Kenwa Mabuni the Founder of Shotokan? Founder of Shito Ryu
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Kenwa Mabuni The Founder of Shotokan? Founder of Shito Ryu By Damian Chambers Everyone knows the founder of A rare 1930s photo showing Mabuni sensei seated and Funakoshi sensei standing. Shotokan karate is Gichen Funakoshi (1868-1957) but Kenwa Mabuni (1893-1952) is often not given credit for the many contributions he made to resistance was due the fact that a ple- teen kata to Japan with him. In addition modern karate and the Shotokan style. beian art such as karate was perceived to to his kata syllabus, he formalized tech- In fact, Mabuni sensei brought many of be less effective than the martial arts of niques and nomenclature and added a Okinawa’s unique kata to Japan that the samurai, i.e. jujitsu and kenjutsu. spiritual essence to the art. However, were later added to the Shotokan sys- Realize too that in Japan, Okinawa was Funakoshi would send his senior tem. There is no question that he made thought of as the “country” and instructors to Mabuni Sensei and he a substantial contribution to the Okinawan farmers and fishermen were would teach them kata that were not Shotokan style. thought of as little more than hillbillies. included in Funakoshi’s syllabus. These Karate Comes to Japan However, eventually karate caught on at kata were rohai (meikyo), wankan, In 1917, Gichin Funakoshi traveled various Japanese universities and began chinte, unsu, sochin, nijushiho to Kyoto, Japan and demonstrated the to spread all over Japan and karate grew (niseishi), gojushiho, jiin and bassai sho. art of Okinawan Karate at the in popularity. Eventually, Funakoshi They would then take these kata and Butokuden for the Dai Nippon Sensei’s group became known as the Shotokan-ize them! Butokukai, The Greater Japan Martial Shotokan style of karate and the Japan Mabuni began training in karate as Virtues Association. This was the first Karate Association (JKA) was formed. a young boy in Okinawa. He was the time karate had been demonstrated in Funakoshi began learning karate as seventeenth generation descendant of Japan. This was done in order to stimu- a boy from Master Yasutsune Azato the famous Okinawan samurai family late interest in the art in mainland (1827-1915) one of Okinawa’s leading named Onigusikuni. Mabuni was very Japan. In 1922, he made a second trip, karate masters at the time. Azato had proud of his samurai heritage. He began this time to Tokyo, at the request of been a student of the great Bushi or war- studying Shuri-Te at age thirteen from Japanese officials and formally intro- rior Matsumura of whom many legends Itosu. He first learned the naihanchi duced karate to the Japanese mainland. are told in Okinawa. Azato encouraged kata from Itosu. Itosu was over seventy Therefore, he is credited as being the Funakoshi to study under other karate years old at the time. Mabuni was weak father of Japanese karate. masters and learn all he could. On as a boy but Itosu encouraged him to Karate was not accepted at first in Azato’s introduction Funakoshi trained keep training. Mabuni trained very hard Japan. Funakoshi Sensei and others with Anko Itosu (1830-1915) and oth- and learned “twenty three swift fists” or spent a decade promoting the art before ers of the Shuri-Te style and Kanryo kata from Itosu. Mabuni ultimately it became popular. Perhaps this initial Higashionna of the Naha-Te style. became very adept at karate. An inter- Funakoshi originally brought fif- esting story handed down is that when FIGHTING SPIRIT OF MARTIAL ARTS 20 Kenwa Mabuni: The Founder of Shotokan? various universities and police depart- ments. He taught at Kansai University, Doshisha University and Kansai Gakuin University. He established a dojo in Osaka called the Japan Karatedo Kai that attracted a large following in that area of Japan. When Funakoshi introduced karate to mainland Japan in 1922 he taught the following kata: pinan 1-5, naihanchi 1-3, passai, wanshu, chinto, seisan, jutte, jion, and kusanku. These kata became the basis of Shotokan and Japanese karate. Later, the following kata were added to the Shotokan sys- tem: rohai (meikyo), wankan, chinte, unsu, sochin, nijushiho and gojushiho, jiin and bassai sho. Although in the lit- erature of the Shotokan system they Kenwa Mabuni (L) meets with Gichen Funakoshi at Osaka Station 1948. never say where these kata came from! In 1927 and 1928 Mabuni taught these Itosu died; Mabuni was so grief stricken called his system of karate Shito Ryu. kata to the senior members of the that he stayed by Itosu’s grave for one Around this time it was thought that it Shotokan group [it wasn’t called year. He practiced the kata that Itosu was necessary to name each style in Shotokan until 1936] in Tokyo when had taught him every day at the order to differentiate one master’s teach- Funakoshi, Konishi and Mabuni were gravesite. Mabuni did this to show his ings from another’s. The word Shito is a training altogether and sharing ideas. devotion to his master. combination of two characters. The first Around this time there was an impetus Mabuni also studied kempo from a character (shi) represents ito from to organize an All Japan generic style of Chinese man named Gokenki who was Itosu's name and the second character karate under one organizational banner. living in Okinawa. Gokenki was a tea (to) represents higa from Higashionna’s Kanken Toyama who had organized the merchant from Fukien Province, name. He spent a great deal of time All Japan Karate Do Federation fostered China. Mabuni learned a form of studying and teaching in Okinawa this. However, the establishment and Shaolin white crane (hakutsuru) from before he came to Japan. Mabuni formalization of this group failed. Gokenki. This form is preserved in the taught the Okinawan police depart- Typically, as is often the case with Shito ryu style today and is known as ments. Japanese karate organizations, each hakucho. Gokenki also taught Mabuni Initially, Mabuni made several trips group went their separate ways deciding the kata nipai (nipaipo) and paipuren. to Japan from Okinawa. Then he spent that they would each maintain their Mabuni then studied Naha-Te with about a year in the Tokyo area. At this own unique stylistic and organizational Kanryo Higashionna and Arakaki time he taught the senior members of integrity, no doubt motivated by an elit- Seisho. He perfected the sanchin kata Funakoshi’s group including Nakayama ist attitude within their respective under Higashionna and Arakaki taught and Obata the advanced Shito Ryu groups. him unshu, sochin, and niseishi kata. forms. This was during 1927 and 1928. Mabuni’s kata repertoire of his All these kata were eventually brought He also taught Yasuhiro Konishi and Shito Ryu style combined Shuri-Te, into the Shotokan system as taught by helped him establish his style known as Tomari-Te and Naha-Te lineage kata Mabuni. Mabuni later combined the Ryobukai. Then in 1929, Mabuni into a set that used kata from all three teachings of Itosu and Higashionna and moved to Osaka and began teaching at sources. Mabuni taught an amazing 21 FIGHTING SPIRIT OF MARTIAL ARTS Kenwa Mabuni: The Founder of Shotokan? number of kata. All in all there were (Yoshitaka) were to make their own over sixty kata in his seito or orthodox changes to karate. They lengthened the Shito Ryu style. Some authorities say stances, added the sidekick, and made this is too many kata and is more than changes in certain kata movements. necessary to be an accomplished fighter Funakoshi changed the names of the and teacher of a combative martial dis- kata. He modified the original kata of cipline. However, Mabuni saw himself the Okinawan art to adapt it to the as a preserver of these forms. He was Japanese culture. One way he did this certainly one of the most prolific kata was by changing the older Okinawan practitioners of all time. He gave a names of the kata to names with a clear- glimpse of his kata system in his book er meaning to the Japanese. He also that he published in the 1930s. changed the meaning of karate from However, Funakoshi on the other hand Chinese hand to empty hand in 1936. felt that only fifteen kata were enough The change served to disassociate the art to provide an overall training methodol- from its Chinese origins and influence. ogy and were a sufficient number to Japan was at war with China by 1937 comprise as a complete training regime. and this change was politically neces- This is exemplified by Funakoshi’s book sary. Karate Do Kyohan that contained the Although Funakoshi and Mabuni orthodox kata of the system that includ- had some of the same teachers, Mabuni ed only fifteen as opposed to sixty plus also had teachers that Funakoshi did kata in Mabuni’s system. Although, not. They were different ages and stud- Kenwa Mabuni (1893-1957) the founder of Funakoshi along with his son Gigo ied under the same masters but because Shito Ryu Karate and contributor to Shotokan. of age differences they studied at different times. This accounts for the dif- under the auspices of the All Japan ference in knowledge level Karate Do Federation. In addition, of kata and bunkai. Some some members of Funakoshi’s group critics of Shotokan say the ostracized Mabuni. However, level of understanding of Funakoshi himself never showed any bunkai or practical appli- disrespect or ill will towards Mabuni. cation in the Shotokan Ultimately, Mabuni was not given the style was lacking. In other recognition he deserved as a substantial words, they had no deep or contributor to the development of the advanced understanding of Shotokan system of karate.