From Alex Kask's History of Butokukan

The Origins of Karate

Karate is one of the few oriental traditions that can be traced to western cultures for its roots. In Egypt, tombs from 5000 years ago show murals depicting unarmed warriors. Later in Greece and Rome, more developed fighting methods (pankration) were used at the Parthenon and the Olympics, and by the Roman gladiators.

Karate today means "empty hand," (kara + te, "empty" and "hand"). Before it came to Japan from Okinawa, the writing and proper terminology was "Chinese hand," as the style had been strongly influenced by Chinese boxing, or Chinese fist. Chinese boxing had been thought to come from such sources as the Shaolin monastery in Honan ( Hunan ) province. Chinese fist, or Kempo, was brought to the Ryukyu islands (Okinawa) mainly through traders who came from, among other areas, Fukien province in southern China. Many traditionalists incorporate Zen in the practice of karate, and to them, the "empty" in "empty hand," refers to the emptiness, or no-mind, that one must incorporate to efficiently practice karate. The ancient Bushido warriors exercised the belief that one must remove the fear of dying by believing they would ultimately die when they withdrew their swords to go into battle. This left the mind free to fully concentrate on their skills, and led to the Bushido being feared as a dedicated warrior, not being afraid of death because they had totally accepting dying in the act of war, and were unable to be frightened from carrying through their duties as a soldier.

Darumi Taishi (Bodhidharma)

Generally accepted theory is that Darumi Taishi played a great role in the development of "kempo" approximately 1400 years ago. Also known as Bodhidharma (Hindu philosopher), he crossed central Asia through Tibet, and to China's Kanan-sho province, to an area known as Suizan. He arrived at a Shorin-gi Buddhist temple (Chinese, Shaolin), where he practiced meditation, and became the founder of the first Zen Buddhist school. There he sat facing a wall, sitting in a lotus position, thinking and reflecting. After nine years he found his Satori (enlightenment). He then started to teach his disciples.

( In other histories, Bodhidharma arrived in Honan ( Hunan ) province at the Shaolin temple, only to find the monks practicing meditation, but in very weak physical condition. He introduced exercises that were combined with the meditative aspects, to improve their condition. Sanchin breathing was said to have come from Bodhidharma.

The teachings consisted of both physical and spiritual development; etsukinkio and senzuikio (Kio = teaching, Etsukin = physical endurance, senzui = internal organization and cleansing of spirit).

From the book Kenkoshisu, a simplistic form of kempo did exist prior to Bodhidharma's arrival. Continuous tribal feuds and wars occurred, with the temple being repeatedly attacked, but thanks to an elderly monk and his fighting art, it was defended. In the temple murals, there are figures in many different fighting stances, practicing various hand and foot positions. Many are based on the movements of animals, such as the leopard, snake, crane, dragon, mantis, tiger, and monkey. Imitating their movements, the monks utilize different advantages of each style; the quickness of the snake, the power of the tiger, the snap of the dragon, and the accuracy of the crane.

For centuries after, the monks of Shaolin have practiced their forms in the temple, and the stone floors are worn deep by all of the monks who have practiced their forms there.

In the Shaolin monastery the monks perform extraordinary feats such as push-ups for an hour, holding horse stance with pottery vases of water balanced on their shoulders and thighs ( low horse stance ! ), and acts of balance by running along the top of walls. Many of their demonstrations of "chi" can be seen on their "Wheel of Life" tour which came through North America in 2002. Though they may seem unbelievable, many of the acts rely on basic science principles.

The Shaolin temple is recognized by most martial artists as being the birthplace of gung-fu. And Bodhidharma is sometimes called Tamo or Da Mo, and is credited with originating gung-fu and karate, as the fighting skills became famous, and spread to nearby Fukien province, through tradesmen and merchants, and eventually to Okinawa, ( where it merged with the Okinawan fighting style te ), to become kara-te. Originally, the "kara" character represented the Tang dynasty in China, so the meaning was actually "China hand" ( To-te ). After karate came to Japan, the Japanese decided to make it more their own, and through a meeting between different masters in 1936, changed the "To" character to another one, which was pronounced "kara", and was read as "empty". Thus, karate today means empty hand.

Okinawan Karate

Okinawa was known as the RyuKyu islands, situated southwest of the islands of Japan. Because of its strategic location between Japan and China, both nations vied for domination of the island. In the 14th century (1372) Okinawa became a Chinese satellite; during this time Ch'uan fa (fist law) was probably introduced. Chinese style fighting was greatly admired by the Okinawans, and though they already had a form of fighting native to them called te ( fist ), or bushi no te (warrior's hand). the Chinese fighting was considerably more versatile. "To-te," means "Chinese fist, " where "To" refers to the Chinese Tang dynasty, and those that practised it were considered privileged.

In 1372 Okinawa's King Satto expressed allegiance to Ming, emperor of China. Okinawa became a Chinese satellite, with great economic benefits. This was also the time when the true infusion of Ch'uan fa into Okinawan culture occurred, and placed the seeds for karate. The fighting styles already present in Okinawa were more formally intermixed with Ch'uan fa beginning in 1393 when an imperial gift of Chinese artisans and merchants was given to Okinawa by the emperor. These immigrants were referred to as the "Thirty-six Families". These early forms of empty-handed martial arts were called "tode" or "tote", meaning "China hand", or more loosely, "Chinese boxing".

During the early 15th century the Ryu-Kyu islands were divided into three kingdoms; northern, central and southern (Nanzan, Chuzan and Hokuzan) which were at constant war. In 1429, Okinawa became a unified kingdom under King Sho-hashi. He learned economic lessons from China, which resulted in a booming economy for Okinawa as it became a center for trade in the region. This promoted cultural intermingling from Arabs, Malays, Indonesians, Thais, and, of course, the Japanese and Chinese. His successor, Sho-shin (1477 - 1526) outlawed possession of all weapons, even rusty swords, by the peasant class. Sho-shin encouraged people to focus on art and philosophy, so they might be dissuaded from te. However, the martial art continued in secrecy. The presence of many bored and lonely seamen and bars resulted in fights and the exchange of fighting techniques, furthering the development of karate.

In 1609 the Ryukyu islands were invaded by the Japanese Satsuma clan, led by the daimyo of the clan, the Shimazu family . This clan was the loser in a Japanese Civil war in 1600, and were sent to invade the Ryukyu islands to keep them occupied on something other than trying to overthrow the victorious clan, the Tokugawa clan, and also to punish Okinawa for refusing to supply Japan with materials needed for an planned attack on China in 1592.

The reigning king of the dynasty, found himself obliged to outfit an army for sake of repelling the invasion of the islands that had been launched by Shimazu, who had been exiled from Japan. The newly armed Ryukyuan warriors fought with conspicuous bravery and gallantry against the soldiers of the Satsuma clan, known and feared throughout the country for their fighting skill, but, after Ryukyuan success in a few pitched battles, a surprise landing by Shimazu's forces sealed the fate both of the islands and of their monarch, who was forced to surrender. The Satsuma clan took control of the Ryukyu islands and ordered that all weapons, as well as empty-handed martial arts, were illegal in the islands. As a result, practitioners of Ch'uan fa and tode practiced, and met, in secrecy. Many of the practitioners from the two styles gathered together and created a new style from the two, referred to as "te", for "hand", or "fist", or perhaps, "boxing". ( Some students of Asian studies have referred to "te," which means "hand" or "fist", as the intermediate stage between Tote-Ch'uan fa and modern karate, while others consider te to be a native Okinawan martial art, going back farther in their history; I'm of the opinion that te came first, then the Chinese influence, which caused a distinction ( To-te, or Chinese hand ); it seems logical that te came before To-te, by the very nature of the prefix "To" being tied onto "te" ).

Okinawan Ch'uan fa groups and To-de societies banded together to produce a solid front against the Japanese. Many Okinawans were secretly sent to China to learn fighting arts. Okinawa for many centuries engaged in trade with the people of Fukien province in southern China, and it is probably from this source that Chinese kempo ("boxing") was introduced into the islands. As well as empty handed fighting, the use of the Bo, Sai, Tonfa, Nunchaku, and other farm and household items were secretly developed into effective ryu (system, methods). This secrecy as well as the social and geographical isolation helped to create the different and distinct systems of combat that have come out of Okinawa; Naha-te (now known as Goju-ryu) and Shuri-te (now known as Shorin-ryu). Naha was a commercial centre in Okinawa, while Shuri was a political centre; according to some Okinawan Senseis this difference in social class between those Okinawans that practiced Goju and those that practiced Shorin played a major role in developing not only the difference in technique, but also in the philosophy and outlook of these two systems of Karate. ( there was also a Tomari-te, but it was absorbed into Shuri-te ).

Japanese Karate

 The Japanese had always been aware of karate in Okinawa, or "Okinawa-te," as it was known there. In fact, the Japanese banned the practice of it because of the power that its practitioners ( "karate men", as they called them ), wielded. After Okinawa had been granted autonomy ( but still under the dominion of Japan ), there was a keen interest in the style, in hopes of adding it to the other Japanese martial arts, such as judo, jujitsu, and kendo. In the early 1900s, there was a demonstration of karate skills at Shuri castle in Shuri, Okinawa, in which the Japanese officials were greatly impressed. They invited the Okinawan masters to come to Tokyo to demonstrate their talents, and to stay on to teach the Japanese initiates. At the beginning of the Taiso era ( 1920 ), many masters traveled to large Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto, as well as others, to plant the seeds for Japanese Karate. In Kyoto, Japan, many of the masters and their prize pupils came to the Dai Nippon Butokukai ( Greater Japan Martial Virtues School ).

At the Butokukai, there were many other different martial arts, among them some dealing with the sword and bo.

In 1936 the translation of "empty hand" for karate was brought in, replacing the Kanji character for "Chinese hand." This was thought to reflect the idea that Japanese karate was now indeed Japanese, an entity in its own. Gichin Funakoshi, a student of Itosu's, is considered to be the father of Japanese karate, although it has many fathers.

In 1945, the military government under General Douglas McArthur outlawed all Japanese martial arts. This was thought to also lessen the militaristic attitudes of the warrior class. As in Okinawa, karate was practiced in secret, until 1948, when the ban was lifted ( there was a source in one book stating that since karate was a relatively new discipline, it wasn't included in the banned Japanese martial arts, and that it actually had been allowed during the post-war period ).

The Japanese added the color system of belt ranks, as well as renaming some of the katas, to reflect a more Japanese flavor. The color system was based on swimming team ribbons, indicating the level of the swimmer. Now some people believe that the color system didn't come into effect until after karate found it's way to North America, so it's possible the Japanese adapted the system to help out Westerners not used to the discipline of having to work out for 3 to 5 years before going from white belt to black belt. Now there is a belief that the white belt was supposed to turn dark from repeated workouts, eventually getting to the point that it looked black. But some people in the martial art community believe this to be a fallacy.

There are now hundreds of different schools, some very similar to each other. When we hear the word karate, we think Japanese. In reality, it is actually derived from Chinese Gung Fu and Okinawa-te. But today, it has evolved into a totally different style, most revolving around linear punches and blocks, centering on hip action. Many styles have actually incorporated some of the older Chinese techniques, to add fluidity and smoothness to the art. Butokukan has done this by incorporating some of these in their style.

Shinpu-ren

The name Shinpu-ren had thought to be associated with an assassination group back during the war years, but this is now thought to be incorrect. The meaning goes back further in history, about 700 years ago.

In the 1260's the armies of Kublai Khan, the great Mongol conqueror, had overrun all of central Asia and were at the gates of Moscow and Vienna. In 1268 the Khan sent envoys to Japan ordering "the king of your little country" to submit to Mongol suzerainty or face invasion. The Shogun of the day finally decided not to reply at all. The Khan soon ordered preparations for an invasion. It took more than six years to construct the ships and arrange for the provision. In 1274 approximately 15,000 Mongol and 8,000 Korean vassal troops sailed for southern Japan. The Japanese samurai, who were used to fighting against Japanese, sought to fight with some warrior with whom they could prove worthy. Needless to say, the Mongols with their bows and arrows ( their primary weapon ), mowed them down in droves. The small islands of Tsushima and Iki were captured first, but only after a terrible struggle in which the Japanese defenders died to the last man.

The fleet then landed at Kikata on the island of Kyushu. The coastal garrisons fought valiantly while waiting for the reinforcements dispatched from central Kyushu. Before the reinforcements arrived, a severe storm hit. The Korean ship captains urged withdrawal and the Mongol generals agreed. Of the 23,000 troops who embarked, 13,000 had been killed.

In 1275 and 1279, the Khan dispatched ambassadors to seek Japanese concessions. The Shogun responded by beheading the ambassadors. Wars in southern China preoccupied the Khan for the next several years but he resolved to settle accounts with the Japanese.

In 1281, the Khan commandeered all the junks of Canton and Korea. An army of 140,000 troops ( 40,000 of them Mongol ) was prepared. They faced an alert and determined enemy. In the preceding years, the Shogun had been busy constructing an armada of 'firefly boats' ( boats with about 15 warriors in each, who would come out to the ships of the Mongols, then lower their masts and climb aboard, thus allowing them to use their primary weapon, the samurai sword ) with which to harass the invasion force, and an immense stone wall more than one hundred miles long in an effort to help contain the most probable beachheads. "Every man, woman and child contributed money or labor towards the national armory."

In June, the Mongol fleet set sail. The attempt to seize Tsushima failed. The fleet sailed on and made landings all along the coast of Kyushu; primarily where the wall had been located. Fifty three days of desperate hand-to-hand combat ensued, especially at both ends of the wall. At this point, the divine wind came.

On the 15th and 16th of August, 1281, a massive storm ravaged the Mongol fleet for 48 hours. The invaders, cut off from their ships and supplies, were slaughtered. Less than half of the 140,000 troops who had set out returned to the mainland. From that time on, the Emperor and his court, who had prayed for deliverance from the Mongol fleet, spoke of the divine wind which had saved Japan. Needless to say, the superb conditioning of the Japanese soldiers was also a decisive factor. This was the inception of Bushido ("The way of the warrior"). The defeat of the Mongol armies convinced the Japanese, up to their defeat in 1945, that their intense martial spirit was superior to that of all other peoples. In 1281, Japan's militaristic feudalism was less than a century old ( as a footnote, the Japanese celebrate September 1st as the first day of typhoons that arrive on the coast, and this is supposedly the date of the storm, so there seems to be a minor conflict on the date of when the Mongols were ravaged by the weather ).

The word Shinpuren can be divided up into three Kanji characters, Chinese pictographs which have found their way into the Japanese language. "Shin" is also called "kame". It means "Divine," or "God." "Pu" or "Fu", or as it is sometimes called on its own in the Kanji texts, is also called "kaze," which means "wind." "Ren," means "train or exercise, drill, practice, refine."

Butokukan Karate

Butokukan started officially in 1963 when Shihan Nakachi changed the style from Shinpu-ren to Butokukan, to reflect the more fluid moves of Kempo. We now had a new crest ( our present one ) and new katas to go along with it. Butokukan, by it's name, means training hall of the virtue of the martial arts, and this means that we take the good parts of other styles and add them to our own, so we are always a changing style, being flexible enough to see that there are good things in other styles, and that we should take advantage of them. Butokukan has at it's core karate, but we also add such things as Wing Chung gung fu, Tae Kwon Do, Jui-Jitsu, Judo, and various other influences. In this way, we try to go by Shihan Hill's creed, to "learn by doing".