Further reading from Funakoshi Gichin's Tanpenshu

 

Today I began reading Funakoshi Gichin’s “Tanpenshu”, which I have had over 15 years, but I belive the last time I looked at it was in 2011 when I prepared this brief review.    https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2011/08/tanpenshu-untold-stories-by-funakoshi.html

 

Now many years later I have started to read it again, and once again I have proven my rule it often takes time before you understand what you are reading. I have proven that innumerable times to myself.

 

To clarify I do not represent Shotokan, of course I have read the Funakoshi writings, and many other JKA texts along with many times many articles about Shotokan and even more articles condeming Shotokan.

 

But in reality I have experienced the superior Bushi Shotokan of  Patrick Burns and a very different Shotokan of Tristan Sutrisno. Both of which are examples to emulate IMO.

 

What seems to me is that the critics of JKA Shotokan are not really understanding the very different layers of that Shotokan over the decades.

 

There is the Shotokan Funakoshi Gichin taught in 1922 in Japan, and which he described in his first book.

There is the Shotokan Funakoshi Gichin developed into a 4 year university club program.

An example of what Funakoshi created might be seen in the books of Mutsu in 1933. Expanded kata and extensive application studies.

There is the Shotokan Funakoshi Gichin, imo, nominally headed after the war which became the JKA.

I do wonder if the Shotokan of those University programs, and the instructors they trained for that, differed from the Shokan at their headquarters, for longer term students.

And  we have the JKA Shotokan after Funakoshi Gichin’s time

 

There can be a question if the Shotokan critics differentiated which Shotokan them meant with their criticisms.

 

I have questions if Shotokan teaches the passages from the Okinawan Bubishi, which Funakoshi always included in his books about his karate. I have seen the translations of those texts, but never heard of their inclusion in the various Shotokan programs. Then again I have seen little of Okinawan programs that included studies of the same texts.

 

But this time from the Tapenshu passage I am looking at something else. It contains Funakoshi Gichin’s thoughts on application of technique. Which is also extremely close to some of the Shotokan I experienced (but I am not an expert either)

 

“ Soshiki – Bunkai (I believe the latter term was incorporated by P. McCarthy to aid understanding.)The Systematic Analysis of Techniques for each Dan.

 

Once you have learned technique thoroughly, which are required for each Dan, you should analyze them. For instance: this movement belongs to this, that movement belongs to that, etc.

After completing this process, start training again using each theory. However, in the early stages of training, just relax and focus on learning the order of each technique. The after committing technique in memory you can gradually increase training to 70 or 80% of your power with big movements. If you practice with full strength from the beginning, you will surely have difficulties developing your skills. As your ability improves it will become easier to control your power, sometimes you can use 20 or 50%, etc…However, in the case of public demonstrations 70 or 80% power is suggested.

 

The variation I experienced was somewhat close to this, but with differences too.

 

It is interesting Funakoshi Sensei thought after the Dan learned the technique, then there should be analysis of same.

 

So many things to think on, and I only just saw this.