SHOTOKAN    KARATE

The Organization and Meaning of Training in Karate Do  

The martial ways, budo, are a uniquely Japanese comprehensive system of education. The term do, "Way," which is used in the names of arts like judo, aikido, and karatedo, has a deep philosophical meaning and is especially significant in the study and practice of these arts.  

Kanken Toyama, Hironori Ohtsuka, Gichin Funakoshi, Choki Motobu, Kenwa Mabuni, Genwa Nakasone & Shinken Taira 

Keiko (practice) and Shugyo (austere training) are often used to refer to kendo training. Keiko implies thinking about and practicing or perfecting, both the knowledge and the skills of the past in order to illuminate the present. On the other hand, shugyo is based on Oriental philosophy and traditions and has been heavily influenced by Buddhist thought and ascetic practices Shugyo assumes that the mind and body are indivisible and that technique and spirit are inextricably intertwined. The individual seeks the "Way" (michi) through practical physical training, but the meaning or significance of this goes beyond the physical technique or the results of one's bouts with an opponent. Even the present‑day emphasis of budo on competition and sport‑oriented practice has not completely changed the art, and the traditional concepts of keiko and shugyo continue to be important elements of the art.  

O Sensei Funakoshi The spirit of Okinawan Kara-te 

This is a profound view of Budo training in that it holds that practice is a more complex matter than merely learning effective techniques or improving one's strength and timing in order to be victorious in kendo ,judo, karate or any matches. Rather, it is necessary to learn techniques of any Budo that will enable one to gain victory in the correct manner, in accordance with the principles of the art. This is learned only by repetitive training over a long period of time and it is through this repetitive process that the art goes beyond the physical. This training

Develops people's social attitudes or consciousness and teaches them how to live better lives, becoming in this way a form of spiritual discipline. The Way of the Budo (Karate), is to develop and cultivate the human nature and individual potential of its practitioners by training in accordance with the principles of Bushido."  

Training in karate-do can be divided into three main categories:  

Kihon (basic technical skills),

Kumite (sparring with another person),

Kata (formal training exercises performed by oneself).

Kihon training, the principal attacks and defenses are taught one by one. The student repeats the movements many times, learning to do them accurately and precisely. Thus, the trainees improve the power and speed of their punching, kicking and striking techniques, as well as work on correcting their breathing, foot movement, and general stances. Movements are symmetrical on both the left and right sides, leading to balanced physical and technical development. As students' technical skills improve and become more balanced, they naturally become more balanced spiritually and in harmony with nature. It is here that the "Way" (michi, do) comes into being.

Funakoshi Dai Sensei

Funakoshi Dai Sensei Gyaku Tsuki

Yakusoku kumite (preparranged sparring) where the trainees practice a sequence of attacks and defenses that have been previously determined and agreed upon.

Ippon Kumite - 1 Step sparring

Therefore, learning to reduce the time between blocking and attacking becomes more important. Learning to make a single, explosive attack is important. Also, the attacker learns to reduce telegraphing of intent to attack while the defender learns to recognize incoming attacks and react accordingly.

Sanbon Kumite - 3 Step Sparring

3 step sparring is somewhat different from five step sparring. The three steps allow the practice of the three components of one step sparring.

Gohon Kumite - 5 Step Sparring

The purpose of 5 step sparring. in its most basic incarnation is to learn to time blocks with attacks, condition the forearms and shins against bruising, learn proper distancing, learn to attack and defeat blocking, increase the velocity with which techniques are delivered, and learn to maintain formal, fundamental structure under pressure.

Jyu Ippon Kumite. One free sparring attack 

Hirokazu Kanazawa SKI Kancho 10 Dan  Sensei B. Mimoun

Jyu Kumite -(free sparring) where the trainees are able to test their abilities in attack and defense in a controlled sparring situation that is intended to resemble actual combat. In pre‑arranged sparring, the object is to study and perfect one's techniques, learning how to judge and use ma‑ai (combative distance/interval), and polish one's timing and body movement. To make progress it is important to be able to harmonize one's Kokyu (breathing) with that of the opponent. When you can synchronize both your movement and your breathing with your partner's, you learn to perceive his intent or spirit, his ki. As one becomes able to harmonize with nature and other persons, one's humanity is itself reformed, and this gives meaning to the "Way."

NO points are awarded and no referees to stop the match. The match ends when one competitor clearly becomes dominant over the other, or when one of the two concedes or time limit on the mach

Hitoshi  Katsuya  WSKF Kancho

Shiai - involves a referee, points are awarded for successful techniques and a time limit on the match.

Kata (formal training exercises) are the product of our forebears' experience and severe training, organized into a physical form that can be easily studied. When performing kata one must suppose that one is surrounded by enemies ; front and back, left and right, and that one is involved in actual combat. However, kata has more meaning.  

Funakoshi Dai Sensei´s Naihanchi

Bujutsu-sei.    Combative significance (Efficiency) (Death or Life)

Geijutsu-sei .  Artistic performance (Beauty & truth)

Tetsugaku-sei. Philosophical aspects (Ki & Universe)

In contrast to sparring with an actual opponent, in Kata one must imagine the enemies with whom one fights. That is to say that one battles oneself. Thus, a kata must be performed from beginning to end with a unified spirit, so that the execution of the form is filled with ki (vital energy/spirit). Just as an individual's character can be understood by seeing a specimen of his writing, it is said that by observing someone's kata one can understand everything about him. Kata training begins as a study of technique, but in the end it is important that it becomes a study of the "Way."

In conclusion, I'd like to emphasize that kihon, kumite and kata exist in a mutually supporting relationship. Although one may place more importance on one or another of these elements at various times, I hope that you will always keep in mind and train with the knowledge that they are San I Ittai, three aspects of the same thing.

Makiwara 

Matsusuke Harada (Karate Magazine. France)

When we are looking at the photos when O Sensei Funakoshi is training Makiwara we observe that he is not looking for strength. In the moment of impact all the energy is flowing from the whole body to the hand .What O Sensei was looking for the concentration of all his energy in the instant of  impact .

The  Makiwara  in old times was made by Bamboo ,if we push hard use to bend back easily, When some times any student brook the Makiwara Dai sensei get very angry .

When Tamashiwary became popular we trained makiwara simply looking for power.

Gichin Funakoshi Makiwara training

  The name of Karate

Masatoshi Nakayama´s opinion

  (Karate Magazine France)

The word karate does not exit at that time we use to say a short word like “Te” or Okinawa-Te, Tokyo –Te .Etc..

Those who employ Chines techniques used the term karate, so Karate means <<Chines hand>>. During the war of Manchuria between Japan and Chine in 1932,everything which sound Chinese it was better to eliminate it (It was unacceptable). That is why the Kanji was changed and the meaning too, from <Chines Hand> To <Open Hand> resting the same pronunciation. By odd reason like this one appear the name karate

However the name has fascinated the people. Little by little the term it was adopted by all the world. We added the term <DO> .Like in Judo, Kendo. Etc.  

Masatoshi Nakayama Dai Sensei

Shotokan Name

Gichin Funakoshi a schoolteacher by profession and a poet as one of his hobbies, when he singed his poems he used the pen name, "Shoto", which literally means "pine waves or waving pines".

In later life, Funakoshi explained that the cool breezes which blew among the pines, on Mount Torao made the trees whisper like waves breaking on the shore.

Since he gained his greatest poetic inspirations, while walking among the gently blowing pine trees. He chose, the pen name of Shoto, "pine waves".

En 1936, Funakoshi opened his first dojo in Tokyo. Named Shotokan by his students, " The name of his dojo Shotokan became popular and people start to associate the name of the dojo with the style. 

The name SHOTOKAN was made up using Sho (Pine) and To (wave), and the word Kan meaning house or school (for official ones).   Thus Shotokan means the house or school of the waving pines or (pine and wave). School of Funakoshi.

Once some body asked this question to Master Nakayama. Is the Shotokan a style?  style by itself, really intransigent?.

The answer of Nakayama.

Absolutely not! It is a big mistake .The Master Funakoshi has never created a style with the name Shotokan. The name with which people knows his dojo was Shotokan .Why this name? nobody know, I never  heard him to talk about it. One day during a karate class, a student of masters Funakoshi said in front of him that he practice the “Shoto Ryu”. O Sensei Funakoshi got very angry.

After a moment O Sensei gave him the answer. You practice karate and just karate!

The desire of Master Funakoshi was; Karate is only one.

Note:

Sho is the beginning of the word Shorin. (Small forest)

Note: Shobayashi. Matsubayashi. Kobayashi The three main Schools of Shorin Ryu they have in their names the word pine as in Shorin .

A dojo kun is a verbal affirmation that is traditionally recited by all of the students at the end of each training session.

It should be recited out loud one line at a time, first by the Dojo's Sensei or senior sempai, and then repeated immediately afterwards in unison by all of the students in attendance prior to bowing at the end of each class.

*Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuru koto

Seek Perfection of character

* Makoto no michi wo mamoru koto

Be faithful

* Doryoku no Seishin wo yashinau koto

Endeavor

* Reigi wo omonzuru koto

Respect others

* Kekki no yu wo imashimuru koto

Refrain from violent behavior  

Niju-Kun

Funakoshi´s XX precepts

‘The Way of Life’  

1. Karate is not only dojo training.

2. Karate begins with a bow and ends with a bow.

3. In Karate, there is never first attack.

4. The Karate-ka must follow the way of justice

5. First you must know yourself. Then you can know others.

6. Spiritual development is paramount; technical skills are merely

Means to the end.

7. You must cultivate your mind

8. Misfortune comes out of laziness.

9.  Karate is all life training.

10.Put Karate into everything you do.

11.Karate are like hot water. If you do not give heat constantly it will

again become cold.

12. Think that you do not have to lose. Do not think you have to win.

13. Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points from

Invulnerable ones.

14. Move and breathe according to your opponent.

15. Consider your opponent's hands and legs, as sharp as swords.

16. When you leave home, think that millions of opponents are waiting

for you.

17.Ready position for beginners and natural position for advanced

Students.

18.Kata and real fight are different things. (In the same)

19.Do not forget :

(1) strength and weakness of power,

(2)expansion and contraction of the body,

(3)Slowness and speed of techniques.

20. Devise at all times.

Origin of the Shotokan Tiger

Shishi

There is different opinion about this point:

A)        When Gichin Funakoshi was a young man, he enjoyed walking in solitude among the pine trees that surrounded his hometown of Shuri.  He would often walk up Mount Torao and meditate among the pine trees under the stars and bright moon. Mount Torao is a very narrow, heavily wooded mountain which, when viewed from a distance, resembles a tigers tail. The name "Torao" literally means "tigers tail". And it is because of this that people think Funakoshi chose the tiger symbol.

B)        There is another story that explains why the tiger was used. Apparently Funakoshi was asked to write the 1st book about karate. The man who asked him was an artist called Hoan Kosugi. It was decided that if the book were written Kosugi would design the cover. In Japanese, "Tora no maki" is an official document of an art.

C)        In my modest opinion all the visitors to Okinawa Knows about Shishi and Shisha both a strange lions or something alike which symbolize the opposites, etc. All Okinawa’s have those two symbols at the entrance of their houses or whatever entrance as a symbol of good luck and protection.

Shishi is the power, the hard, the positive or Yang element of both.      

Once in 1995 talking with Kanazawa Sensei I asked him:

Sensei is Shotokan Go (Hard) or JU (Soft) style? . His answer was GO. He continued explaining why, with an interesting explanation.

Still today in Okinawa they have Shishi dance every summer at Ikehara Village. (This is a very Interesting History).

This sort explanation it will probably take as to why Dai Sensei Gichin Funakoshi suggested this symbol for his Ryu Ha

The unknown face of an Okinawan Master.

 O Sensei funakoshi

Funakoshi Dai Sensei as a well Okinawan master his Knowledge in the art of kobudo was in accordance of his high karate level ,proof of it is his student Shinken Taira ,who studied under Funakoshi Dai Sensei for over more 15 years .

Okinawa masters even today they don't show all the things they know, and some times they see the mistakes in their students and don't correct them till they consider it necessary .

Bo against Sai *Pure Okinawa style*

  Yasutsune Azato (1827-1906) and Yasutsune Itosu (1830-1915).  

Funakoshi Dai Sensei  

Shotokan karate student from different generation:

Many of the students of Funakoshi ultimately became teachers themselves, some of whom established their own style in accordance with his own body system.

  The Japan Karate Association was created by Nakayama, in 1949 with some students of Funakoshi Dai Sensei. This one was the first Japanese karate federation. There were other karate style known but not federation. The concept of a style it doesn’t exist at that time. Gichin Funakoshi was appointed as the chief instructor due to his advanced skills and leadership capabilities. Although Funakoshi Sensei was famous as a great karate master, he always emphasized that the most important benefit from karate training is the development of spiritual values and the perfection of character of its participants. Master Gichin Funakoshi died in on April 26, 1957 at the age of 88.

 SHOTOKAN  KARATE KATAS
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