Karate changes after Funakoshi Ginchin went to Japan

 I often hear discussion how Funakoshi Ginchin watered down karate when he taught in Japan. Oft times it is remarked that he was teaching children’s karate. I believe this is a misstatement of his role.

 

Yes, he as a former teacher did teach the young on Okinawa. but not the youth karate program, he taught privately.   Yes he was a student of Itosu Anko and adopted Itosu Sensei’s kata curricula. But we should look closer at what he was doing in Japan.

 

Going to Japan at the request of the Crown Prince, and others such as Kano Jigero, he wanted to present his art to Japan properly. Then he stayed and began instruction of some students. For those student’s he prepared his first book, most likely to assist them. Then staying in Japan republished that book with photo’s.

 

 

But he chose to include karate instruction in the Universities, and even the Naval War College. It is disgenious to call those students children . They were for the most part adults. I imagine more than a few had background including judo, Kendo and other Japanese Arts. Think about that, Japan being a rigid structured society the students were in college to prepare for lives in Business, professions, roles in Civil Service and the Military. They found a reason to train to increase the value of their life in school, I imagine.

 

Now karate was for the most part a 4 year and out program. Few expected to continue their studies beyond college. They were for the most part more focused on their careers I expect in those days.

 

The nature of those programs probably meant that what could be addressed was limited. Both due to time, and what students could learn in those ‘times’. I imagine the focus on fundamentals and very less applications were a result of that reality.

 

So consider the program 25% new students, 50% advancing students and another 25% focusing on life after college. Certainly training, but moving along in life the most important thing in their life.  Now with several programs running at different schools much of the time would be focused on beginning karate. Likewise less time on personal training.  And then focusing on those developing instructor to mostly train beginning and slightly more advanced students.

 

Funakoshi Sensei was not a young man. And while he may have focused on his son and a few others, between the war and death for other reasons. Other levels of instruction probably were not a priority.

 

He certainly showed them in his writings, but it seems they did not become a focus for the developing JKA.  Then after the war, while he stayed involved through his 80’s and into 90, he probably focused on those 4 and out university systems.

 

I do not find those programs worthless, just different from the focus on Okinawa.

 

Teaching children likely didn’t become a reality in even Japan until the later years.