I believe it
would be an interesting exercise to think about how far karate moved from it’s true traditions. I intend to
re-imagine karate as an American tradition based in 1880 DC, Washington.
Not to disparage
the changes that took place as karate gradually became something else, but to
better understand what karate moved to, distinct from its past.
Using
the book “Ryuku Oke Hiden Bujutsu: Karate, Bukijutsu”
that time when Toudi was focused on the groups involved the use of Toudi for
each group had a particular practice.
“ The
martial artists (bushi) of the Ryukyu can be divided into five distinct groups.
First
of all, the Shuri
bushi, who were in charge
of protecting Shuri Castle.
Next, the Tomari bushi, who were in charge of domestic law enforcement.
Third ,the Naha bushi, who were in chages of protecting the Chineese envoys (Suppushi) as well as the tribute ships sent from Ryukyu to China.
Next were the Udun bushi, who were involved in the politics of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Next, the Tomari bushi, who were in charge of domestic law enforcement.
Third ,the Naha bushi, who were in chages of protecting the Chineese envoys (Suppushi) as well as the tribute ships sent from Ryukyu to China.
Next were the Udun bushi, who were involved in the politics of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Finally,
the bushi of Naha’s Kume
Village,
who were in the service of Chinese imigrants.”
Thinking
about that by 1900 their roles evaporated on Okinawa (except perhaps for the
safety of the Kume Village). A different way forward presented itself, school
karate, public karate and the export of karate to Japan (and other places from
the Japanese disporia). Karate was changing and it big ways, it no longer had
the true traditional purpose for the tradition of the bushi.
Let’s free think
about this. Putting the arts in modern context, where the purpose of
toude/karate was for the specific role of more modern groups:
Or toudi for the Capitol
Police, responsible to guard the congress.
Or toudi for the Police, domestic
law enforcement for the district of DC.
Or toudi for the Coast
Guard, protecting our waterways of DC
and accompanying missions to other countries.
Or toudi for the Secret
Service, protecting the
President.
And the DC community having their own toudi group for community protection.
In those days
family groups were the members of those groups, and the toudi portion of their
training began at an early age. But when they completed their study and were
adults they began their professions. Professions where their duties were
considerably vaster than just their toudi. Toudi just a portion of their roles,
probably the smallest role, but of course most vital when needed.
Each group
charged for a specific life mission.
The
instructor(s) for each group would be drawn from retired members of that group
who had successfully navigated their careers and accepted the responsibility to
prepare the young members of those groups.
While these
varied toudi arts shared some of the same characteristics and at times they
would work together, they really had very different missions and often when
they used their toudi skills, they were used in different ways.
They
were not used to train the non family members. They were not used as training
for the young or adults. They did not use their training to contest with others.
They did not use their training for community self defense. They did not work
on understanding their Toudi for other application potential. They did not
receive rank, they did not work to become instructors. They did not use their
training to be their livings. There was no one who wanted members outside of
their group to understand their training, or to have knowledge of what they might do with
their toudi and work against that.
Of course the
wheel of time moved on, and other things occurred. Not better or worse, just
different.
This exercise is
just to allow you to understand what might have been involved in those days
before the art became known as Karate.
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