Origins

In the Beginning…

It all started in India in the 5^th century with a Zen Buddhist priest called Bhodidharma. In those days, priests became very good at self defence as they were constantly set upon by parishioners of rival faiths. The self defence was based upon Yoga techniques.

At the end of the century Bhodidharma went to China to teach at the Shaolin-Szu monastery where he was to teach Yoga as a way of enlightenment to bring body and soul together. Because his students lacked general fitness to learn Yoga effectively, he introduced a form of Chinese fighting called Kempo, to build up stamina. This was so successful that Shaolin-Szu Temple became one of the most respected fighting schools in China.

Early medicine at that time consisted of the wide use of acupuncture, where certain areas of the body are targeted as healing points. Kempo was occasionally used alongside medicine in order to build up stamina and it was not long before the points were targeted not for healing, but for attack. These points formed the basic attack areas of karate that we still use today.

When Kempo reached Okinawa, some of it combined with Te to form Tang-hand.

Bhodidharma, painting by Shokada, VII century Japan.

The Story of Okinawa

It is thought that the earliest inhabitants of Okinawa came not only from China, but also from the northern Japanese islands and from South Asia. Archaeology has shown that cultural penetration of China has continued since at least 300 BC. In these times, the people of Okinawa lived a simple life supported mainly by a crude agriculture, sea fishing and the gathering of shellfish. However, successive military invasions by the Japanese from the sixth to the ninth centuries AD evidently stimulated the native people to organise themselves into village groupings presided over by chieftains.

Okinawa had become divided into 3 rival kingdoms by 1340 and a decade later the largest of these kingdoms entered into a formal, tributary relationship with China, which was confirmed by the Chinese Emperor in 1372. Under the terms of this relationship, the Okinawans, like almost all of China's neighbors except for Japan, sent annual delegations to the mainland bearing tribute for the Emperor. A few nobles from these delegations were permitted to travel on from the coast to the Imperial Court. Some younger princes even enrolled in the schools set up for foreigners in Peking, where they would study Chinese culture, arts and sciences before returning home. In this way, many important Okinawans became familiar with the city and court life of China, as well as its traditions and learning.

By 1429, after some internal skirmishing, Okinawa was united under one king and the first (Sho) dynasty was established. This set the stage for the golden era of Okinawa’s history. The people took to trading, and steadily established a network of trade links that stretched not only to Japan and China, but as far afield as Indo-China, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia and the Philippines. Okinawa became a Venice or Genoa of the East, a great center for the distribution of rare woods, spices, incense, rhinoceros horn, ivory, tin and sugar from the south of Asia. These were exchanged for the fine ceramics, textiles, medicinal herbs and precious metals of Japan, Korea and China. Okinawa’s sailors and merchants visited not just China and Japan, but all the great ports of East Asia, a factor that Okinawans of today consider highly important in the history of their martial arts.

The Banning of Weapons

Something else of crucial importance also took place about this time. Around 1470, the collapse of the Sho Dynasty gave rise to a period of political turbulence that was ended only by the establishment of a new (also Sho) dynasty in 1477. The new king, Sho Shin, had to deal with the rebellious war lords who were firmly entrenched in their castles throughout the island. One of his first moves was to ban the carrying of swords by anyone, noble or peasant. His next move was to order the collection of all weapons, which were to be placed under royal control at his castle in Shuri. Finally, he charged that all nobles, now unarmed, should come and live next to him in the royal capital.

It is interesting to note that this policy of first disarming, then 'de-casting', rebellious lords in Okinawa predates the same actions on mainland Japan. These were carried out in the sword edicts of Toyotomi in 1586 and in the Tokugawa Shogun's orders for the daimios or warlords to assemble in his capital in 1634.It is typical of the convoluted nature of relations between China and Japan that the Shogun did not, however, force the Okinawans to give up their tributary relationship with the Chinese. On the contrary, he forced the Okinawans to maintain a facade of loyalty to the Chinese. Whenever diplomats came from the mainland, the Japanese rulers hid themselves and anything that would betray their presence. Indirect contacts with China, which the Japanese both wanted and needed, were maintained through Okinawa, but the Okinawans' economic wealth and political independence were really annexed to Japan in 1609.

Of vital importance to the following discussion was the fact that after 1609 the Japanese maintained the ban on the carrying of weapons and kept the nobility bottled up in Shuri city. Japanese samurai however, were allowed to carry their weapons there. The ban on the natives' carrying of weapons evidently remained in force throughout Okinawa's subsequent history; Napoleon, in 1816, on hearing of a small nation state called Okinawa where people carried no weapons remarked: "I cannot understand a people not interested in war".

In Okinawa today, most Karate masters believe that the banning of weapons by one of their first kings was an act of sublime wisdom, not one of oppression.

The Art of the Hand

This brief historical sketch sets the scene for a discussion of the great Okinawan tradition of te, the martial art of the hand, in which the human body is trained to become all the weapons a man or woman may need for self defence. Karate, or Karate-do (the art itself) as we know it today, is largely the product of a synthesis that took place in the eighteenth century between the native Okinawan art of te and the Chinese arts of Shaolin Temple boxing, and other southern styles that were practiced at that time in Fukien Province.

In the last 70 years, Japanese martial arts have influenced Karate as it is practiced there (Fukien Province), although little of this influence has filtered back to Okinawa.

Te is thought to be at least 1000 years old. The Okinawans of 1000 years ago were not rich, and weapons were in short supply. The land was not unified, and a knowledge of self-defence must have been an important asset and would have provided the necessary impetus to the emergence of an indigenous martial art. Later, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when the Okinawans began to travel extensively, they were sure to have encountered many of the great fighting systems of South Asia and these would have influenced their indigenous art. Certain techniques in today's karate seem to have originated from that part of the world. Okinawa's own style however is unique, and foreign influences have always been modified to conform with the Okinawan fighting principles. Chief among them is the use of the hand (te), and especially the closed fist.

The Divergence of the Okinawan Arts

When the king, Sho Shin, disarmed the nobles and gathered them into Shuri city, it is believed that 2 movements were born in Okinawa. On the one hand, the nobles sought out, learned and developed the unarmed combat art of te. On the other hand, farmers and fishermen began to develop weapons systems based on the combative use of tools and agricultural implements. Flails (hand threshing tools), grindstone handles, sickles, horse bridles and even boat paddles became lethal weapons. Both the unarmed and armed traditions were practices in utmost secrecy, and largely confined to their respective social classes. Te was practiced by the nobles of the Royal court and Ryukyu bujutsu (Ryukyu weapon arts) grew up among the people. Even in the twentieth century, several of the greatest karate masters, notably Chotoku Kyan, were and are descendants of the royal and noble families of the city of Shuri. The first recorded performance of Chinese martial arts in Okinawa took place in 1761. There are also several personal histories of the masters of te at that time. Some of these masters, including Chatan Yara, are known to have traveled to Fukien Province in China and studied there. One great Chinese master, Kusanku, spent 6 years in Okinawa. During the nineteenth century the Okinawan art began to be known by the name of T'ang-te or 'Chinese hand'. Even though the art was practiced in great secrecy, in remote places, and largely at night or before dawn, 3 separate styles began to emerge from the 3 urban centers around the capital. Shuri-te, the art that developed in Shuri, was practiced by the Samurai of the court, while in the nearby port town of Naha, and in Tomari, the gate-town of Shuri, the people developed their own independent styles of te. The differences between them probably arise from their having been influenced by different Chinese traditions. There is some evidence to suggest that Shuri-te derives from Shaolin Temple boxing, while Naha-te incorporates more of the soft, Taoist techniques, involving breathing and the control of Ki, the life force, called chi in Chinese. Tomari-te evidently drew from both traditions. It is important to note, however, that the towns of Shuri, Naha and Tomari are only a few miles apart, and that the differences between their arts were essentially ones of emphasis and not of kind. Beneath these surface differences, both the methods and aims of all Okinawan karate are one and the same. By the end of the nineteenth century, the names of the styles had changed again. The arts of Shuri and Tomari were subsumed under one name, shorin-ryu, meaning the 'flexible pine school'. Naha-te became known as goju-ryu, the 'hard and soft school', and it was developed by the great master Higaonna Kanryo. Shorin-ryu is subdivided into several slightly different styles, but goju-ryu has remained largely unified stylistically. There has also grown up a tradition in Okinawa and Japan where both styles are fused together and taught as one. The largest school which does this is the Japanese shito-ryu, which was headed by Kenwa Mabuni.

Traditionally, it is said that the shorin-ryu style is lighter and faster than goju-ryu, and that the stances are generally higher. The kata of the 2 styles are slightly different: in goju-ryu the arm and leg motions are more bent and circular, and greater emphasis is laid on breathing. In 1935, a multi-style committee of masters sat down together to decide on a single name for their art. They called it karate, which means 'empty-handed' or 'weaponless' defence art. Some masters feel that the Japanese appendage of -do, 'the way', should also be added to the name. Today, karate still flourishes in Okinawa. Following ancient precedents, karate masters are amongst the most honored dignitaries of Okinawan society, and dojos or training-halls abound in the built-up areas of Naha and Shuri. Even though there are no overall masters of each style, there is much friendship and little competition between today's leaders of the art.

Kenwa Mabuni was the 17th generation of Kenyu Oshiro one of the bravest warriors of the Ryukyu Kingdom ("Bushi warrior class"). Mabuni learnt from 2 masters Ankoh Itosu (1830-1915) from Shuri and Kanryo Higashionna (1853-1915) from Naha . Shuri was strongly influenced by the hard Shaolin Chinese methods whilst Naha was influenced by soft Chinese styles . Tomari being a port town was influenced by many styles .
During his time `Karate` was known by the name of the village in which it was practiced . From Itosu he learned `Shuri-Te` the quick sharp and physical power like techniques and from Higashionna he learned `Naha-te` slow supple techniques hard and soft emphasising dynamic breathing and muscular control . He also learned from Argaki and Matsumara several empty hand and weapon kata as well as some White Crane Kung Fu forms from an Okinawan tea merchant .
Mabuni began to teach his own style of Karate , a combination of Shorin and Shorie . This he originally called `Hanko-ryu` (half-heart style). He later changed this sometime in the 1930`s to Shito-Ryu to honour his former teachers .
Shito-Ryu is an amalgam of the alternative readings of the characters representing the names of his former teachers . The first characters of Itosu sounds like Shi and the first characters in Higashionna sounds like to. (shi-to) `Ryu` means style .
Master Mabuni the founder of Shito-ryu Karate died in Osaka , Japan in May 1952 at the age of 64 .

Shito-Ryu is one of the four major styles of the World Karate Federation , the World governing body of Karate . The other are Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) who was also a student of Goju-ryu :- founder Chojun Miagi (1883-1953) who was a student of Higashionna which was later modified by Gogen Yamaguchi known as the `Cat` in Japan because of his masterful techniques .
Wado-ryu :- founder Hironori Ohtsuka (1892-1982) who studied Shotokan under Funakoshi

Ginchin Funakoshi (1867 – 1957)

At the end of the 1906 Russia – Japanese war, an Okinawan Sensei called Ginchin Funakoshi went about promoting a form of self defence. He formed a group of demonstration experts and travelled the country giving displays. In 1917, Funakoshi, an exponent of Tang-hand, gave a martial arts display in the Martial Virtues hall in Koto (near Tokyo, Japan). He combined some of the skills of Te, Tang-hand and Ju-Jutsu to form a new form of fighting which he called Karate.

At the time, Funakoshi wrote:

"As a mirrors polished surface reflects whatever stands before it and a quiet valley carries even small sounds, so must a student of karate render his mind empty of selfishness in an effort to react appropriately towards anything he might encounter. This is the meaning of kara, emptying the mind of all thoughts."

In 1922 Tokyo staged its 1^st National Athletic Exhibition where Funakoshi gave a demonstration of karate. The event was so popular that Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, asked him to lecture at the Kodokan (Judo Hall) on his skill. This was the turning point in Funakoshi’s career, it enabled him to establish the art of karate in many military academies and universities.

The arrival of Grand Master Kenwa Mabuni in 1928, who originated from Shuri in Okinawa helped to accelerate the growth of karate further.

Shito-Ryu

Of all the traditional karate systems shotokan, goju-ryu, wado-ryu, shorin-ryu, kyokushin, isshin-ryu, and shito-ryu, shito-ryu remains the most obscure. Several of its leading practitioners, such as the charismatic Fumio Demura and the prolific Tour Hayashi, do have widespread fame, yet shito-ryu remains little understood outside its own schools. Shito-ryu had been most often described as a combination of shotokan and goju-ryu. It is also generally known that its teachers utilize formal exercises (kata) from many Okinawan sources. Unfortunately, such explanations fail to adequately describe just what shito-ryu really is.

In truth, shito-ryu, along with goju-ryu, wado-ryu and shotokan, is one of the four major karate systems of Japan proper(the Japanese islands excluding Okinawa). It was founded by Kenwa Mabuni(1899-1952), who, like most of karate’s old masters, was descended from Okinawa’s so-called warrior (bushi) class or aristocracy. Members of his family served Okinawan lords for hundreds of years. Mabuni started karate training at the age of 13 under Anko Itosu (1830-1915), the man who organized early karate in the Okinawan school system. Itosu was a student of one of Okinawa’s most famous karate masters, Sokon Matsumura (1792-1887), the forefather of shorin-ryu. Itosu took a strong liking to his young pupil and Mabuni learned some 23 kata before the elder man died. Itosu’s death so grieved Mabuni that he built a shrine in front of the master’s grave and stayed close by for a year, practicing his kata daily.

Grand Master Kenwa Mabuni, Legendary Founder of Shito-Ryu

(1889 – 1952)

Shito-ryu founder Kenwa Mabuni (seated middle).

Shotokan Founder Master Funakoshi (far left)

and Kenei Mabuni (far right), eldest son.

Itosu was not Mabuni’s only teacher, however. While still in his teens, Mabuni was introduced by his friend, Chojun Miyagi (the founder of goju-ryu karate) to Kanryo Higashionna (1853-1915). From Higashionna, Mabuni learned naha-te, a Chinese-influenced karate style. Mabuni also trained under the reclusive Arakaki-kamadeunchu (1840-1918), who taught a style similar to Higashionna’s. Arakaki also taught Tsuyoshi Chitose, the founder of chito-ryu, Gichin Funakoshi of shotokan, and Kanken Toyama of the shudokan school. Arakaki, who was an acknowledged bo (staff) expert, taught Mabuni the unshu, sochin, niseishi, arakaki-sai and arakaki-bo forms. During the 1920’s the insatiable Mabuni participated in a karate club operated by Miyagi and Choyu Motobu, with help from Chomo Hanashiro and Juhatsu Kiyoda. Choyu Motobu, and was a master of Shurite (the antecedent of shorin-ryu) and gotende, the secret grappling art of the Okinawan royal court. Hanashiro was also a shuri-te expert, while Kiyoda came from the same naha-te background as Miyagi. Known as the Ryukyu Tode Kenkyu-kai (Okinawa Karate Research Club), this dojo (training hall) was one of history’s gems. Experts from diverse backgrounds trained and taught there, and it was there that Mabuni learned some Fukien white crane kung fu from the legendary Woo Yin Gue, a Chinese tea merchant living on Okinawa.

By this time, Mabuni had become a highly respected police officer and made several trips to Japan after Funakoshi introduced karate there in 1922. Mabuni spent many of his early traveling years with Koyu Konishi, a friend and sometimes student who later founded shindo-jinen-ryu karate. In 1925 Mabuni and Konishi visited Japan’s Wakayama prefecture where Kanbum Uechi, the founder of uechi-ryu, was teaching. It was after training with Uechi that Mabuni devised a kata called shinpa. But Mabuni actually spent most of his time in Osaka, where he taught at various dojo, including the Seishinkai, the school of Kosei Kokuba. Choki Motobu also taught at Kokuba’s dojo. It was Kokuba who later formed motobu-ha (Motobu faction) shito-ryu. In 1929, Mabuni moved permanently to Osaka. Shortly thereafter, the Japanese martial arts sanctioning body, the Butokukai, pressured all karate schools to register by style name. At first, Mabuni called his style hanko-ryu (half-hard style), but by the early 1930’s shito-ryu was the official name. It was coined from alternative renderings of the names of Mabuni’s two foremost teachers, Itosu and Higashionna. Not everyone agreed with separating Okinawan karate into factions through the use of style names. In fact, shudokan headmaster Toyama questioned Mabuni and others about their use of what he called "funny-sounding names." Mabuni countered at giving the style a name would not only satisfy the Butokukai, but would give people something they could identify with and feel a part of.

Among Mabuni’s earliest students was Kanei Uechi (not to be confused with Kambum Uechi’s son of the same name), who by 1935 was also teaching in Osaka. In 1950, Uechi returned to Okinawa and established the Shito-ryu Kempo Karate-do Kai. On Okinawa, Uechi is considered the true successor to Mabuni’s art, but internationally, Mabuni’s eldest son, also named Kanei, is acknowledged as the head of shito-ryu and runs the Shito-kai. Kanei Mabuni and his younger brother Kenzo head the karate programs at several universities, a task inherited from their father. Still other early students of Mabuni have their own distinct organizations and followings. Ryusho Sakagami, a contemporary of Kanei Mabuni, established the Itosu-kai just after Mabuni’s death. Sakagami’s son, Sadaaki, now oversees the Itosu-kai from the Yokohama area.

Shukokai – Chojiro Tani

Shukokai Karate , " The Way for All" is a dynamic form of Okinawan Karate and can be considered a direct descendant of it's parent style , Shito-Ryu. Grand Master Kenwa Mabuni (founder of Shito-Ryu) resided in Osaka until 1952, devoting his entire existence to promoting his Shito school of Karate. It was during this time that one of his students, Chojiro Tani was to further refine the style, into Shukokai Karate.

In 1948, Chojiro Tani organized the Shuko-kai, where he taught tani-ha shito-ryu. Ever innovative, the Shuko-kai, under the present leadership of Shigeru Kimura in the United States, appears somewhat different in technique from the other shito-ryu groups.

Technically, the karate of most shito-ryu factions looks pretty much the same. Not surprisingly, there are minor differences in the kata between the various groups, mostly due to the proclivities of their founders. Regardless, all shito-ryu looks a lot like shorin-ryu in application. A long, linear style, even its goju-ryu-type kata (those derived from Higashionna) are performed in a lighter, more angular and rangy fashion than they are in schools derived from naha-te alone. Shito-ryu is much like Shotokan in that it relies heavily on the reverse punch and front kick. The style also seems to place a strong emphasis on sparring. In so doing, Shito-ryu stresses speed, and fighting is generally initiated from a higher, more upright stance than Shotokan employs. On the other hand, because the style has so many kata, a great deal of time is spent perfecting any one of its 40 to 60 forms.

Mr. Chojiro Tani was born in Kobe, Japan in 1921 and began studying the art of Karate during Junior High School at the Gojo School of Karate. He entered Doshisha University in 1940 and furthered his studies of karate under the direction of Kenwa Mabuni. In 1948 he opened the Shukokai School of Karate in Kobe, Japan, where he taught Tani-ha Shito-Ryu. He also organized clubs in Kyoto University and Osaka College of Economics, Tottiro University and Kobe University Medical School.

Outside of Japan, Sensei Tani's style spread mainly in Europe (Kofukan International). Shigeru Kimura (8^th Dan), one of the students of Chojiro Tani then promulgated Shukokai to the United States, whilst Yoshinao Nambu continued to teach in Europe.

Shukokai Karate enters Australia.

Sensei Alan Murdoch first introduced the Shukokai Karate style to Australia. Sensei Murdoch was a student of Sensei Tommy Morris (7^th Dan located in Scotland) who in turn was a student of Sensei Shigeru Kimura.

Sensei Joe Templin trained with Shigeru Kimura, Tommy Morris and Alan Murdoch for many years and was graded to 3^rd Dan by Sensei Tommy Morris. After achieving the title of Sensei, Joe opened his first dojo in Endeavor Hills, and later his second dojo in Prahran, now located in Armadale.

Calling his school Chikara Shukokai Karate, Sensei Joe has strived to teach people, both young and old, the vast knowledge that he has amassed over his many years of training.

See the SENSEI page for more detail on Sensei Joe…