A Brief History of Kata | Iain Abernethy

In addition to the Study Guide I have posted, here is an article written by Iain Abernethy called A brief History of Kata.
A Brief History of Kata | Iain Abernethy

Sempai Jonathan

Study Guide on the History of Karate

This study guide that I have compiled includes page references from Hanshi Patrick McCarthy’s translation of the Bubishi: The Manual of Classical Combat.

Martial Arts definition & etymological study – Martial represents militaristic combat, military science, military strategy, warfare tactics or anything dealing with war. Martial comes from the word Mars. In Greco-Roman mythology, Mars is the Roman god of war. Martial Art is deifying the Roman God of war. Therefore, it is a European terminology.

 Establishment of Okinawa and its fighting arts (references from the Bubishi)

-          place of origin for the fighting system was the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawan Prefecture)

-          outside influences of the fighting arts of Okinawa are Southern China, Kyushu (province of Japan), Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines due to open trade routes and military invasions

Hanshi Patrick McCarthy’s theories of how Karate developed in Okinawa

There are four common theories explaining the development of Karate (p. 78)

-          The unarmed fighting traditions were developed by peasants

-          The second claims the Okinawan fighting arts were primarily influenced by Chinese arts that were taught by the 36 families

-          The third theory concerns the 1507 weapons ban by King Sho-Shin, which led to an increased need by wealthy landowners for an effective means of defending themselves and their property

-          The fourth theory claims that the arts were developed primarily by domestic security and law enforcement personnel who were not allowed to carry weapons after the 1609 invasion of Okinawa by the Satsuma Clan

-          In 1368CE Hong Wu liberated the Ryukyu kingdom from Mongol occupation, that brought the collapse of the Mongol Empire being the Yuan Dynasty, its last  Mongolian Dynasty

-          Emperor Hong Wu founded the Ming Dynasty in 1372CE and opened trading relationships with the Ryukyu Kingdom

-          In 1393CE the 36 families migrated from Southern China to Kuninda, Naha (Kume Village, Naha, Okinawa)

-          Important to note: Ryukyu Kingdom was split into three rival kingdoms Hokuzan (northern Kingdom), Chuzan (central Kingdom), Nanzan (southern Kingdom), until 1429CE King Sho-Hashi united the three kingdoms into one called at that time Ryukyu Kingdom

-          King Sho-shin came to power in 1477CE, in 1507CE King Sho-shin banned private ownership of weapons

-          In 1609 the Satsuma invasion (83-84)

-          The ban of weapons resumed and the art of Kobujutsu/kobudo further developed

-          Ryukyu Kingdom was oppressed by the Satsuma and constantly attacked

-          The invasion has caused the ban of Toudi (Karate) however the Okinawan combative system was practiced in secrecy

Evolution of Karate (89-95)

-          Karate was formally called Te trans. Hand Okinawan (Hogen dialect) spelling: Ti

-          Other names over the periods of time was called To-de Okinawan spelling Toudi trans. China Hand

-          In the 1800’s and 1900’s Toudi was split into three distinct systems named after the three Okinawan cities Shuri, Tomari and Naha they were called Naha-Te, Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te

-          During the turn of the century, Toudi-jutsu was being modernized

-          In 1868 Japan was westernized, abandoning feudalism and embracing democracy

-          Japan was growing into an imperial power right into the 20^th century

-          The Ryukyu Kingdom was renamed the Okinawan Prefecture or Okinawa and that kingdom is now a regional province of Japan

-          At the turn of the century Toudi-jutsu was going to be put into the school system, this marked the modernization of Okinawa’s fighting art

-          Anko Itosu, a school teacher introduced Karate to the school children in the early 1900’s

-          However, seeing the art was too deadly and hazardous for school children, Itosu did away with the HAPV-theory (Habitual Acts of Physical Violence) and practical analysis to use as self-defense (bunkai) for only school children and made the art more of an activity to develop confidence, health, self-esteem etc.

-          He (Itosu) invented the first basic kata series designed to teach children called Pinan series there are 5 Pinan katas

-          The techniques are based off of various advanced templates such as Passai, Kushanku, Wanshu, Chinto to name a few Shorin discipline katas

-          In October of 1908, Itosu written the 10 Precepts (94-95) *also sited in Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop and Comprehensive Karate by Michael Rosenbaum

-          Itosu’s student Gichin Funakoshi was the most fundamental for the modernization of Karate

-          It was Funakoshi who made the changes

-          Funakoshi introduced the dan/kyu ranking system along with a training uniform (Gi) influenced by Judo founder Jigoro Kano (88-89)

-          Note: belt ranking system did not exist in Okinawa when Karate was developing; the natives trained in loin cloth, T-shirt and pants or shorts.

-          Many of the Japanese Martial Arts were changing from battle effective arts to sport Martial Arts

-          ie Jujutsu, Akijutsu, Iaijutsu, Kobujutsu, Kenjutsu, Karate-jutsu the suffix jutsu trans. As art or science

-          The suffix for their fighting systems were changed to “Do” ie. Judo Aikido, Iaido, Kobudo, Kendo, Karate-do etc. the suffix Do trans. As way or path in order to make the Japanese Martial Arts a sport

-            In the 1920’s Karate was introduced to mainland Japan, the most influential person to ever propagate Karate to Japan was Gichin Funakoshi

-          In order to accept Karate into Japan he went about other changes in term of kata names

Okinawan                                 Japanese

              Pinan                                         Heian

             Niseishi                                     Nijushiho

            Kushanku                                 Kanku (Dai/Sho)

            Okinawan                               Japanese

            Passai                                     Bassai (Dai/Sho)

            Useishi                                  Gojushiho (Dai/Sho)

           Wanshu                                     Enpi

            Rohai                                       Meikyo

           Chinto                                      Gankaku

-          These changes were made because the Japanese are prejudiced against the Chinese people, anything about China, their culture and so forth

-          The katas that developed in the Okinawan Prefecture were either in the Okinawan dialect (Hogen) or the kata name was named after a Chinese person (ie, Kushanku, Wanshu, Chinto etc.) were eventually changed over in a different name in Japanese yet the versions of these templates are similar from one another to suit Japanese society

-          The saying for the Okinawan system had been changed from Toudi or Te to Karate in order to abolish any Chinese resemblance or influence to the  art that was being introduced to mainland Japan

-          Toudi trans. As China Hand, Karate trans. As empty hand

-          Etymological break down: Kara trans. Empty, nothingness and Te trans. hand

-          Another change was the 3K teaching structure

-          In order to have Karate-do become a sport like Judo and Kendo, the teaching structure was geared more to the student preparing for competition than the streets

-          The Order is: Kihon, Kata, Kumite,

-          The older ways of teaching Karate to students stood the test of time more than the Japanese and westernized format

-          Based on the research from Patrick McCarthy, Iain Abernethy and Michael Rosenbaum I have modified the teaching/training concepts of Martial Arts to make it more comprehensive for all ages and also brought those concepts to the Afrocentric level

The Jonathan Bynoe Teaching/training Structure Concept

A)    Two-Person Drills

-          Self-defense/analysis/applications, flow drills, grappling, kumite/sparring

B)    Single Person Drills (recording the self-defense techniques)

-          Kihon/Basics/exercise drills, dance rituals, kata/forms, shadow boxing, bag work

-          Four main Karate systems Goju-ryu (Hard-soft school), Wado-ryu (Way of Harmony school), Shotokan (House of Waving Pines), and Shito-ryu (Higaonna-Itosu school) have developed in Okinawa and exported into mainland Japan in between the 1920’s and 1930’s

-          Goju-ryu was founded by Chojun Miyagi

-          Gogen Yamaguchi opened a Goju-ryu school in Japan in 1930 and in 1933 it was the first Karate system registered into the Dai-Nippon Butoku-kai

-          Shotokan was founded by Gichin Funakoshi

-          Wado-ryu was founded by Hironori Ohtsuka

-          Shito-ryu was founded by Kenwa Mabuni

-          The other three Karate systems followed along being registered in DNBK

-          Karate was changed into a sport, implemented as a tournament bounded by rules

-          The embusen rule was heavily implemented, mainly in Shotokan

-          Modern Karate was influenced by Western boxing

-          Gogen Yamaguchi invented Jiyu Kumite (free sparring), it becomes to this day a popular division in Karate tournaments

-          The Gekisai/Fukyu katas were invented by Chojun Miyagi of Goju-ryu and Shoshin Nagamine of Matsubayashi-ryu in 1940 meant to teach basic katas to kids and beginners

-           The Taikyouku katas were invented by Gichin Funakoshi of Shotokan and there are different variations of Taikyouku Katas taught in various Karate systems basic katas to teach to beginner and kids in a more simplistic way

-          The Pinan/Heian, Gekisai katas, and the Taikyouku katas are non-traditional katas, they are basic katas to introduce the beginner to simplistic katas
-    After World War II, American forces who were stationed in Okinawa and mainland Japan trained in Karate, Judo and other Japanese Martial Art systems
-    Somtime in between the 1950's (during the Korean War) and the 1960's Karate and other Asian Martial Arts made it's way into the U.S. and later to Canada and Mexico.
-   This marked the golden age for Karate when tournaments were booming in the US in the 60's and 70's

Recommended Reading

The Bubishi: The Manual of Classical Combat Trans. Patrick McCarthy

Comprehensive Karate by Michael Rosenbaum (e-book)

Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop

                                                                                                                          Jonathan Bynoe           

The Corrupt Business of Martial Arts

I would like to speak to you at the matter at hand for a moment, the many years of Martial Arts schools and organizations have been the cancer for the development and growth of the Martial Arts. What I am about to share with you is a continuation of a previous blog called Egotism: Our own Worst Enemy. This blog is mostly geared to high ranking instructors in their own respected system(s) of Martial Arts. Instructors should open their eyes to understand what they’re doing is wrong. Students should open their eyes and realize that this particular place is bad and finding someplace else to stay is a must. This message is what got so many of us messed up. Throughout my eight years of Martial Arts training, I have heard about the whole fiasco filled with backstabbers, scammers, and liars that can do anything to make themselves rich off of a business where you teach students to build self-confidence, self-defense, self-esteem, improving health, and many spiritual benefits abroad. Therefore there are certain individuals that care only about the business than just helping others improve their needs. I earned the title of Sempai in August 2011. At first it wasn’t a big deal for me, but down the road it sunk in. The reason was that I have done so much work and commitment for the Martial Arts community. I believed that I am great on the tournament floor, on the judging rows, in the dojo training, and on the dojo floor teaching. One thing is that a part of me says this is a burden; a heavy load to carry, but despite that, I love what I do. If I don’t, then I would have left it all behind. I would never forget what my dad said, “Everyone has their own cross to bear.” Although the saying is more to the religious mind, it can in many ways be symbolic to the reality of what we do in our everyday lives.

In the past, there are Martial Art masters that are legends, but little is known to us that they can have flaws as an average human being. Those in the Martial Arts community thought that Peter Urban was a nutcase and a loony, but one thing was that he was a great Martial Artist of his time, and I thought that he could’ve been the one to be the successor of the Goju-kai. I’ll say that the fault lied with Gogen Yamaguchi for telling his senior student Peter Urban that “a non-Asian can never achieve nirvana (enlightenment).” To add insult to injury he preferred to have his sons run the organization after he passes away, despite Urban being a higher rank than Yamaguchi’s sons. In my view, that is called nepotism. If Yamaguchi wasn’t playing favourites or being prejudiced, then there would be no such thing as American Goju-ryu. That’s just my little humble opinion.

I would generalize certain things at random on certain practices that can be a cancer to dojos. Many schools anywhere in the world can let so few students get an easy pass, special privileges or inheritance whether or not they are a Dai-sempai or sempai of the dojo. First off doing such practices too many times can create jealousy and another thing is that this special student would not learn anything about earning what you want instead of things given to you on a silver platter. Nobody in the dojo would get good benefit out of their training when a Sensei does that.

Although hardly mentioned within the Martial Arts community was that I heard stories posted by forum members I have interacted with are the infamous scandals within the schools and organizations. These members shared the articles of Senseis that practice child molestation, affairs with underage girls, and Senseis cheating on their wives committing adultery. Sometimes I gone about thinking that it is all a misunderstanding and a certain clique are trying to ruin this guy’s reputation and so forth, but who knows? It became apparent to me, overtime that the stories are true. We have so few role models left in this world. Scandals like these are everywhere, on the streets, in the classrooms, in the churches, in the recreational centres, all the way up to the celebrity realm. And I wonder if these Senseis and Sifus have a mental illness or something. You run a good business, teaching kids and adults Martial Arts and they look up to you. Then right behind their backs you engage in alcoholism and drugs. Starting fights in bars to better your skills and hanging out with prostitutes. That was the practice which Chotoku Kyan did in his time, and encouraged his students to do those practices as part of their Karate training. Don’t take my word for it, find that book Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop, it explains it briefly about Chotoku Kyan’s life. I wonder what kind of role model does such a thing. Kyan was a great Martial Artist of his time, but not a great role model. How can you enjoy your life by living a life like a drunkard? How can you enjoy your life being a swinger? How can you enjoy your life fighting and hurting people almost every night? I see that the most joy you get in your life has to be something spiritual. Many Martial Artists in the western world haven’t grasp budo, Martial ways or warrior spirit, the mental aspects of the Montu (Martial) Arts. So I say wake up Instructors. You are the father figures of the community.

There are Senseis out there who are not only egotistical and tyrannical, but also manipulative, cultists, and conmen. Those certain individuals most likely built their empires through making shortcuts; incorporating high priced membership fees and expensive merchandises. Other scams I have recently heard of were those that tried to raise the funds so they can pay off for a trip to go somewhere; that is called “the Sensei tax.” That’s where you pay your monthly membership fee of lets say $60 per month plus one or two government sales tax of 5%-7%, and then add a tax that is not related whatsoever to your nation’s government, but your own. You’ll be wasting your hard earn money over a greedy Sensei to either make as much money to the point where he or she can go on that dream trip or to open a chain of dojos from town to town, building a franchise like McDonalds. With the outcome of opening multiple dojos around the province or state, you hire on your Black Belt students who are Shodans, more likely who are fresh in the black belt club. The traditional values of the Asian Martial Arts were overlooked or overshadowed since it got here in the Western World. We have messed it up big time. Why is that? We let ego and let greed get in our way. Some folks cannot let go. There are individuals that try to embrace budo, but they are not willing to let go of their luxury. Most of them take shortcuts like this because they don’t have regular 9-5 job of sorts. How they run their business, is that the Sensei’s teach their students hardly anything, hand out belts to students like a Christmas present. In simpler terms, they run nothing more than a black belt mill or a McDojo. You get students under 16 years of age as Jr. Black Belts or black belts with very little effective skills to show. They are more than posers than true Martial Artists.

Then there are imposter leaders of the Martial Arts that forge the certifications, went over to a Halloween costume store and bought a black belt, opened a school, making themselves Hanshi. It’s like this, “I’m a grandmaster…of Karate.” (And I don’t mean by the Japanese accent Karate), it is so pronounced in the American accent “Karatee.” 

Then adding insult to injury, there is the bastardization of training uniforms. The late Sensei Richard Kim said, “Clothes cannot change the skill.” One of the many things that Sensei’s from different Martial Arts schools in the western world place too much emphasis on is training uniforms to suit a particular system of Martial Arts, and I find it way too overrated. It has been programmed into the student psychosis to such a degree that they think that wearing a black, red or a multi-coloured Gi (uniform) makes them higher in skill than the individual that wears a white Gi. Where did the classical mind of the Montu Arts gone to? I tell you Senseis, Shihans, Renshis, Kyoshis and Hanshis who are reading this message that you are misleading your own students! Change your habit which goes against your warrior ancestors.

I have attended quite a few tournaments and the thing which I begin to find humourous is that competitors obsess themselves about providing more than one uniform for tournaments. Now I don’t mind those that train in both Karate and Iaido let’s say, but the thing that can drive such folks crazy is that competitors change at least two times. They have a uniform for weapons, one for kata, one for sparring, one for self-defense (some tournaments have a self-defense division). I find it funny, but understand the program. You have to waste so much money on purchasing so many different uniforms to compete in tournaments, like come on. Understand the message people, “Clothes cannot change the skill.” I quote Richard Kim in his book The Classical Man, “More and more martial artists are adopting a tendency to appear in flamboyant dress during meets, exhibitions and demonstrations. Some argue that the flashy clothes they sport are meant to psyche opponents and dazzle the public, but all that is a matter of opinion. Clothes certainly cannot change the skill.” (p.55) One of the biggest scam in the Martial community is to sell the student on joining the demo team or to sign up to a tournament out of town and tell them that they have to buy a colourful gi that can make anyone who wears it look like a peacock for $500 or something plus tax and Sensei tax (if any other school I recognize do that practice scam), on top of that put down an expensive fee for joining the demo team. Think about how much money an instructor is raking in and being able to buy fancy clothes and drive a Corvette or a Lexus. I have no desire to have those luxurious things at the expense of what I love to do. I have the wealth of spirituality, the highest form of wealth that many of us are having a hard time to achieve. I rather walk as a warrior instead of driving in a fancy car to get my message across to all of you.

Before I even started training in the Martial Arts, I thought all of this was cool, but I knew little by little about the lies, and the scams. Students who are reading this message don’t be deceived, if you don’t like what the instructors teaches and what he or she does, leave the dojo and find a better one who knows of no ego, greed or arrogance; plain and simple. Find a Sensei who cares more about passing down the knowledge to the next generation. The three poisons of man is ego, greed and arrogance, let us get out of that mess and live right through Ma’at, live modestly through Ma’at, do justice through Ma’at, live a balance life through Ma’at, and be one with nature through Ma’at, live in the presence of the goddess of truth, justice righteousness, and balance through nature. We must be aware of the crooked scams and seek right knowledge that should benefit our training. We should put aside are petty differences, that is what separates us from the Montu Arts, for a Martial Artist should always learn to forgive and forget and hopefully we shall work together for the betterment of the next generation, that is the highest form of being a great Martial Artist. Let the Montu Arts bring us together into one community and one organization, put aside the petty politics and the egos, for we as Martial Artists should promote world peace. At the end of the day you can dig it. A quote from the movie The Warriors, “Can you dig iiiiiiiit?” We have so much work to do to rebuild our community which had fractured us for so long. It’s time to come home to the budo thought.

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                               Hotep NTR,    

                                                                                                                                 Jonathan