Shito Ryu Karate in a Historical Context

Shito Ryu Karate in a historical context by Guy Buyens Introduction Karate (空手) is a Japanese (originally from Okinawa) martial art that developed from a synthesis of indigenous Okinawan fighting methods and Chinese kenpo. Currently, Okinawa Prefecture is Japan's southernmost prefecture, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of the largest and most populous island, Okinawa Island

The islands that now make up Okinawa Prefecture were originally not part of Japan, but part of an independent nation called the Ryukyu Kingdom.

In 1372, formal trade relationships were established between the Ryukyu Islands and the Fujian Province of China. Chinese families moved to Okinawa, where they began to share Chinese Kenpo with the native Okinawans. In Okinawa, Tode (Karate) underwent significant developments based on several factors, including the policy of banning weapons following the political centralization of King Shoshin (1477-1526) and the invasion of Ryukyu (1609) by the Satsuma clan, who controlled the region that is now Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan. Following this invasion, the Ryūkyū Kingdom was forced to enter into a tributary relationship with Satsuma in addition to their previous tributary relationship with China. Ryukyuan sovereignty, however, was maintained. The Satsuma Samurai who had occupied Okinawa from 1609 practised Jigen Ryu (kenjutsu style) which can be traced to Marume's Taisha Shin Kage Ryu. Although inhabitants of Okinawa were not allowed to use swords, influences of Jigen-ryu can be observed throughout the development of Karate. Especially on those inhabitants from Shuri who practised Shuri-te but who were exposed to life around the castle, located in Shuri. Characteristics of Jigen-ryu: • • • •

Jigen-ryu fencers prefer attacks and are ready to destroy the enemy in any moment Jigen-ryu fencers attach importance to train speed and power, natural fast foot steps. Their goal is "One slash, One kill" and "Unyou no Tachi lightning slash)" Jigen-ryu fencers use a target, a (makiwara) made of sticks to build up strength and technique. In Edo period, the students of Jigen Ryu had to hit it 3000 - 8000 times in a day The emblem of the Satsuma Clan was a circle with a cross Probably one of the few Okinawa inhabitants, master in Tode, to have been allowed to become skilled in Jigen-ryu kenjutsu in those days, was Matsumura (1797-1899), a scholar and skilled calligrapher whose literary knowledge enabled him to become an official in the Ryukyu government. Matsumura’s link with the great palace of Shuri is well known and it is said that he served as bodyguard to three Okinawan kings (Shoko, Shoiku and Shotai). This appointment allowed him to make several trips to both China (where he studied Chinese chuan fa) and Satsuma in Japan.

Over the years, karate would mature in 3 locations: Shuri, Tomari and Naha. However these locations were only a few miles apart (today all part of the city of Naha, the capital of Okinawa) and therefore numerous exchanges between their masters existed.

During the 19th century, the 3 major styles of Okinawan martial arts were: •

Shuri-te: Shuri was the old capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom and the location of the palace. The martial art was deeply influenced by North Chinese Kung-fu

•

Tomari-te: Tomari was a city of fishers. It also had its masters but they didn't participate in the modernization of Karate, perhaps because they were simple people.

•

Naha-te: Naha had many naturalized citizens from China, and was prosperous as a trading port. Naha-te is closely linked to South Chinese Kung-fu

The history of Karate: The old masters Kung-fu and Karate history are generally traced back to Taishi Bodhidharma Daruma (470-543 AD), founder of Zen Buddhism in Western India Daruma is said to have introduced Buddhism into China. However, his spiritual and physical teaching methods were too demanding for his students In order to provide them with greater strength and endurance, he developed a training system, which he recorded in the Ekkin-Kyo (Some call it the first “ karate book” in history). The physical training, based on Daruma's philosophical principles, was taught in China, in the Shaolin Temple starting from the year 500 A.D. Shaolin (Shorin) kung-fu, from northern China, was characterized by rapid, and dynamic movements. From China, Shaolin kung-fu found its way to Okinawa, where local martial arts were already flourishing. A master, called TAKAHARA Peichin (1683-1760) is often referred to as "father of Okinawa Karate“ (although the term KARATE was introduced much later). Takahara was born in Southern Shuri to an upper class family of Okinawan society (the term "Peichin" stands for "senior“). An educated person, experienced in astronomy, who traveled a lot during his lifetime and who contributed to the mapping of Okinawa, Takahara was well known as a great fighter but he also emphasized on ethical principals like: o "Ijo“: compassion, humility and modesty o "Fo“: seriousness, devotion and dedication o "Katsu“: deep understanding and essence of techniques A certain Kushanku (KOSHOKUN) influenced Okinawan Martial Arts very significantly. Kushanku, a Chinese military envoy from Ming dynasty period, sent to Okinawa in 1756, was a well known Kempo expert (Shaulin Quan-Fa). Kushanku is believed to have taught a lot of Martial Art people in Okinawa, among them probably Chatan Yara and Sakugawa Kanga, a student of Takahara.

Sakugawa Kanga (1733-1851) was the first to be associated with the term “TODE “ (Chinese hand) and therefore his is known as “Tode Sakugawa“. His first teacher was Takahara but later Sakugawa continued to study with Kushanku (with the authorisation of his teacher). These days, probably two fighting streams were existed in Okinawa: the local “TE” (hand) and the “TODE” (Chinese hand). It is believed that Sakugawa was the one who contributed most in the integration of the two systems. Also in that period, the system must have been influenced by master Yara (1868-1756) from Chatan, a well skilled inhabitant from Chinese origin who also studied under Kushanku. In the next generation, there must have been several great martial artists but the most famous is certainly "Bushi" Matsumura. After his teacher “Sakugawa” passed away he was adopted by the Royal family (Sho family) and was authorized to study in the famous Shaolin temple in China. Matsumura served as a personal guard of King Shoko, King Shoku and King Shotai and in his function he came across several martial artists who influenced his art As already mentioned in the introduction, he was also one of the only inhabitants of Okinawa, who was authorized to study Jigen Ryu swords fighting with the Satsumo clan, who at that time had taken over formal control over Okinawa. Matsumura is the first to systemize "Shuri-Te", which would later also be called "Shorin Ryu".

While Shuri-te was becoming a well established system a lot of activity was going on in the village Tomari. Tomari was a place in the border of Naha area and was a sort of trade way to Shuri. The most famous master from Tomari area were Kosaku Matsumora and Kokan Oyadomari. They were students from the masters Kishin Teruya (1804-1864) and Giko Uku (1800-1850).

Matsumora (and Oyadomari) also learn from several Chinese masters, including a refugee from Annan, hosted in Tomari. Meanwhile, in Naha, the neighboring port, excellent masters like Aragaki where setting the basis for what would later become Naha-te.

Anko Itosu (1831-1951) is often mentioned as the father of modern karate. Itosu, a Shuri-te master, studied under Sokon Matsumura and became famous because he was instrumental in getting karate introduced into Okinawa's schools. Itosu developed the systematic method of teaching that is still in practice today. He created and introduced the Pinan forms ("Heian" in Japanese) because he felt the other forms were too difficult for school children to learn. Among his students where Kenwa Mabuni (later to create Shito-ryu), Chosin Chibana (founder of Shorin-ryu) and Gichin Funakoshi. Other important Shuri-te masters where Anko Asato (known as the first teacher of Funakoshi), Ishimine and Chotoku Kyan. In the meantime also Tomari-te and certainly Naha-te evolved. The latter mainly because of the influence of a certain Higaonna.

Higaonna Kanryo (1853-1918) was born in the city of Naha in 1853. Already a skilled martial artist, he travelled to China in 1868, where he studied for more than ten years. He returned to Okinawa in 1881 and is considered the true founder of Naha-te. His most important student was Chojun Miyagi (188-1953). Miyagi, also introduced his friend Mabuni (himself a student of Itosu) to Higaonna and both men trained a lot together. After the death of his master, Miyagi also travelled to Fujian Province (China). In 1929 he created the system called Goju-ryu (meaning "hard soft style"), which apart from the original naha-te also had influences from Shaolin (described as a hard linear/external form) and Pa Kua (soft circular/internal form), two forms of Chinese boxing that he also studied in China.

The history of Karate: from Okinawa to mainland Japan Although Karate originated from Okinawa (based on Chinese arts, influenced by local techniques), most influential teachers of the island would migrate to mainland Japan where Karate continued to develop Into its existing form. Funakoshi was the first to introduce karate in Japan. Later, others like. Kenwa Mabuni, Chojun Miyagi and Motobu Choki would follow. 

Gichin Funakoshi (SHOTOKAN) formally introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1921. He built the first Shotokan dojo in Tokyo In 1936. Shotokan is named after Gichin Funakoshi's pen name, Shoto, which means pine waves or wind in the pines.



Kenwa Mabuni (SHITO RYU) moved permanently to Osaka in 1928. The name of his dojo in Japan, was Yoshinkan (養神館), “House for Cultivating the Spirit”. Among his students were his two sons, Kenei Mabuni and Kenzo Mabuni, Chojiro Tani (founder of Tani-ha SHUKOKAI), Ryusho Sakagami (continued Itosu-ha), Abe Hachiro (Abe ha Shito-ryu), Yoshiaki Tsujikawa, Ken Sakio, Jun-ichi Inoue and Manzo Iwata.



Chojun Miyagi (GOJU RYU) worked hard to spread karate throughout Okinawa and mainland Japan. He travelled frequently to mainland Japan and was invited to teach karate at Kyoto University, Kansai University and Ritsumei Kan University.



Motobu Choki (MOTOBU RYU) was probably the strongest Okinawa master of that time. His style is continued by his son, Chosei Motobu, who is also the 14th soke of Motobu Udun Ti (particular imperial style of the Motobu family, from which his uncle was a grandmaster but his father not).

Until 1935, "karate" was written as "唐手" (Chinese hand, pronounced “Tode” in Okinawa dialect). In 1935, and for political reasons, the masters of Okinawa karate decided to call their art "Karate" written in Japanese characters as "空手" (empty hand).

Funakoshi, who was teaching Karate in University circles, didn’t like participation in tournaments. It would not take long before mainland Japanese students redirected the art as practiced by the Okinawa teachers into something that would suit them better. Hironori Ohtsuka (WADO RYU) studied Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu before he became a student of Gichin Funakoshi but also took advice from teachers like Mabuni. Ohtsuka Sensei believed that kata techniques as such did not work in realistic fighting situations so he started to develop Kumite training and later he even decided to leave Funakoshi Sensei to concentrate on developing a more dynamic and fluid type of Karate. In the 1950s, the first tournaments were organized in Japan. The rest of the world would follow. In 1963, the Federation of All Japan Karatedo Organizations or FAJKO (the original name of the national organization for Karate in Japan, later Japan Karate Federation) was created. Apart from Shotokan (created by Funakoshi), Shito-ryu (created by Mabuni) and Goju-ryu (created by Miyagi), the FAJKO also recognized Wado-ryu (created by Otsuka).

Somewhat different from most other Karate styles, but certainly worth mentioning is Kyokushinkai. This kind of “full contact” karate style was founded in 1964 by KoreanJapanese karate master, Masutatsu Oyama. Oyama initially studied Karate under Gichin Funakoshi but later he studied Goju-ryu (obtaining 8th dan). He also trained in Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu and judo.

The history of Karate: later developments in Okinawa Although many important teachers moved to mainland Japan, the development of Karate in Okinawa also continued. Modern-day Okinawan karate has several styles or schools. The most important school in Okinawa today is certainly Shorin-ryu, a school that originated from the Shuri-te legacy that was left behind by Anko Itosu. Itosu's students included Gichin Funakoshi, Kentsu Yabu, Chomo Hanashiro, Kenyu Kudeken, Chotoku Kyan, Choki Motobu, Choren Yamakawa, Moden Yabiku, Choshin Chibana, Anbun Tokuda, Choujyo Oshiro, Kanken Toyama, Kenwa Mabuni, Shinpan Gusukuma (Shiroma) Although Itosu already used the name "Shorin-style" to refer to the Shaolin style of Chinese boxing that was at the origin of his karate, the first person to use Shorin-ryu specifically as the name of a style was his student Choshin Chibana. Later others would also use this name, hence a certain diversity on the island regarding this school (or group of schools). Chibana's style is also referred to as “Kobayashi Shorin-ryu” and is the origin of the major streams of Shorin-ryu in modern day Okinawa. From this came the Shido-kan branch (not to be confused with mainland Shidokan), based upon the name of the dojo of Katsuya Miyahira (one of the most senior students of Chibana). Another of Chibana's students, Shugoro Nakazato, created Shorinkan Shorin-ryu and Higa Yuchoku (who also had trained with Chojun Miyagi) started his Shorin-ryu Kyudokan school. Another Shuri-te development can be found in Shorinji-ryu, established by Jyoen Nakazato, who studied under Chotoku Kyan, himself a student of Sokon Matsumura.. Jyoen Nakazato, named his school 'Shorinji-ryu', with the idea of remaining close to the original art of Matsumura in contrast to other schools where kata have been changing in the course of time. Also Naha-te and its derived school, Goju-ryu, continued to be developed in Okinawa. The founder of Goju-ryu, Chojun Miyagi, had both student on mainland Japan (Gogen Yamaguchi) and in Okinawa (Seko Higa, Miyazato Ei'ichi, Meitoku Yagi, Seikichi Toguchi, Shuichi Aragaki). Okinawa Goju-ryu has become popular due to the efforts of “The International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Federation (IOGKF)”, established by Morio Higaonna Sensei. The IOGKF is a member of the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai (Japan Traditional Martial Arts Association). Although the influence on Shuri-te masters is recognized, little has been preserved from the famous Tomari-te school, as thought by master Kosaku Matsumora. His student Kotatsu Iha did pass his knowledge to Seiyu Nakasano who opened a dojo to try and preserve Matsumora-ha karate. Nakasano„s student, Iken Tokashiki founded the Gohaku-kai, an association based on both Goju-ryu and Tomari style. Shoshin Nagamine, student of Chotoku Kyan (Shuri-te) and Choki Motobu (Tomari-te and Shuri-te), created Matsubayashi-ryu.

The name Matsubayashi-ryu, uses the Chinese character matsu (pine), to honor both Sokon Matsumura (Shuri-te) and Kosaku Matsumora (Tomari-te). Although Matsubayashi-Ryu is sometimes also referred to as a Shorin-Ryu, it should not be confused with the schools that originated from Choshin Chibana and his students. Uechi-ryu is another traditional style of karate The founder, Kanbun Uechi went to Fuzhou in Fukien Province, China at the end of the 19th century and returnedto Okinawa in the early 20th century. Although he would later move to Wakayama and would call his style Pangainun-ryu (half-hard half-soft) Todi-jutsu, his students in Okinawa later renamed his system Uechi-ryu. Ryuei Ryu, another typical Okinawa development, remains a relatively unknown school of Chinese origin. The system was created in the 19th century by Kenri Nakaima who was allowed to become a disciple of the Chinese Master Ru Ru Ko ( at the time was the lead instructor at the Military Academy in Beijing). Ryuei Ryu was originally a family style of the Nakaima family of Naha and became only recently one of the internationally known Okinawan karate styles. The relatively unknown schoolteacher, Tsuguo Sakumoto, has been one of the first fortunate people to study this “mysterious” Karate style but he subsequently became famous through his brilliant performances of the kata Anan (winning the World Karate Championships several times). However, the kata had to be adopted (and modified) under Teruo Hayashi (Hayashi-ha Shito-ryu) in order to be accepted in competition (Ryuei Ryu not being a recognized style). In respect to the development of Shito-ryu, it is worth mentioning Shinpan Gusukuma (also called Shiroma). Shinpan Gusukuma was, like Chibana Choshin, a student of Itosu , known to be close with his other fellow student of Itosu, Kenwa Mabuni, with whom he also trained under Higaonna (Kanryu) in Naha-te. As known, Mabuni would later create Shito-ryu and move to mainland Japan, but Shinpan Gusukuma remained on the island and established an organization called the Shinpan Shiroma Shito-ryu Preservation Society. Nevertheless some people will consider him to be a student of Itosu, who started to teach Shorin-ryu in Okinawa, after WWII. That some students of Mabuni (like his student Ryusho Sakagami, later to become successor of Itosu-ryu) and Shinpan Gusukuma (like his student Yoshio Nakamura, author of the book Shuri Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do) are considered as representatives of Shuri-te styles is not surprising since the original Shito-ryu is sometimes considered to be a Shuri-te school that incorporated a lot of Naha-te techniques, rather than a true hybrid school. Of course some contemporary members of Shito-ryu would not agree with this view.

Karate’s lineage: Origin of some of the major karate styles and their relationship to Shito-Ryu

Karate today Karate is organised in style organizations, the most important being: Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu, Wado-ryu, Shorin-ryu, Uechi-ryu and Kyokushinkai. There are also non-style specific sport karate organizations or federations. The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the largest sport karate organization and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), however Karate doesn’t have the Olympic status. The WKF has common rules governing all styles, allowing non-style specific sport karate tournaments. Currently there are 2 tendencies in Karate, one a more sports oriented approach (less style influenced) to Karate, the other a more traditional revival of the older forms within the distinct schools.

Kenwa Mabuni KENWA MABUNI (1889-1954) was a student of Anko Itosu. In 1909, encouraged by master Itosu to further expand his knowledge of the martial arts, and on the advice of his best friend Chojun Miyagi, Kenwa Mabuni, began taking lessons from master Kanryo Higashionna (Higaonna) of Naha, until the great master's death in 1915. During this period, Kenwa Mabuni was also receiving instruction from master Seisho Aragaki of Naha, who taught a similar style to master Higaonna. Master Aragaki was an accomplished Kobujutsu teacher and taught Kenwa Mabuni BO and SAI techniques. More-over, Mabini Kenwa was also influenced by a Fukien, 'White-Crane-Fist' master named WU XIAN GUI (pronounced GO KENKI in Japanese).

In 1929, Mabuni moved to Osaka (mainland Japan), and became a full-time karate teacher. He originally called his style Hanko-ryu (half-hard style) but later renamed it in Shito-ryu. Kenwa Mabuni died in 1952, he had several students including Sakagami, but the family line was succeeded by his sons Kenei (1918- ) and Kenzo (1927-2005). Mabuni Kenwa can also be considered as the successor of Itosu, and his art can be referred to as Itosu-ha Shito Ryu. The Itosu-ha lineage has been passed to his student Ryusho Sakagami (1915-1993), who became the 3rd soke of Itosu-ha. Later he would rename his style and call it Itosu Ryu.

Mabuni Sensei: the words of the master:

Shito-Ryu: from father to son Shito-ryu is the Karate style created by Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1954). Kenwa Mabuni (摩文仁賢和) who studied Karate with Anko Yasutsune Itosu (糸州安恒) and later Kanryo Higashionna (東恩納寛量), named his style of karate, Shito-Ryu, the “Shito” (糸 東) style, taking the first characters of each of his teacher's names:   

糸 (SHI): another Japanese readings for the first character of Master Itosu’s name 東 (TO): another Japanese readings for the first character of Master Higashionna's name 流 (RYU): school

The SHITO RYU emblem is the emblem that has been the Mabuni family crest for many centuries: The circle can be interpreted as symbolizing peace and harmony (Wa), while the two inner vertical lines and two horizontal lines represent the Japanese caligraphy for the word 'person' or 'people'. The emblem therefore symbolizes 'people working in peace and harmony'.

Kenwa Mabuni’ eldest son is Kenei Mabuni. First born of 3 children of Master Mabuni Kenwa, on February 13, 1918 in Shuri Okinawa, Kenei Mabuni started karate at an early age and received personal instruction from his father throughout his childhood. Shortly after Mabuni Kenwa's sudden death from a heart attack on May 23, 1952, Mabuni Kenei succeeded his father as the Second 2nd designated Grandmaster (soke) of Shito Ryu.

In October 1996, Mabuni Kenei opened the private dojo in Guy Buyens’ house:

The following addenda are included: I.

About the author

II.

A list of kata of Shito Ryu

III.

A progress table for kata and the principle of “Yo Riu Bi”

IV.

“Rules of the dojo” and “the fist of a wise man” by Mabuni

V.

About defense and directions 

The five rules of defense o Rakka (落花) o Ryusui (流水) o Kuushin (屈伸) o Teni (転位) o Hangeki (反撃)



The 8 directions of movement (tenshin happo)

VI.

The 5 practices, 5 learnings

VII.

“Rules of the dojo” and “the fist of a wise man”

VIII.

More wisdom from Mabuni: 

The 3 weaknesses of martial disciplines



5 way spirit

Addendum I : About the author

Guy Buyens began training in karate in 1971 at the age of ten. In his youth, he was active in kumite and kata competitions as a member of the Belgian National Team (he was selected to compete at the European Championships in Paris in 1984). At the age of 17 he met Nakahashi Sensei and from then on he would concentrate on Shito-ryu. After finishing medical school and working for some time at the University of Brussels (exercise physiology and sports medicine), he took a oneyear sabbatical in 1989 and went to Japan specifically to further his studies in Shito-ryu karate with Mabuni Sensei and to start studying Hontai Yoshin Ryu, a Japanese classical martial art. Although he now lives with his family in Belgium, Guy regularly travels to Japan to study. He participated in several demonstrations, including the 30° and 32° Zen Nippon Kobudo Embu, organized by the Nippon Budokan and Nihon Kobudo Kyokai. Guy has been mentioned in several articles published in Budo, the official magazine of the Nihon Budokan (in Japanese). For their April 2006 issue he wrote an article reflecting on his participation in the 16th Isukushima Enbu Takai in Miyajima. Guy has been writing several articles for kory.com. Although Guy certainly had some interest in Okninawa Kobudo, it is his friend Alain Berckmans (now heading the Karate dojo in Brussels) who invested considerable time with Mashiro Nakamoto in Okinawa to study this aspect in detail. Guy’s son, Nick is a karate student of Alain since Guy himself is mainly devoting his time to Hontai Yoshin Ryu (Guy is heading the Belgian Branch). Guy’s current rank in Shito Ryu is 6th dan.

Addendum II : The kata from Shito Ryu Mabuni Kenwa considered Kata as the most important part of Karate. Nevertheless he also recognized the need to practice parts of these kata in kumite situations, often refered to as bunkai. Shito-ryu is probably the Karate style with most kata. Mabuni studied as much as possible the existing kata on the Island. Here are the most important ones:

Kata associated with Sakugawa (1733-1851):  Kosokun Kata associated with sokon Matsumura (1797-1899):  Bassai  Seisan  Chinto  Channan  Kosokun  Chinsu  Naihanchi  Gojushiho Kata associated with Anko Itosu (1831-1951):  Heian (Pinan) 1-5  Naihanchi(Tekki) 1 - 3  Rohai (Itosu no Rohai)  Itosu-Wanshu (Empi)  Jion  Jitte  Ji'in  Bassai Dai  Bassai Sho  Kosokun Dai  Kosokun Sho  Shihokosokun  Chintei  Gojushiho  Chinto Kata associated with Kosaku Matsumora (1829-1928):  Jion  Jitte  Ji'in  Matsumora no Rohai  Tomari Bassai  Wanshu  Chinto Kata associated with Aragaki (1840-1918):  Niseishi  Sochin  Unsu

Kata associated with Kanryu Higaonna (1853-1915)  Sanshin  Saifa  Seiyunchin  Shisochin  Sanseiru  Sepai  Sesan  Kururunfa  Suparinpei Kata associated with Chojuin Miyagi (1888-1953):  Gekisai dai ichi  Gekisai dai ni  Tensho Kata associated with Wu Xian Gui (Go Ken Ki):  Nipaipo  Hakucho  Paipuren  Hakutsuru In addition to these kata, Mabuni created some kata of his own:  Shinsei  Juroku  Shimpa  Aoyagi  Myojo Not all kata have been included (missing kata: Chinsei, Tomari no Bassai, Ishimine no bassai, Haffa,…) but are also trained within the system.

Addendum III: Progress table (kata from Shito Ryu)

Addendum IV: Rules of the dojo and “the fist of a wise man” by Mabuni

Addendum V: About defense and directions The five rules of defense:

The 8 directions of movement (tenshin happo)

Addendum VI: The 5 practices, 5 learnings

Addendum VII: Rules of the dojo and “the fist of a wise man” by Mabuni

Addendum VIII: More wisdom