Issue 126 E2.50 I

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALL KARATEKA SHOTOKAN I

The Jion kala stems from some after the Japanese clan of Satsuma had China, the teacher of Anan taught various changes brought into the Shotokan schoo! conquered Ryukyu at the beginning of kata (separately) to different peop/e ~. to the homonymous form that we find in the 17th century. and after Ryukyu's This reveals the origin of fOUf weJl­ some stylistic systems of K3rate that are impovenshment, many 01 Ihese temples known kata! In addition. Funakoshi inspired by lhe Okinawan Shorin-ryu. felt into disrepair until they disappeared also repeated this information in his The absence 01 this kala in any completely, subsequent books, adding more names Okinawan classical traditloo and the With regard to the spread of 10 this list. More precisely, in Karate-do analysis of the relevant techniques lead among the nobles 01 the archipelago, Kyohan he stated that: us to the assumption that Ankoh Itosu however, it can be noted that while in "The Master of Gusukutna, Kanagusuku, has created it summarising primarily by Central the philosophy had a Matsumora, Oyadomati, Yamada. Nakazato, synthesizing the movements present in profound influence on the development of Yamazalo and Toguchi was a southern Jilte and Ji'in in addition to those found In , this did not occur In the more Chinese man whO was dragged by the sea some other forms. Moreover. Ihe facl that Confucian oriented Ryukyu, Because of curren/lo TomaIi ~, all three kata start with theJi name and that the heavy socio-ecooomic constraints ~ previously stated, most of these they have the same form of greeting leIs us imposed by the Satsuma Japanese experts born in the first half of the 8OO's conclude that Itosu wanted to create three clan, the noble classes became always were introduced 10 the art of combal by slsler-forms as he had previously done tOf more impoverished and so they did the Masters Giku Uku and Kishin Teruya, Ihe group of (rekklJ and Rollai not suffICiently assimilate the Buddhist both coming from Tomari. But, following (present only in Shito-ryuj, from whose doctrine. Regarding the pooI'est and the events that have been described and summary Funakoshi successively created most extended class of farmers and have occurred in the mid 19th century, the Ihe Me/kyO kata. anglers, however, a greater adherence oral tradition states that the castaway of The Okinawan origins of Jion kala: to the animist religion - at least until the Anan was welcomed by the locals and he The initial greeting common to the years immediately preceding the last great retumed the favour by teaching them the three monastic Jion. Ji'in and JiUe kata conflict - can be observed. basics of his method of combat and some consisting of the right fist enclosed in About the origin of Ihe so-called simplified forms that were quickly shared the palm of the lett hand - leads to their 'Monastic kata' found in today's Karate, among Ihe villagers. Chinese origins and. more specifically. to it should be noted thaI the only piece of A more recent and Interesting theory the Buddhist influence. evidence in this regard can be traced back about the three monastic kata comes from Regarding the dissemination of to . This is an excerpt the researcher Fernando P. Camara. Here Buddhist monasticism in the principality from the second in a series of three articles it is: of Ryukyu, evidence ranging from the wrinen in the newspaper Ryukyu Shinpo ~ Gusukuma was a disciple of and 15th to the 16th centllfY - a period that in 1914. with the subtitle ~ RecoI!ec t i ng the of Jion, a Buddhist monk from that the ka la coincides with the greater glory of the wOl'ds of Ankoh Alato·. More precisely, in with the same name derives. It is believed kingdom - confinns that during this era this second article entitled Tode no Ryugi that Gusukums has given to frosu the nearly a hundred Buddhist temples were (Karate Styles), the future founder of the personal form of this. Jion, and two kala built, then considered to be as impof'lant Shotokan school reported an interview he performed with the sal: Jl'in and Jilre, ~hal H as those found in Kyoto. Nara and had obtained with his Master Ankoh Azato he adapted as kata with bare hands , Nikko, Because of the existe'lce of these (1827-1906) in 1901 , Here's an excerpt: I must confess that when I learnt of buildings, th e tradition reports that several -A Chinese man from Fuiian, coming Camara's hypothesis, I was fascinated, monks came to the Ryukyu principality from Anan, who was Shipwrecked on But, after having analysed it deeply. many and that they considered themselves Okinawa taught Chinto (/

Gichin Funakoshi from '7116 Ka!ate' do Kyohan' (1935), Starting from /Odan juJf uke, to the throwing technique, /subafTl6-gaesh/, 28 SHOTOI

Funakoshi in his book Karate-do Kyohan, that I quote here: ~J;on Is its original name, and Its character appears frequently in the Chinese literature since ancient times. The JIon-j; Is an old and famous Buddhist !emple, and there is also a well-known Buddhist saint named Jion. The name Indicates thaI the kata might have been introduced by someone linked to the temple of Jion, as well as the nama ShOrin-ji Kenpo Is linked to /he temple of Shorin~. From Funakoshl's words il can be inferred that not even the Master knew the exact origin of this kala. Therefore, 2 \ \ the conclusion 01 Camara regarding the identity of Jion seems questlonable 10 me, though I would like to know how he came to this conclusion. On my par1, basing my Investigations on the statements of Dr. LasUe M. Graham. the castaway quoted by Funakoshl was a Taoist monk called Lau Leung and Anan was a suburb of Fuzhou. This big city is still the capital of the Chinese province of Fujian. with which the Oklnawans have had an Important trade agreement since the end of the 14th century. Gettillg bacl< to Funakoshl's hypothesis according to which the kata might ~have been intlOduced by someone linked to the temple of Jion·. the exlsteoce of a certain 5 expert with the same name has oevef been - mentioned by any Karate historian and this precludes the hypothesis that Gusukuma might have obtained the Jion kata by a homonymous and insubstantial person, and that he later passed It on to ttosu. Spealdllg of this name, the only relevant description comes from the well-known Master of Kobudo Masahlro Nakamoto, who said that ~ano ther family name of the noble ChDken Makabe (1773- 1829) of Shu" was Jion". But the fact that no monk Is mentioned here makes us move further from the hypothesis that a descendant might be the author of the -- homonymous kata. !d Regarding Camara's hypothesis 7 - 9 according to which the Ji'in and Jilte kata Pallial sequence of kala (Gichin Funakoshl) from "Rentan GosIlin Tode-julsu - were originally performed With a pair of JIon (1925). metal tridents (called sal in Okinawa), I have f'nolo's 3 and 81Jf9 from "KaroffHio KyoIJan" (1935). Nole fhe differance In techniques related 10 to admilthat some of their techniques could Photo's 2 and 3 amended £lIthe beginfflrlg of the 1930's. surely be performed with such weapons. major martial traditions of Okinawa (Shuri- openly refuted by Masahlko Nakamoto. Even though I haven', received any te, Tomari-te and -te), together with by arguing that thtl well-known Kobudo news about it from Leslie Graham, I have the analysis of the techniques contained expert Shinken Taira (1897-1970) created discussed the topic wllh the Kobudo II"l this kata, show that probably Ankoh the Massaro no Tekko kala to encode expert Andrea Guarelll and his conclusion Itosu might have created this form from some scattered techniques by using the was thaI there isn', any kala in the records the synthesis of Jitte and Ji'in, by also structure of the Jion kala he had leamt in the history of the Island of Sai-julsu somehow simplifying some techniques of in within the doJO of Funakoshi. that has the name of these forms, and both these two kata and Inserting some of Regarding the term Maezato. Takao much less of the sequences similar to the their applications in them. Nakaya makes it clear that it refers to the techniques contained In them. A different theory about the Origins of real surname of this expert, as (the most As a concluding remark about the kala Jion comes from Tsukuo Iwal. In famous and noble) Taira corresponds to Camara's second hypothesis. It is also regard of its researches, he states that the the surname of the mother. unlikely that ltosu modified these two kata might derive from a form that uses At th is point, having clarified the maln kala, adapting them to the use 01 bare the rekko, a kind of iron brass knuckles th esis on the origin of the Jion kata, tet us hands. On the contrary and In my view, of Okinawan origin. that were made from Inquire about the modern documents and the absence of Jion in each of the three stirrups. But this assumption was always the meaning of the name Jlon. 29 SHOTOI

Modern documents on the Jion kala: This monk is remembered for having The first wriUen Information about the returned home with numerous writings, exiS1ence of the Jion kala appears in two portraits and relics that became heritage books by Gichin Funakoshi published of the new Chinese fai th. In the 20's, Master Funakoshi described Because of this extraordinary them with phonetic characters Jion (Ji­ enterprise, his adventure was transformed o-n), while In his third piece of work of 1935 into a myth and became Ihen Ihe subject he used the aforementioned ideograms of the popular novel • Journey to the Ji-on. whose meaning is 'Mercy and West" published anonymously in 1590 Benevolence': and becoming one of the most known Another book published in 1934 that and loved pieces of Chinese literature for shows the name of this form comes from Ihe great feats of Sun Wukong, the White Morinobu Itoman. In his long list of kata. Monkey or Monkey King, Jion is registered with the same phonetic About the imprecision of Master characters used by Funakoshi, Funakoshl about the monastery Jion and In disagreement with the founder of the the alleged saint I must say a word in his Shotokan school, in the lirst two editions favour because, when he made this quote of the book written together with Genwa about Ihe homonymous kala, the Second Nakasone and published In the 30's. the Slno·Japanese War (1937-1945) was about founder of the cadet branch of Shilo-ryu to breakout, The natural consequence Ken wa Mabunl reported in the list of kala of that particular period is that Japanese in this text the Jion kata described with the compara It 10 FunakosN (phoro 5 from 1925), scholars were often compelled to give same phonetic characters previously used Chinese origins of the Jion temple: in to the militarist policy of the time, that by Giehin Funakosh1. But subsequently, In China and in Japan there are several disparaged Chinese culture and was modified the characters of Buddhist temples having the name of Jion. reluctant to any cultural exchange. the Jion kata for his own school that thus Among these, the oldest one is definitely On the territory of Japan, however, acquired the meaning of 'Sound of Mercy', the 'Great temple of Jlon' Da zj'en-si in there are only small shrines with the About the debate on Ihe writing of the language of Beijing, still tocated in Xi'an the same name, although it is interesting to name of Jlon, In the years immediately ancient Imperia! capital Chang'an today the observe that they refer to the spirituality preceding the outbreak of the Second capital of the Chinese province of ShanxI. of the oldest Chinese temple In Xi'an, In Sino-Japanese War, other schools of The complex of Xi'an coincides with an this regard I would like to highlight that the Karate sided for the interpretations Immense area of over 24 hectares, whose temple named JJon-ji Kannon located in (described above) of the two well-known temple was bui!\ in 648 AD by Gaozong IwatsukJ, a town about 40 km (25 miles) teachers, II so happened that, in Okinawa, (628-683), the third emperor of the Tang North of Tokyo, was built in 1942 following Choshin Chibana preferred for the Shorin­ dynasty in memory of the beautiful mother the diSCOVery of an apical relic that had ryu school the characters chosen by Zhangsun (601-636), who passing away belonged to the monk Xuan Zang in Funakoshi, while Hironori Otsuka chose prematurely but remembered as ~Civil, Nanjing, from where It was stolen during for the Wado-ryu school the ideograms Virtuous, Serene and Sacred" Wen·de· the war, Regarding the temple Jion-ji of indicated by Kenwa Mabuni. shun·sheng, Because of her reputation, Azuchl-cho in Omihachiman, about 50 km Still on this topic, I remember that the temple built in her honour was called North·East of Kyoto, I cannot comment some Western researchers translate the 'Mercy and Benevolence' Zi'en In Beijing because I could not go back to the ideograms of the Jion kata in a different language and Jion in Japanese, as the founding date, way. This is the case of Ennenegildo worship of a much loved and deified saint To conclude tl1is section. the most Camps and Santiago Cerezo who in under the name of Guanyln, Within this interesting thing to note is that, thanks to the their book report 'Temple Sound' or vast area there is also the great Wild Goose existence of a documeflt and a stele found 'Temple Noise'. In addition, Rob Redmond pagoda, built In 652 to commemorate the in the Shaolin Buddhist monastery of the introduces another translation with 'Mercy work of the monk Xuan Zang (602-664), Henan, this Chinese sect became OM of the of the Temple', who was a in India for frfteen ~~ most well·known thanks to the achievement As we can see, Gichin Funakoshi was of eleven religious communities spread in the first person who brought the concept various Chinese provinces, althOugh not all of 'Buddhist temple', si in Beijing language operating simultaneously, Just one of these and ji in Japanese, closer to the name Shaolin communities was housed in the of the Jion kata, In this way, Funakoshl ancient Impefial capital Chang'an, current Sensei could refer to Jion-ji as an "old and Xi'an, today capital of the Chinese province famous Buddhist temple~, Bearing this in of ShanxI. mind. I will try to explain the meaning of The main technical features of Jlon: the ideograms used by Funakoshl for the Having discovered the roots of Jilte homonymous kal a, and Ji'in - from which come Jion - I will About the new meaning thaI the explain in this last section some technical founder of the Shotokan school gave 10 features of this monastic kata, quoting Ihe name of Jion, many experts believe Gichin Funakoshi's book of 1935, about that Ihe Master had borrowed the first kanji the main features of Shorei kata (Jion, JUte, of the word 'compassion, mercy' ji-be; in Tekkl and Hangelsu): the Chinese language of Beijing and ji-hl "The following kata belong to Ihe Shorei in Japanese. It is a term common to the school. and the movements are sometimes Buddhist philosophy and to the Jain one: heavy in comparison to those of Ihe Shorin its root karuna comes from the Sanskrit school, but the position of the body is very and Pall languages. Sholokan groups. Masao Kagawa 8th JKS, bold. They offer a good physical training, 30