Wednesday, October 27, 2021

School Karate on Okinawa

 Translated from Japanese into English with Bing Translate.

https://hubokinawa.jp/archives/10565?fbclid=IwAR0Q-wlR-Se4_0hq5x9hbjod_VKty7vKB2tCfh7fhynV4L76E-Gr0Bo4gIU



1937 Karate Enbu at Daiji Junior High School in Okinawa Prefecture

 

 In the past, karate was not learned by everyone. Karate and hand (tee) that existed as a self-defense martial art to protect the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom were martial arts that were transmitted only to a limited number of people.

 

 

As an opportunity for the introduction of physical education classes to the general public

 

In Okinawa, karate was introduced as a physical education class for school education in the Meiji era, and it is said that it is an opportunity to spread to the general public. The first school was established in Okinawa in 1880, and gymnastics classes began in 1885. Karate began in 1905 under the guidance of Yasutsune Itosu at a junior high school in Okinawa Prefecture. Itosu Yasutsune brought together five forms of "Heian" in order to teach and disseminate the forms transmitted from the old school to young students. This is a systematized physical education technique except for the dangerous technique of the key point attack.

 

From the Meiji period, famous karate artists such as Itosu Yasutsune, Higashi-Onna Kanshu, Miyagi Nagajun, Hanashiro Nagamo, Funakoshi Yoshichin, Joma Mamotsu, Kyoda Shigeaki, Tokuda Yasufumi, etc. provided karate guidance at the school, and in the Taisho period, many karate artists worked as martial arts teachers at Okinawa Prefectural Daiichi Junior High School, Okinawa Prefectural Normal School, Okinawa Prefectural Normal School, Okinawa Prefectural Industrial School, Naha City Commercial School, and Okinawa Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry School. After that, it is said that events such as sports festivals and arts festivals were frequently presented outside of classes, and it became the basis for the spread of karate in Okinawa.

 

After the war, Yutaka Kinjo (1919-2015), who was instrumental in spreading karate on the mainland, entered Okinawa Prefectural Daiichi Junior High School in 1931 and studied under Yasufumi Tokuda, an advisor to the Karate Department at the time. At that time, there was no karate clothing, and it was performed in gym clothes. Karate clothes were made using judo clothes as a model, and as for road clothes, it was transmitted from the mainland to Okinawa contrary to karate.



From the Okinawa Daiichi Junior High School Graduation Commemorative Photo Album (1948), Dr. Yasufumi Tokuda and Yutaka Kinjo (2nd from right standing)

 

 It was due to such a series of flows that there were many educators and teachers in karate artists who had played a leading role in the Okinawa karate world after the war.

 

 

There are many teachers who can teach karate at school sites.

 Next year, 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Funakoshi Yoshichin's introduction of karate to the mainland. On the mainland, Yoshichin Funakoshi taught mainly at universities and became popular. Therefore, karate spread from the school site called junior high school in Okinawa and university in the mainland.

 

 

With regard to martial arts education in schools, it seems to be fresh in my memory that the Ministry of Education introduced karate in addition to kendo and judo as a compulsory physical education correction section at 10,400 junior high schools nationwide since 2012 with the aim of becoming more familiar with japan's unique traditions and culture through martial arts. Currently, there are more than 180 schools as of its introduction in 2012. By 2020, there will be more than 400 schools, and by the end of FISCAL 2023, we have more than doubled the target of implementation at 900 schools.

 

 

However, this does not reach as many as 10 percent of the whole even if it sees nationwide. In comparison, 135 junior high schools in Okinawa Prefecture were implemented in 2019, and there are more than 90% of junior high schools in the prefecture. The reason may be that there are many teachers in Okinawa who can teach karate at school sites.



 

 Karate initiatives at Konan Gakuen (junior high school and high school), which are also known for baseball Koshien, are particularly famous, and there is a karate dojo in the school where the karate club is in the middle and high schools, and it is said that students will wear karate like a black belt (first dan) when graduating. Ryo Kitana, a karate and men's gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, is a graduate of Konan High School. By the way, former boxing world champion Gushiken High School is also from Konan High School. Even now, karate instructors are dispatched as lecturers from dojos in each prefecture of the All Japan Karate Federation during physical education karate classes.

 

My junior high school days

 

 Finally, I would like to introduce my memories of my first year of junior high school (1981). The boy will do the form of karate by the school year event of the athletic meet. The first junior high school in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, where I attended, was a mammoth school with 15 classes in the first grade. About 240 people performed a group karate program, but the jacket of the physical education clothes was taken off, and Hachimaki was wrapped around the head barefoot. This figure is almost the same as the karate class (enbu) of Okinawa Prefectural Dai-ni Junior High School left in the early Showa era.



1981 Sports Day 1 Junior High School in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture Front row right author (Aihara)

 

 The author had learned Okinawa orthodox karate of Toyama Hirokenden from the third grade of elementary school, and had just taken the black belt (first step supplement) in the summer before the athletic meet. Two of my friends who went to the karate class like myself were generals, so I rolled a long Hachimaki on my head and took the lead. The shape moved one movement according to the sound of the drum, and the spirit was put in each movement. The first-year men's group karate "Fire Dragon" originated from junior high school physical education classes in Okinawa.

 

 

In Okinawa, there are many opportunities to touch karate on a daily basis at school events, festivals, weddings, etc., including classes, which is different from the mainland. The Tokyo Olympics lasted to make karate known all over the world. Karate classes based on martial arts education in junior high schools will be a familiar opportunity to actually experience karate. I want you to find out the fun of karate from there and continue it for the life.

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