Transition of the Concept of Karate (China Hand)

https://ameblo.jp/motoburyu/entry-12761854304.html

 2022-08-31 

Written and translated by Motobu Naoki

 

Yoshimura Chōgi (1866 - 1945) of the Yoshimura Udun wrote the following sentence in his "Autobiography of Martial Arts" (1941).

 

Then, I don't know on what basis they began to say so, but people used to say Matsumura was Okinawa-te and Higaonna was tōde (see note).

 

Yoshimura Chōgi began studying under Matsumura Sōkon when he was 17 or 18, and Higaonna Kanryō when he was 22 or 23, according to East Asian age reckoning. Thus, the above is probably the public perception at the time he was 22 or 23, i.e., in 1887 or 1888.

 

In those days, the word karate (唐手, China hand) was not yet in use. Instead, the word te (Oki: tī, hand) was common. The words "Okinawa-te" (Oki: Uchinādī, Okinawa hand) and "tōde"(Oki: tōdī, China hand) were included in this terminology. The following diagram illustrates this.

 

 

In those days, tōde probably referred to the new Chinese martial arts. Yabu Kentsū's term "kamite" (see the previous article) seems to have referred to a martial art almost identical to Okinawa-te. Whether it was an Okinawan indigenous martial art, an Okinawanized version of an older Chinese martial art, or a mixture of both with more Japanese martial arts, we do not know, but in any case, tōde and Okinawa-te were oppositely distinguished in the 1880s.

 

Now, in the 1900s, the above conceptualization changed to something different: in Itosu Ankō's so-called "Itosu Ten Precepts" (1908), there is the following sentence.

 

Karate (唐手, China hand) does not originate from Confucianism or Buddhism. In ancient times, two schools, Shōrin-ryū and Shōrei-ryū, were introduced from China. ...

 

In the above, the word "te" disappears and is replaced by the word karate (China hand), in which Shōrin-ryū and Shorei-ryū are indicated as its origins.

 

In the above, the term Okinawa-te has also disappeared, and the martial art, which has been changed to the Japanese pronunciation (kun yomi) from tōde to karate, is understood to be entirely of Chinese origin. So where did te and Okinawa-te disappear to?

 

As karate was reorganized into the educational karate taught in schools, te was used to mean either koryū (old style) karate or Okinawan indigenous martial art, which fell outside the scope of karate. The diagram below illustrates this.

Thus, tōde and karate (both meaning China hand) differ in the scope of their concepts. In the postwar period, it was further "interpreted" that Shōrin-ryū is a northern Chinese style of kenpō and Shuri-te follows this style, while Shōrei-ryū is a southern style of kenpō and Naha-te follows this style.

 

However, neither Shōin-ryū nor Shōrei-ryū were known to exist during the Ryukyu Kingdom period, nor are they known to exist in China. To begin with, the Chinese do not use the Chinese character "ryū" (流) for martial arts styles.

 

Perhaps Itosu Sensei found words that could be interpreted as Shōrin-ryū or Shōrei-ryū in the so-called "Bubishi" book he obtained during the Meiji era (1868-1912), and used them to make the history of karate look respectable when he submitted the "Itosu Ten Precepts" to the Okinawan government.

 

It is understandable that he avoided the provincial dialect te and used the new term karate with the same intention. In those days, both in Okinawa and in mainland Japan, things of Chinese origin were respected.

 

However, such modifications and substitutions of terminology also hinder our understanding of the history and evolution of Okinawan martial arts before that time.

 

 

Note: Yoshimura Jinsai, "Jiden Budōki" (Autobiography of Martial Arts), Monthly Okinawa, Volume 2, No. 8, September. Monthly Okinawa-sha, 1941, p. 22. 

Bill Hayes, Shorin Ryu, on Shuto Uke

It needs to be more than just a block/parry to a strike.

 

It can be first a block/parry to a striking arm.

 

Then completing the technique as a strike into the neck to disable the attacker.

 

slightly different variation.

 

Under no circumstances try to block/parry the arm while moving back.   They can advance faster than you can retreat.

The times they are a changing

 

 Times have changed incredibly fast over the years.

 

I can remember when there were very, very few books on the martial arts. At that time the karate magazines and their letters pages were more like the internet.

 

At that time karate was what your instructor told you karate was. Then I began to additionally train with very, very skilled others and a different vision emerged.

 

Then video tape became available, and selling karate video tapes began. I remember when Goju folks talked mysteriously about Superimpe but never showed it. Then a video version was sold by Panther and I got one, which led to a small disillusionment for me. It was not what my imagination assumed it might me. Not it wasn’t a fine form, but I had imagined something else (I guess after learning a ton of Northern Chinese forms I thought it would be something different than it was.)

 

Then PCs and email, where you actually wrote to each other, just like letters.

 

Then the internet, and YahooGroups, I began on the getting between Pat McCarthy and Jim Keenan of the original Isshinryu list, they were shouting about a translation/mis-translation on the Bubishi (then new) McCarthy the author, Jim a Translator Isshinryuy/Tai Chi/Baqua/Krav Maga stylist, I got involved shouting it was wrong for seniors to behave so in public. Of course I had no idea what discussion on the internet was like.

 

Later I joined the Cyberdojo on YahooGroups, Again in 2000 Patrick McCarthy was having a heated discussion with George Donahue, and George handed him his head as he didn’t realize George was raised in Japan/Okinawa, and was trained by the Kashiba brothers among others.

 

I just found that lengthy discussion (I kept the hard copy) and so different the discussion in degree from what Facebook is today.

Things kept changing from YahooGroup discussions, to dvd’s, to YahooGroups, to Facebook. Some things are better, There is far less discussion in depth, more discussion light. Less chance where people have a chance to grow what they understand.

 

With all the bells and whistles today, it is also extremely less.

Martial publications have certain characteristics (in no particular order)

1. Most of them are one time vanity productions, Designed to fill a need, and make an immediate profit for the producer. Not to be sold on a continuing basis.

2. Anything once in print becomes ‘truth’ liable to be repeated over and over in future authors works, And having been in print becomes a useful footnote.

3. There is little verifiable martial history that is published in most books.

That does not mean the oral history is wrong, just unverifiable.

4. And reality is that there are multiple histories based on differing viewpoints which have become realities for those students.

Working out which details are’ truth’ becomes a very complicated endeavor.

Take one real event in time, the Battle of Gettysburg from the American Civil War.

Literally thousands of books have been published to explain what occurred on those 3 days, and many more books are to be published in the future, for sure.

If one 3 day period generates so much publication, why would you believe any martial system would be less complicated to understand.

Not suggesting it should not be done, just there will be other points of view no matter what effort is made.

The Bo I trained with

 

David Hansen

Doing resistance type training is not using a huge log for Bojutsu. That would be IMO a mistake. 

The idea on how l do this is use something somewhat heavier but still able to complete proper technique. Proper technique while using resistance will increase tendon, legament and fast twitch muscle fiber. 

Must be smart as developing speed and explosiveness takes time. I use a 1# wrist wrap for Karate techniques while using heavier Kobudo. The lower back and tanden can't be overlooked while training with added resistance. To heavy and inertia can lead to injury. Train Smart and your daily development will increase over time. 

To overzealous and you most likely will suffer some type of strain or tear. Small incremental increase is being smart. Your not only training the body but the mind as well

 

Victor Donald Smith

My first bo came from Asian world down in Phila. back when they were in N. Phila. 

Charles Murray told me to get one and I had to go to Phila for a business trip. 

It was not perfect for some branch had been turned into a go and the end was slightly bent. It was incredibly dense wood (about 3 times heavier than most bo). 

I trained with it the next 30 + years.

 I later received 2 hand made bo's from my father's friend, 1/3 the weight. 

Then for my competition years I would train with the heavy but the week before competition trained down to the lighter bo. 

It would take a week to condition myself to keep the lighter bo from flying out of my hands. 

So moving between the extremely heavy to the lighter bo served me well.

As my adult program grew all my students spent time with that bo. 

When my disabilities made further bo practice impossible I left that bo with my senior students so they can continue to best use it.

Mike Toomey, Me and Roy Blackwell who is holding my bo.

 

Once upon a time a Marine on Okinawa was told this answer

 

I remember I remember Lewis Sensei telling this

as something he was taught on Okinawa.

 

 

His version was as if a Marine entered an Okinawan Bar,

and someone inside bet a friend he could knock down the next individual to come in, they would put you down. 

The thing was when you got back up, you finished them.

 

A look at the Bubishi by a Judoka

 The lost ground & grappling techniques of Okinawan Karate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-YZLR_L88 

 

On the challenge of a Karate Tournament

 

Tristan Sutrisno Gojushiho Kata

I have long held for a single style tournament where all the participants are from one style a more interesting senior students division would be one where the competitor presents themselves to the judges and a random selection of the kata to be performed is chosen. So nobody can choose in any way what they will perform. Then their senior skill would be involved to just do it. No time for preparation, no additional warm up or kata run through.

Just shear ability on the run to do one’s best.

That would be an interesting division to see.

For one thing just seeing who is ready to compete this way says a lot about the senior abilities IMO.

Seeing the seniors make any kata chosen their best allowing their skill to shine would also be impressive to see.

And then the judges would have to present written analysis of their decisions.

Then the ability to see the judges perform and judge any performance without showing favoritism to the kata which was selected, even more impressive.

To the skilled eye, the competitor and the judge are always on display together. You can learn a great deal observing the smallest details.

True skill would be on display. Much would be revealed if you could see such a division.

One plausible answer for the Oyata light touch KO’s

 

 

Now I have never trained with Seiyu Oyata. But he was the first to demonstrate the finger tip light strike to KO an opponent. For example while not an Oyata student, George Dillman spent some time with him, then began doing his version of the same.

  

If you search YouTube you can find many video example of Oyata demonstrating this technique. This began about 1984 when Dillman first saw Oyata doing this technique.

 

In 1985 Ernie Rothrock saw Dillman demonstrate this on one of his students at a demo, and the next week he told me he kept doing the same (with no success) to his senior students multiple times.

 

 At that time I just filed this away as something of interest.

Then in 1995 I attended my first clinic with Sherman Harrill at Garry Gerossie’s school and observed something very close to this demonstrated by Sherman. He was showing a method of striking into the arm with either 1 or 2 bent knuckles. After watching how each strike obtained a different effect, my mind started working.

 

Later I approached Sherman and asked if it could be done into the neck (perhaps similar to what Oyata did. So Sherman showed how striking with the bent knuckles into the side of the throat would deliver a powerful strike The observer would only see the two straight fingers and not the bent knuckles delivering the strike.

 

Now I never experimented striking into my students neck’s to KO them, but I saw the similarities to what Oyata showed.

 

It likely is not the same as Oyata Sensei did, but close enough IMO.

 

Later on further reflection I realized that I was shown this hand position in 1980 when I began studying Tai Chi Chaun. It was identical to the Tai Chi Hidden Hand used in my Tai Chi Straight Sword form. I really just learn the form not applications for those moves.

 

The Hidden Sword is used for the  reciprocal hand from the one holding the sword. I worked out that the hand could be used for a finger jap to the eyes of the throat. I did not see this striking potential.

 

The first clinic I attended with Harrill Sensei at Garry Gerossie’s group had Harrill Sensei showing how to use the lead finger to slide a strike into the arm with the inner bent knuckles (striking into the radial nerve, and also using a 2 finger guide strike into the median nerve of the arm. This was a stand-alone technique, not showing its kata relevance. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDh1W81QO4g

 

The same technique really was the Tai Chi Sword ‘secret sword’ strike and I discussed with Harrill Sensei’s direction how it could be used for the finger strike to the throat KO of Oyata, where you’re actually striking with the bent knuckles, but the observer doesn’t see that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTPtQ40Qoc&t=1s

1.      Reviewing my notes I came to see this is a great way to use stacking both hands for the strike.  Such as in Seisan Kata, the left hand parries and grabs to pull in. The right hand can use the straght finger strike to guide the bent finger strikes into the arm (to cause pain) and then set up the backfist strike, which really works using the closed fist little knuckle strike into the throat.

 

2.      That same Oyata article showed him striking to the face of an opponent with the same index finger extended strike (or perhaps extended first 2 fingers). The strike looks like its descending into the sinus cavities, and it is possible that the knuckles are the actual striking area. (from my perspective).

 

 https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2021/03/crafting-class-shotokan-july-2nd-2005.html

 

 Don asked a question about the tai chi ‘hidden sword’ with the empty hand and that led to a discussion about Oyata and Dillman’s finger tip neck KO’s, how I worked it out from my first Sherman Harrill clinic (it being the use of the hidden bent ring and little finger knuckles) and then explained how the KO worked and why not to practice it on each other, rather arming them with the knowledge why they didn’t want somebody to strike their necks.

 

 

Victor after Tai Chi practice

Victor 2.0 Victor Play Guitar

Victor Yang Tai Chi Sword