When people hear the term "martial art" they generally think of Karate. One of the most popular martial arts, Karate had its roots in China, developed in Okinawa, and was later brought to Japan by Gichin Funakoshi. Karate originated in Okinawa in the 1600s. It was developed from imported Chinese martial arts skills and refined as an advanced means of self-defense because weapons were outlawed on the island. It was originally called Te, meaning "hand." Later, masters adopted the name Karate, meaning "empty hand" or "Chinese hand" (depending upon which characters are used to write the word).
The word Karate is formed by two characters, the first one kara (empty) and the other te (hand). Kara may be explained several ways. The first way is that through the practice of karate, self-defense techniques are learned, where no weapons are used, other than hands, feet, or other parts of the body.
A second way, as explained by Master Funakoshi, "Just as it is the clear mirror that reflects without distortion, or the quiet valley that echoes a sound, so must one who would study Karate-do purge himself of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can he [she] understand that which he [she] receives. This is another meaning of the element kara in Karate-do." Another meaning given by Funakoshi is that of always striving to be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle.
Finally, Funakoshi also talks about the elemental form of the universe, which is emptiness (kara, ku), "and thus, emptiness is form itself. The kara of Karate-do has this meaning." It is clear that Karate is much more than mere self-defense techniques.
Toward the end of the 19th century, Gichin Funakoshi trained with various karate masters, and then devised his own system, which he named Shotokan. He spread the style to the Japanese mainland and eventually to the West. Master Funakoshi, inspired by traditional martial arts from the main Japanese islands (such as Kyudo, Kendo, and Judo) modified Karate, which until that moment could have been called Karate-jutsu (a fighting art), and emphasized its philosophical aspects combining Karate techniques with traditional Budo (the martial way).
The word Budo is formed by two Chinese characters. Bu is formed by two symbols, a symbol that means to stop is drawn inside another symbol of two weapons, two crossed halberds. Thus, bu means to stop conflict. As stated before, do means a way or a life philosophy. In Master Funakoshi's own words: "Since Karate is a Budo, this meaning should be deeply considered, and the fists should not be used heedlessly".
Today it is common to
find both "traditional" and
"competitive" styles of karate.
Traditional styles being the formal Okinawan
styles, and competitive styles being those
involved mostly in tournament competition.
Karate is based upon powerful linear kicks
and punches. It is considered a
"hard" martial art since its
blocks and attacks are direct and forceful.
Many different styles fall under the karate
banner. All include hardstyle kicks,
punches, and blocks, but some emphasize
linear movements, while others emphasize
circular movements. In virtually every
style, kata (patterns) practice and kumite
(sparring) play an important role in
training.
American Freestyle Karate. American
freestyle (named by Dan Anderson) is not
really a style, it more of method of
non-Oriental training. It stresses training
to capitalize on your own specific skills
and capabilities rather than training to
force yourself to conform to some
preconceived idea of what a technique should
be.
American Kempo. American Kempo (or
Kenpo) (American Fist Law) is an eclectic
art developed by Hawaiian Ed Parker. The art
combines the Kara-Ho Kempo Karate that
Parker learned from William Chow with
influences from Chinese, Japanese Kosho Ryu
Kenpo, Hawaiian, and Western martial art
sources. Parker added many labels to
concepts from these arts that originally has
no labels. It blends circular motions and
evasive movements with linear kicks and
punches. It is oriented toward
"street" self-defense. The system
allows "artistic interpretation"
and many American offshoots have evolved
from it.
Note: In the Japanese language, the
consonants "n" and "m"
have the same symbol, thus the English
spelling can be rendered either
"Kempo" or "Kenpo".
There are several arts in this family, but
the spelling is not significant in
distinguishing between them.
Cha Yon Ryu. Cha Yon Ryu (Natural
Way) is an eclectic, fairly new martial art
founded in 1968 by Kim Soo of Houston,
Texas. Taekwondo and Shotokan Karate
contributes kicking techniques, strong
stances and direct, linear strikes and
blocks. Okinawa-te movements add techniques
with some angularity, and Quanfa Gongfu
contributes fluid, circular movements.
Hapkido adds defenses against chokes, grabs
and armed attacks, as well as various
throwing and falling techniques. Students
strive to fulfill The Dojang Hun (Training
Hall Oath): Seek perfection of character,
Live the way of truth, Endeavor, Be
faithful, Respect your seniors, and Refrain
from violent behavior.
Full-Contact Karate. Full-contact
karate was founded in the early 1970's by
Mike Anderson and Jhoon Rhee. Similar to
boxing, the goal is to knockout the opponent
or to win on a decision by judges. Unlike
boxing, kicks are permitted and a minimum
number of kicks must be delivered each
round.
Goju-Ryu. Goju-Ryu was founded in the
1930's by Miyagi Chojun from Okinawan Karate
and Chinese Kempo techniques. It is
combination of hard "go" and soft
"ju" techniques that work together
similar to yin and yang. Linear motion is
combined with circular movements. Patterns
are practiced slowly with emphasis on
breathing.
Isshin-Ryu. Isshin-ryu was found in
Okinawa in 1954 by Shimabuku Tatso by
combining Shorin-ryu (90%) and Goju-ryu
(10%) techniques. It uses low kicks, short
stances, and awareness of surroundings to be
useful for street fighting. It also teaches
use of the kusarigama. Isshin-ryu
emphasizes:
Kicks and punches that are thrown from
natural stances eliminating wasted motions
and giving you split-second advantages over
opponents using some of the other styles.
Stresses proficiency with both hand and foot
techniques, equally, making it a more
versatile form of Karate because you have no
weak points.
"Close in"
techniques useful in "street
fighting" making it a more realistic
style of Karate.
Snap punches and snap kicks, where the limb
does not fully extend and is immediately
retracted (preventing excessive strain on
the knees and elbows) permitting you to move
in and out quickly without committing
yourself to a disadvantageous position
should you miss or misjudge.
Blocks with muscular
portion of the forearm rather than the bone.
Fist formed with the thumb on top rather
than wrapped over the first two fingers
(this strengthens the wrist to help prevent
buckling at the wrist on impact).
The vertical punch, which increases speed
and can be focused at any given point.
Karate Connection.
An American Kenpo based school created by
Chuck Sullivan and Vic LeRoux. It includes
techniques from many different styles; a
"use what works" mentality.
Kempo. Kempo "way of the
fist" (also known as Quan Fa, Chuan Fa,
Jiaodishu, Kaiki, and Kenyu) is a Chinese
martial art. Its techniques are similar to
Karate with a focus on Buddhist philosophy.
Other arts, such as archery and
swordsmanship are also taught in Kempo
schools.
Kenpo (Kosho Ryu). A Japanese based,
philosophical art much like Jeet Kune Do but
with a Zen influence, meaning lots of mind
science material and healing arts. It is not
a style of compiled patterns or specific
techniques; it is a study of all motion and
therefore cannot be stylized to look like a
specific teacher or animal movement.
Kenpo is the family style of Grandmaster
James Mitose. It was first taught to
non-family members in Hawaii during the
1940's and 1950's. Mitose called his family
style "Kyu-sho-ryu" Kenpo (old
pine tree school fist law). According to
Mitose, during the invasion of Genghis Khan,
the Head Monk of the Shaolin Temple fled
China and found refuge with the Mitose
family. In appreciation for the kindness of
the Mitose's, he taught them Shaolin Chuan
Fa (Shorinji Kempo in Japanese). Then, in
1235, a Shinto priest whom James Mitose
calls his first ancestor became enlightened
to what we call Kempo. According to Mitose,
this man was a martial arts master and a
Buddhist monk studying at Shaka In who found
it difficult to be both. His religion taught
him pacifism; his martial art taught him
destruction. He pondered this dilemma under
an old pine tree meaning Kosho in Japanese.
He became enlightened and was from then on
known as, Kosho Bosatsu, the Old Pine Tree
Enlightened One. He discovered the
relationship between man and nature and also
the secret of the escaping arts. He founded
the Kosho Shorei Temple of Peace, True Self
Defense, and Kosho Shorei Yoga School.
One of James Mitose's students, William
Chow, mixed it with elements of his father's
Chinese style to produce his own style,
called "Kara-ho" Kenpo Karate.
Kenpo's techniques were influenced by those
of various Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian
martial arts. Kenpo training emphasizes a
scientific approach to combat. Many
patterns, rapidfire hand techniques, and
combinations are taught. Ed Parker
popularized the style on the mainland by
organizing the style and orienting it toward
practical street self-defense. Although it
is often categorized as an American martial
art, the style's name is written with the
same Chinese characters as Chuan-fa, a
generic Chinese term for martial arts. The
art received a popularity boost after Jeff
Speakman, a student of Parker's, showcased
it in the movie, "Perfect Weapon."
Kempo (Ryukyu). Ryukyu Kempo (which
roughly translates into Okinawan kung-fu, or
Chinese boxing science) is the original
style of martial arts learned and taught by
Gichin Funakoshi on the Okinawa, an island
in the Ryukyu island chain. It stresses the
existence of body points within your
opponent that can be struck or grappled for
more effective fighting. Funakoshi's first
edition book "Ryukyu Kempo" shows
him clearly grappling and touching an
opponent. Later editions and current karate
books only show a practioner with a
retracted punch, where the original shows
actively grappling an enemy. It is felt that
Funakoshi was the last of the purists,
wanting all to learn the art.
Okinawans, who have a culture and history of
their own, became disenchanted with the
Japanese, and were less inclined to teach
them the "secret techniques" of
self-defense. When American military
soldiers occupied Japan after WWII, they
became enamored of the martial-arts. It is
theorized that the Japanese and Okinawans
were reluctant to teach the secrets of their
national art to the occupiers, and so taught
a "watered down" version of
karate-do usually reserved for children.
Contemporary Kempo practioners practice
"pressure point fighting" or
Kyushu-jitsu and grappling, called Tuite. It
is an exact art of striking small targets on
the body, such as nerve centers, and
grappling body points in manners similar to
Jujitsu or Aikido.
There are a couple of physical differences
in Kempo and many other styles. One is a
three-quarter punch, rather than a full
twist. Second is a fist whereby the thumb
stops at the first finger, rather than the
first two fingers. Third is the sword hand,
which has the little finger placed as
parallel as possible to the third finger and
the thumb straight and on the inside rather
than bent.
Kobo-Jutsu. Kobo-jutsu is a Okinawan
style of Karate characterized by the large
array of weapons it uses. The style makes
extensive use of forms to perfect
techniques.
Kyokushin-Kai. Kyokushin-Kai is a
Japanese style of Karate found by Oyama
Masutatsu in the 1950's. The style was
influenced by Kempo, Gojuryu, and Zen. It is
powerful art that emphasized breaking,
breathing, multiple attacks in quick
sucession, and kill techniques.
Shohei-Ryu (formally known as
Uechi-Ryu). A traditional Okinawan, Zen
based style founded by Kanbum Uechi .
Although it has become one of the main
Okinawan martial arts and absorbed many of
the traditional Okinawan karate training
methods and approaches, it is historically,
and to some extent technically, quite
separate.
The name Shohei-Ryu comes from two Chinese
characters, "Sho" meaning "to
shine brightly" and "Hei"
meaning "fairness",
"equality" and "peace".
The name also refers to two Japanese eras, a
past one, Showa, and the present one,
Heisei. Ryu (pronounced "roo") is
the Japanese word for "style" or
"path".
Grandmaster Kanbun Uechi was born on May 5,
1877 in Isumi, a small village in northern
Okinawa. In 1897, at the age of 20, he fled
to Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian
province in China, to avoid being drafted
into the Japanese army, which was occupying
Okinawa at the time. For ten years, he
studied the art of Pangai-noon, meaning half
hard half soft, under master Shushiwa, a
Buddist priest who had received his training
in the Shoalin Temple in Southern China.
Pangai-noon was derived from the interwoven
movements of the tiger, crane and dragon and
it concentrates on the use of the
single-knuckle punch, spear-hand strike,
pointed kick and circular block. Uechi
opened his own school in Nanchon, a city in
Fukien Province, where he taught for three
years, having the distinction of being the
only Okinawan ever accepted in China as a
teacher. Disheartened after one of his
students became involved in a dispute and
killed another person, Uechi vowed never to
teach again, and, in 1910, he closed his
school and returned Okinawa where he married
and, on June 26, 1911, his son Kanei was
born. Uechi still refused to teach his art
and only once during the ensuing years did
he reluctantly demonstrate his kata.
Absorbing some Okinawan Goju-ryu over the
decades, Shohei-Ryu still retains its
original Chinese flavor, both in its
technique and in the culture of the dojo. It
is a "half-hard, half-soft" style
very similar to such southern Chinese styles
as Fukienese Crane (as still practiced in
the Chinese communities of Malaysia),
Taiwanese Golden Eagle, and even Wing Chun.
Conditioning the body for both attack and
defense is a common characteristic of both
Okinawan karate and southern Shaolin
"street" styles, and as such is an
important part of Shohei-Ryu training. There
is a strong internal component to the
practice, including focused breathing and
tensioning exercises similar to Chinese
Qigong. Shohei-Ryu, following its Chinese
Crane heritage, emphasizes circular blocks,
low snap kicks, infighting (coordinating
footwork with grabs, locks, throws, and
sweeps), and short, rapid hand traps and
attacks (not unlike Wing Chun). The style
incorporates the characteristics of the
Wushu animals. It uses circular motions and
uses the Phoenix Eye single knuckle punch.
Unlike most Karate styles, it uses grappling
techniques.
Shorin Ryu. Shorin Ryu is an Okinawan
soft style. Known for its light, quick, and
agile techniques that are suitable for a
person of light body structure. Because of
its strict spiritual aspects it is
considered a religious sect.
Shorinji Kempo. Shorinji Kempo is a
Japanese Karate style that is deeply rooted
in Zen meditation. It was created by So
Doshin who says it is based on traditional
Shaolin teachings. In the 1970's, the
Japanese courts forced So Doshin to the
change the name of his school to Nippon
Shorinji Kempo. It stresses being calm in
action. Students first learn its deep
spirituality, then learn the fighting
techniques. Because of its combination of
Buddhism, philosophy, and martial arts, many
consider Shorinji Kempo a religious sect.
Shorei Ryu. Shorei Ryu is an Okinawan
hard style. Know for its heavy, powerful
techniques and body toughening training. It
is known for the its numerous amount of
stances. It is more suitable for a person of
heavy body structure. It strives to emulate
the actions of the 5 traditional animals and
teaches all the traditional Okinawan
weapons, such as the bo, tonfa, and sai.
Some characteristics of shorei-ryu:
Stances exceptionally low in kata
form.
Seiken thrust:
slightly downward and in center of body.
The rear leg moves slightly forward at
the completion of the punch. The moving
of the rear leg is automatic and is
caused by the power generated by the
force of the punch and the forward
movement of the hips.
Fist: index finger
under curled thumb.
Hips: rotate with a
definite forward movement.
Blocks: all start
spiraling at wrists and spiral until
completion of block.
Head snap when
turning.
Thousand hand, five
and six-count rice exercises, and sun
fist.
High rising block -
executed from thigh up.
Teeth clenched.
Wide-eyed stare.
Eight faces: the
art of looking or expression (hyojo do).
(Confidence, Friendly, Solemn,
Unconcerned, Contempt, Shock, Fear,
Anger)
All kicks, blocks
and strikes are 90% circular (point and
circles).
Kicks: for every
forward one there is a reverse one.
Te-katana and
te-uke covers are very obvious in all
Shuri-ryu techniques and katas.
Body: always
relaxed until exact moment of completing
technique.
Shotokai
Karate-do. Shotokai Karate-do is a
non-competitive style of Karate derived from
Gichin Funakoshi's Karate by Masters
Yoshitaka (Gigo) Funakoshi and Shigeru
Egami. The word Shotokai is composed of
three kanji characters in Japanese. The Sho
character is taken from the word matsu which
means pine tree. To is the character for
waves. Pine Waves is the English translation
that tries to express what the original
Japanese kanji represent, the sound that is
produced by the pine needles when the wind
blows through them, a sort of wave sound.
Gichin Funakoshi, used Shoto as a pseudonym
when he signed his poetry works. The word
kai means organization. Thus, Shotokai means
the Organization of Shoto, or the
Organization of Master Gichin Funakoshi.
Kan, means building or house, thus Shotokan
is the house or building of Shoto.
Shotokai does not consider Karate a sport so
it avoids all type of competitive
tournaments. Rather, it stresses Karate as a
Budo art that is concerned with personal
development through the study and practice
of Karate as a Do, a Way of Life, and the
development of the internal energy, Ki.
Shotokai movements are full of vitality and
energy, but they use the principles of
harmony and relaxation and avoid the use of
brute force. Each Shotokai student in a
group, has his or her own way of attaining
mind-ki-body unity, in a way that permits
all students to learn from each other. In a
training atmosphere void of distinctions,
communication grows and mutual respect
arises unhindered.
Shotokan. Shotokan is the
"authorized" Japanese style of
Karate. It is an Okinawan style founded by
Gichin Funakoshi. Shoto was the pen name of
Funakoshi. He combined Shorin and Shorei to
a style that would accommodate all body
structures. According to Funakoshi "The
art of karate strives neither for victory,
nor for defeat, but for the perfection of
the character of its practitioners."
Shotokan is a "hard" linear style
that is a true "empty hand"
art", it does not include weapons
training. Although originally known for its
a lethal attacks, dynamic entry techniques,
and its theory of "one strike, one
kill," similar to other martial arts,
it has evolved into a sport. Shotokan
training emphasizes mastering a few
techniques rather than learning many
techniquees.
Shotokai and Shotokan are two names for the
same thing. Shotokai is the name of the
Organization established in 1935 to raise
funds for the building of Funakoshi's Main
Training Hall. Gichin Funakoshi held only
two positions during his lifetime: one as
Head Instructor of the Shotokan Dojo and the
other as director of the Shotokai school.
Shotokan is the name of the building
finished in 1936 that was the result of the
work done by this organization. In time,
people who trained in Karate were not only
known for practicing Karate but also began
to be related to different
"styles", even though Gichin
Funakoshi was against this. His students
began to be known as of the
"Shotokan", the place where they
trained, or "Shotokan-Ryu", the
Shotokan Style.
After Master Gichin Funakoshi's death in
1957, Shotokai was heir of his symbol
(O-sensei's Tiger), the Shotokan and
Shotokai names, and more importantly all his
documents and writings, which is why
Shotokai is in charge of editing and
publishing his works. Shotokai's
headquarters in Japan is still the Shotokan
Dojo, a though it has been reconstructed
since the original one burned during a World
War II bombing. The Shotokan name has been
misused by many groups with no respect for
Master Funakoshi or his families wishes. For
this reason, many uninformed people relate
Gichin Funakoshi with sport karate,
something he was strongly against.
Wado-Ryu. Wado-ryu "school of
the way of harmony" was founded in the
1920's by Otsuka Hidenori, one of Funakoshi
Gichin's students. Ohtsuka studied Jujutsu
for many years before becoming a student of
Gichin Funakoshi, considered by some to be
Funakoshi's most brilliant student. Ohtsuka
combined the movements of Jujutsu with the
striking techniques of Okinawan Karate, with
a strong focus on evasion through body
shifting. Style has higher stances and
shorter punches than Shotokan. Training
stresses spiritual discipline. After the
death of Ohtsuka in the early 1980s, the
style split into two factions: Wado Kai,
headed by Ohtsuka's senior students; and
Wado Ryu, headed by Ohtsuka's son, Jiro.
Both factions continue to preserve most of
the basic elements of the style.
