Karate taught in Okinawan schools - 1905

 

The fact that Karate had been implemented as a mandatory subject in school education in January 1905 was no coincidence.

 

At that time, various things fell into place:

 

The Japanese Empire rose to become the new colonial World Power in Asia; the Russo-Japanese War saw Japan as the winner;

 

the Okinawa assimilation policy was brought into effect; the conscription ordinance was now also valid for the (previously exempted) Okinawans; the combined education and military policy accelerated;

 

the Butokukai branches were as active as possible; the Japan wide plan of bujutsu-style physical education took on steam;

 

Karate as a Kata-based training was easy to implement, especially as opposed to the more dangerous Jūjutsu and Gekiken;

 

and last but not least the strong hand of Governor Narahara choked all ideological opposition. It is sufficiently clear that educational Karate was the result of a tightly focused institutional policy.

 

In particular, educational Karate was the result of the successful implementation of a combined educational and military policy and part of the “conscription-agers education.” The Karate taught at the Shuri schools at that time might thus be termed “conscription-agers Karate.” (A. Quast, 2013) Or, in Itosu’s words:

“If children were to begin training naturally in military prowess while in elementary school, then they would be well suited for military service.” 

(Itosu Ankō, Article 2)

Andreas Quast