| History | The Origin of Shotokan Karate | JKA of New York
松濤館の歴史 The History of Shotokan
Origins
Development
Characteristics Funakoshi
20 Precepts
Shotokan
History: The
Origin of Shotokan Karate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shotokan is a school of karate, developed from various martial
arts by master Gichin Funakoshi
(1868-1957) and his son Yoshitaka.
Funakoshi was the man who 'officially' brought karate from Okinawa to mainland Japan, although Kenwa Mabuni, Motobu Choki and other
Okinawans were actively teaching karate in Japan prior to this point. Shōtō was the pen name
Funakoshi used in his poetry, which means "pine waves" ([1], pg.
85), while kan means "house". Hence shōtō-kan was the name of the
hall where he trained his students. Shotokan is one of the world's major karate
styles (the seven biggest styles being Shotokan, Shorin-Ryu, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu, Goju-ryu, Kyokushin, and Kenpo)
Origins (The early year of Karate
origins)
Karate is an ancient martial art whose
origins date back over one thousand years. Karate can trace its roots to the
Chinese 少林 Shao
Lin fighting art. 少林流 The Shao Lin style
arose from the training methods introduced by Dharma at the Shao Lin monastery.
Designed to build strength and endurance, these methods helped Shao Lin monks
carry out their religionÕs strict discipline.
少林流 The Shao Lin style
migrated to Okinawa, where the authorities forbade the use of weapons. The
Okinawan style of "empty-hand" fighting and self-defense soon arose,
combining Shao Lin with indigenous fighting techniques. This martial art was
called 空手 karate
in recognition of its Chinese origin.唐手 (唐 "Kara" means
"Chinese"; 手 "te" means
"hand".)
Funakoshi had trained
in both of the popular styles of Okinawan karate of the time:昭霊流 Shorei-ryu and 少林流 Shao Lin-ryu. After years
of intense study of both styles, Master Funakoshi arrived at a new
understanding of martial arts, and a simpler style was created, that combined
the ideals of Shorei and Shao-Lin. He combined and modified the styles, and
made his own, though he never named it, always referring to it simply as
"karate". The karate that he transmitted to his students reflects the
changes made in the art by Anko Itosu,
including the Heian/Pinan
kata
series. Funakoshi himself changed the names of the kata included in his
curriculum, in an effort to make the "foreign" Okinawan names more
palatable to the then nationalistic Japanese mainland.
少林流 (Shao-Lin: Shorin), 昭霊流 (Shorei-ryu:
Shorei-style))
発展（船越義珍による近代空手へ）
The development (Modern karate under
Gichin Funakoshi)
沖縄空手の上京
Gichin Funakoshi (left) was born in Okinawa
in 1868, the same year as Japan's Meiji Restoration. Introduced to karate as a
boy, FunakoshiÕs early training took place in complete secrecy -- at the time,
the Okinawan government had banned the practice of karate. Funakoshi eventually
became a schoolteacher, training in karate all the while. During this time,
Okinawan karate emerged from its seclusion to become a legally sanctioned
martial art. In 1922, the Japanese Ministry of Education held a martial arts
demonstration in Tokyo; the Okinawan Department of Education asked Funakoshi to
introduce Okinawan karate to Japan.
Funakoshi did not get
the chance to return to Okinawa. His demonstration made a powerful impression
on the Japanese public; Funakoshi was soon beseiged with requests to further
demonstrate and teach his art. Eventually, he had enough students to open a
modest dojo in a Tokyo dormitory's lecture hall. Local universities began to
take an interest in karate, and Funakoshi became a regular instructor at a
number of them. The ranks of Funakoshi's students grew.
Recognizing that the
karate he practiced had diverged from the Chinese fighting styles, Funakoshi
changed the meaning of "karate" from "Chinese hand" to
"empty hand." ( 空 "Kara" can
also mean "empty".) The change was important to Funakoshi: the
"empty hand" concept not only reflected the fact that its
practitioners used no weapons, it also recalled the Zen process of perfecting
oneself and one's art -- by emptying the heart and mind of earthly desire and
vanity.
Funakoshi also set out to make karate more
accessible to the public. He revised and streamlined the components of karate
training, especially the kata, to make karate simple enough for
everybody -- young and old, men and women.
Karate began to spread throughout Japan. In
1935, Funakoshi's supporters had pooled enough funds to erect the first
free-standing karate dojo in Japan. The dojo opened the next year, with a sign
over the door bearing the dojo's name: 松濤館 Shoto-kan.
( 館 "Kan" means "building." 松濤 "Shoto" means "pine
waves," which describes the sound of the wind rustling through pine trees.
Funakoshi, who loved nature, was fond of this murmuring sound -- he considered
it a kind of "celestial music." Therefore, he used the name 松濤 "Shoto" to
sign his calligraphy.)
In 1955, 日本空手協会 the Japan Karate Association was
established -- Funakoshi's art had become a full-fledged karate organization.
At the time, it was a modest one, with only a few members, a handful of
instructors, and Funakoshi, who served as chief instructor. Gichin Funakoshi
passed away shortly, in 1957. Since then, Shotokan students have carried on his
spirit and teachings. The result: the JKA now has over 100,000 active karate
students and approximately 300 affiliated karate clubs worldwide.
特徴 船越義珍の空手道
Characteristics
「稽古は、基本・組手・形の三つをもって一つとなす。」
Training is usually divided into three
sections: 基本 kihon or "basics", 組手 kumite or "sparring", and 形 kata
(forms or patterns of moves). Shotokan techniques in kihon and kata are
characterised by deep, long stances which provide stability, powerful movements
and also helps strengthen the legs. Strength and power are often demonstrated
instead of slower, more flowing motions. The kumite techniques mirror these
stances and movements at a basic level, but progress to being more
"free" and flexible at a higher level. Funakoshi is said to have
found the traditional martial arts (such as sumo, jujutsu and kenjutsu) to be too
focused on combat, and he put more emphasis on health, breathing, releasing
energy and outstanding mind and body control.[citation needed]
Shotokan can be regarded as a hard and
'external' martial art.
Before his students established the Japan
Karate Association, Master Funakoshi Gichin laid out the Twenty Precepts of
Karate,
which form the foundations of the art. Within
these twenty principles, based heavily on Bushido and Zen, lies the philosophy of Shotokan.
Twenty Precepts of
Karate,
Never forget: karate
begins with rei and ends with rei
(Rei means courtesy
or respect, and is represented in karate by bowing)
二 空手に先手なし
There is no first
attack in karate
三 空手は義の輔け
Karate supports
righteousness
四 始めに己を知れ而して敵を知れ
First understand
yourself, then understand others
五 技術より心術
The art of developing
the mind is more important than the art of applying
technique
六 心は放たんことを要す
The mind needs to be
freed
七 禍は懈怠に生ず
Trouble is born of
negligence / ignorance
八 道場のみの空手と思うな
Do not think karate
belongs only in the dojo
九 空手の修行は一生
Karate training
requires a lifetime
十 凡ゆる物を空手化せよ其要に妙味あり
Transform everything
into karate; therein lies its exquisiteness
十一 空手は湯の如し絶えず熱を与えざれば元の水に換える
Karate is like hot
water, if you do not give it heat constantly, it will again
Do not think that you
have to win, rather think you do not have to lose
十三 敵に因って転化せよ
Transform yourself
according to the opponent
十四 戦は虚実の操縦如何に在り
The outcome of the
fight depends on one's control
十五 人の手足を剣と思え
Imagine one's arms and
legs as swords
十六 男子門を出ずれば百万の敵有り
Once you leave the
shelter of home, there are a million enemies
十七 構えは初心者後は自然体
Postures are for the
beginner; later they are natural positions
十八 型は正しく実戦は別物
Perform the kata
correctly; the real fight is a different matter
十九 力の強弱、躱の伸縮、技の緩急を忘るな
Do not forget control
of the dynamics of power, the elasticity of the body
and the speed of the
technique
二十 常に思念工夫せよ
Apply the way of
Karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty.
| Origins | Development | Characteristics
| Gichin Funakoshi | 20 Precepts |
Sources:
Shotokan: Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Karate-do: My Way of Life, Gichin Funakoshi.
"Karate -- Yesterday and Today,"
Dynamic Karate, Masatoshi Nakayama.
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