It is not
entirely clear to be exactly what the earlier art(s?) which were re-named
karate exactly were used for. But it is very clear by 1870 when Japan took over
control of Okinawa, removing the king of Okinawa to Japan, the original purpose
of those art(s?) was no longer needed.
So the training
became more of a preserving our class type of thing. Not changing what was
studied, just no longer for an actual function. And they were not studying
karate because the people needed self defense?
Itosu Anko came
up with a new idea. Namely that a version of karate could be taught in the
schools because Okinawan youth needed better preparation for eventual service
in the Japanese military, not for karate, but to be able to follow orders for
training. So something new was tried and it found a place. In time others took
the same approach, sharing a bit of their karate with youth.
But that a new
idea could work gave rise to other new ideas. Not the first, but a focused
disporia of karate training to Japan gave rise to another idea. Karate could
make a new purpose, to train young men attending university. Various forms of
karate shaped into something that could be learned in a 4 year program began to
take form. Those graduates of course moved on into many careers, and in turn
eventually formed schools based off of
those karate experiences. First focused on developing instructors to run those
4 year programs, then developing those programs for the few who could continue
that training.
It was a new
form of the former Okinawan art, now a Japanese art.
But on Okinawa
as time passed, new things were happening. Some instructors after teaching
children took the Itosu Pinan kata into their programs.
Among Karate
research groups other simpler forms were created and adopted in some programs.
Feedback from the Japanese karate community convinced them that Karate should
be renamed Karate to not offend Japanese sensibilities. Other projects were
looking into the development of simple karate kata to be used of possible
public karate training. (the 10 kata developed are seen in Nagasone’s Karate Do
Koyhan.) but they were not formally adopted by Okinawan karate.
Then WWII occurred,
and many things changed. For one thing almost the senior generation of
instructors perished, both on Okinawa and on Japan karate took on new shapes
for new reasons in each location.
And as karate
continued to move into the world more and more changes occurred, even to this
day. Each insistent their way is right.
And while
service is paid to taking the time to read what the earlier instructors of
these developing arts wrote, there is literally no real discussion of those
writings. Each group goes on continuing to find their way, but I question how
deeply they take the time to look at what was shared of the past.?
A brief
suggestion of some of what has been written about prior arts and what earlier
karate looked like.
“The
Secret Royal Martial Arts of Ryukyu”By Kanenori Sakon Matsuo
Itoman
Seijin (Morinobu’s) book Toudi-jutsu no Kenkyu translated by Mario
McKenna
Funakoshi Ginchin: The recent translation of ‘Karate Jutsu’
The translation of the Karate-Do Koyan
Motobu's books: Japanese reproduction and Patrick McCarthy translation
Mabuni Kenwa, translations of his 1933-1934 publications Mario Mckenna
Kobou Jizai Goshin-jutsu Karete Kempo
Seipai no Kenkyu (including the first publication of Bubishi drawings)
Mutsu Mizho’s 1933 ‘Karate Kempo’ reproduction
The translation of the Karate-Do Koyan
Motobu's books: Japanese reproduction and Patrick McCarthy translation
Mabuni Kenwa, translations of his 1933-1934 publications Mario Mckenna
Kobou Jizai Goshin-jutsu Karete Kempo
Seipai no Kenkyu (including the first publication of Bubishi drawings)
Mutsu Mizho’s 1933 ‘Karate Kempo’ reproduction
(Nakasone Genwa’s 1938 ‘Karate Do Taiken’ reproduction and M. McKenna
translation
One example of my trying to understand these
offerings
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