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The History of Karate and Shito-Ryu

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The History of Karate and Shito-Ryu History of Karate In historical terms, the martial art of Karate was most influenced by the chinese fist arts, although the origins of Karate can be traced back to the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. which included an event called the 'Pankration', a form of unarmed combat involving punching, kicking and throwing. Karate-do as we know it today follows that art of unarmed combat developed on the island of Okinawa, which was invaded by the Japanese in the early part of the 17th Century. The invasion included a ban on all weapons, and consequently the islanders, learning unarmed combat techniques from Chinese experts on the island, developed the unique Okinawan Karate - the art of training the hands and feet as lethal weapons. Hence the original meaning of Karate was 'Tode' or 'China Hand'. The island was policed by Samurai, warriors skilled in the sword who wore virtually impenetrable bamboo armour, and, as the islanders were forbidden to carry weapons, a kick or punch had to be effective enough to penetrate this armour and disable the warrior. In 1921, Master Gichin Funakoshi introduced Karate to Japan where the art was modified and improved, and it developed as a martial, lethal art for practical fighting. The meaning of Karate then was changed to 'Empty Hand', i.e. 'Kara' - empty and 'Te' - hand, indcating the ability to defend without the use of weapons. To inflict damage on an opponent with a single punch or kick has been the objective of this ancient Okinawan martial art, however, great emphasis has also been placed on the spiritual side of the art. Training means the training of body and spirit and the striving for the spirit of humility. Becoming a true follower of Karate-do is possible only when one strives for perfection in these two aspects, the one spiritual, the other physical. The fundamental techniques of Karate have been developed and perfected through long years of study and practice , but the effective use of these techniques must include an understanding and acceptance of this spiritual aspect. The very essence of Karate is expressed in Kata(form) which is a series of pre-set defensive and counter attacking movements against a number of imagined opponents, and requires many years of study to perfectly understand and execute. From the study of Kata one can see how Karate evolved and developed as an art of self-defence. There are many Karate Katas, all of which start from a defensive movement. This demonstrates that every move in Karate is developed out of the need for self-defence against attack. The practice of Kata is an integral part of training for Karate organisations within the traditional mould. The last 20 years have seen a dramatic increase in the popularity of Karate-do throughout the world, even to the extent that Karate may be featured in the next Olympic Games. While some may see this as a welcome development, others may regard it as an indication of how, increasingly, Karate is seen more as a sport than a pure oriental martial art. Some Karate organisations today emphasise the winning of competitions to the extent that little or no emphasis is placed on the basic techniques, or on the practice of Kata, likewise such organisations do not stress the importance of courtesy, etiquette, and respect, all essential features of Karate-do training. While it is not undesirable for Karate organisations to participate in competition kumite (free sparring), the traditional aspects of the art should assume prime importance, and the winning of competitions should not be the sole objective of the organisation. The beginner starts off by mastering the basic techniques, punches, kicks, and blocks, without an opponent so that he can focus all their mental and physical effort on the performance of their own technique without fear of counter attack - although an opponent is always present whether imagined, as in basics, or real, as in sparring. Having gained a reasonable level of proficiency in the basic techniques, the student then progresses to Sanbon gumite (pre arranged sparring) in order to learn distance, balance, and zanchin(awareness). Having reached a degree of proficiency in sanbon gumite the student will then progress to more advanced types of pre arranged sparring, such as ohyo gumite and kihon gumite where they will learn the importance of timing, and the basic principle of Karate-the use of the minimum amount of effort for maximum effect. Whilst the student is perfecting these aspects of their training, they will continue to practice basic techniques, plus the student will be learning Kata (preset form). The practice of Kata is perhaps the one element of training which seperates traditional and sport martial arts. The practice of Kata embodies all the principles and ideals of traditional Karate. Each Kata requires different types of muscle co-ordination, gentle and strong movements, fast and slow movements, varying degrees of power, pivoting, jumping, bending, kicks, punches, blocks, pushing and pulling all done with complete concentration and perfect balance. Though the practice of Kata alone does not render a martial art 'traditional', some schools are content to lower Kata to the role of exercise, a varied collection of empty movements devoid of any power or focus. In short, a sport martial art is a hobby or pastime, traditional Karate-do is a way of life THE HISTORY OF SHITO-RYU Karate originated as a martial art thousands of years ago and was brought to Japan from China, Taiwan and Okinawa. Many of the famous karate-ka, or Bushi as they were known in Okinawa, experimented and developed their skills in such provinces as Shuri, Naha and Tomari. But unlike Judo and Kendo, Karate was a secret art, unknown to the general public. There was no fixed system until approximately 1907 when Yasutsune Itosu of Shuri and Kaneryo Higaonna of Naha-both of whom are regarded today as two of the most influential teachers of Okinawan Karate-gained a good following for both of their own special styles. Master Itosu taught the Nai-huan-chi form and Master Higaonna taught Sanchin, which was later developed into the present-day Goju-ryu style by Chojun Miyagi. Kenwa Mabuni who had studied under both Master Yasutsune Itosu and Master Kaneryo Higaonna devised the Shito-ryu system. Born in 1889, Mabuni was the 17th generation son of a famous samurai named Onigusuki. Mabuni was keenly aware of the accomplishments of his brave ancestors and, wanting to overcome poor health, began intensive karate training at the age of 13. He also studied weapon techniques of the Bo, Sai, Tonfa, Kama, and Nunchaku. The name 'Shito' is the combination of 'shi' and 'to' , the two first characters of the names of Master Itosu and Master Higaonna .After learning from other masters like Master Aragaki and Master Matsumura and by mixing the teaching of Master Itosu and Master Higaonna, he developed a new system, originally named 'HANKO RYU' (Half-Hard style), but, later changed it to reflect the deep respect he felt towards his two great masters and called his new system Shito-ryu (The Japanese government's martial arts sanctioning organisation, the Dai Nippon Butoku-Kai began to demand the different groups applying for membership, be more specific in the description of their Karate systems, and pressured them to name their systems). In 1929 Master Mabuni made a permanent move to Osaka to teach at universities and police departments. Over the next few years, Mabuni dedicated himself to the further development and promotion of Shito-ryu Karate-do in the Osaka area. He was faced with an extremely difficult task due to the unwillingness of the population to accept him or this strange looking system of self-defence, resembling an ancient 'Okinawan-Fist Dance'. In order to bring Shito-ryu to the general public's attention, Mabuni would perform many demonstrations where he would break bricks and boards to show the power of karate. Continually trying to gain acceptance of his art, he would give free instruction at various police stations across western Japan Shito Ryu Karate-do became more accepted after this time, and Mabuni began to teach many students at his home and at many Universities that were forming clubs. Among his many students included were his son, Kenei Mabuni, Kosei Kokuba (founder of Seishin Kai), Chojiro Tani (founder of Tani-ha Shukokai, the style commonly practised in the UK), Ryusho Sakagami (founder of Itosu-Kai), Yoshiaki Tsujikawa, Ken Sakio, Jun-ichi Inoue, Manzo Iwata, Toshiyuki Imanishi, Tokio Hisatomi and Ryusei Tomoyori. At first he taught his own students pure Shuri-te then pure Naha-te, but he also gave instruction in other master's styles. In Japan, Shotokan, Wado-ryu, Goju-ryu and Shito-ryu are the four main styles of Karate. Shito-ryu is the style that preserves most of the original Shuri-te techniques, compared with other styles such as Shotokan and Wado. It also preserves original Naha-te techniques together with Goju, although each style places emphasis on different points. Technically, Shuri-te and Tomari-te have rather fast and straight movements, while Naha-te has circular and supple movements. The style that we practise is based on Shito- Ryu, but is more commonly practised as Shuko Kai, as explained in this hand out Robert Gillespie Godan Chief Instructor .
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