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Geschiedenis Van Het Shito-Ryu Karate-Do

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Geschiedenis Van Het Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Geschiedenis van het Shito-ryu karate-do Het beschrijven van de geschiedenis van het karate-do is een zeer omvangrijk werk. Het is dan ook niet voor niets dat er enorm veel boeken geschreven zijn die de geschiedkundige feiten van het karate-do beschrijven. Soms spreken de verschillende boeken elkaar tegen en daarmee bereik je meteen een groot probleem als je de geschiedenis van een gevechtskunst wilt beschrijven. In vroeger tijden werd namelijk alle kennis mondeling van leraar op leerling doorgegeven. Dat dit problemen kan geven bij zowel de „zender‟ alsook bij de „ontvanger‟ moge duidelijk zijn. Het mondeling doorgeven is namelijk afhankelijk van o.a. de duidelijkheid en het herinneringsvermogen van de leraar en de leerling. Een ander nadeel aan het beschrijven van de geschiedenis van het karate-do is het omvangrijke gebied die deze gevechtskunst heeft afgelegd. Vanuit Europa en de V.S. kan men het karate terugvoeren naar Japan, Okinawa, China en zelfs (met de legende van Bodhidharma) naar India. Aangezien wij het Shito-ryu karate-do beoefenen heb ik gekozen om beide problemen te omzeilen en alleen in te gaan op de ontwikkeling van het Shito-ryu karate-do. De geschiedenis begint dan met de geboorte van de oprichter van het Shito-ryu, namelijk grootmeester Kenwa Mabuni. Grootmeester Kenwa Mabuni werd op 14 november 1889 in Shuri City (Okinawa) als 17e afstammeling van een Okinawaanse keimochi genaamd Oni Ougusuku geboren. In zijn jonge jaren leed Kenwa Mabuni aan een slechte gezondheid en hij wilde graag uitgroeien tot een zeer sterk man. Het is vanuit die wens dat hij op dertienjarige leeftijd, via een vriend van de familie, geïntroduceerd werd bij grootmeester Ankoh Itosu uit het dorp Shuri die toen de 70 al was gepasseerd. Het eerste dat grootmeester Itosu aan Mabuni leerde was het kata naihanchi. Gedurende 3 jaar trainde Mabuni dit kata en al spoedig verbeterde zijn slechte gezondheid. Uiteindelijk leerde Mabuni 23 kata‟s van grootmeester Itosu en toen deze grootmeester in 1915 stierf was dit voor Mabuni een enorm grote klap. Uit respect en om hem te eren heeft Mabuni gedurende één jaar bij het graf van grootmeester Itosu getraind. Op zijn 20ste werd Mabuni door zijn vriend Chojun Miyagi voorgesteld aan grootmeester Kanryo Higaonna uit het dorp Naha, waarna Mabuni een leerling van deze grootmeester werd. Nadat Mabuni van de Junior High School afstudeerde en hij zijn militaire dienstplicht vervuld had werd hij in 1913 politieman. Drie jaar later, in 1915, werd hij inspecteur bij het Naha centrale politiebureau, afdeling recherche. Tijdens zijn dienstperiode ging hij met de studie van de vechtkunsten door en mede door zijn werk kwam hij in contact met vele andere gevechtskunsten. In 1918, Mabuni was toen 28 jaar, opende hij een dojo in zijn achtertuin. In deze dojo gaven verschillende meesters les (o.a. meester Funakoshi, Oshiro, Chibana, Kyoda, Motobu, Hanashiro, Gokenki) maar de twee hoofddocenten waren Miyagi en Mabuni. Daarnaast gaf Mabuni ook les aan de politieschool en aan de marineschool van Okinawa. Tevens startte hij in zijn eigen huis in Shuri in 1918 samen met Chojun Miyagi, Chomo Hanashiro, Choyu Motobu de zogenaamde Toudijutsu Kenkyukai (een karate studiegroep). De belangrijkste doelstellingen van deze groep waren: behoud van het traditionele karate als erfgoed van Okinawa; alle karategroepen bij elkaar brengen en zo een blok te laten vormen; het ware karate doorgeven aan toekomstige generaties in Okinawa maar ook daarbuiten; het op een hoger peil brengen van het karate zodat de Japanners het een volwaardige kunst zouden gaan vinden. Deze vier leraren maakten verschillende regels om deze doelstellingen te bereiken. Eén van de belangrijkste regels was dat een leraar aan leerlingen van de studiegroep in zijn eigen dojo geen les zou geven. Dit zou namelijk de studiegroep geld gaan kosten en de studiegroep zag het leven via geleend geld. Elke zondag werden er door verschillende meesters les gegeven. Dit duurde tot 1929 toen als gevolg van niet nagekomen betalingen de studiegroep opgeheven werd. In 1927 bracht grootmeester Jigoro Kano van de Kodokan (judo) een bezoek aan Okinawa. Tijdens dit bezoek gaven Mabuni en Miyagi een demonstratie van het kata en de uitleg hiervan. Kano sensei complimenteerde hen met deze schitterende kunst en hij wees erop dat men in Japan een dergelijke vechtkunst wel zou willen beoefenen. Samen met Miyagi ging Mabuni in 1928 naar Japan om aldaar allerlei demonstraties en lezingen over karate te geven. Bij deze activiteiten ontmoetten zij vooraanstaande mensen en Mabuni werd aangezet om zich in Japan te gaan vestigen. Zijn Japans gedicht geeft hier blijk van: Nanigotomo Uchiwasuretari Hisasurani Bunoshima Sashite Koguga Tanoshiki Dit gedicht kan men op verschillende wijze vertalen: Forgetting mundane things When striving for the martial isle paddling is joy (World shito-ryu karate-do Federation) With a single heart devoting myself to nothing else it gives me bliss to pull on the oars for the island of karate-do (The 3rd shito-ryu karate-do world championships program booklet) When the spirit of karate-do (bu) is deeply embraced It becomes the vehicle (described as a boat) in which one is ferried Across the great void to the world within (described as bu-island) (Kyoshi Patrick McCarthy) Clearing my mind of everything With devotion and joyful anticipation I row my boat toward the island of Bu (Shito-ryu: the island of budo, video) Aangezien grootmeester Funakoshi in Tokyo woonde en het karate nog weinig naam had gekregen bedacht Mabuni dat hij in een andere stad moest gaan wonen. In 1929 emigreerde de familie Mabuni naar Japan en zij vestigde zich in Osaka. Aldaar opende hij vrij snel de Yoshukan dojo. Japan had in die tijd een soort overheidsinstantie die alle vechtkunsten onder haar hoede nam: de Dai Nippon Butokukai. Deze instantie had o.a. tot taak de verschillende kunsten te formaliseren. Wilde het karate toegelaten worden dan diende zij zich te registreren. Tevens werden alle leraren door deze instantie gecontroleerd en degenen die naar de mening van de Butokukai bevoegd waren om les te geven kregen de zogenaamde „budo-menjo‟ of de „shihan-menjo‟. Dit waren een soort diploma‟s om aan te geven dat deze meesters bevoegd waren om les te geven. Op die manier werden alle andere meesters die zich niet lieten registreren buiten de wet geplaatst. Aangezien Mabuni dit niet wilde diende hij zijn karate te laten registreren en van een naam en een logo te voorzien. In 1934 had hij al besloten om zijn karate te vernoemen naar zijn twee leermeesters, namelijk grootmeester Ankoh Itosu en grootmeester Kanryo Higaonna. Mabuni refereerde vaak aan Mabuni-ryu als zijn stijl van karate, echter volgens Gima Shinken was Mabuni veel te bescheiden om de interpretatie van zijn stijl naar zichzelf te vernoemen. Het duurde nog tot 1939 eer Mabuni de naam Shito-ryu formeel bij de Butokukai liet registreren. In de Japanse taal heeft een Chinees karakter (kanji in het Japans) meestal meer dan één betekenis. Dit linguïstisch fenomeen wordt ook wel genoemd „onyomi‟ (het Chinese schrift) en de „kun-yomi‟ (het Japanse schrift). Shi van „shito‟ wordt ook wel gelezen als ito zoals in de Okinawaanse naam Itosu. To wordt ook wel gelezen als „higashi‟ zoals in de Okinawaanse naam Higaonna. Op die manier nam Mabuni de eerste delen van hun namen en noemde zijn stijl SHITO-RYU. Als logo koos hij het oude embleem van de familie Mabuni. De cirkel staat voor vrede en harmonie (wa). De lijnen in de cirkel staan voor het Japanse karakter persoon of mensen. Deze beide gecombineerd geeft als interpretatie mensen die vredevol en harmonieus met elkaar samenwerken. Tevens vertelde grootmeester Mabuni dat de twee lijnen in de cirkel ook geïnterpreteerd konden worden als de namen van zijn twee leermeesters. De lessen van Mabuni waren een samenvoeging van twee hoofdstromen, Shuri-te en Naha-te. Hij gaf beginners met name les in de beginselen van het Shuri-te waarin vooral lineaire technieken en snelheid van bewegen van toepassing zijn. De gevorderden kregen van hem met name les in het Naha-te waardoor ook de energetische principes in het karate getraind konden worden. Alle technieken dienden voorzien te zijn van het principe Shin Gi Tai Ichi oftewel geest, techniek en lichaam dienen één te zijn. De beginnende karateka heeft slechts de techniek als aangrijpingspunt. Via de techniek komt de karateka na een gedegen oefenperiode in aanraking met het tweede aspect, namelijk het lichaam. De techniek is nu zo vaak geoefend en ingeslepen dat deze zo te zeggen een deel van het lichaam is geworden (zij verloopt over ruggenmergsniveau). Als nu uiteindelijk de geest of het hart er ook bij betrokken worden dan zijn alle drie aspecten gebundeld tot één. Tevens was grootmeester Mabuni van mening dat een karatestijl ook een morele en filosofische basis diende te hebben. Hij gebruikte de stellingen uit de dojokun om hier aan te voldoen. Zo is er het vijfvoudige pad van Shito-ryu (Go Do Shin). Hierin staan de belangrijkste regels die als morele en filosofische basis dienen voor de beoefening van het Shito-ryu: go do shin, het vijfvoudige pad van shito-ryu 1. Shoshin Wasureru Nakare (Ishi) Vastberadenheid. Verwaarloos nooit de mentaliteit van het eerste begin. 2. Reigi Okotaru Nakare (Dotoku) Morele beginselen. Verwaarloos nooit hoffelijkheid en etiquette. 3. Doryuku Okotaru Nakare (Haten) Ontwikkeling. Verwaarloos nooit de inspanning. 4. Joshin kakeru Nakare (Joshiki) Gezond verstand. Verwaarloos nooit het gezonde verstand. 5. Wa Midasu Nakare (Heiwa) Vrede. Verstoor nooit de harmonie. Mabuni was van mening dat elke karateka zich aan dit vijfvoudig pad moest houden en op die manier zou de karateka worden als een soort gentleman. Naast het karate moest de karateka ook andere kunstvormen beoefenen, zo was Mabuni van mening.
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