The birthplace of karate, and Okinawa
Okinawa which are realized on small islands has the beautiful natural scene, the original history, and culture . Around the 12th century, the king called Aji appeared, the castle called Gusk was built, and the public was governed. The Okinawa mainland was governed by three kingdoms, King Nan-zan, King Hoku-zan, and King Chu-zan, at the beginning of the 14th century. They had fought for influence fiercely mutually. Arms developed into this time.
A king called Shohashi unified three kingdoms and Ryukyu Kingdom was born in 1429.
Ryukyu Kingdom which was spending the large trade age in the 14-16th century prospered as a transit trade country which connects Southeast Asia to Japan and China. In this age, there was a threat by the pirate called Wakou in a voyage. Therefore, the martial art was indispensable because of safe reservation. And government officials trained karate and the skills of staff for a guard of a king and maintenance of public order.
Although Ryukyu Kingdom had connected relation of master to servant to China till then, it was conquered by Satsuma Domain in 1609 and included in the shogunate and domain system. However, the Edo Shogunate wanted to maintain as a window of trade with China, it accepted Ryukyu as an independent country. Ryukyu Kingdom continued for 450 years to the establishment of prefectural system in 1879.
The public was not allowed to have all the arms in the meantime, either. Therefore, it is thought that and Karate fought empty-handed,and the original old martial art fought using life tools progressed.
For example, Nunchaku is the thing which connected the bit of the horse by the rope. Sai is a tool which makes a hole in order to bury a seed in the ground.
Because there was such a historical background, "the karate (Tei) unique to Okinawa which occurred from the first", "Chinese tode", and "the martial art of the countries in Southeast Asia" united, and the Okinawa karate and old martial art progressed.
The Okinawa karate spreads all over Japan
The Meiji government was born to Japan and establishment of prefectural system was performed to it. It was admitted by the specialist that karate was excellent in gymnastics. Then, karate was adopted as school gymnastics and was gymnastics-ized and sport-ization.
Itosu Ankou which was a clerk of the Shuri public office became part-time engagement of a tode teacher of the Okinawa prefectural first junior high school, and this normal school, and spread karate into school gymnastics of Japan.
Generally karate was completely introduced in Taisho 11 including Gichin Funakoshi's having published the "Ryukyu Chinese martial art tode", and it spread all over Japan in the twinkling of an eye.
Old martial art "Tei" was set to 1908 to "tode", and became "karate" 1929, and it became a postwar "karate-do" name.
Development in the world
Deployment of karate to overseas started because KentsuYabu introduced karate in Hawaii in Showa 2 (1927). Chojun Miyagi, the founder of a Gojyu style, did introduction and instruction of karate by the invitation of the Hawaii Youkoku time signal company in Hawaii in Showa 9 (1934).
After the war, (1945 - 1972), Okinawa became the bottom of the U.S. rule. Many U.S. soldiers studied karate during tenure of office in Okinawa, and there were also those who open an exercise hall after a homecoming.
Moreover, the experts of the karate of Okinawa were invited to the foreign country, and went to instruction. Also making a branch exercise hall was performed actively.
The karate which originated from Okinawa spread all over the world in this way.
Traditional karate-do has the basic form which serves as theoretical organizational framework in the work of offense and defense, and a typical form (Kata). By intense training over many years, karate trains the body and the heart. Therefore, karate has many features, such as "character completion", "training of the great member of society and youth", a martial art, and a sport. The karate-do of Okinawa has accomplished spread development widely to the countries in the world today.
Styles of karate.
Originally, karate is secret skill and was inherited in secrecy as a martial art which is not to be removed from the premises. Therefore, there were few remaining documents and they were almost transmitted by oral statement or individual guidance. Therefore, there are many styles and it is difficult to unify.
Although karate was called Tei, a present style name attached it in early stages of Showa.
Before it, Shuri-Te(Shuri-style) progressed centering on the Shuri castle, Naha-Te(Naha-style) progressed centering on Naha, and Tomari-Te(Tomari-style) progressed centering on Tomari-mura which was in the middle point in Shuri and Naha.
Each style produced a large number of many experts, and has told the tradition at today.
Shuri-te
Shuri-te is the style which produced Matsumura Soukon who is an expert of Chinese martial art and skill of a staff, Itosu Ankou, etc. It is said to receive deeply the influence of the Chinese martial art of the north style. There are many people excellent in martial art and learning among the Shuri families with samurai antecedents who served Ryukyu Kingdom, and a large number of many experts who were excellent also in the martial art is produced. Especially, Matsumura Soukon was also the king's adviser for the martial art instructor, and was the expert who reached to an extreme of the arcana of a martial art and the swordfighting, and was prominent.
The expert of a large number including Itosu Ankou existed in the Matsumura disciple, and they have told the tradition of karate to it till today.
Shuri-te sent out. Matsumura Soukon and Funakoshi Gichin (founder of Shoto-kan),Otsuka Hironori who is a pupil of Funakoshi (founder of Wado-style),Mabuni Kenei (the founder of Shito-style) learned from the two men of Itosu Ankou and Higaonna Kanryo . The meaning of the name of Shito-style is two teachers' initial.Therefore, it means that three styles of the styles of four big karate had occurred from this Shuri-te.
Naha-te
Many naturalized citizens from Fuzhou in China existed in Naha. Moreover, Because the harbor in Naha is prosperous as a trading port and many Chinese were going back and forth, exchange of the martial art was also performed briskly.
Therefore, it is said that Naha-te is strongly influenced by the Chinese martial art of the south style. "Bubi-shi" which Chojun Miyagi owned influenced in Goju-style strongly. It is a textbook of the Chinese martial art of the south style, and expresses the strong relation. Many styles came out of Naha-te. Goju-style created by Miyagi Chojun developed as the maximum style especially.
Tomari-te
It is said that the drifting-ashore people from Shandong in China brought about Tomari-te. However, the corroboration does not exist and the history background is ambiguous compared with Shuri-te or Naha-te. Tomari-te has left models, such as "Coo-shan-Coo of the Chatan Yara", technically. There are few memory keepers of only Tomari-te. Even typical Matsumora Kousaku of Tomari-te is studied in parallel to Shuri-te. In fact, when the karate of the mainland of Japan spread, pure Tomari-te did not spread.
Itosu-Jukkun / The ten instructions by Master Itosu.
Itosu-Jukkun is ten instructions. The master Itosu Anko who is the founder of modern karate-do left it for future generations.
It is solving logically what karate is. Because the text is written in difficult old Japanese, it is difficult to decode. Therefore, it rewrote intelligibly for a modern sentence. Itosu-Jukkun shows the gymnastics side of karate clearly. Kata of Pin-an which Master Itosu originated is expressing this mentality directly.
1. Karate does not only train the body. It is not the main point which is fought with a one enemy. In any times, even if you sacrifice a life, render for a country. Even when you suit a violent person, if possible, don't make it injured using a fist or a leg.
2. Karate strengthens muscles, hardens the body like iron and uses hand and foot as a spear. Therefore, nature is made to demonstrate a brave feeling.If it can be made to practice from one's elementary school days, it will be helpful to society because it is applicable to many of other skills.
3. Karate does not improve suddenly. It may make progress slowly so that a cow may walk for some men. It is said that the purpose is finally attained. If it practices hard for 1 or 2 hours every day, compared with an ordinary person, physical strength will stick in 3-4 years. Then, probably, there are many persons who get the essence of karate.
4. Karate needs a fist and a leg. Therefore, always train in Makiwara. Practice lowering the shoulder, Open lungs, put in power strongly, trample a leg strongly and put mind into the abdomen. Strike 100 times or 200 times single hand.
5. The following point is important for how for karate to be formed.
Stand the waist straightly, lower the shoulder and extract power, put power into a leg and stand on it, put mind into the abdomen balance the power of the upper half of the body and a lower half of the body.
6. Practice many skills of karate, ask the meanings of skill one by one, and confirm for what kind of case this skill should be used. Karate has "defense", "removing", and "a counterattack." A master tells it to a pupil not with a document but with a mouth in many cases.
7. confirm beforehand whether the skill of karate is suitable for this supporting the "body", and whether it is suitable for supporting "task" (it using for the self-defense -- it using in battle).
8. Be very careful, when you practice karate, have a feeling of a battle. See eyes correctly, lower the shoulder and harden the body. Always practice in the feeling which actually defends a partner's attack, and the feeling actually attacked as a partner.
9. Be careful if power is put in too much when practice karate, since blood pressure goes up, a face becomes red, the eye will turn red and it will become damage in the body.
10. There are many long-lived persons among the men of mastery of karate. It is because karate will develop muscles, will help a digestive organ and will improve blood circulation, if the cause is explored. If karate is included in a lesson and made to practice widely from one's elementary school days as a foundation of gymnastics, the excellent talented people can be brought up.
