Karate History
Most Western students of Asian martial arts, if they have done any
research on the subject at all, will surely have come across
references to Bodhidharma. He is known as "Daruma" in Japan and as
often as not, this Indian Buddhist monk is cited as the prime
source for all martial arts styles or at the vary least, for any
style which traces its roots back to the fabled Shaolin Temple.
However, the question of his contributions to the martial arts and
to Zen Buddhism and even of his very existence has been a matter of
controversy among historians and martial arts scholars for many
years (Spiessbach,1992).
As legend has it, the evolution of karate began over a thousand
years ago, possibly as early as the fifth century BC when
Bodhidharma arrived in Shaolin-si (small forest temple), China from
India and taught Zen Buddhism. He also introduced a systematized
set of exercises designed to strengthen the mind and body,
exercises which allegedly marked the beginning of the Shaolin style
of temple boxing. Bodhidharma's teachings later became the basis
for the majority of Chinese martial arts. In truth, the origins of
karate appear to be somewhat obscure and little is known about the
early development of karate until it appeared in Okinawa.
Okinawa is a small island of the group that comprises modern day
Japan. It is the main island in the chain of Ryuku Islands which
spans from Japan to Taiwan. Surrounded by coral, Okinawa is
approximately 10 km (6 mi) wide and only about 110 km (less than 70
mi) long. It is situated 740 km (400 nautical mi) east of mainland
China, 550 km (300 nautical miles) south of mainland Japan and an
equal distance north of Taiwan. Being at the crossroads of major
trading routes, its significance as a "resting spot" was first
discovered by the Japanese. It later developed as a trade centre
for southeastern Asia, trading with Japan, China, Indo China,
Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and the Philippines.
In its earliest stages, the martial art known as "karate" was an
indigenous form of closed fist fighting which was developed in
Okinawa and called Te, or 'hand'. Weapons bans, imposed on the
Okinawans at various points in their history, encouraged the
refinement of empty-hand techniques and, for this reason, was
trained in secret until modern times. Further refinement came with
the influence of other martial arts brought by nobles and trade
merchants to the island.
Te continued to develop over the years, primarily in three Okinawan
cities: Shuri, Naha and Tomari. Each of these towns was a centre to
a different sect of society: kings and nobles, merchants and
business people, and farmers and fishermen, respectively. For this
reason, different forms of self-defense developed within each city
and subsequently became known as Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te.
Collectively they were called Okinawa-Te or Tode, 'Chinese hand'.
Gradually, karate was divided into two main groups: Shorin-ryu
which developed around Shuri and Tomari and Shorei-ryu which came
from the Naha area. "It is important to note, however, that the
towns of Shuri, Tomari, Naha are only a few miles apart, and that
the differences between their arts were essentially ones of
emphasis, not of kind. Beneath these surface differences, both the
methods and aims of all Okinawan karate are one in the same"
(Howard, 1991). Gichin Funakoshi goes further to suggest that these
two styles were developed based on different physical requirements
Funakoshi, 1935). Shorin-ryu was quick and linear with natural
breathing while Shorei-ryu emphasized steady, rooted movements with
breathing in synchrony with each movement. Interestingly, this
concept of two basic styles also exist in kung-fu with a similar
division of characteristics (Wong, 197
.
(Nakaya,1986)
The Chinese character used to write Tode could also be pronounced
'kara' thus the name Te was replaced with kara te - jutsu or
'Chinese hand art' by the Okinawan Masters. This was later changed
to karate-do by Gichin Funakoshi who adopted an alternate meaning
for the Chinese character for kara, 'empty'. From this point on the
term karate came to mean 'empty hand'. The Do in karate-do means
'way' or 'path', and is indicative of the discipline and philosophy
of karate with moral and spiritual connotations.
The concept of Do has been prevalent since at least the days of the
Okinawan Scholar Teijunsoku born in 1663, as this passage from a
poem he wrote suggests:
No matter how you may excel in the art of te,
And in your scholastic endevours,
Nothing is more important than your behavior
And your humanity as observed in daily life.
(Nagamine,1976)
The first public demonstration of karate in Japan was in 1917 by
Gichin Funakoshi, at the Butoku-den in Kyoto (Hassell 1984). This,
and subsequent demonstrations, greatly impressed many Japanese,
including the Crown-Prince Hirohito, who was very enthusiastic
about the Okinawan art. In 1922, Dr. Jano Kano, founder of the
Japanese art of Judo, invited Funakoshi to demonstrate at the
famous Kodokan Dojo and to remain in Japan to teach karate. This
sponsorship was instrumental in establishing a base for karate in
Japan. As an Okinawan "peasant art," karate would have been scorned
by the Japanese without the backing of so formidable a martial arts
master (Maliszewski, 1992).
Today there are four main styles of karate-do in Japan: Goju-ryu,
Shito-ryu, Shotokan, and Wado-ryu:
Goju-ryu developed out of Naha-te, its popularity primarily due to
the success of Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915). Higaonna opened a dojo
in Naha using eight forms brought from China. His best student,
Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953) later founded Goju-ryu, 'hard soft way'
in 1930. In Goju-ryu much emphasis is placed on combining soft
circular blocking techniques with quick strong counter attacks
delivered in rapid succession.
Shito-ryu was founded by Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952) in 1928 and was
influenced directly by both Naha-te and Shuri-te. The name Shito is
constructively derived from the combination of the Japanese
characters of Mabuni's teachers' names - Ankoh Itosu and Kanryo
Higaonna. Shito-ryu schools use a large number of kata, about
fifty, and is characterized by an emphasis on power in the
execution of techniques.
Shotokan was founded by Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) in Tokyo in
1938. Funakoshi is considered to be the founder of modern karate.
Born in Okinawa, he began to study karate with Yasutsune Azato, one
of Okinawa's greatest experts in the art. In 1921 Funakoshi first
introduced Karate to Tokyo. In 1936, at nearly 70 years of age, he
opened his own training hall. The dojo was called Shotokan after
the pen name used by Funakoshi to sign poems written in his youth.
Shotokan Karate is characterized by powerful linear techniques and
deep strong stances.
Wado-ryu, 'way of harmony', founded in 1939 is a system of karate
developed from jujitsu and karate by Hienori Otsuka as taught by
one of his instructors, Gichin Funakoshi. This style of karate
combines basic movements of jujitsu with techniques of evasion,
putting a strong emphasis on softness and the way of harmony or
spiritual discipline.