Okinawan schools,
as a part of the Japanese school system, were controlled by the Japanese
Misistry of Education. Local autonomy by the local school boards was not an
option. , the martial arts were deemed inappropriate to
teach in the school's Department of Education over twice, "the Gymnastics
Report" (1884), "The School Hygiene Advisory Council Report"
(1896). At that time, the Ministry of Education regarded the martial
arts inferior from the physiological viewpoint compared with the gymnastics by
irrational. A part of the
"Ordinance for enforcement of the Junior high School Decree" was
granted by the Ministry of Education Ordinance No. 26 of Meiji 44 (1911),
"gymnastics ha bashing (the military practice) and gymnastics.
To get the new
idea of public karate instruction into the Okinawan schools some slight of hand
was employed.
There already
was a full time instructor who taught the soldier type Gymnastics (later
bashing) and the physical education.
A kind of military
training was done by the flexible gymnastics of the military type gymnastics,
and it was a type of the army in the normal school though it was a core. At
that time, there seemed to be a problem of the re-employment of the sergeants
after it discharged, and sending them who discharged it to each school and
having done military training was a stone in respect of the re-employment of
the rich country soldier and soldiers. (2) There was no place in the current
proscribed curriculum for any thing like karate. The order of Tatrei, REI,
preparatory gymnastics, basic operation (foot, reversal, thrust, kick), form
exercise, assembly manual exercise, adjustment gymnastics, seat REI,
dissolution, in the method learned in the former army Ministry teacher (2)
By 1905
Iteshima Yasuyasu was the advisor at the Okinawa Prefecture Normal School,
apparently instrumental in developing the curriculum of what appears to have
been karate
gymnastics. The
concerns of the local group that sponsored the idea were that many of the more
martial practices would be removed, to make sure what was being offered would
not be seen as other than promoting health and well being.
“Then, why was
the (karate?) adopted? This is the author's
guess. Perhaps Dr. Yasuhisa Itoshima, etc., would have contacted the Okinawa
Prefectural Academic Affairs Section about the possibility of adopting the
shoshu of the Tang hand. At that time, the Academic affairs section,
"because there is a national policy, Tang is impossible to employ as a
martial art, but it is possible as a gymnastics," I think there was an
answer.
“This does not
violate the policy of the Ministry of Education. There is a form to practice by
one person named "type" Fortunately, and it is a kind of Deconstructo
law act. If it is "gymnastics", it is possible to make excuses even
if it is found in the country if it is strong. However, there is an excuse that
it is not truly a martial art when there are a lot of attack techniques such as
thrust kick. It is also difficult for students to be used to fight outside the
school by promoting their struggle. If it becomes a newspaper, the head of the
Student Affairs Section staff might fly.
“So, in
accordance with the request of the Academic Affairs section, I think that Mr.
Iteshima did the creation modification of Pinann and existing type so as to
dilute the aggression as much as possible.
“If such a
change was temporary, and the Chinese hand was formally adopted as a martial
art, Mr. Iteshima might have intended to return it to the original type. The
reason is that "it is not necessary to save as it is and to add the moist
color" to "Itasu ten lesson" because there is a wording.
So the original
thoughts were what survived and other instructors carried forward, and likely
made changes as well. New experiences would suggest changes to something that
was so new an idea.
It
time what was brought into the Okinawan Schools influenced other instructors.
Karate came to be offered to the population of Okinawa. Some instructors
adopted the Pinan kata to teach their new students.
But it
was the fact the Okinawan’s pulled some wool over the Japanese Ministry of
Educations eyes that made so much that followed possible.
In 1908, Itosu wrote the influential “Ten Precepts (Tode Jukun) of Karate,” to draw the
attention of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of War in Japan,
reaching beyond Okinawa to Japan.”(1)
I take full responsibility for any incorrect assumptions
on my part.
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