Okinawan School Karate - the Schools

 

 

I actually read all the martial arts books I have collected and not just placed them on a shelf. I was going through the “Timeline of Karate History - Pre-History to 2000” by Hokama Tetsuhiro translated by Charles Joseph Swift, and had a thought.

 

Now this might be trivia, but I saw the schools listed where karate was taught on Okinawa and thought that might make an interesting list. Everyone knows karate was taught there, but how many schools did that mean. Not that this list is complete, just mentioned in that book.

 

Itosu Anko began teaching in April 1900 at the Shuri Jingo Primary School.

Around 1905 he formulated the Pinan kata.

He is also known for teaching a modified version of Naifanchi at the Teacher’ College and the First Middle School.,

In October 1908,  he submitted his 10 Articles of Karate to the Board of Education, showing how karate instruction I schools could help students become productive members of the Japanese military society.

 

Hanashiro  Chomo was a physical education teacher at the First Middle School.

 

Yabiku Moden taught at the Okinawa Prefectural Teacher’s College

 

Go Kenki taught at the First Middle School and the Teacher’s College

 

Koydo Juhatsu taught at the Prefectural Second Middle School

 

Matsumura Sokon taught at the First Middle School.

 

Shinzato Jinan taught at the Okinawa Prefectural Technical High School

 

1902Yabu Kentsu was contracted to teach at the Okinawa Prefectural Teachers’ College.

 

1904 Itosu Anko began teaching karate an the Okinawa Prefectural First Middle School.

 

1905 Karate began to be taught as part of the physical education program at the Teachers’ College and the First Middle School. The old Toudi was now pronounced karate.

A karate club was formed at the Naha Commercial School.

 

1907 Mr. Maeshiro demonctrated karate at the Nishihara Primary School

So when I started reading Hokama’s book today what stood out to me was the names of the Okinawan schools. So many talk about how the Okinawan art was adulterated for the schools, it made me realize how little we know about the Okinawan schools themselves.

 

I remember Funakoshi Ginchin talking about how to be a student he had to cut off his topknot, and the trouble that caused him at home (from his autobiography). That had to be about the time Japan took over Okinawa and the Okinawan’s had to follow the changes to schools that were occurring across Japan. And Funakoshi himself  became a teacher, teaching a group toude separately at his home.

 

Which got me to thinking further. Okinawa is not a large place. I realized I did not know how many schools were there, nor how deep the new karate made it into those schools.

 

So seeing these names it occurred to me that it would be interesting to see what names there were there, so I compiled this list. Of course it raises more questions than I have answers too. But what’s new about that.

 

And it is clear that the Teachers College was training future phys educators too.

 

It is what it is, just a list. But the questions about how far the ‘gymnastic karate’ went into those schools remains.