A pilgrim was walking a long road when one day he passed what seemed to be a monk sitting in a field. Nearby men were working on a stone building. “You look like a monk,” the pilgrim said. “I am that,” said the monk “Who is that working on the abbey?” “My monks,” said the man. “I’m the abbot.” “It’s good to see a monastery going up,” said the pilgrim. “They’re tearing it down,” said the abbot. “Whatever for?” asked the pilgrim. “So we can see the sun rise at dawn,” said the abbot. (Thomas Moore) Comprehensive Karate: From Beginner to Black Belt An Introduction to the History, Kata and Practice of Traditional Karate-Do By Michael J. Rosenbaum Copyright © Michael J. Rosenbaum 2008 Published by NETH Publishing The right of Michael J. Rosenbaum to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. NETH Publishing, PO Box 38, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 0GS, United Kingdom. www.iainabernethy.com This PDF may be freely distributed and made available for download providing the PDF is passed on as is and that nothing is removed or added. Any alteration to this PDF is strictly prohibited. Aside from non-commercial printouts of this PDF for personal use, written permission must be gained from NETH Publishing and the author before converting this PDF into any other media. This PDF and / or any resulting printout may not be altered in anyway without prior written permission from NETH Publishing. The reproduction of any material extracted from within this PDF is strictly prohibited, unless prior agreement in writing is gained from the author and publisher. All images in this pulication are either in the public domain or the copyrigtht of Iain Abernethy or Micheal Rosenbaum. Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted; should there be any omissions in this respect we apologize and shall be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgments in any future edition. Acknowledgements I wish to thank the following people for their help and assistance in the completion of this text. First and foremost I’d like to extend the deepest gratitude to my wife Jennifer, whose support and encouragement is a constant source of strength to me. Second I’d like to thank Mr. Ed Francisco, two time Pulitzer nominee, member of the Oxford Round table and fighter extraordinaire. Ed was gracious enough to edit this work in spite of the demands of his own writing and training. A very many thanks to Mr. Iain Abernethy world class karate-ka and kata expert, for making this text available on his website. It is through Iain’s teachings, books, seminars and DVD’s that the spirit of combative karate is being kept alive. And last but not least, thank you to the divine spirit for keeping me safe while I travel this wonderful adventure we call life. Dedication In Memory of Richard Zulauf and Robert D. Marrs. Citizen Soldiers who fought the Second World War, came home and then raised families. Contents Preface by Iain Abernethy Page 7 Foreword by Edward Francisco Page 8 Introduction: The Changing Face of Karate. Page 10 Chapter 1: Karate Page 11 Chapter 2: The Rise of Okinawan Civil Fighting Arts Page 13 Chapter 3: Tode: Forefather of Modern Karate Page 19 Chapter 4: The Empty Hand Art Page 21 Chapter 5: One Fighting Art Divided by Personal Tastes Page 28 Chapter 6: Lost in Translation: the Post War Styles Page 43 Chapter 7: The Soul of Karate: Kata Page 46 Chapter 8: Transcendence of Kata Page 51 Chapter 9: Okinawan Kobudo: From Swords to Boat Oars Page 59 Chapter 10: Karate, Zen, and the Budo Journey Page 71 Chapter 11: Karate: Sport or Self-Defense Page 80 Epilogue Page 90 End Notes Page 92 About the Author Page 94 Bibliography Page 95 Comprehensive Karate: From Beginner to Black Belt An Introduction to the History, Kata and Practice of Traditional Karate-Do By Michael J. Rosenbaum 6 Comprehensive Karate - Michael J. Rosenbaum Preface by Iain Abernethy t is a real pleasure to write this preface to Michael Rosenbaum’s book! Michael is a very I knowledgeable martial artist who is able to articulately and succinctly communicate that knowledge to his readers. I have really enjoyed Michael’s books and was therefore delighted when he joined the forum on my website (iainabernethy.com). I’ve been delighted with how the forum has developed over the years and it is the participation of senior martial artists such as Michael that has helped to make the forum what it is. A great community of pragmatically minded traditionalists has come together via the forum and the fact that it is a good source of quality information and discussion has led to it getting thousands of hits each and every day. Michael’s prolific contribution and his willingness to share his knowledge and experiences have made him one of the most popular and highly valued members of the forum. Many months ago, Michael informed me that he had written a book that he would like to give away to all the members and visitors to the site. Michael proposed that if I would typeset and prepare the text, he would be happy for the book to be given away to all those who wanted to read it. Having read the book – and it being apparent just how much work had gone in to it – I told Michael that I was totally happy to typeset the book, but that he should consider charging a nominal fee as a small recompense for the considerable labour he had obviously put into writing the book. As happy as I was that Michael wished to give the book away for free, I felt it would have been remiss of me if I did not suggest to this successful published author that he receive some recompense for all his efforts. Michael was firm that he wanted the book to be free of all charge so, my conscience appeased, I set about putting this e-book together. As is the way with almost everything I do, typesetting the book took longer than I anticipated due to other demands on my time. As we approached the end of 2008 the book was finally getting close to completion. I emailed Michael – who had been incredibly patient with me – and suggested that we release the book on Christmas day as a gift for everyone. Michael liked the idea of playing Santa and we agreed to set everything up so that the thousands of subscribers to the monthly newsletters would find a download link waiting for them in their in-box on Christmas morning! So that’s the story of the free e-book that you are now reading. I’m sure you’ll agree that Michael has been incredibly generous in making this book freely available to all. The old maxim of “you get what you pay for” does not hold true here! This is a truly great book on karate. The quality of information is sure to make this book fly around the web like wild fire! The fact it is free is simply a bonus. I know that you’re going to really enjoy reading this e-book and that, like me, you are sure to be grateful to Michael for taking the time to write this book and for his generosity in making it freely available to all. Iain Abernethy www.iainabernethy.com 7 Foreword by Edward Francisco s a historian of the Martial Arts, Michael Rosenbaum has few equals. His first three books A earned him accolades, awards, and a devoted readership. Rosenbaum’s status as both a fighter and a chronicler of the fighting arts is magnified in his most recent achievement: Comprehensive Karate: From Beginner to Blackbelt. In this newest work, the author acknowledges Karate’s fragmented status given its practitioners’ tendency to view it as one thing or another: a sport or an art of self defense or a form of spiritual enlightenment. Too, commercial incentives have all but transformed Karate into a many-headed monster of untamable proportions. Not only does Rosenbaum isolate the reasons for Karate’s current crisis of identity, but he also seeks to show how disparate features of this popular fighting art fit into a unified field of connections that can be traced to the origins of empty-handed fighting, especially self-defense arts practiced in Okinawa. The cultural transmission of knowledge is a recurring theme in Rosenbaum’s work. Such universals of Karate as kata offer an archetypal structure, a grammar, for transmitting essentials of the art while providing an opportunity for infinite variations. As with all practicable arts, Karate has mutated in response to historical and cultural forces. Karate is neither fixed nor static. The author provides many examples, but one particular instance shows the import of historical occasion in influencing the role and direction of Karate from its infancy to the present. In chapter two, the writer explains how Sho Shin’s fifteenth- century weapons ban spawned the development of empty-handed fighting arts on Okinawa. Later, however, the Samurai’s use of firearms during their 1609 invasion of Okinawa made Karate obsolete as a battlefield martial art, while enshrining the fighting form s a model of personal protection. Rosenbaum is quick to point out that Okinawa’s small land mass and low population hindered its ability “to amass a large military force, thereby making it subservient to China and Japan, two countries which had enormous impact on the evolution of the Okinawan martial arts.” Crucial to note is how important geography and geopolitical events where in Karate’s historical development and how syncresis, a blending of styles and traditions, provided the impetus for karate’s growth.