Karate Geneology Map
Karate History
Most Western students of Asian martial arts, if they have done
any research on the subject at all, will surely have come across references
to Bodhidharma. He is known as "Daruma" in Japan and as often
as not, this Indian Buddhist monk is cited as the prime source for all martial
arts styles or at the vary least, for any style which traces its roots back
to the fabled Shaolin Temple. However, the question of his contributions
to the martial arts and to Zen Buddhism and even of his very existence has
been a matter of controversy among historians and martial arts scholars
for many years (Spiessbach,1992).
As legend has it, the evolution of karate began over a thousand years ago,
possibly as early as the fifth century BC when Bodhidharma arrived in Shaolin-si
(small forest temple), China from India and taught Zen Buddhism. He
also introduced a systematized set of exercises designed to strengthen the
mind and body, exercises which allegedly marked the beginning of the Shaolin
style of temple boxing. Bodhidharma's teachings later became the basis for
the majority of Chinese martial arts. In truth, the origins of karate appear
to be somewhat obscure and little is known about the early development of
karate until it appeared in Okinawa.
Okinawa is a small
island of the group that comprises modern day Japan. It is the main island
in the chain of Ryuku Islands which spans from Japan to Taiwan. Surrounded
by coral, Okinawa is approximately 10 km (6 mi) wide and only about 110
km (less than 70 mi) long. It is situated 740 km (400 nautical mi) east
of mainland China, 550 km (300 nautical miles) south of mainland Japan and
an equal distance north of Taiwan. Being at the crossroads of major trading
routes, its significance as a "resting spot" was first discovered
by the Japanese. It later developed as a trade centre for southeastern Asia,
trading with Japan, China, Indo China, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and the
Philippines.
 In its earliest stages, the
martial art known as "karate" was an indigenous form of closed
fist fighting which was developed in Okinawa and called Te, or 'hand'.
Weapons bans, imposed on the Okinawans at various points in their history,
encouraged the refinement of empty-hand techniques and, for this reason,
was trained in secret until modern times. Further refinement came with the
influence of other martial arts brought by nobles and trade merchants to
the island.
Te continued to develop over the years, primarily in three Okinawan
cities: Shuri, Naha and Tomari. Each of these towns was a centre to a different
sect of society: kings and nobles, merchants and business people, and farmers
and fishermen, respectively. For this reason, different forms of self-defense
developed within each city and subsequently became known as Shuri-te,
Naha-te and Tomari-te. Collectively they were called Okinawa-Te
or Tode, 'Chinese hand'. Gradually, karate was divided into two
main groups: Shorin-ryu which developed around Shuri and Tomari and Shorei-ryu
which came from the Naha area. "It is important to note, however, that
the towns of Shuri, Tomari, Naha are only a few miles apart, and that the
differences between their arts were essentially ones of emphasis, not of
kind. Beneath these surface differences, both the methods and aims of all
Okinawan karate are one in the same" (Howard, 1991). Gichin Funakoshi
goes further to suggest that these two styles were developed based on different
physical requirements Funakoshi, 1935). Shorin-ryu was quick and linear
with natural breathing while Shorei-ryu emphasized steady, rooted movements
with breathing in synchrony with each movement. Interestingly, this concept
of two basic styles also exist in kung-fu with a similar division of characteristics
(Wong, 1978).
(Nakaya,1986)
The Chinese character used to write Tode could also be
pronounced 'kara' thus the name Te was replaced with kara te -
jutsu or 'Chinese hand art' by the Okinawan Masters. This was later
changed to karate-do by Gichin Funakoshi who adopted an alternate
meaning for the Chinese character for kara, 'empty'. From this point
on the term karate came to mean 'empty hand'. The Do in karate-do
means 'way' or 'path', and is indicative of the discipline and philosophy
of karate with moral and spiritual connotations.
The concept of Do has been prevalent since at least the
days of the Okinawan Scholar Teijunsoku born in 1663, as this passage from
a poem he wrote suggests:
No matter how you may excel in the art of te,
And in your scholastic endevours,
Nothing is more important than your behavior
And your humanity as observed in daily life.
(Nagamine,1976)
The first public demonstration of karate in Japan was in 1917 by Gichin
Funakoshi, at the Butoku-den in Kyoto (Hassell 1984). This, and subsequent
demonstrations, greatly impressed many Japanese, including the Crown-Prince
Hirohito, who was very enthusiastic about the Okinawan art. In 1922, Dr.
Jano Kano, founder of the Japanese art of Judo, invited Funakoshi to demonstrate
at the famous Kodokan Dojo and to remain in Japan to teach karate. This
sponsorship was instrumental in establishing a base for karate in Japan.
As an Okinawan "peasant art," karate would have been scorned by
the Japanese without the backing of so formidable a martial arts master
(Maliszewski, 1992).
Today there are four main styles of karate-do in Japan: Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu,
Shotokan, and Wado-ryu:
Goju-ryu developed out of Naha-te, its popularity primarily due to
the success of Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915). Higaonna opened a dojo in
Naha using eight forms brought from China. His best student, Chojun Miyagi
(1888-1953) later founded Goju-ryu, 'hard soft way' in 1930. In Goju-ryu
much emphasis is placed on combining soft circular blocking techniques with
quick strong counter attacks delivered in rapid succession.
Shito-ryu was founded by Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952) in 1928 and was
influenced directly by both Naha-te and Shuri-te. The name Shito is
constructively
derived from the combination of the Japanese characters of Mabuni's teachers'
names - Ankoh Itosu and Kanryo Higaonna. Shito-ryu schools use a large number
of kata, about fifty, and is characterized by an emphasis on power in the
execution of techniques.
Shotokan was founded by Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) in Tokyo in
1938. Funakoshi is considered to be the founder of modern karate. Born in
Okinawa, he began to study karate with Yasutsune Azato, one of Okinawa's
greatest experts in the art. In 1921 Funakoshi first introduced Karate to
Tokyo. In 1936, at nearly 70 years of age, he opened his own training hall.
The dojo was called Shotokan after the pen name used by Funakoshi
to sign poems written in his youth. Shotokan Karate is characterized by
powerful linear techniques and deep strong stances.
Wado-ryu, 'way of harmony', founded in 1939 is a system of karate
developed from jujitsu and karate by Hienori Otsuka as taught by one of
his instructors, Gichin Funakoshi. This style of karate combines basic movements
of jujitsu with techniques of evasion, putting a strong emphasis on softness
and the way of harmony or spiritual discipline.
Selected References
This article has been written to supplement the Karate History
article in the NCCP Technical I Manual by Rick Jorgensen
Kevin Northrup & Joy Ang
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