why Karate (Oriental Martial arts)?

[opr1945]

It seems to me that many countries (ethnicities?) ha a traditional self defense martial art. France has Savate. Here is a link to more List of 180+ Martial Arts Styles - Black Belt Wiki.

It also seems to me that the family of unarmed martial arts that started in India mover to China moved to Okinawa and then Japan and eventually the world which I will collectively refer to as "family of Karate" has spread more widely than most of the others on the above list.

Why has the one group been so successful at expanding world wide, While the others on the list are mostly localized? Or am I way off base on my understanding of the unarmed self defense world?

Thanks.

 

[Same Trick]

Americas post war occupation of Japan opened up for Japanese culture and stuff to spread to the world ?

 

[_Simon_]

Cos karate is the best!

Chuck out the rest!

 

[Prince_Alarming]

I suspect it's just one of those historical accidents, like smallpox or Ed Sheeran

 

[Gyakuto]

There’s was a French cultural movement called ‘Japonism’ when everyone became fascinated by all things Japanese (mainly visual arts but that expanded as the trend spread throughout Europe). Everything Japanese was seen as being refined, beautiful and very desirable. Van Gogh copied Hiroshige, Western actors pretended to be Japanese on stage, Hayakawa Sessue became a Western film star; the West couldn’t get enough of Japan! That Japanese cool (‘kakkoi’) rubbed off on the Japanese martial arts and that together with their linear, snappy digital (‘kime’) performance (as opposed to the circular, indistinct endpoints of the arts of other nations) made them very seductive.

As the Western eye began really understanding Japan (and indeed the East in general) the fascination for other Eastern cultures and martial arts spread further.

However, I don’t think anything has quite surpassed the all-seductive nature of the Japanese martial arts or culture…but…I’m a little bit biased.

 

[opr1945]

Americas post war occupation of Japan opened up for Japanese culture and stuff to spread to the world ?

I believe that is a big factor in the spread of Asian Martial arts. But we have had troops spread all over the world in many other countries for a long time where other ethnic martial arts exist but has not had the same result.

 

[opr1945]

However, I don’t think anything has quite surpassed the all-seductive nature of the Japanese martial arts or culture…but…I’m a little bit biased.

How So?

 

[Gyakuto]

I believe that is a big factor in the spread of Asian Martial arts. But we have had troops spread all over the world in many other countries for a long time where other ethnic martial arts exist but has not had the same result.

That hypothesis doesn’t really explain the early spread in Europe though; there was never an occupation of Japanese by European armed forces.. When the U.K. became the cultural 51st state of the US, in the 60s onwards, then perhaps.

 

[Gyakuto]

How So?

Which part are you questioning?

 

[Prince_Alarming]

It could be something to do with both Japan and Britain being essentially island peoples. The dominant thrust in global culture during the industrial revolution just happens to have been British- or rather English- and when Japan opened its borders and the British travelled there, they saw something of themselves in the Japanese. Also, the fact is that Japanese culture developed on a string of small islands with little arable land and few natural resources led to a culture of minimalism, making the most of absolutely everything- as exemplified by the borro textiles that have become popular recently- and these tendencies just happened to make a lot of sense in the world of the machine and later of the computer.

 

[opr1945]

How So?

Which part are you questioning?

…but…I’m a little bit biased.

Since this forum is the only contact I have had with you I am pretty ignorant. Not to be offensive, but by chance is your ethnic heritage Asian?

 

[Gyakuto]

Since this forum is the only contact I have had with you I am pretty ignorant. Not to be offensive, but by chance is your ethnic heritage Asian?

Not at all! I’m of Indian heritage but I was born (England) and educated (Scotland) in Britain.

My bias comes from practising only Japanese martial arts and my cultural obsession with the Japanese nation.

 

[isshinryuronin]

It seems to me that many countries (ethnicities?) ha a traditional self defense martial art. France has Savate. Here is a link to more List of 180+ Martial Arts Styles - Black Belt Wiki.

It also seems to me that the family of unarmed martial arts that started in India mover to China moved to Okinawa and then Japan and eventually the world which I will collectively refer to as "family of Karate" has spread more widely than most of the others on the above list.

Why has the one group been so successful at expanding world wide, While the others on the list are mostly localized? Or am I way off base on my understanding of the unarmed self defense world?

Thanks.

I would say there are four main reasons (short answer version), each one leading to the next.

1. While there are many countries that have a self-defense art linked to them and may be said to be "traditional," very few of them are deeply cultural, reflective of that country's history and philosophical belief system to the extent the Oriental systems are. As such, they have evolved a richer tapestry and wider range of benefits to offer the public.

2. In the case of karate, its practice was institutionalized, being mandated to be taught in the public schools as not just self-defense, but as exercise, a self-development discipline and an expression of nationalism, ingraining it further into the culture. It wasn't just an "underground" activity as other country's MA were. It was visible.

3. American military presence in Japan/Okinawa was the first big step in introducing karate to the West. Bored soldiers with time and energy to spare were attracted to the art's physical aspects. A few karate masters contracted with the military to teach Marines and other branches on base, exposing many to the art.

4. These military men brought karate back to the USA and opened karate schools. Karate became widely disseminated, getting a foothold with the American public who were also fascinated with culture. Widespread commercialization soon followed, Westerners embracing karate's uniqueness and benefits. Kung fu, TKD, ninjitsu, and other arts tagged along. Oriental martial artists emigrated to the US (to escape their war torn home) and opened schools as well. Movies and TV jumped in, competitive karate as a sport grew and the rest is history.

No other region's MA had the qualities and the mechanism of popularization karate (and the Oriental arts that followed) did.

 

[opr1945]

Not at all! I’m of Indian heritage but I was born (England) and educated (Scotland) in Britain.

My bias comes from practising only Japanese martial arts and my cultural obsession with the Japanese nation.

As I understand it Karate traces its ancestry from Okinawa to China to India (Bodhidharma)?

 

[opr1945]

I just came across this

"The idea that Bodhidharma founded martial arts at the Shaolin Temple was spread in the 20th century. However, martial arts historians have shown this legend stems from a 17th-century qigong manual known as the Yijin Jing.<a href="Shaolin Monastery - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></a> The oldest available copy was published in 1827.<a href="Shaolin Monastery - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></a> The composition of the text itself has been dated to 1624.<a href="Shaolin Monastery - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>13<span>]</span></a> Even then, the association of Bodhidharma with martial arts only became widespread as a result of the 1904–1907 serialization of the novel The Travels of Lao Ts'an in Illustrated Fiction Magazine:<a href="Shaolin Monastery - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></a>

Shaolin Monastery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So apparently I was wrong.

 

[opr1945]

I would say there are four main reasons (short answer version), each one leading to the next.

1. While there are many countries that have a self-defense art linked to them and may be said to be "traditional," very few of them are deeply cultural, reflective of that country's history and philosophical belief system to the extent the Oriental systems are. As such, they have evolved a richer tapestry and wider range of benefits to offer the public.

2. In the case of karate, its practice was institutionalized, being mandated to be taught in the public schools as not just self-defense, but as exercise, a self-development discipline and an expression of nationalism, ingraining it further into the culture. It wasn't just an "underground" activity as other country's MA were. It was visible.

3. American military presence in Japan/Okinawa was the first big step in introducing karate to the West. Bored soldiers with time and energy to spare were attracted to the art's physical aspects. A few karate masters contracted with the military to teach Marines and other branches on base, exposing many to the art.

4. These military men brought karate back to the USA and opened karate schools. Karate became widely disseminated, getting a foothold with the American public who were also fascinated with culture. Widespread commercialization soon followed, Westerners embracing karate's uniqueness and benefits. Kung fu, TKD, ninjitsu, and other arts tagged along. Oriental martial artists emigrated to the US (to escape their war torn home) and opened schools as well. Movies and TV jumped in, competitive karate as a sport grew and the rest is history.

No other region's MA had the qualities and the mechanism of popularization karate (and the Oriental arts that followed) did.

I agre whole heartedly with numbers 3 & 4. And I find number 1 interesting, believing that the physical activity was only a part of a larger belief system rather than a stand alone sports activity.

While number 2 is interesting since the school requirement would only apply locally. But, the general acceptance and visibly may not be unique. I am not really in a position to evaluate.

 

[Gyakuto]

As I understand it Karate traces its ancestry from Okinawa to China to India (Bodhidharma)?

Supposedly…I think the India link is quite tenuous!

 

[Prince_Alarming]

As I understand it Karate traces its ancestry from Okinawa to China to India (Bodhidharma)?

yyyyyyeah... but that may well be Bodhibollocks, it's an origin story on a par with the first emperor inventing tea or Dionysus inventing wine.

 

[Buka]

Running a karate dojo is hard work. Keeping one open is even harder work sometimes dependent on luck and circumstance.

I can only speak of the United States, but I’ve seen karate dojos open and close with the frequency of small restaurants with little or no parking.

And many of them were really good dojos.

 

[Gyakuto]

Running a karate dojo is hard work. Keeping one open is even harder work sometimes dependent on luck and circumstance.

“Dad, I want to be a martial arts teacher!” “ For goodness sake, why can’t you be more realistic? Why can’t you be an actor? Or an astronaut?”

I can only speak of the United States, but I’ve seen karate dojos open and close with the frequency of small restaurants with little or no parking.

The drop out rate for the martial arts is so high but so it the rate of uptake. I often wonder if it’s higher than say, dance classes, piano lessons etc.? A new MA film or video game does wonders for recruiting.