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About Karate-Do \ by Itzik Cohen.
Brief knowledge:
KARA-TE: "Empty Hand". Origin: Okinawa.
Already in the Lotus Sutra we can find evidences to some weaponless fighting arts as Hsiang Ch'aHsiang Pu (in Chinese: "mutual striking"), the "Nata", which was given as a spiritual education to the descent sovereign (apparently as a dance), and the bare handed martial art called Vajramushti, which was appeared later and was practiced by the Ksha'triya warrior class. The Nata is described as a set of motions which are nourishing body & soul and described as "Lore revival", an awakening throughout physical activity.
Proceeding the Nata, Vajramushti and Kala'ari were developed. It is interesting to note that Vajramushti had been developed in a peace era, an important fact which evident the importance of the physical, physiological, spiritual, cultural and social factors in Martial Arts.
In China, at the 5th century (Tang Dynesty), the use of Chan Fa (Kung Fu) was spread. Kung Fu was similar to Indian Vajramukti, which Indian monks had brought with them. Only years later that Art expanded to Taiwan and the Ryukyus and was named "Kempo" (Kenpo).
The legend tells about Daruma (Bodhisattva), a kshatriya class member (a class that was established by the prince at 450 A.D.), who was journeyed to China at the 500th century A.D, and entered to Shaolin temple. He started to teach the monks Zen Buddhism but since the monks were weak and could not perform the rigorous meditation he first taught them exercises in order to strengthen them. Part of these exercises where used as self defense techniques.
Karate origin is from Okinawa, contrary to the common thinking that Karate origin is Japan, and the previous name,
Tode (Todee, Tote) leads us to it's main influential location - China (Chinese kempo / kenpo) and some other Asians countries. Karate flourished in Okinawa in the 15th Century (King Sho Hashi era). It is important to note that there was a local Okinawa TE that developed in synergy to the Chinese Tode. Actually the Karate was firstly seen in Japan at the beginning of the past century when first demonstration was held in 1917 in Kyoto. The Karate, in fact, was officially recognized in Japan only in 1922 by the Dai Nippon Butokukai (Greater Japan Martial Virtue Society).
History:
First acknowledgements about Okinawa exist in Chinese and Japanese sources from 200 B.C.
The Ryukyu Islands extends among China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea and became to an important trade intersection while Okinawa is the largest one.
The archipelago was unified in Sho Dynasty, 1429 and a new peaceful era had begun. New social and economical structure was created and bilateral relationships were established, but Okinawa had never been completely in depended and had to pay, especially in goods to China and later on to Japan too. Since Okinawa was a crossroad among the south-east Asia countries it was a strategic location, that Japan and China were interested in.
One of the most influential events was occurred in 1609, when Satsuma clan invaded into Okinawa. The roots to this occurrence are actually laid few years before, in 1600 when Japan was in militant atmosphere. Internal battles were took place between two big famous families\Clans: Tokogawa and Satsuma. It was the Sekigahara battle. In order to remove future threat and to keep away the defeated enemy from militant attempts, Tokogawa Ieyasu gave the permission to lord Shimazu, the Satsuma family "Daimyo" (lord of the feudal period), to invade into the Ryukyu Islands. In 1609 three thousand Samurais (worriers) Invaded into Okinawa and overpowered the local authority within a short time. Commerce, management and internal affairs were extinct. The Satsuma exacted heavy taxes and did not enable independence life to people. It was banded to carry any weapons or to engage in any defensive activity, a fact that turned the locals even more venerable and exposed them to Japanese pirates attacks, which came from eastern Chinese sea.
In 1879 the Ryukyu Islands were officially annexed to Japan although the Satsuma clan controlled and authored until 1899. A sharp turn was recorded at World War II, on April 1945, when American forces invaded into Okinawa. The devastated results are seen until today. 107,539 Japanese and 12,281 American soldiers were killed. 27,226 American Bombing sallies were executed on Okinawa before the invasion and the inevitable destruction was absolute. Around 42,000 Okinawan civilians were killed, houses were completely collapsed and ruins were every where. Inhabitants were actually trapped between the battled forces. Within this terrible ravage and cultural loss the Karate field was also lost remarkable teachers and vast knowledge.
Okinawan Karate characterization
The Okinawan people see the Karate as folklore, nor as sport neither as Budo ("Military way") in contrary to Japanese arts. The Dojo (A place in which people involve with spiritual activities e.g. meditation and fighting arts) in Okinawa is deferent from the one in Japan in manner of atmosphere. In Japanese Dojo the atmosphere is more official and strict, as in Budo (Military way) while in Okinawa it's lighthearted. Still the self discipline, the devotion to the place, the practice, the consideration of people in each other and social life in the Dojo arouse admiration.
"Giri" is a concept which refers to obligation \ responsibility. The Japanese way is imperative comparing to Okinawa.
The Okinawan fighting art has developed in two parallel plateaus:
| Empty hands - "Karate\Tode" |
| Traditional Weaponry - "Kobu-Do" |
Mutual cultivation exists between these two disciplines.
An old saying: "When you fight in empty hands - consider you hold a weapon in your hand and when you fight with weapon - consider you fight with empty hands".
In order to maneuver a weapon it should turn to be as one with body and soul, so we can use it naturally and efficiency - then we will not damage ourselves while practicing (in short and long run) or in fighting and need to defend ourselves practically.
The Okinawan fighting arts are mainly influenced from Chinese Kempo that was arrived around the 17th century and was added in addition to local fighting styles.
There are many styles which defer one to the other accordingly to their origin. In north mountainous for example, legs (kicks) utilization was widespread since horse riding was common while in south the hands techniques were dominant since the area had an abundance of rivers and people used rowboats.
The Chinese influence was arrived by sailor\seafarer, merchants, passer-by and significantly by Chinese official envoys, Kushanku as an example, and later on by local teachers who went to China in order to learn and accumulate knowledge which they continue to develop for local use.
The Okinawa-Te, Tode, might be classified into three streams which where developed in three regions:
| Shuri-Te: deep stances (Hence slower maneuver between stances) and usually tight fists. Some will claim that these styles are characterized by fast - offensive motions. |
| Naha-Te: higher stances, emphasized respiration and open hands (palms). Some would say that this stream is more defensive then the previous one. |
| Tomari-Te: Is mainly combines between the other two. |
The Way
Fighting\Martial Arts, in resemble to other arts, are assembled from external and internal components.
The external components are the instruments we are working with, that are body (strength, flexibility, muscle stamina, cardio-vascular stamina and other physical fitness components) and technique.
The internal components are compounded from two varied plains: physical plain (to sense the body and the surroundings) and spiritual plain (education, morals, self discipline and ethics).
The Buddhism emphasizes the significance of learning by experience, in other words, the learning process is not solely logical, mental and intellectual but mainly experiential. Basically we can say that the more we accumulate experience, the more we relate to internal components while there are deferent approaches to the dosage between the two (external and internal).
More then that, in contrary to west, in which the result is essence, Far East approach emphasizes the experience, the way, the process that we go through - Hence practice and experience are crucial to the study process. Knowledge accumulation is only first stage and should be followed by understanding and later on assimilation, which is fundamental.
The teacher duty is to guide the student through the way and to direct him in case the student deviated too much while knowledge is respectively provided. Stuffed information in short time is improper precisely as we shouldn't pour tea to an already loaded cup. The "Sensei" (teacher) educates and directs the student technically, mentally and spiritually, provides and absorbs from the student and creates mutual stimulation which enriches and promotes both, the teacher and the student.
I will classify the Karate, as it is today, to three fields:
Self-Defense
Ad-hoc courses to defined audience in order to instill maximum self-defense in minimum\defined time. For example, 15 meetings for students, 10 meetings for building workers and so on. I will leave the differences between these two courses to your wild imagination (-: . This is an instruction frame more then long run teaching - want to say, mainly tactical and technical teaching.
Sport
Japanese and later western influence - From the beginning of previous century, through the Okinawan teachers who went to Japan (The Karate was officially accepted in Japan in 1922). Competitive sport characteristic that include rules and judgment parameters with non risky measurable techniques, e.g. very low stances, the visual aspects are emphasized in order to gain points and win the tournament.
Fighting\Martial Art
Maintenance of ethical, moral, cultured and traditional values. Self observation and mental training alongside practical techniques to practice - Self Defense. There for Fighting\Martial Arts embrace healthy physical activities in general and particularly way of life, education, way of thinking and character. In fact these arts are strongly related to personal and social affairs. In this sense the term "Sensei" (teacher) contains a deep significant meaning.
Eventually I would like to refer shortly to two topics: The
Zen Buddhism and The
Samurai. I do it with a small doubt because it concern with Japan more then with Okinawa. Nevertheless I find that mentioning these topics is a correct move because it's strong relation to Martial Arts.
ZEN (Ch'an, Dhyana)
ZEN is abbreviation of zen-na\zenno, the Japanese reading of the Chinese ch'an-na (ch'an), that is actually the term Dhyana in Sanskrit.
The meaning of this word is meditative immerse and absorption in which dual thoughts and distinctions (subject and object, the 'oneself' and the environment) are eliminated.
The ZEN denounces concepts and basically seeks to reinstate the human being to its authentic nature by replacement of conceptual thoughts and habits by direct, pre conceptual, experiential and perceptible comprehension.
The continued deep affinity between warrior class (Samurai) and ZEN had created moral code behavior and ethics (BUSHIDO) that got an official approval at the 17th century and turned to the foundation of the military tradition in feudal Japan.
Social scientists tend to compare the BUSHIDO influence on Japan economy evolution to the Protestant ethics in west. In fact, already in the Muromachi period (1336 - 1598) consequent upon ZEN, lifestyle and art were significantly changed with the ZEN adoption by the Samurai class, which was matched Martial Arts and implemented by strict pattern of behavior, strong character cultivation, simplicity, self restraint, equanimity, concentration, firmness, discipline and emotionally neutral.
The Samurai
The Samurai class was divided into two sects:
| Kerai - | Were employed on political and economic base. |
| Keinin - | Were occupied on Family relation. These are the faithful, devoted non compromised samurai that are mentioned in the well known ethos. |
A common myth in west about the ease and willingness of samurai to die is a result of absence of knowledge and mainly derives from lack of Japanese religion faith and culture understanding. In order to put some light on it we should go back to the endless devotion of the warrior ("Tsu"), to its principles and concentration in achieving the goal. When the self becomes one with the severe situation in battle, when the warrior stands if face of enemy, the thought about injury or death will produce nothing but destabilize concentration and would imbalance and endanger him, hence these thought are irrelevant.
Secondly, the Buddhism religion, culture and faith are claim to reincarnation so the samurai saw him self as integral part of present that followed by past and will be followed by future so death in fact is not perceived as "end" but only as a part of natural continuing process whilst "the amendment", the chosen way, is the significant factor and is the one that will mark the following reincarnation process. In this aspect, death might be considered as purity. The samurai is not glad to die but only does not consider it or refer to it.
The "Sapuko" ceremony ("Hara Kiri") is not trivial or no-importance matter. The samurai sometimes preferred this honorable way of death on shame and disgrace. Again, do not forget that we are discussing about an era that is encompassed with completely deferent outlook then today and this is why it's so difficult to us to observe it objectively and understand it by present criteria.
The "Sapuko" option was usually given to a samurai under few circumstances: A smurai that transgressed received some times the permission to kill him self instead of being executed to death in a degrading way. In this way he also saves the family from penalty and property confiscation.
A warrior who died on battle field was compared to a cherry flower that falls in its blossom peak. If he was defeated in battle then the "Sapuko" option expressed the samurai sincerity and responsibility. In some incidents the samurai loyalty was so high that when the lord\master passed away the samurai commited "Sapuko" in order to follow his master in his way to death. This symbolic act known as "Junshi".
In addition, abdomen hacking represents a very symbolic philosophical idea. In accordance to Far-east philosophy the center of life and energy are located in the abdomen. The word "Hara" is a physiological term while the term "Tan-Den" ("Tan-Tien" in Chinese) relates to a deeper philosophical meaning.
I would like to complete in an old saying which claims that the highest level in which a warrior should aspire is "The way of the sword without sword". Wants to say that the highest level of a warrior is to conduct his way in courtesy and to determine the encounter in peaceful manner without any physical confrontation (without drawing the sword).
There were families who specialized in swords manufacturing. Before they would start this work art they were purify themselves and put on Shinto priest clothing. Famous swords were given names and turned to family assets. Swords that were belonged to famous samurais were attributed qualities that the sword absorbed from the owner.
Two of the most well known artist of swords making in Japan were Masamune, in 13th century and his student Muramase, in 14th century. The tale tells that one day they wanted to examine whose sword is better. At first Muramase put his sword in the river. The blade was so sharp that it cut each and every leaf which was passes by. However when Masamune, his teacher, dipped his sword in water, leaves moved aside from the blade. The best sword is the one which performs its task without even drawing.
It is remarkable to know and respect this culture. Trying to adopt ideas that match our times, learn, educate and make positive use of this rich and interesting wisdom.
Written by
Itzik Cohen, April 2003