When Okinawan School Karate was new

These articles all pertain to the time Okinawan Karate was first introduced into the Okinawan School System. This information is new, before it was just assumed that Itosu’s students began the program. But, it is more involved. I first will begin with Itosu’s article suggesting this be done.

Anko Itosu              http://marubashidojo.com/karate/anko-itosu/                      

ANKO ITOSU

Master Anko Itosu (called Yasutsune Itosu in Japanese) was born in 1831 city of Shuri in Okinawa and died in 1915. A low-rank Ryūkyūan Pechin, Itosu was small in stature, shy, and introverted as a child. He was raised in a strict home of the keimochi (a family of position), and was educated in the Chinese classics and calligraphy. Itosu began his tode (karate) study under Nagahama Chikudun Pechin, where others speak of a Chinese of the name Channan. Around the age of 30, he became the disciple of Master Sokon Matsumura.  He was also training along side another disciple by the name of Anko Azato who was the best student of Master Matsumura. Part of Itosu’s training was makiwara practice. He once tied a leather sandal to a stone wall in an effort to build a better makiwara. After several strikes, the stone fell from the wall. After relocating the sandal several times, Itosu had destroyed the wall.

Itosu served as a secretary to the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom until Japan abolished the Okinawa-based native monarchy in 1879. Itosu was a well-educated man and worked as King Sho Tai’s personal secretary, whom he served for thirty years. For Itosu and the rest of the inhabitants of the island, everything changed in 1879 as the Japanese ended the Royal dynasty of Okinawa, sending the king into exile. Most of the karate masters had worked for the King so as a result of his fall from grace many, including Itosu, suddenly found themselves living in abject poverty even though they were of the higher social class. 

 

Anko Itosu’s Influence on Karate

While it can be difficult to know where true karate history ends and myths and legends begin, both these stories illustrate why Anko Itosu’s teachings are so important to karate history. It was him that popularised and possibly brought in the concept of finishing an opponent off with one blow, which is often delivered when the opponents begins their opening attack. Previously karateka, much like kung Fu practitioners, would attempt to overwhelm their opponents with less powerful rapid-fire techniques, use grappling moves or lighter strikes to vulnerable areas such as pressure points, the eyes or the groin. For this reason, the master’s karate is said to be the first that closely resembles what is practiced in Shotokan karate today, leading many to see Itosu as the Grandfather of Modern Day Karate. 

In 1901, he was instrumental in getting karate introduced into Okinawa’s schools. In 1905, Itosu was a part-time teacher of To-te at Okinawa’s First Junior Prefectural High School. Itosu can be said to be the first person to practice what would closely resemble the type of Shotokan karate that is practiced today, and was responsible for taking the martial art from being a secretive, behind closed doors art, to being spread to the general public in Okinawa. It was here that he developed the systematic method of teaching karate techniques that are still in practice today. He created and introduced the Pinan forms (Heian in Japanese) as learning steps for students, because he felt the older forms (kata in Japanese) were too difficult for schoolchildren to learn. The five Pinan forms were (allegedly) created by drawing from two older forms: Kusanku and Chiang nan. Itosu is also credited with taking the large Naihanchi form (tekki in Japan) and breaking it into the three well-known modern forms Naihanchi Shodan, Naihanchi Nidan, and Naihanchi Sandan. There is some controversy as to where Itosu learned the Naihanchi kata. Some give credit to Matsumura for teaching this kata to Itosu. However, others say differently, and here is where we first start to see reference to Channan, as the name of a person. It is said that a Chinese sailor who was shipwrecked on Okinawa hid in a cave at Tomari. It was from this man that Itosu supposedly learned the Naihanchi kata, among other things.

Itosu’s unique contributions to the art of Karate-do include not only his 1908 letter to the Japanese Ministry of Education and Ministry of War, expounding on the 10 precepts of Toudi training, but also the creation of several kata. These include not only the Pinan series, but also Naihanchi Nidan and Sandan, and possibly Kusanku Sho and Passai Sho. Another kata that has often been attributed to Itosu is the Shiho Kusanku Kata, but more recent evidence points to the actual originator of this paradigm to have been Mabuni Kenwa himself.

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. Itosu’s style of karate, Shorin-ryu, came to be known as Itosu-ryu in recognition of his skill, mastery, and role as teacher to many.

A translation of that letter reads:                                      Ten Precepts of Karate

Karate did not develop from Buddhism or Confucianism. In the past the Shorin-ryu school and the Shorei-ryu school were brought to Okinawa from China. Both of these schools have strong points, which i will now mention before there are too many changes:

1.          Karate is not merely practiced for your own benefit; it can be used to protect one’s family or master. It is not intended to be used against a single assailant but instead as a way of avoiding a fight should one be confronted by a villain or ruffian.

2.         The purpose of karate is to make the muscles and bones hard as rock and to use the hands and legs as spears. If children were to begin training in Tang Te while in elementary school, then they will be well suited for military service. Remember the words attributed to the Duke of Wellington after he defeated Napoleon: “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.”

3.         Karate cannot be quickly learned. Like a slow moving bull, it eventually travels a thousand miles. If one trains diligently every day, then in three or four years one will come to understand karate. Those who train in this fashion will discover karate.

4.        In karate, training of the hands and feet are important, so one must be thoroughly trained on the makiwara. In order to do this, drop your shoulders, open your lungs, take hold of your strength, grip the floor with your feet, and sink your energy into your lower abdomen. Practice using each arm one to two hundred times each day.

5.         When one practices the stances of Tang Te, be sure to keep your back straight, lower your shoulders, put strength in your legs, stand firmly, and drop your energy into your lower abdomen.

6.        Practice each of the techniques of karate repeatedly, the use of which is passed by word of mouth. Learn the explanations well, and decide when and in what manner to apply them when needed. Enter, counter, release is the rule of releasing hand (torite).

7.         You must decide if karate is for your health or to aid your duty.

8.         When you train, do so as if on the battlefield. Your eyes should glare, shoulders drop, and body harden. You should always train with intensity and spirit, and in this way you will naturally be ready.

9.         One must not overtrain; this will cause you to lose the energy in your lower abdomen and will be harmful to your body. Your face and eyes will turn red. Train wisely.

10.      In the past, masters of karate have enjoyed long lives. Karate aids in developing the bones and muscles. It helps the digestion as well as the circulation. If karate should be introduced beginning in the elementary schools, then we will produce many men each capable of defeating ten assailants. I further believe this can be done by having all students at the Okinawa Teachers’ College practice karate. In this way, after graduation, they can teach at the elementary schools at which they have been taught. I believe this will be a great benefit to our nation and our military. It is my hope you will seriously consider my suggestion.

Anko Itosu, October 1908

This letter was influential in the spread of karate.

While Itosu did not invent karate himself, he modified the kata (forms) he learned from his master, Matsumura, and taught many karate masters. Itosu’s students included Choyu Motobu (1857–1927), Choki Motobu (1870–1944), Kentsu Yabu (1866–1937), Chomo Hanashiro (1869–1945), Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957), Moden Yabiku (1880–1941), Kanken Toyama (1888–1966), Shinpan Shiroma (Gusukuma) (1890–1954), Anbun Tokuda (1886–1945), Kenwa Mabuni (1887–1952), and Chōshin Chibana (1885–1969).

There is also interesting oral testimony passed down in the Tomari-di tradition that is propagated in the Okinawa Gojuryu Tomaridi Karatedo Association of Iken Tokashiki that states that Itosu learned the Channan/Pinan kata from a Chinese at Tomari in one day. The proponents of Tomari-di said that there was no need to learn “over-night kata” and that this is the reason that the Tomari traditions did not include instruction in the Pinan kata.

 

I really don’t know my limits, but I have been following this website which is in Japapese for a few years. Currently I use Bing Translator to translate the text. It is often less than clear as many of the karate terms are not known to the tool. But you can still gain some understanding of what is being discussed.

 

The school style is Motobu-Ryu, but the translations frequently refer to it as the Palace Hand, most likely back to its origins as Te for the protection of the King of Okinawa in his palace.

 

The topics they discuss are varied of course are about their own system. But the past few articles have been about the origins of how Karate came to be taught in the Okinawan school system. This is something I have not seen discussed before and goes far beyond what current discussions about that event often discuss.

 

This act had a profound effect on the developing art which used the name karate. Even on those systems who did not follow the same template.

 

Kyan karate did not follow the Itosu model, but Kyan also taught at the Agricultural College, so even his karate was influenced from karate becoming more open.

 

Knowledge is better than lack of knowledge,  that is why I have put this together.

 

I humbly offer this for your consideration.  And if the translation frustrates you, it also frustrates me, but one does the best one can.

 

Motobu Ryu is to be commended for sharing all of this.

We uploaded an article of "Yabu Kentsu and Modernization of Karate". https://ameblo.jp/motoburyu/entry-12456243455.html

 

The modernization of Norimichi Yakin and Karhand (karate)   NEW! 2019-04-22 20:11:33

 

In general, it is introduced that Mr. Iteshima Yasuyasu who taught the Tang hand at the Okinawa Prefecture Normal School is a master, and it is presented as assistant instructor Norimichi. However, it was not strictly so. Mr. Iteshima was a position named the Tang Hand Commission while the Yagobi teacher was a full-time instructor who taught the soldier type Gymnastics (later bashing) and the physical education.

 

It is a position like a part-time adviser of the Tang hand. 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. In order to teach it, Mr. Yashiro was posting.

 

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. Well, because it was so, the class of the Tang hand at the Normal school became the center of the Yagobi teacher, and Mr. Iteshima was a standpoint of watching it as an adviser.

 

It is for such a reason that the Naihan of Hiroshi Toyama who studied under teacher Itoshima in the normal school is actually similar to Naihan of not the Naihan of Iteshima but the hut part.

 

Above is the Naihanchi of Hiroshi Toyama.

The bottom is Naihan, a student of the Okinawa Normal School. Let's look at this problem more concretely.

 

In the curriculum at that time, Mr. Makoto Kinsuke from the Normal school is talking about the following. The order of the training in the Giinter Normal School is not so much different than the present one. In a word, the current training method is the same as the method which had been done in the Okinawa Normal School for a long time, and having made this method first is a physical education instructor from the former Army Training School (Infantry school), and the Yakin. (Snip) 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

 

I think that it is the one that the experience as the practical instructor of the soldier education was added to this (the history of the Talk Modern Karate Road "talk about Kinsuke and Fujiwara Ryozo", 92 pages). Is the basic operation the place basic and the movement basic today said? There is a possibility that the Yagobi teacher had already done though such a basic practice was a view of having been invented on the mainland, too. In addition, the exercise of the combination seems to be a practice of the promised assembly hand. I think that there is a possibility as for the document that the original idea of the Yakin teacher has made the Promise assembly hand not read. Are you ready to exercise or adjust gymnastics (cool down gymnastics?

 

It is also interesting that they were doing.

 

In this way, Mr. Yashiro introduced the way he learned in the military and built a modern curriculum of Karhand. The supporter of the actual modernization was the center of the Yagobi teacher though Iteshima was often introduced like the father of a modern tang hand.

 

And, the reform of Mr. Iteshima was concentrating entirely on the creation modification of the type. I think that Mr. Iteshima was the owner of a conservative idea rather than either. At that time, there is no sign that Mr. Itoshima was interested in the assembly hand although the Reformation was shifted from the shape practice to the practice of the form training in judo and it tried to innovate. It does not listen, and the story of having made the Promise assembly hand (relative shape) is not heard the story that Mr. Iteshima taught the free assembly hand of the old style like the multiplied hand. The vector of Mr. Iteshima's reform valued the type practice in the opposite direction rather than Kano Jigoro.

 

I think that the contribution to the modernization of Mr. Iteshima is in the act of teaching Tang hands at the school. Now, I think that the free-set hand had not been done in the above-mentioned curriculum yet. However, since the author of Higashi-Dai Miki Fuzaburo and Mizuho Takada have visited Okinawa and met with the Yakuro sensei, the Yakobi Sensei has been doing the armor Brigade hand, and the photograph is left.

 

Miki and others were the winners of the "Tokyo-style armor assembly hand match", but they were inspired by them, and the possibility was that they were playing free-set hands and a pair of hands that wore armor afterwards.

 

Mr. Yashiro was conservative in the alteration of the type, but through the introduction of the basic operation, the Assembly hand exercise, and the gymnastics, the curriculum which had a balanced bias not only to the type training was made. This leads to the modern karate curriculum, as Mr. Giinter says. In that sense, the achievement was likely to be returned to Mr. Iteshima teacher though the role that the Yagobi teacher had played to the modernization of the Tang hand was large.

Therefore, I want to honor the Yakin teacher here.

 

 

 

 

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Karhand  (karate?) Gymnastics                     NEW! 2019-04-29 21:28:20

 

Theme: History of Karate In 1905, Karhand (karate?) was adopted by the old system of Okinawa Prefecture Junior High School and the Okinawa normal schools. It is not because "Karashina" was able to be said the department of Medicine.

 

It is a meaning of having taught it in the gymnastics department at that time although the class of the physical education was said gymnastics. Well, the word "Tang Hand gymnastics" appears just from that time.

 

For instance, the following sentences are in the memoirs of Tokuda Yasusadada.

 

A sense of Tang My memories are various, but I want to describe the movement mainly. At the beginning of his studies, he had been practicing judo and sumo. The practice of the base Naihan chi, etc. was started in Okinawa Bank site of the Shuri Kururanmanabu ruins at the designers of the Okinawan kunatake, and other students volunteer 20 at the beginning of Karatashiro

 

The so-called Karohand (karate?) gymnastics that was imposed on the time of gymnastics was born (Hiroshi Kinjo [from Karhand to Karate] 367 pages).

 

Tokuda is a student of old system Junior high school at that time, and the above is talking about circumstances before it is adopted to the school just by Karhand (karate?). The author imagined whether it might be the kind of the flexible gymnastics based on the Tang hand when the character of Karhand (karate?) Gymnastics was first seen. However, it seems not to be very so. However, it seems to call the Tang hand gymnastics. Why did you call it the Tang-hand gymnastics?

 

I have not understood this meaning much, but I can finally understand it recently. Now, as I mentioned last time, 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.

 

The person who caters to the policy of the Ministry of education like "halberd gymnastics" of Ozawa Unosuke Shoten and the person who does the political movement, and the martial arts, etc Now, the big question arises here. At that time, the Ministry of Education had not yet admitted the Department of Martial Arts adoption in the Department of Chinese Medicine (Meiji 38, 1905). 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 and gymnastics. In addition, it was revised as "to get the sword and Jiu-Jitsu", and it became possible to adopt the Shoken (later kendo) and Jiu-Jitsu (later judo). However, there is no wording of "karhand" (karate?) there.

 

In a word, it becomes impossible to adopt the Shotoaceae of the hand legally after that

 

At that time, it was impossible for the local government to decide the content of public education independently. The subjects, classes, and textbooks of junior high school and normal schools were established by the country (Minister of Education). Therefore, it is impossible for Okinawa Prefecture to adopt martial arts in the Department of Medicine in opposition to the national policy.

 

Then, why was the Karhand (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.

 

However, before the policy of the Ministry of Education changed, Mr. Iteshima lay on the sickbed, and died before long. On the other hand, it did not teach these types in the normal school after Mr. Iteshima was deceased because it was not interested in Pinann and the alteration type from the beginning. It might have been thought that it was likely to disappear naturally before long even if it left it. However, students who were taught the modified type from Mr. Iteshima, without knowing the circumstances that have been modified, and then spread the modified type, largely replaced by the existing type, the circumstances that have been altered before long I have forgotten.

 

And, it was not left in the record the circumstances that it had been adopted by the Department as a gymnastics (Karhand gymnastics) not as a martial art hand. The author had not read the document which made a convincing explanation up to now about the Karhand gymnastics.

 

The above is a guess to the end, and the record at that time of the communication of the Academic affairs section with teachers of Itasu is not understood, and I understand that it might have been so.　

 

Note: Takuto Ikeda "an attempt to make judo teaching materials by Jigoro Kano: focusing on" gymnastics form "," Bulletin of the Graduate School of Education, Hokkaido University "No. 101, page 80.

 

 

 

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School Karate and Naha Hands                     NEW! 2019-05-03 01:57:14

 

Theme: History of Karate As I mentioned in the previous article, Karatai Gymnastics is the name of the school karate that was taught at the Okinawa Prefectural Junior high school in old system and the Department of Okinawa Normal School. Because the Ministry of Education did not approve the Shoshu adoption of the martial arts at that time that "gymnastics" was attached, the teacher and Okinawa Prefecture Academic Affairs Section were able to make it to the consultation, and put it in the adoption by "Tang hand is not a martial art but a physical exercise".

 

If it did not do so, the Shoaceae adoption of the Karhand (Karate) was impossible though it was a kind of Deconstructolaw act. At the time of recruitment, there was no material left in the course of what kind of communication between the Okinawa Prefectural Academic Affairs Division and Mr. Itoshima and others. However, it is reported as a monument, and Hiroshi Kinjo is introduced in "from the Hand to karate".

 

It is said that it became a rejection because of the following reasons though Naha hand of Higashi Onna Hiroshi Amount teacher was a candidate not only the Shuri hand of Mr. Iteshima teacher at first according to Kinjo.

In addition to the members of Yutaka Higashionna, Yasuhisa Itoshima will conduct research along with the Prefectural Junior high school staff, along with instructions from the Academic Affairs section. It seems to have reported the result of the research occasionally.

 

The opinion was expressed from the Academic affairs section each time, and the correction was requested. To give an example, there is a type of Chinese Kenpo called "Sanchin". It becomes the type of the rigid flow through "Naha hand" now. The first type of this "Sanchin" seemed to be in the list of the type of "Karhand".

 

However, there was a criticism of the one in the growth of the boyhood by the movement which squeezed the chest, and it was removed from the list.

 

The above story was heard directly from author Cousin Tamaki Tomoyoshi (Tama Yu, 1890-1925, from Meiji 36 to 6 years in the Prefectural Junior High school).

 

What is the point of the exercise that squeezes the breast of Sanchin? Sanchin at that time seems to be different from the current sanchin, but I feel a little doubt whether the academic Affairs Section staff made a professional judgment.

 

Moreover, there is a theory that this was seen danger though Sanchin at that time was a hand. Although Mr. Higashionna seems to have resigned voluntarily to the members of the research group, he does not describe the reason.

 

If you believe the above story, you may have resigned because you could not agree with the change of type from the Academic Affairs section. By the way, the Naha hand also came to be taught at the school because it became a karate master of the Naha Commercial high School by Mr. Jun Miyagi. He also teaches karate at elementary School and Okinawa prefectural Daini Junior High School.

 

Therefore, Naha hand was taught at the site of the school widely before the war.

 

 

We uploaded an article of "The Educational Section of Okinawa Prefecture and Birth of Modern Karate".  https://ameblo.jp/motoburyu/entry-12460491043.html

 

School Karate and Naha hand 

Okinawa prefecture Academic Affairs Section and the birth of modern karate

 

NEW! 2019-05-10 22:49:36

 

Theme: History of Karate The Okinawa Prefectural Affairs Section is a department that apprehension the Education administration of Okinawa Prefecture before the war. It was only a lower organization according to the policy of the country (Ministry of Education) to the end although it corresponded to today's Okinawa Prefecture school board.

 

The local autonomy of the educational administration was hardly admitted before the war. As I said last time, Dr. Yasuhisa Itoshima and Dr. Yutaka Higashionna will set up a research group with the faculty and staff of the Junior high school and normal schools for the an extracurricular recruitment to the school of Karate. The results of the research were reported to the Academic affairs section every time, and there was an instruction from the Academic Affairs section. It is said that "Sanchin" became a rejection according to the instruction of the Academic Affairs section.

 

Therefore, Mr. Higashionna resigned the member of the research group, and as a result, Naha hand was originally to deviate from the school karate. In addition to the rejection of Sanchin, various instructions from the Academic Affairs Section were made by Mr. Itoshima according to Hiroshi Kinjo.

 

 

Before, because there was an article in ' Monthly Karate ' about this, let's cite the relevant place.

 

The hand was changed in shape. In 1958, when Mr. Kinjo went to the grave in the guidance of assumed and Yasugo of Iteshima Yasuyasu (see photograph), "there is a clause which received the instruction of the authority that the operation is large with relaxed as the momentum is large".

 

The effect as the gymnastics was requested than the rationality as the trick. As an aside, Iteshima was also trained in rigid flow, so I wanted to add a training type "sanchin" of rigid soft flow. However, there is a proposal of "Sanchin is undesirable for the development of the junior high school student" from the Academic Affairs section, and it will be excluded.

 

Of course, the rule of attacking the eye and the gold is shown, too and "Thirteen" will leak from the selection. The type of the system of the Shuri hand, to crush technique to fist hammer.

 

The technique of the gold attack was changed to a high kick technique, and it was adjusted for the educational purpose.

 

Commands was also changed from "High, high......" To "1-2, 3......" "Hi, Hi......

 

The reason is to inform that the other party came. I think you'll know if you do, just follow the order and the attack came!

 

The appearance might be the same in the one practiced in the commands ", but I think that the contents become a completely different movement" (Kinjo)

(Monthly karate, May 2006)

Yasugo Itoshima (left) and Yutaka Kinjo

 

In order to summarize the cited points above, karate was modified as follows by the instruction of the Okinawa Prefectural Affairs Division.

 

-The amount of exercise is large and the operation is big.

-The rejection of Sanchin.

 

 

Elimination of eye and gold attacks.

・Seisan's rejection. ・Modification of the type of Shuri hand.

 

To the fist Hammer, the gold attack technique to the high kick to the eye crushing technique

.

-Commands modifications. It is said that the Seisan was also rejected though the rejection of Sanchin was said last time. It might be the hand of the eye crushing technique.

 

Below, it is a modified portion of the type of Shuri hand cited by Mr. Kinjo. The fist of the back fist of Naifanchi first stage was two hands for the eye crushing in old times.

 

Two stages and three steps are original idea of Itasu (Itosu). The type of peace is the one that Iteshima original idea by referring to the type of patai and the public phase.

 

The technique of the handle has been altered to the hand sword receiving. ・Passai (large and small) is modified for educational purposes, and the degree of "large" is greater.

 

It became a form near the gymnastics as far as the trick.

 

・Public minister (large and small) has a lot of momentum, and the movement is greatly altered. The look is good, but there is an unrealistic part.

 

The attack on the eyes and the gold has been altered.

 

・Chin-Tow  (Chinto)  has not altered the type of the original tradition so much. 54 step, the hand to the face is modified to the middle.

 

In addition, the upper part of the top of the four hands against the face to beat the upper hand sword, the lower kick is modified to the upper kick with a lot of momentum. Well, it is a modification of the last commands, and it is commands "high, high......" Even now in the Headquarters Palace hand (Motobu Ryu).　Is this a no-way? Hi, the attack is coming! It is interesting that it was meant to be. Certainly one, two, three......

 

Then, this meaning has not been transmitted.

 

 

 

In this way, the instruction of the Okinawa Prefectural Academic Affairs Division played a major role in the birth of modern karate. What is interesting is that the modification of the Iteshima type was due to the instruction of the Academic Affairs section.　How was Mr. Iteshima's own intention? In the "Itushuten lesson", Mr. Iteshima says that the type should not be altered. That is actually a proposal submitted to the Academic Affairs section. It might have been a euphemism request of Mr. Iteshima that "the modified type is undone"

We uploaded an article of "School Karate and Criticism from Ryukyu Shinpo News Paper".
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Criticism of school karate and Ryukyu Shimpo                        NEW! 2019-05-16 23:53:13

 

Theme: History of Karate In January 1905, karate (Tang) was adopted as a an extracurricular to old system Junior high School in Okinawa prefecture.

 

The following articles were published in the Ryukyu Shimpo in February of the next month.

 

Junior high School staff's Tang At the end of last year, the staff of the school had to start immediately to think about what should be taken to the Tang hand, and now the result is to be spared

 

An orderly explanation is necessary for us to the teacher, and it is satisfactory, too, and the reason for which it is sufficient after the skill is gained is to be invented by the staff, and I hope ("Ryukyu Shimpo" on February 5, 1905).

 

The article above is hard to read because it is an old Japanese, but the meaning is roughly following. At the end of last year (1904), the junior high school staff decided to adopt the Karate in class and started immediately. The only regrettable point is that there is a point which cannot be consented enough because an orderly explanation is scarce in the teacher now the result is good.

 

The journalist hopes that it is a plan of going to invent a sufficient explanation after the staff has gained the skill of the guidance of the Karate in the future.

 

Perhaps, one month after the karate was adopted in the junior high school, there might have been some announcement meeting. A journalist was invited to the presentation meeting, and the class which taught the Tang Hand (karate) was visited. However, the only regrettable thing is that the teacher's teaching was not reasonable enough.

 

Or, the teacher was not able to explain a reasonable explanation to the journalist why the Chinese Hand (karate) was adopted at the school. The staff or the teacher might be a teacher of the Chomo Hanashiro of Hanashiro who was a gymnastics teacher at that time (karate), and Iteshima Yasushige (Anko Itosu) was a commission. At that time, the class of the physical education was called the gymnastics, and the Tang Hand (karate) was taught at the gymnastics hour. Naturally, the time to teach the gymnastics that the Ministry of Education has set is sharpened and the Tang Hand (karate) is taught.　Is it really a merit? The explanation which was able to be consented about it was not enough.

 

-I wonder if the reporter is such a place. At that time, the Ministry of Education had not admitted teaching the martial arts in the an extracurricular of the school as having seen up to now. Kendo and judo had not been taught in the mainland yet either. Okinawa was a dogmatic researched and taught the Tang (karate). It is a kind of de-constructabe act. What made this possible is the view of the Okinawa Prefectural Academic Affairs Section, "Karate is not a martial art but a physical exercise."

 

At that time, it might be for such a reason that the designation "Tang Hand (Karate) gymnastics" was born.

 

In order to adopt the karate in the school, Iteshima (Itosu) teacher set up a research group and promoted the gymnastics of the Chinese Hand (karate) while following the instruction of the Okinawa Prefecture Academic Affairs Division each time.

 

However, it seems to have reflected it still poorly as seen from the Ryukyu Shimpo reporter. What on earth did this reporter see?　What he saw was the early pin-Ann that Itosu Sensei taught to Chomo Motobu. The question came out from the reporter, "is it too long and too complex for junior high school students?" and the Itosu teacher was able to have made the present pin-ann first stage by shaving the latter part from the early Pinang? Or, "It is dangerous for the junior high school student to see the Promise Assembly Hand (Yakusoku Kumite) that the Flower Castle (Hanshiro) teacher created.

 

Was it thought that gymnastics was safer? "

 

Note There are some parts that complement English words and romaji to make it easier to read in machine translation.

 

Personal note:

 

 This was Pinan Shoday the first kata taught in the Okinawan schools mentioned in the article.

Often disparaged today as ‘School Boy Karate’ but I disagree, hardly without use.

 

This is the pinan shodan discussed.

pinan shodan applications

 

This quote from Chinaba takes on a whole different meaning now.

In the old days we trained at karate as a martial art, but not they train

As a gymnastic sport. I thing we must avoid treating karate as a sport

Or as a mere physical exercise. It must be a martial art at all times!

 

Choschin Chiana – Okinawan Karate Master