of the mutually agreed upon combat scenario the techniques of the kata did not produce the skills needed and the kata began to change along with the kihon of "karate".25
Body conditioning and supplemental weight training were supplanted by repetitive drills of kicks and punches, which were viewed as more useful for sparring. In order to build strength in the legs, stances were lowered and lengthened, and this, in turn, changed the way in which both kata and kihon were performed. Pre-arranged sparring was largely abandoned by the more senior students, who viewed it as a beginners training exercise. Although the virtues of kata continued to be extolled in written articles and in class lectures, the real emphasis, in most Japanese dojo, was centered on jiyu kumite.
This emphasis on competition led, inevitably, to the introduction of competitive kata performance. Just as with jiyu kumite, the reliance on judges and the awarding of points resulted in changes to the way in which kata were practiced. ever since Karate was introduced to the mainland (of Japan) kata have become stylized ....standardized for competitive purposes, too much emphasis is place(d) upon symmetry and performance, rather than understanding of application. 26
The Japanese culture is one of conformity and consensus. Once these changes were introduced in the university karate clubs, it was only a matter of time before they spread throughout the mainland dojo, and even began to effect how karate was practiced back in Okinawa. While never universally embraced, this kihon-centric, competitive, sport oriented karate of the Japanese Universities became the source from which most karate instruction would eventually be drawn.
Following the Great Pacific War, the practice of karate spread throughout the world and was, in turn, influenced by the cultures that embraced it. The inevitable commercialization of karate instruction, both in Japan and abroad, led to further changes. As a result of the social disorder that followed the end of World War II, the karate world was dispersed, . Quite apart from a decline in the level of technique during these times, I cannot deny that there were moments at which I came to be painfully aware of the almost unrecognizable spiritual state to which the karate world had come." 27
Modern Karate
While a small number of schools still teach traditional, kata-centric karate, by far the vast majority of instruction available today is in modern karate. This term refers to systems that evolved from the highly modified Okinawan school karate or from the kihon-centric, competitive, sport karate that was disseminated worldwide after World War II.
On Okinawa, we learned that there are two forms of martial arts. One is real and teaches the true fighting applications of each move. The other form is false, called meikata (dance), and teaches only the shape of the techniques, hiding the real application within the form. 28
To a considerable extent, modern karate has lost the intrinsic connection between kata and self defense application. By reason of the many changes made to the kata, the original techniques have been incorrectly transmitted, and without the proper understanding of the principles of kata analysis, the function of those movements is frequently misinterpreted. In consequence, much of what is presented today as the practical application of the kata movements is complete and utter nonsense, and simply will not work. This has led to a widespread belief that kata are merely a cultural artifact, to be practiced as part of karate tradition, but have no real practical application.
Kata Does Not Teach Fighting
There is a famous, and oft quoted, saying viz. karate is kata and kata is karate. I take this to mean that the traditional Okinawan kata exhibit all of the underlying principles of karate and contain the essential training paradigms necessary for achieving proficiency in its exercise.
There is still another famous adage; karate ni sente nashi which translates roughly as karate is without the first hand. This is usually taken to mean that there is no first attack in karate, and that pre-emptive attacks are not sanctioned. The truth in this saying, is in its literal meaning. From a strategy perspective, kata assumes that you are already in the process of being attacked, or are in imminent danger of being assaulted.
The self defense tactics depicted in kata are typically responses to pushes, grabs, or sudden assaults. These defensive techniques can only be effective against a fully committed attack, at close range. Once the distance between the attacker and defender is increased beyond arms reach, the strategies of kata no longer apply. All too often, I find that the people shown in Karate books demonstrate their techniques when they are too far away from each other 29
Most self-defense drills are practiced at an optimum distance where the attacker must take at least a half step to contact. This gives techniques like blocks enough time to have an effect. You rarely have this time or this distance in an assault. 30
Kata then, have little utility in training for engagements at sparring distance. The skills and techniques most useful for jiyu kumite or tournament sparring are simply not found there. .most modern karate, especially sports karate, often limit(s) or bar(s) the use of grabs and traps. . I think this is a great loss and this changes the very nature of karate self-defense. 31
Kata is also of little use in preparation for mixed martial arts, arena contests. By definition, these contests require closely matched competitors who are skilled at fighting, at all distances. Long range engagement and ground grappling are scenarios that kata do not address.
Long range fighting distance is suggestive of a contest, by mutual consent. Of course there could be exceptions, where the confrontation is non-consensual, but typically untrained assailants do not begin their assault from that range. Kata do contain a certain amount of standing grappling techniques and simple takedowns, however the strategy of the kata is to remain standing whenever possible. Ground grappling, in a padded arena, with a referee, is a vastly different experience than rolling around on a hard, un-cleared surface, with an opponent who is trying to injure you. In most self defense situations, the last place you want to be is on the ground.
Finally, kata is not, and never was, preparation for hand to hand combat. The ancient Japanese art of jujitsu was originally developed as the defensive methodology for Samurai who found themselves unarmed or needed to subdue an opponent without the use of weapons. Karate is not jujitsu, and was never intended for use on a battlefield.
Aims & objectives must always be supported by corresponding training methods. If kata was forged to be used against a fighter in an arena, warrior on the battlefield or any other kind of MUTUAL confrontation, its configuration and training method would be diametrically different to the way they are. 32
The Utility of Kata
I believe the true utility of karate kata is the same today, as it was 150 years ago. The primary function of karate kata is to provide a structured format, conducive to the development of optimal methods of movement (body mechanics), and the generation of power. The purpose of kata is to teach you how to use your technique, how to move and how to release energy. 33
Kata offers a unique method for introspective analysis of body mechanics. Through emulation of idealized movements, choreographed for that particular form, the practitioner eventually internalizes the optimal method of moving through the various postures with grace and power.
The traditional kata were also designed to encompass and reflect, the accumulated body of knowledge regarding self defense from common assaults.
The advantage of kata, as a training method, is that they can simultaneously train proper body mechanics, instill reflexive responses, convey and preserve defensive principles, and provide a template for the practice of offensive and defensive strategies. There is an inherent principle of parsimony involved which allows the user to use and re-use a small set of postures and movements for many purposes. 33
If I were to, today, devise a training regimen for unarmed self defense against assaults, I would start with an exercise program that would develop core strength, speed, and power generation. I would include impact training for striking and kicking the heavy bag, focus mitts etc. to develop accuracy and penetrating power. I would identify and catalogue the most common assaults and determine the most effective defenses against them. I would create two person drills, where the attacks and appropriate defenses could be recreated, and practiced in safety. Finally, I would devise a loosely structured practice where opponents could apply these tactics, against each other, in an increasingly aggressive and random manner, in order to more closely approximate assaults in real world circumstances.
I firmly believe that the classic Okinawan kata, trained in the traditional manner, along with the supplementary training (as described earlier in this paper), meet all of the criteria required for effective training in self defense.
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1 Karate-Do: My Way of Life. (1956) by Gichen Funakoshi PP 20-21
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2 I visited the university library and many other large libraries to find valuable books on karate, but I could not find them. From "Karate Denshinroku ( True History of Karate) by Akio Kinjo, a karate researcher in Okinawa. PP 35 (Okinawa Tosho Center, 1999)
3 Title Author Published
Ryukyu Kenpo Toudi Gichen Funakoshi 1922
Rentan Goshin Toudi Jutsu Gichen Funakoshi 1925
Okinawan Kenpo Toudi Jitsu Choki Motobu 1926
Kenpo Gaisetsu Mizuho Takeda & Nisaburo Miki 1930
Okinawan Karate Kenpo Mizuho Mutsu (Takeda) 1933
Karate Kenkyu (articles) (various) edited by Genwa Nakasone 1934
Kobo Jizai Goshinjutsu Karate Kenpo Kenwa Mabuni 1934
KarateDo Gaisetsu Chojun Miagi 1934
KarateDo Kyohan Gichen Funakoshi 1936
Karate Do Taikan Chomo Hanashiro 1938
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4 Although kata for the use of Okinawan weaponry (bo, sai, tonfua etc.) were typically taught in conjunction with empty hand forms, the scope of this paper will be limited to the utility of kata for the empty hand.
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5 from Okinawan Kempo Toudi Jitsu by Choki Motobu PP
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6 At that time the practice of karate was banned by the government, so sessions had to take place in secret, and pupils were strictly forbidden by their teachers to discuss with anyone the fact that they were learning the art. , suffice it to note that karate practice could then be held only at night and only in secret. From Karate-Do: My Way of Life. (1956) by Gichen Funakoshi
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7 I was told by my teachers that in the past their teachers taught them applications and postures first and then the kata sequences. In fact the practice of the kata from start to finish was only utilized in the group training classes held for the general student training. From History Through Different Eyes by Dan Smith posted November 01, 2000 08:40 http://www.seibukan.org/history/kata_history.html
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8 Quote from interview with Toshihiro Oshiro by American Samurai
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9 from Sokon Matsumura and his students October 5, 2002 By Mitani Kazuya English translation by Patrick McCarthy
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10 see Patrick McCarthys website http://www.koryu-uchinadi.com/ . He identifies 36 Habitual Acts of Physical Violence and posits an underlying strategy for kata application.
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11 Karate-Do: My Way of Life. (1956) by Gichen Funakoshi PP 64
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12 from an article Choki Motobu, a forerunner of Combative Karate by Seijin Jahana in Aoj Umi (Blue Sea) issue No 70 February 1978 (pages 106-110)
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13 Okinawan Karate Teachers, styles and secret techniques (1989) by Mark Bishop PP 80
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14 Quote from E-Budo Thread on White Crane / Hakustsuru Mario McKenna (posted 12-15-2004)
http://www.e-budo.com/
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15 From the introduction of Ryukyu Kempo Toudi by Gichen Funakoshi 1922 in an excerpt from a statement by Anko Itosu
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16 quoted from Article 1 When I went to University (1998) by Vince Morris http://www.practical-martial-arts.co.uk/practical_karate/vince_morris/vm01_when_uni.html
Genwa Nakasone was involved with various karate-related publications in an editing, writing and/or publishing capacity. He is also credited with organizing the 1936 Meeting of the Masters.
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17 Quote from Chosin Chibana from the article listed in footnote 19 (above)
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18 Funakoshi was a student of Anko Azato and Anko Itosu as well as a minor student of Sokon Matsumura. He also learned kata from Kiyuna, Aragaki, and others.
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19 Funakoshi seems to have wanted to take credit for the change to empty hand but the general consensus for the use of the new term was not actually reached until a meeting of karate masters in Okinawa in 1936. At around the same time that the characters for karate were being changed to empty hand, the suffix jutsu was being replaced by do (see the explanation re: Judo above). This change symbolized the final transmutation of karate-jutsu to a modern Japanese martial way similar to kendo, judo, or aikido.
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20 Karate-Do: My Way of Life (1956) by Gichen Funakoshi PP 23
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21 Funakoshi taught that sparring does not exist apart from the kata...When one becomes enthusiastic about sparring; there is a tendency for his kata to become bad. Karate...should be practiced with kata as the principal method and sparring as a supporting method. From Karate-Do Kyohan (1936) by Gichen Funakoshi
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22 In 1927, three of Funakoshis students, Miki, Bo and Hirayama decided that kata practice was not enough and tried to introduce jiyu-kumite (free-fighting). They devised protective clothing and used kendo masks in their matches in order to utilize full contact. Funakoshi heard about these bouts and, when he could not discourage such attempts at what he considered belittling to the art of karate, he stopped coming to the Shichi-Tokudo (karate club). Both Funakoshi and his top student, Otsuka, never showed their faces there again.
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23 In 1895 the Dai Nippon Butokukai was established to standardize, promote, and preserve all the various Japanese martial arts. As Japan became more nationalistic and bellicose, the Butokukai became very influential within the military, because many of its members were high ranking military officers, and influential politically because many of the high ranking political figures had trained in martial arts while attending the universities.
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24 From: LETTER 6. Sente no kata. By Dan Smith Vice President: International Okinawan Shorin Ryu Seibukan Karate Assn www.karate.org.yu/articles.htm
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25 see footnote 24
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26 comments by Hiroshi Kinjo (student of Chomo Hanashiro) from article in Irish Fighter
Vol. 6 # 4 p 36
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27 From the Preface To The Second Edition (dated October 13, 1956) in the1973 reprint of Funakoshi's book, "Karate do Kyohan,"
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28 from Okinawas Shorin-Ryu: How It Differs From Japanese Karate by Wendy Ann Weinstein, PhD, Karate Kung-Fu Illustrated 17 (8):30 (August, 1986).
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29 From The Why of Bunkai, a Guide for Beginners by Charles Goodin
http://seinenkai.com/art-bunkai.html
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30 From Four Basic truths of Violent Assault by Rory Miller
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31 From A Glimpse of Old Karate from Hohan Soken by Christopher Caile
http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/get_articles.php?cat=Karate
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32 see The Facts of Kata by Patrick McCarthy http://www.koryu-uchinadi.com/ .
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33 Quote from interview with Toshihiro Oshiro by American Samurai
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34 Quote from Uechi Ryu forum (Dojo Roundtable) By Bill Glasheen
http://forums.uechi-ryu.com/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=640eb2289fee7a6dd4062af23cafd909
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Appendix I.
Political Events that Influenced Karate
In 1854 a U.S. Naval Fleet, under Commodore Matthew Perry, was sent to Japan to coerce the opening of all Japanese ports to foreign commerce. This ended 200 years of political and economic isolation for the Japanese.
In 1868 the political/military leader of Japan, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu "put his prerogatives at the Emperor's disposal" and resigned his position, effectively restoring imperial rule (Meji Restoration). As a result, throughout the new Japanese empire, there was an impetus to modernize, to catch up with the European nations, and to embrace new and foreign methods. The following year, (Army) General Yamagata Aritomo toured Europe in order to study modern military strategy. So impressed was he by the Germans, that he returned to Japan strongly advocating gymnastics, drill, and mass conscription as ways to instill discipline and patriotism. while General Yamagata liked gymnastics, drill, and mass conscription, most Japanese youths did not. .resistance to military conscription included fifteen riots, plus countless self-mutilations and flights to avoid service. (As late as 1889, the Japanese government noted that 10% of the eligible male population changed residences annually to avoid military service.1a
In 1879 the kingdom of Okinawa was declared a prefecture of Japan. The subsequent abdication of the Okinawan king led to the abolition of the old social ranking system and the loss of privileges and financial support for the upper class. Many of the well known practitioners of tode that had formerly held positions at the palace were now forced to take menial jobs and to scrabble for a living. Chotoku Kyan, for example, and Choki Motobu were reduced to pulling rickshaws in order to earn money.
The Japanese government allow(ed) gangsters to organize and control the ..rickshaw taxi companies... While Kyans occupation do(es) not prove any direct links between Okinawan karate men and the yakuza, they certainly suggest them.1a
In order to raise revenue, the Japanese government imposed new taxes on the Okinawans. Occasionally Ryukyuan youths would get into fistfights with Japanese tax collectors, some of whom were former Satsuma samurai. . These tax riots were probably a root for subsequent stories about unarmed Okinawan peasants using their karate against armed Satsuma samurai1a
In 1882 The Japanese government declared that the four principles of public education were:
1. to form a strong constitution through physical exercise; 2. to fill students hearts with loyalty and patriotism; 3. to inculcate necessary knowledge; and 4. to produce the strength necessary for military men.
Responding to this declaration, Jigoro Kano (1860-1938), a newly graduated 22 year old teacher at the Peers School in Tokyo, began to instruct his students in Ju-Jitsu in order to instill patriotism and encourage fitness. As this training was primarily intended to mold their character, Kano eliminated the more brutal and dangerous techniques. He named what he was teaching Judo (Ju meaning pliancy and the do reflecting a Tao or way as opposed to Jitsu or science). Other Japanese martial traditions such as Ken-Jitsu (sword strategy) soon followed suit and were re-named Kendo (way of the sword), Kyudo (way of the archer), etc. This movement of emphasis away from practical application and toward character perfection would also influence the practice of karate once it was brought to the Japanese mainland.
Students attending the Peers School were the sons of the Japanese elite, and through this association, Kano was eventually to become a very prominent figure in both Japanese education and amateur athletics. Kano would also later play an important role in the introduction of karate to Japan.
1898 The Japanese introduced a military draft on Okinawa. At that time, the proportion of Okinawans rejected for service because of illiteracy, shortness, and so on, was the highest of any Japanese prefecture. Opposition to the draft was widespread and many karate students fled to Fuzhou (China) in order to avoid conscription. While there, they studied Chinese martial systems which they brought back with them upon their return.
In 1891 a .teacher in Okinawa began to teach karate to the students Primary school students then were older than they are today, and students as old as twenty were not uncommon. Later, when the military draft came in, it was noted that during medical examinations those who had karate training were immediately distinguishable from the other draftees, because of their well developed physiques, .., the Prefectural Commissioner of Education, Ogawa Shintaro, invited master Itosu to .a karate demonstration. Qgawa was greatly impressed by the demonstration and by Itosus opinions. in a report to the Ministry of Education, he enumerated the benefits of karate. The ministry .. granted permission to include karate in the physical education programs of the First Public High School of Okinawa and the Officers Candidate School.2a
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1a Kronos; A Chronology of the Martial Arts and Combative Sport Copyright © 2000-2004 Joseph R. Svinth http://ejmas.com/kronos/NewHist1860-1899.htm
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2a Gichen Funakoshi Karate-Do Nyumon PP 25
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OP
- Thread Starter
- #24
This is a fantastic post. It contains about all that can be said. I have taken the liberty of extracting a few salient points and emphasised the parts that I believe particularly pertinent.
My only point of disagreement would be your comment on ju-jutsu. Agreed karate is not ju-jutsu but many of the elements are common to both, just no longer drilled in "school" karate.
TimoS
Master of Arts
I'll read this more thoroughly tomorrow, now I'm just too tired
However, one thing I did notice:
Who were these instructors? To my knowledge, all of e.g. Itosu's students who went on to become masters themselves were his private students, who learned not only the "school karate", but also his actual karate. We know also that Kyan's students (all the various Shimabukuro, Joen Nakazato, Ankichi Arakaki, Bunei Okuhira, Kori Hisataka, Shoshin Nagamine and Tsuyoshi Chitose) were also private students. I am not so well versed in Goju, so I cannot say for certain about those, but if you have any names, I would really love to know.
However, one thing I did notice:
Who were these instructors? To my knowledge, all of e.g. Itosu's students who went on to become masters themselves were his private students, who learned not only the "school karate", but also his actual karate. We know also that Kyan's students (all the various Shimabukuro, Joen Nakazato, Ankichi Arakaki, Bunei Okuhira, Kori Hisataka, Shoshin Nagamine and Tsuyoshi Chitose) were also private students. I am not so well versed in Goju, so I cannot say for certain about those, but if you have any names, I would really love to know.
Ojisan
Yellow Belt
Timo,
I went back over my footnotes but I am not sure where I got "In fact, many of these students went on to become instructors and unwittingly passed it on as the traditional art." It may reference something I read or it may just be what I concluded from what I was finding at the time I was doing my research. It's been two years since I wrote it and I simply don't know.
I know, in my mind at the time, the statement made sense but your question about who they (these students) might be is making me wonder about it. At what point did Itosu's students stop teaching karate in the school system and who were those that continued to teach )in the schools)? I have never seen this discussed.
I'll continue to look over my notes but at this point I don't know what I'll find.
I went back over my footnotes but I am not sure where I got "In fact, many of these students went on to become instructors and unwittingly passed it on as the traditional art." It may reference something I read or it may just be what I concluded from what I was finding at the time I was doing my research. It's been two years since I wrote it and I simply don't know.
I know, in my mind at the time, the statement made sense but your question about who they (these students) might be is making me wonder about it. At what point did Itosu's students stop teaching karate in the school system and who were those that continued to teach )in the schools)? I have never seen this discussed.
I'll continue to look over my notes but at this point I don't know what I'll find.
TimoS
Master of Arts
Great. Because as I said, if you can find someone who is known, it would be great. It's just that we don't know of anybody
OP
- Thread Starter
- #28
I feel that what is being said here is that the students being taught the 'school' karate then passed on what they learned, in good faith, as authentic original karate. (This in no way implies that the Masters did not pass on their knowledge to selected students.) This is certainly what I could believe happened with regard to the teaching of Westerners in Japan after the war. What I was taught back in the early 80's is what I would call 'schoolboy' karate now. Unfortunately many instructors are still teaching that way.
Ojisan
Yellow Belt
There are similarities between some of the non-percussive techniques of karate and certain ju-jitsu techniques, and there are similarities to Chinese chin-na. I could find no direct link to ju-jitsu in Okinawan karate.
I did see a reference to a small group of samurai who fled the Satsuma, and Japan, to land in Okinawa. By that same token, it is claimed that Matsumura studied Jigen Ryu in Japan, and if he studied sword work you would think he would be exposed to the Japanese grappling arts. There is no eveidence of this however.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #30
Since I have been studying aikido I find that many of the moves in kata match perfectly almost all of the locks, holds, and throws that we train in aikido. The association between aikido and ju-jutsu is the basis from which I link ju-jutsu and karate.
I think Ill give an answer to the question that I have wanted to give for a long time:
A Karta has value if:
You get something from it:
Did you learn from it stances, movement, timing?
Did you possibly learn a new use for a movement you already knew?
Did you enjoy the movement?
Have you had to work at some of your basics to make the Karta look and feel correct?
These are only some of the reasons why a Karta is of value
A Karta has value if:
You get something from it:
Did you learn from it stances, movement, timing?
Did you possibly learn a new use for a movement you already knew?
Did you enjoy the movement?
Have you had to work at some of your basics to make the Karta look and feel correct?
These are only some of the reasons why a Karta is of value
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