History
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Karate Studies: Translation Update
Some readers may be aware that I’ve been intermittently translating “Karate Studies” magazine for nearly three years now. I’m delighted to announce that yesterday, I received a proof copy of “Karate Studies” (空手研究). Much like my previous endeavors in translating old Karate books, working on “Karate Studies” has been a blend of love and frustration.… Continue reading
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What constitutes a black belt
What constitutes a yudansha or blackbelt? My observation of most Japanese karate is that it is heavily criterion based with respect to gradings and promotion. That is, there is usually a group of examiners with a predetermined set of techniques, kata, kumite, ect. that a student must perform successfully for each respective rank.Those kind of… Continue reading
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Reconstructing Old style Karate
I do not believe there is enough of a “fossil record” to outline what “old-style” Karate practices consisted of. The earliest technical information we have is from Funakoshi’s publications in the early 1920s. Prior to this, there is nothing definitive, with the possible exception of Hanashiro Chomo’s Karate Kumite; however, we only have a few… Continue reading
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Fashion – Okinawa Style
My friend Joe Swift has talked in-depth about the principles for analyzing the techniques found in classical Karate-do kata. He stresses the importance of understanding the historical context in which kata were developed, including the clothing that people wore. I would like expand on that idea, specifically in the role of clothing and it may… Continue reading
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Let’s Talk About Karate Styles
Japan has culturally and historically been an ordered and hierarchical society. Therefore it comes as no surprise that its martial traditions (武道-budo) mirror this same structure. Until the conclusion of WWII, Japanese martial traditions were designated as different styles (流-ryu) or off-shoots (派-ha) and were centrally administered by the Great Japan Martial Virtues Association (大日本武徳会-Dai… Continue reading
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Itosu’s Ten Precepts
Below you can find an English translation of Itosu Anko’s “Ten Precepts of Karate” (唐手心得十ヶ條) from the original, along with a translation from modern Japanese, and an interpretation for each point in the document. The original article in Japanese can be found here. I hope you enjoy. Preface / Introduction: Point 1: Point 2: Point… Continue reading
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Gima Shinkin
Here is a little information about Gima Shinkin . All of it is from Fujiwara Ryozo’s “The Story of Modern Karate-do History.” Fujiwara: By the way, would you know all the names of the first seven people issued rank by master Funakoshi? Gima: Because I was taking the teacher’s qualification at Maebashi commercial school at… Continue reading
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Differences in Nahate Kata
The Tou’on-ryu kata Sanchin, Sesan, Sanseru and Bechurin all chamber their punches either at the waist or in front of the solar plexus depending on the stance used. Compared to Goju kata, Tou’on-ryu are much simpler and much more direct. In the Tou’on-ryu kata Sesan, Sanseru and Bechurin, the opening three steps are performed as… Continue reading
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Robert Trias’ Certificate
Robert Trias´ certificate from Tong Gee is peculiar in parts because it includes the use of English words and numbers in place of characters. It also writes “Karate” as ’empty-hand(s)’. Given Tong Gee’s supposed background as a student of Motobu Choki, the certificate using the term “Japanese Karate” sounds off to me. All of these… Continue reading
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Crime & Karate on Okinawa
I recently published a Youtube video featuring an academic article published in Japanese on ¨Karate & Alcohol Consumption” published in the Journal of Statistics in 1921. It examined the inter-relationship between violent crime, alcohol consumption, Karate and education levels in the prefecture of Okinawa between 1910 and 1920. To provide more context as to the… Continue reading
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