To be perfectly honest with you, there is no historical documentation to clarify
just exactly what Itosu Ankoh did or did not do. In fact, what we do have is
loosely based upon scant written records and "kuden" [oral tradition/hearsay].
TTYTT, hearsay is, at the best of times not reliable, and at the worst of times,
self-serving and suspect. Let me take a moment to share with you what I have
garnered from Japanese written accounts by Nakasone Genwa, Mabuni Kenwa,
Fujiwara Ryozo, Gima Shinken, and my own teacher Kinjo Hiroshi, as well as the
Japanese-to-English translation ["Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters"] my wife and
I carried out on behalf of Nagamine Shoshin, along with the observations of my
colleagues Iwai Tsukuo and Joe Swift, and that of John Michael Purves.
Born in 1831, Itosu Ankoh came from Keimochi [aristocracy; a family with a
chronicled lineage, wealth and position] and had been retained by the Royal
Family as an administrator until 1879, when the king [Sho Tai-O] abdicated, the
Kingdom was abolished and the "chiken" [prefecture system] was established. Born
in Giboh, a neighborhood of Yamakawa village in the old castle capitol of Shuri,
Itosu Ankoh, like all first born boys of aristocracy, studied Chinese and read
Confucian Classics, learned calligraphy, horsemanship, and the martial arts
[archery, swordsmanship and Hsing/Kata---as a form of human movement] for
physical fitness and self-defense. According to most written accounts Itosu
Ankoh and Azato Ankoh had been friends since childhood. Being from a privileged
family opened many doors of opportunity for this young man. Over the course of
his martial arts studies he came into contact and learned under at least three
of the island's most revered authorities of his generation; Bushi Matsumura of
Shuri, Bushi Nagahama of Naha & Bushi Gusukuma of Tomari. There is even reason
to consider that he may have studied under others, too. Growing into a strong
young man Itosu Ankoh stood five feet tall [common height for Okinawan men of
that era], but, by all written accounts, was heavyset and quite well known for
his powerful punching skills. Several stories have been passed down about his
physical prowess; He could withstand tremendous blows to his arms and torso with
thick wooden poles, he could crush green bamboo in his bare hands, and leverage
a rampaging bull to the ground. After sitting for his entrance exams in 1854 he
was retained by the government as a civil servant where he spent the next
twenty-five years in the service of the King. With the political influence of
his childhood friend, Azato Ankoh, Itosu was ultimately able to ascend to the
position of sanshikan-chu [assistant to one of Okinawa's top three ministers].
Itosu Ankoh passed away at eighty-five years old on 26 January 1915 and was
posthumously given the Buddhist name, Kenmyooin Kooen Sootoku Shinshi;
representing that for which he stood, "virtue, values and principles".
As early as 1875, Itosu began to consider his future role with the government as
Sanshikan Giwan Choho became a political scapegoat and the naimusho [Japan's
Home Affairs Ministry] began establishing its offices in Naha and exercising
authority over policing, the justice system, and overseas travel. Losing both
his royal retainership and government stipend, Itosu was only forty-eight years
old when the kingdom was finally brought to an end in 1879. In spite of a
gradual shift of all important governmental positions being handed over to the
Japanese, Itosu was able to remain politically active with the newly formed
Prefectural Government for another six years until 1885. Over the succeeding
years [1879 to 1895] he maintained his training as he watched as the seat of
power shift from his hometown in the old castle capitol at Shuri to the newly
constructed government buildings in Naha. He had just turned sixty years old
when Narahara Kogoro (Shigeru) was appointed Okinawa's 8th Governor of Okinawa
in 1892. Fortunately, Itosu had known Narahara for the preceding two decades as
the later had been originally dispatched to Okinawa by the Shimazu family in
Satsuma [present day kagoshima] as hanshi [Chief Retainer] to prepare the island
for its transformation. Overseeing the island's administration from 1892 thru
1908 Narahara dominated Okinawan politics and, unlike his predecessors, gained
much popularity as a reformist, except for some turbulence during the
mismanagement over his Reclamation-Cultivation Plan. From 1896 Itosu bore
witness to major shifts in land and tax reform, the introduction of military
conscription, and the beginning of the reorganization of Okinawa's districts,
which ultimately lead to their electoral system which gave Okinawa five
representatives in the Japanese Diet. This was also a radical period of military
escalation during which the Sino-Japanese War [1894-95] occurred and Japan
occupied Formosa/Taiwan, followed by war with Russia [1904-1905] and the
annexation of Korea, by 1910. Between 1899 and the pre-war years an estimated
72,789 Okinawans fled the island, the largest numbers heading to places like
Hawaii, the Philippines, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and Singapore.
Nagamine Shoshin wrote, "In 1890 [1891] the military draft system was invoked in
Okinawa. Three of the first men to pass the acceptance examination were students
of Itosu Ankoh, namely Yabu Kentsu, Hanashiro Chomo and Kudeken Kenyu. What most impressed the army doctors about these three men during their medical
examinations was their incredible physical condition. Because of this Toudi
(karate) was considered as an adjunct to the phys'ed curriculum of Okinawa's
school system."
Although there is no historical documentation outlining what happened over the
next decade I don't think anybody has to be a rocket scientist to figure out the
natural flow of events following that. Considering his family background, former
position as a aid to the king, and being the teacher of Yabu, Hanashiro and
Kudeken, he would have most certainly been considered one of the most likely
candidates, if not the only candidate, to chair a committee for popularizing
karate [kata]. At least, that's how I see it. As I have written before,
elsewhere, the mere possibility that such combative-exercise might improve the
physical prowess [i.e. combative readiness] of conscripts must have appealed
favorably to the Japanese military [who were gearing up for war with China &
Russia], and as it would also ultimately appeal to the Ministry of Education,
too [what better place to foster, cultivate and nurture such skills?]. Making a
deduction from this abstract, and combining it with the fact that a similar idea
was already in the works on the mainland [Judo was introduced into the school
system in 1883, and Kendo by 1911], I am sure Itosu must understood not only
what opportunity lie at his feet but what it would mean to Okinawan culture,
too.
A cursory read through his 1908 letter [allegedly to the Dai Nippon Butokukai,
the Ministry of Education and the Department of War] makes it perfectly obvious
as to the cultural mindset and his personal intentions. I can only further
speculate that the experience he later gained from trying to teach classical
kata [i.e. advanced and complex physical skills] to large groups of
less-then-perfect beginner-level adolescent learners, provided him with the
necessary groundwork to organize less difficult interpretations of existing
kata; hence, the modification of classical kata and the emergence of shorter and
simplified exercises.
It's rather obvious that his plan was, at least in part, based on the Victorian
notion that combative-like sports were not only a good way of teaching the
working-class youth to be fair-minded, confident, courteous, and peaceful
[summed up in the name Pinan] they also served as the perfect vehicle through
which to funnel social conformity and patriotism which was highly favored in
Japan's male-dominated and nationalistic climate.
[The following Japanese-to-English translation of Itosu's 1908 "Ten Precepts,"
was carried out by my wife/then fiancée, and I in 1987.]
Karate did not descend from Buddhism or Confucianism. In the olden days two
schools of karate, namely the Shorin and Shorei style, were introduced from
China. Both support sound principles and it is vital that they be preserved and
not altered. Therefore, I will mention here what one must know about karate.
1. Karate does not only endeavor to discipline one's physique. If and when the
necessity occurs to fight for just cause karate provides the fortitude in which
to risk ones own life in support of that campaign. It is not meant to be
employed against a single adversary but rather as a means of avoiding the use of
one's hands and feet in the event of a potentially dangerous encounter with a
ruffian or a villain.
2. The primary purpose of karate-training is to strengthen the human muscles
making the physique strong like iron and stone; so that one can use the hands
and feet like weapons such as a spear or halberd. In doing so karate-training
cultivates bravery and velour in children and it should be encouraged in our
elementary schools. Don't forget what the Duke of Wellington said after
defeating Emperor Napoleon: "Today's victory was first achieved from the
discipline attained on the play-grounds of our elementary schools."
3. Karate cannot be adequately learned in a short space of time. Like a torpid
bull regardless of how slowly it moves it will eventually cover a thousand
miles. So too, for one who resolves to study diligently two or three hours
everyday. After three or four years of unremitting effort one's body will
undergo a great transformation revealing the very essence of karate.
4. One of the most important issues in karate is the training of the hands and
the feet. Therefore one must always make use of the "makiwara" in order to
develop them thoroughly. In order to do this effectively lower the shoulders,
open the lungs, focus your energy, firmly grip the ground to root your posture
and sink your "Qi" commonly referred to as one's life force or intrinsic force
into your "tanden" (just below the naval). Following this procedure perform one
to two hundred "tsuki" (thrusts) with each hand everyday.
5. One must maintain an upright position in the training postures of karate. The
back should be straight, loins pointing upward with the shoulders down, while
maintaining a pliable power in your legs. Relax and bring together the upper and
lower parts of the body with the qi force focused in your tanden.
6. Handed down by word of mouth karate comprises a myriad of techniques and
corresponding meanings. Resolve to independently explore the context of these
techniques, observing the principles of "torite" (theory of usage), and the
practical applications will be more easily understood.
7. In karate training one must determine whether the specific application is
suitable for defense or for cultivating the body.
8. Intensity is an important issue for karate training. To visualize that one is
actually engaged on the battlefield during training does much to enhance
progression. Therefore, the eye's should dispatch fierceness while lowering the
shoulders and contracting the body when blocking delivering a blow. Training in
this spirit prepares one for actual combat.
9. The amount of training must be in proportion to one's physical reservoir of
strength and condition. Excessive practice is harmful to one's body and can be
recognized when the face and eye's become red.
10. Participants of karate usually enjoy a long and healthy life thanks to the
benefits of unremitting training. Practice strengthens muscle and bone, improves
the digestive organs and regulates blood circulation. Therefore, if the study
of karate were introduced into our (athletic) curricula from elementary school
and practiced extensively we could more easily produce men of immeasurable
defense capabilities.
With these teachings in mind, it is my conviction that if the students at the
"Shihan Chugakko" (old name of Okinawa's teachers college) practice (karate)
they could, after graduation, introduce karate at the local levels; namely
elementary schools. In this way karate could be disseminated throughout the
entire nation and not only benefit people in general but also serve as a
enormous asset to our military forces.
By 1901, at seventy-years old, Itosu Ankoh introduced classical kata [as a from
of human movement] at Shuri Primary School. While there is virtually nothing
written about it there can be little doubt that the commonly accepted custom of
one-on-one private instruction away from the preying eyes of on-lookers must
have challenged this innovator enormously when trying to impart advanced and
complex physical skills to large groups of less-then-perfect beginner adolescent
learners. Including the kata he had learned from his sources in Shuri, Naha and
Tomari [Matsumura, Nagahama and Gusukuma] the following exercises were known to have been the principal forms collected and studied in and around the old castle
capitol of Shuri during Itosu's generation: Bassai, Chinte, Chintou, Jitte,
Jiin, Jion, Kusanku, Naifanchi, Rohai, Seisan Useishi [Gojushiho], Wankan, and
Wanshu. Over the next four years I believe that Itosu called upon the assistance
of others and worked diligently modifying his teaching practices to better
accommodate those new and challenging teaching outcomes that faced him. In spite
of the new changes to Okinawa's school system, the master continued on as
part-time teacher and in April of 1905 he "officially" introduced a modified set
of karate-like exercise called Pinan at both Okinawa's First-Junior Prefectural
High School as well as the Shihan Gakko [Teacher's College].
There has been much discussion over which older templates preceded the
development of the Pinan kata, Kusanku sho, Bassai sho and Naihanchi nidan and
sandan and, let's not forget Itosu Rohai sho, ni and sandan, too. The following
is "my" take on the issue.
First of all let's look at what written "testimony" there is available. The name
Channan, appears in an article entitled, "Itosu Sensei and the Pinan," which was
actually the editor's transcription of an interview conducted with Motobu Choki
at his Daidokan dojo in Tokyo's Hongo district, published in Nakasone Genwa's
1934 "Karate Kenkyu"; Vol #1, edited by Karate Kenkyu-sha & Published by
Kobukan, Tokyo, pp20/22. Translated by my wife and myself in 1999, it reads: "I
liked Bugei since childhood and I learned from many teachers. I studied under
Itosu Sensei over the period of seven or eight years, between the ages of 17 or
18, and 24 or 25 years old. He lived in Urasoe's Takushi district before moving
to Nakashima, Ufushinume in Naha. He also moved to Shikina, and then resided at
the villa of Baron (Udun) Ie, before spending his final days in Chugakko-shita
district. I visited sensei while he lived at Chugakushita, and chatted about
Budo and other things. While I was there three of his students dropped by and
joined us. Sensei asked them to demonstrate kata for me. The kata they performed
was quite similar to the "Channan" that I had learned long ago but differed
slightly. When I asked the students what kata it was they told me it was
"Pinan". After they left I asked, "Why the differences between the Channan that
I learned and the Pinan the other students demonstrated? Sensei answered, "The
Kata is slightly different from your time but the one which the students
demonstrated is presently the official version. As my younger students seem to
prefer the name Pinan, I agreed to go with their opinion." Based on this
testimony, it would appear as if the kata was the same as that which Motobu had
learned during the years he studied with Itosu [although Motobu is not known for
EVER having practiced or taught Pinan kata] but has been modified.
In 1974 Mabuni Kenwa's student, Sakagami Ryusho [Itosu-ha Shito Ryu] wrote [p7
"Karatedo Taikan Pinan"] "Master Itosu did away with many of the traditional
steps of various kata and from his research, expanded on these kata to produce
popular kata tailored for beginners. These new kata were first called Channan,
but were later entitled Pinan. Within the Karate-do kata today, these new kata
are being widely disseminated as they are perfect for beginners trying to grasp
the basic standards of karate-do. The Pinan kata presently taught in different
schools are basically the same. there are some variations which are probably a
result of passing these teachings down from generation to generation over a long
period of time." Sakagami Ryusho also wrote, in his 1978 book [p26 of "Karatedo
Taikan"] that Qi Jiguan's 1561 "Ji Xiao Xin Shu" may have been the document from
which Itosu's idea for the Pinan kata came, and he also makes mention of
Yoshimura's Channan. Kinjo Sensei wrote a series of articles on the Pinan kata
in Gekkan Karatedo magazine back in the mid 1950s. In the first installment he
wrote that the Pinan kata were originally called Channan, and there were some
technical differences between Channan and the updated versions known as Pinan.
Quoting my teacher from Gekkan Karatedo, Joe swift wrote, "Miyagi Hisateru, a
former student of Itosu who graduated from the Okinawa Prefectural Normal School
in 1916, stated that when he was studying under the old master, Itosu only
really taught the first three Pinan with any real enthusiasm, and that the last
two seem to have been rather neglected at that time. Motobu Choki's son,
Chosei, describes their kata Shirakuma as being previously called Channan! In my
collection of articles received from Ernest Estrada we can also find testimony
reporting the existence in Kyoda Juhatsu's To-On Ryu of two fundamental
exercises for receiving and impacting known as Channan. In my own 1999 book
entitled, "Ancient Okinawan MA's Vol #2, in the section called "Standing on the
Shoulders of Giants," originally written in 1992 and first published in 1993] I
wrote: According to Fujiwara Ryozo, Mabuni Kenwa learned Naifuanchin kata from a
student of Matsumura Sokon named Matayoshi. When Mabuni demonstrated the kata
for his teacher, Itosu, Itosu said that it resembled the kata Channan he learned
from the Chinese in Tomari. However, in seeking to establish a standard everyone
would follow, Itosu suggested that Mabuni practice the modern version Mabuni had
learned. Speaking about Channan, some people have said he was a Chan (Zen in
Japanese) monk, others say he was a former Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) official,
even a gongfu teacher who fled China after the Boxer Rebellion in 1900,
[possibly even Chintou, or perhaps Anan!] Perhaps he was all three! Whatever the
case, it is said that Channan left a secret book on gongfu with Itosu, a book
that allegedly influenced him significantly. Some say this book was the Bubishi
that Mabuni had hand-copied and then published in 1934. Others say it was a copy
of Qi Jiguan's 1561 "Ji Xiao Xin Shu," a book from which Itosu's idea for the
Pinan kata came. However, no one can be sure because Channan's mysterious book
has never surfaced
In spite of all the wonderful food for thought this "testimony" provides, the
simple truth is that no one knows for sure!
Many years ago I established a working theory [please see my
HAPV-theory/two-person drills] that kata were not originally meant to teach
self-defense, but rather were a series of mnemonic templates linked together
culminating the lesson already imparted. If one understands and follows this
theory it should be quite easy to recognize what I call individual templates.
With that in mind, all it need do is contrast those individual templates that
make up the [original] Pinan kata, with the long-standing classical kata extant
during Itosu's generation [Bassai, Chinte, Chintou, Jitte, Jiin, Jion, Kusanku,
Naifanchi, Rohai, Seisan Useishi [Gojushiho], Wankan, and Wanshu, etc.] to find
the their original source. My point in this entire issue is quite simple, if
someone rearranges a few existing templates here and there, or perhaps even
makes a new configuration using existing templates, does that constitute a new
kata [especially when there is no defensive application passed along with
it/them]? Based on this simple cross comparison, I think the "mystery" should be
solved. I don't think there's much argument to the fact that "Itosu's" kata were
meant to be anything more than fundamental exercises to promote physical fitness
and help serve as an adjunct to funnel social conformity. A special note for
those who are either incapable, or not wanting to
"think/venture-outside-the-box;" Don't get too caught up on the "That's not the
way we do it!", or, "Where's the jump", etc. Remember that various forces have
effected and influenced the way kata has been performed throughout the ages
which has resulted in a myriad of interpretations; each, of course, being
someone's or some style's "original!"
May I conclude this discussion by challenging the concerned reader to take a
look at the ritualized templates that make up the "Sho" versions of Bassai and
Kusanku, the two "extra" parts of Naihanchi [nidan and sandan] and, the "Itosu"
Rohai sho, ni and sandan [if you know them], for the purpose of identifying
their original sources in the previously mention kata [Bassai, Chinte, Chintou,
Jitte, Jiin, Jion, Kusanku, Naifanchi, Rohai, Seisan Useishi---Gojushiho]?
Nagamine Shoshin wrote; "It is clearly evident that Itosu did not act alone in
his bid to modernize [modify] karate [kata] in Okinawa. The development of
modern karatedo owes its thanks to the efforts of many people." As we do not
for certain know who those other people were, I don't think it would be too much
to consider that Itosu most probably called upon the assistance of his peers and
or possibly even his senior students to help assist in the modification process.
Nagamine recounted an interesting story about Itosu Ankoh [in his book," Tales
of Okinawa's Greatest Masters]: "Of the many symbols representing the Itosu
family's regard for spiritualism was an icon at the center of the family shrine
which read Keiten (Respect Heaven). In the tokonoma (alcove) there hung a silk
scroll with a masterfully brushed Ryukyuan poem which read: 'by honoring the
virtue of respect one will never lose direction, even during a generation of
deteriorating values.' In describing the home of Grandmaster Itosu I am reminded
that is was Oshiro Chojo (1888-1939), a prominent master of Yamaneryu bojutsu
who also learned karate under Itosu Sensei, who first told me about his
teacher's house in Ounak-cho. From a home, which placed enormous importance upon
traditional values, came Itosu Ankoh, a gracious man of profound virtue."
Itosu's most visible students read like a "who's who" of the Golden Age of
Karate: Kyan Chotoku, Yabu Kentsu, Hanashiro Chomo, Gusukuma Shimpan, Oshiro
Chojo, Tokuda Anbun, Yabiku Moden, Funakoshi Gichin, Mabuni Kenwa, Motobu Choki, Chibana Choshin, and Nakamura Shigeru. My own teacher, Kinjo Hiroshi, enjoyed the privilege of learning directly under no less than four of those direct
students: Hanashiro Chomo, Gusukuma Shimpan, Tokuda Anbun and Oshiro Chojo.
I wanted to lay this groundwork before you in order to establish something of
Okinawa's domestic, economic and political landscape. I think it always help a
student make more informed choices when such information is known. I hope this
explanation helps make the issue clearer.
Patrick McCarthy
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