What is Karate?

When one is asked the question: What is Karate? What comes to mind to differentiate it from kickboxing or Chinese Kempo? They are all martial arts, which employ punches and kicks, but there must be some essential difference between them.

Although we use the term "karate", there is an extremely large number of "karates" that exist today. First off they can be divided by style. Beginning with the four major styles on the mainland, and the three major Okinawan styles, there are countless numbers of organizations that have arisen as styles have split or new branches of styles have been formed.

Then there are styles divided by rules. There are various competition rules, the main ones being "non-contact", "full padding", "full contact", and "glove rules", etc., and even those, which have added elements such as, mat techniques, etc.

There are so many variations in styles and rules that it is impossible to get a precise overall picture of karate. This phenomenon is not found in other martial arts such as Kendo and Judo. In fact it may be correct to say that there is no definition of karate. That, however makes it difficult to further discuss this topic, so for the purpose of this book, I would like to divide karate into the following categories. Okinawan karate before it was imported into the mainland of Japan, and the karate that was developed on the mainland after it was imported.

Also, since this book concentrates on the bunkai, or the use of katas as its main thrust, I will not include those new wave styles, which do not maintain the practice of kata. This book deals only with those styles which predominately practice Shuri style katas which were created in Okinawa.

From a historical standpoint, this book will concentrate on karate after it was imported to the mainland. I will concentrate on other details elsewhere. I have also written about other martial arts, such as the traditional arts of jujutsu and kenjutsu, and the modern art of judo for the purpose of comparison. Karate has been influenced most, perhaps, by traditional martial arts, the best known being Shinkage Ryu Heiho (kenjutsu).

I will also refer to "shintai sousa" (proper body mechanics), which has received considerable attention recently, as "jutsu", or a complete technique and the form of punches and kicks as "waza" as separate techniques. "Kata bunkai" refers to the use of kata.

With the spread of karate much thought has been put into different methods of holding competitions, such as "non contact", "use of protective equipment"," full contact", "gloves", etc. The World Karate Federation World Championships have reached their 17th year and are becoming more and more extravagant. There is even talk of karate becoming an Olympic event.

Along with kumite competition, there is also the extremely interesting part of karate, kata competition. Recently the WKF rules have changed to "tournament style", increased the number of shitei(compulsory)katas, and required the kata bunkai for the finals in team events. All of these events have increased the need for further study of bunkai in Japan, the birthplace of karate.

The question, which arises here, is "What is kata?" The martial art of karate developed on the island of Okinawa under the influence of Chinese kempo; under the historical backdrop of the domination of the Satsuma feudal lords. It is believed to have developed in a unique way. The major characteristic is that it was transmitted orally, using no written training manuals. An exception to this is the "Bubishi" of the Naha style, but that is really believed to be the transmission of the White Crane kata of Chinese Kempo.

A major difference between Okinawan karate and karate practiced on the mainland is that because it was prohibited by law, Okinawan karate was practiced in secret, and passed down orally. On the mainland, while there were some schools, which adhered to the principle of "Mongai fushutsu", or keeping the knowledge within the school, for the most part, many styles were given names and transmitted openly.

Okinawan karate, on the other hand, differs from other martial arts in that it was not taught in dojos, it did not give names to its styles, and it was taught in secret. The following are its characteristics:

In the end, the only thing we are left with in Okinawan karate is the katas. Thus, in order to know the meaning of karate, it is necessary to know the meaning of the katas, which have been passed down. In other words, we must clarify the katas, which have been left for us in order to know what the true nature of the original karate was.

Until now, most of the study of kata has been concerned with such literary issues as to which Chinese character to use or superficial things such as how each movement differs from style to style. There has been no written discussion, however, of the technical meaning of the actual techniques involved. I believe that it has not been possible due to various factors, such as problems within the different styles, or organizations, or between teachers and students.

The primary purpose of kata was to provide a record of offensive and defensive techniques. Of course the person who created a kata knew the meaning of its movements. There was a possibility, though, that future generations would not know the meaning of the movements by just looking at them, so there was a need to orally pass down the meanings of the techniques, so they could be could be recreated. As I stated earlier, if one understands the bunkai, or meaning of a kata, the external differences need not be such a problem.

Because karate was practiced in secret, it is not known for sure when it first began. References to karate were seen in print around the middle of the Meiji period (Meiji period: 1868~1921) after the passing of Masters Anko Itosu of Shuri style and Kanryo Higaonna of Naha style. Before that, because it was passed down orally, there were no written records.

Also, according to oral legends, there are many stories of various masters being taught by Chinese emissaries, or having gone to China to learn first hand. Thus, it is believed that Okinawan karate was influenced considerably by Chinese kempo. Since the history of this period is covered elsewhere, it is beyond the scope of this book. I will only introduce an outline after the Meiji period.

After the Meiji Restoration (1868) the interest in martial arts fell into decline. Around the time of the Seinan no Eki (Coup d'etat) in 1877 the study of kendo and judo gained popularity under the government's plan to "enrich the nation and build strong a defense". In 1876 a bare handed means of self defense was recognized under the government's proclamation against the use of the sword.

In 1879 Master Anko Itosu opened the first karate dojo in Okinawa and began teaching his first students openly. Only his students received attention for being awarded the rank Koushu (High rank) in the military conscription examination. They went on to return home as decorated heroes after the Japan-China war of 1894, and Japan-Russia war of 1904.

In 1901 karate became part of the public school curriculum. At that time Okinawan karate was practiced individually, and there were no style names, rather, it was referred to as "someone or some place's hand". In 1904 Master Itosu created the Heian katas as a tool for teaching in the public junior high schools. That same year karate was first introduced in the mass media. An article written by Master Gichin Funakoshi in which he interviewed Master Anko Asato appeared in the Ryukyu Newspaper. Karate gained interest, not only as a method of self-defense, but also for physical education, and there was a concerted effort, including the use of public demonstrations, to introduce it to the general public.

In his "Ten Principles of Okinawan Karate" (1908), Master Anko Itosu wrote "One should know the meaning and application of a kata before practicing it." From this we know for a fact that the meaning (application) for katas existed at that time.

The two public demonstrations by Master Gichin Funakoshi in 1916 at the Butokuden in Kyoto, and the other at the Tokyo Physical Education Exposition in 1922 were the first to introduce Okinawan karate to the mainland. For some reason 1922 is given as the date of the introduction of karate to the mainland in written documents. In that year Master Funakoshi was invited by Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, to teach karate for several months at the Kodokan. So, if we are talking about the spread of karate rather than the introduction, then the year 1922 can be credited as the beginning. Master Funakoshi never returned to Okinawa, concentrating instead on spreading karate throughout the mainland, primarily in the universities.

Master Kenwa Mabuni established Shito Ryu in 1934. Likewise, Shotokan Ryu, which took until 1935 to formulate and develop its curriculum, established its full time dojo, Shotokan in Soshigaya, Tokyo in 1939. Although Master Funakoshi did not give his style a name, other styles and schools such as Goju ryu and Shito ryu began to appear. Unlike judo and kendo, which unified jujutsu and kenjutsu respectively, karate became further divided into separate styles.

The war ended and the Federation of all Japan Karate Do was established. The different styles joined, and "non-contact" rules were unified for kumite, and the first tournament was held in 1957. The problem of how to unify katas, however, was left up to each style, and remained unsolved. A system to teach beginners comprised of basics, moving basics, and one-, two- or three-step sparring was established. To this day, however, there has evolved no teaching methodology for intermediate and advanced students. This is especially true since only fairly basic katas have been introduced openly, and many practitioners are not satisfied with the bunkai, or application, which has been introduced.

The original meaning of karate as an art of self-defense has become lost with the development of karate on the mainland. Also the trend for it to become a competitive sport has become stronger. Especially after the war, martial arts have become known primarily as a sport. Martial arts had been once considered an important part of a military education. After the war, with the introduction of democracy, there was a trend to change the name from a "martial art" to a "sport".

The introduction of judo as an Olympic sport in the Tokyo Olympics in 1959 spurred this trend. Thus begun the great epoch where, while there was kumite before the war, rules were established and kumite developed into an official event. Just as judo and kendo were spread with competition at its core, with the use of mats and protective gear, making competition possible, karate followed along the same path. As the number of tournaments increased, the purpose changed from defending one's self to winning in competition, and more and more practice was spent on kumite competition and kata as well. In competition rules, unlike in self-defense, certain dangerous techniques are forbidden, so only those techniques, which are applicable to the competition, are emphasized, and that is what makes a sport. As a side note, it has been said that the reason kata competition takes place before kumite competition was to determine whether or not the competitors have sufficient ability to compete in kumite.