De Anza Shotokan Karate Club

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The History of Shotokan Karate (Part 1)

The martial arts have a long and somewhat muddled history - too long to address in a simple handout. Consider this handout to be the Cliffs Note version of the history of Shotokan karate. Should you, while reading this, wish that you had further information on any particular part, feel free to do research of your own. There are numerous books (most notably Harry Cook's "Shotokan Karate: A Precise History"), and hundreds of web sites out there that will assist you in your search.

Long Ago

As a karate style, Shotokan itself is relatively young. There are, in fact, still several active karate instructors who trained directly under the founder of Shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi. The roots of Shotokan, however, reach deep into the past, connecting our style of karate with several other arts.

Historians have differing views regarding the origins of karate. Regrettably, there is very little literature available regarding karate as it was practiced prior to the 20th century. Some researchers say that the martial arts began in Egypt, while others maintain that the birthplace is India. A popular story says that Bodhidharma (circa 500AD), a royal prince from India, encountered the Buddha's teachings. He immediately "saw the truth in Lord Buddha's words" and gave up his esteemed position to study with the famous Buddhist teacher Prajnatara. In time he was sent to China to introduce the Sarvastivada sect Buddhist teachings to the Chinese, eventually stopping at the Shaolin Temple located in the Sung Mountain range. There he meditated in a cave - for nine years! It was while at the Shaolin Temple that Bodhidharma noticed that the monks, while spiritually strong, were physically weak due to long-term meditation retreats. Bodhidharma informed the monks that he would teach their bodies and their minds the Buddha's dharma through a two-part program of meditation and physical training. A member of the Indian Kshatriya warrior class and a master of staff fighting, Bodhidharma created an exercise program for the monks that involved physical techniques that were efficient, strengthened the body, and eventually, could be used for self-defense. These "exercise techniques" turned out to be a very efficient fighting system, eventually evolving into a marital arts style called Gung Fu.

Myths and legends aside, it is certain that the fighting arts of China were a major influence on the karate styles that later developed on Okinawa and Japan. It is widely acknowledged that Okinawa, then called the Kingdom of the Ryukyus, is the birthplace of karate as we know it today. The Ryukyus were a tributary state of China, so there had been periods of frequent contact between them and Fukien on the mainland. Because of this, many Okinawans were exposed to the Chinese martial arts either through visiting merchant seamen and/or dignitaries, or by traveling to China themselves. The martial knowledge they gained via this method was then incorporated into the indigenous fighting style of Okinawa, known simply as te (hand). This fighting style became known as Ryukyu Kenpo, or Tote-Jitsu, "art of the Tang-hand, or Chinese hand."

There were two periods in history where weapons were banned on the Ryukyus. In 1429, shortly after uniting the three kingdoms of the Ryukyus, king Sho Hashi [1372-1439] established a non-military government. He then issued an edict strictly prohibiting the possession of weapons, and called together statesmen and scholars from all over the country to form a centralized administration. The country then lived in relative peace for nearly 200 years. In 1609, Iehisa Shimazu, the Daimyo of the Satsuma fief in southern Kyushu, ordered his troops to invade Okinawa. The Satsuma clan was searching for new sources of wealth and lands to add to their domain. Since they considered the southern seas part of their realm, the Ryukyus were an obvious target - and a lucrative one, considering their history as a trade center with China. With a naval history and a reputation as fierce warriors, the Satsuma samurai proved to be too formidable for the Ryukyu defenders, and Okinawa soon fell into Shimazu hands. Under Satsuma rule weapons were once again banned, this time for the general populace and the upper classes alike. Most historians agree that karate owes its creation to this second ban, because it forced the people of the Ryukyus to perfect a means of unarmed self-defense.

With a weapons ban in place and the iron-fisted Satsuma governing them, the Okinawans were understandably reluctant to let it be known that a method of unarmed fighting even existed. Fighting techniques, and information regarding instruction and training locations was kept carefully hidden from the Satsuma rulers, going as far as including a self-imposed ban against keeping written records of anything pertaining to To-te. Even after the need for secrecy had passed during the Meiji period [1868-1912], the people of Okinawa still maintained their silence regarding karate, bound by centuries of the tradition of secrecy. This secrecy, combined with the destruction in WWII of the few records that did exist, makes it very difficult to follow the evolution of karate in Okinawa.

Although the bombings in Japan left very little historical information regarding to-te, the war did not leave us completely empty handed. Some written material survived, as well as an oral history that allows us to identify some of the key figures in Okinawa-te and Japanese karate-do. Listing all of them is beyond the scope of this handout, but here are some of the key players:

Tode Sakugawa Kanga [1782-1862 est.]

Born in Shuri, Sakugawa was a scholar and an official Yaeyama by order of the Ryukyu Kingdom who also happened to be a talented bujin (martial person). It is believed that Sakugawa trained under Chinese envoy Kushanku, and may have traveled to China to train in both empty hand and weapons fighting systems (even today there is a bo (staff) kata practiced by various Okinawan styles named Sakugawa no kon). He had several students, including Sokon Matsumura and Chinen Pechin, whose grandson created Yamanni Ryu bojutsu.

Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura [1809-1902 est.]

Born into the gentry class, Matsumura was a scholar and skilled calligrapher whose literary knowledge enabled him to become an official in the Ryukyu government, in the great palace of Shuri where he served as bodyguard to three Okinawan kings (Shoko, Shoiku and Shotai). This appointment allowed him to make several trips to both China and Japan (Satsuma). It is said that Matsumura was skilled in Jigen Ryu kenjutsu, the sword art of the Satsuma samurai, as well as Chinese chuan fa. When the Ryukyu kingdom was abolished in 1879, Matsumura devoted the rest of his life to the teaching of karate-do. He had many students, including several who went on to create what is now known as Shorin Ryu karate.

Yasutsune "Ankoh" Azato [1827-1906]

Azato was born into an upper class Okinawan family who were the hereditary chiefs of Azato, a village located between Shuri and Naha. Given his background, Azato received the usual Confucian education expected of him, as well as the arts of karate, horsemanship, archery, Jigen Ryu kenjutsu, Chinese literature and politics. He trained in karate under Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura, along with his good friend Yasutsune Itosu. An accomplished swordsman, Azato's maxim "think of your opponent's arms and legs as swords" is well known to many of today's karateka.

Yasutsune "Ankoh" Itosu [1832-1915]

Also a member of the gentry class, Itosu was an educated man whose knowledge of the Chinese classics and skill at calligraphy allowed him to gain a high-ranking administrative position in the Royal Palace. A student of Sokon Matsumura, Gusukuma and Nagahama, Itosu is a key figure in the development of modern karate-do, and is widely recognized as the man who brought to-te out of obscurity and into the public eye. Itosu introduced karate-do into the Okinawan school system, where it served as an adjunct to physical education. One of karate-do's greatest teachers, Itosu's students were some of the men who shaped the face of today's karate-do. They include Yabu Kentsu [1866-1937], Funakoshi Gichin [1868-1957, founder of Shotokan], Kyan Chotoku [1870-1945], Chibana Choshin [1885-1969, founder of Kobayashi Shorin Ryu], Oshiro Chojo [1888-1939, Yamanni-ryu bojutsu], and Mabuni Kenwa [1889-1953, founder of Shito-ryu].