Karate Has Gone Global, But the Real Masters Are Still in Its Japanese Birthplace

OKINAWA - When the average person thinks of karate, they think of Japan. But that is only partly correct.

The true birthplace of what we now call karate is Okinawa, which is to karate what Mecca in Saudi Arabia is to Muslims; a pilgrimage to the birthplace. Students truly invested in their training go there to learn what karate truly is.

Karate was developed when Okinawa was its own kingdom, long before it was invaded and conquered by Japan in the early 17th century, let alone its 19th century annexation by Japan.

As someone who has practiced shotokan karate (one of many karate styles) for over two decades, I thought I understood at least most karate basics. But last month I spent a week training in traditional karate seminars in Okinawa and realized how little I actually understood.

While many martial arts

, including karate, can produce reasonably good fighters - at least for tournaments - they actually are often remarkably deficient in teaching useful fighting skills for what one might encounter in real life.

History

Some history is necessary to understand what I am talking about. For generations karate was taught secretly in Okinawa. The art had almost no literature and when it emerged from secrecy at the beginning of the twentieth century it was enveloped in myths. And as it spread around the world, especially after World War II, there was no central authority. Instead there was a collection of different styles and schools, each with its own ideas, training methods, and versions of history.

Essentially, karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks, restraints, throws and vital point strikes are also taught, but, sadly, most of that is not common in many styles today, though they are at the heart of what makes karate truly effective. A karate practitioner is called a karateka.

Hypothetically, any unarmed combat system could accurately be called "karate" since the Japanese phrase literally means "empty hand". But this is not really karate. True karate was developed from indigenous fighting methods called te (literally "hand"; ti in Okinawan) and Chinese kenpo (a Japanese word used to designate several Chinese martial arts).

After trade relationships were established with the Ming Dynasty of China by King Satto of Chuzan in 1372, some forms of Chinese martial arts were introduced to the Ryukyu Islands by the visitors from China, particularly Fujian province. A large group of Chinese families moved to Okinawa around 1392 for the purpose of cultural exchange, and they shared their knowledge in a wide variety of Chinese arts and sciences, including Chinese martial arts.

Members of the Okinawan upper classes were sent to China regularly to study various political and practical disciplines. The incorporation of empty-handed Chinese wu shu into Okinawan martial arts occurred partly because of these exchanges.

Sakukawa Kanga (1782-1838) had studied pugilism and staff (bo) fighting in China. In 1806 he started teaching a fighting art in the city of Shuri that he called "Tudi Sakukawa", which meant "Sakukawa of China Hand". This was the first known recorded reference to the art of "Tudi". In the 1820s, Sakukawa's most significant student, Matsumura Sokon (1809-1899), was teaching a synthesis of te (Shuri-te and Tomari-te) and Shaolin (Chinese) styles. Matsumura's style would later become the Shorin-ryu style.

Matsumura taught his art to Itosu Anko (1831-1915) among others. Itosu adapted two forms he had learned from Matsumara. These are kusanku and chiang nan. He created the ping'an forms ("heian" or "pinan" in Japanese) which are simplified kata for beginning students.