KARATE originated as a martial art thousands of
years ago from India, China, and Okinawa. Many of the famous
Karate-ka, or Bushi as they were known in Okinawa, experimented and
developed their skills in such provinces as Shuri, Naha and Tomari. But unlike Judo and Kendo, Karate was a secret art,
unknown to the general public. There was no fixed system until approximately
1907 when Yasutsune Itosu
of Shuri, and Kanryo Higaonna of Naha, both of whom are regarded today as two of
the most influential teachers of Okinawan Karate,
gained a good following for both of their own special styles.
In 1340, Ryukyu (Okinawa) entered into a
tributary relationship with China, and by 1372, Ryukyu (Okinawa) was formally invested
as a tributary state of China by the Ming Chinese
Emperor. At this time, the first of a succession of 23 Chinese envoys was sent
to Ryukyu (Okinawa), the main island of the Ryukyu Island chain located about
300 miles south of mainland Japan, 300 miles north of Taiwan and 400 miles east of China. These Chinese
Imperial envoys traveled with several hundred craftsmen, artisans, monks,
navigators, scribes, etc., who resided in the village of Kumemura (Toeii).
It is believed that these envoys introduced Chinese Kempo
to the native Okinawans, who in turn blended these
teachings with their native Te (hand) to develop To-te
(Tang hand or China hand), the Okinawan precursor of
modern Karate-Do. At this time, Okinawan students
were also traveling to China to learn Kempo.
In 1477, King Shoshin
of Okinawa banned the possession of weapons by the
warrior class, and forced the nobility to reside near the royal castle. At this
time, To-te and Ryukyu Kobudo
(weaponry) commenced to be taught in secret, in response to the weapon and Kempo prohibition.
In 1609, Samurai of the Satsuma Clan invaded Okinawa and continued the
previous ban on the use of weapons. As their lives literally depended upon the
utmost secrecy, early Kempo (To-te)
practitioners practiced at night, away from prying eyes. This tradition of
secrecy, no doubt, was in part responsible for the sparse availability of
written information, with the martial art of To-te
being preserved almost entirely through oral traditions. In retrospect, most
modern Okinawan Karate-Do masters realized that this
banning weapons was a very wise decision, without which Karate-Do might not
have developed. Three distinct styles of To-te were
formulated and named after their respective villages - Shuri-te,
Tomari-te, and Naha-te.
These three territories, although slightly different in karate style, were
eventually united to form "Okinawa Te" (Okinawan
Karate).
In 1683, a Chinese envoy named Wanshu (Wang Ji), a master of Kempo, taught villagers in Tomari.
In 1755, Sakugawa Todei (karate) (1733-1815) traveled to China to learn the art of
Chinese Kempo. The following year, a Kempo master named Kushanku (Guan
Kui) and several of his students visited RyuKyu (Okinawa), and taught the Okinawan people. Sakugawa Todei (Karate) subsequently became a student of Kushanku, and has been credited with the impetus for the
development of modern Karate-Do. His most famous student was Matsumura Sokon (Bushi) (1792-1887), master
of Shuri-te, who taught members of the royal family.
At the same time in Tomari resided Matsumura Kosaku, a master of Tomari-te. It
is believed that Tomari-te was derived from Shuri-te.
In 1875, Higaonna (Higashionna) Kanryo (1853-1915)
traveled to Fukien Province in China to learn Kempo from Ryu Ryuko. On his return to Okinawa, Higaonna
Sensei taught a Kempo style called Naha-te. Shuri-te and Tomari-te later gave rise to several styles of Shorin-Ryu, while from Naha-te
the style of Goju-Ryu was developed. In the latter
1800's, another Okinawan named Uechi
Kanbun also traveled to Fukien Province to study Kempo, later returning to Okinawa and introducing
another style of Naha-te called Uechi-Ryu.
Matsumura Sokon's foremost student was Itosu Yatsusune (Anko) (1830-1915), who in turn also became a master of Shuri-te. In addition to teaching a whole generation of Kempo (To-te) masters who went on
to propagate the art in Okinawa and mainland Japan, Itosu
Sensei was renowned from his development circa 1905 of the Pinan
(Heian) katas from the Kushanku kata, and the
introduction of these katas and To-te into the Okinawan school
system.
To-te was first
introduced to the Japanese in 1910 at the Kyoto Hall of Martial Arts by
Funakoshi Gichin Sensei (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate-do. Then following
the example set by Funakoshi Sensei, other Okinawan
masters such as Miyagi Chojun, Yabiju
Moden, Motobu Choki, and Mabuni Kenwa also left Okinawa to reside and
propagate To-te in mainland Japan. This was the Show Era
in Japan. A great proliferation
of martial arts and introduction of styles to the public occurred. By 1936 the
term "Kara-Te" was utilized by the principal martial arts leaders of Okinawa.
KENWA MABUNI (1889-1952),
the founder of Shito-ryu, was a master of both
karate and kobudo and was born and raised in Shuri, Okinawa. Kenwa
Mabuni, like most of karate's old masters, was
descended from Okinawa's so-called warrior (bushi)
class or aristocracy. Members of his family served Okinawan
lords for hundreds of years. Mabuni started karate
training at the age of 13. Mabuni Sensei was ichiban-deshi of Itosu Sensei, from whom
he learned Shuri-te (Shorin-ryu),
succeeding him as the second master of Itosu-Kai on
the latter's death in 1915. A childhood friend of Mabuni
Sensei, Miyagi Chojun (founder of Goju-Ryu)
introduced Mabuni Sensei to Higaonna
Sensei, from whom Mabuni Sensei learned Naha-te. Mabuni Sensei had an
insatiable appetite for kata, studying with masters
such as Arakaki Kamadeunchu
(1840-1918), with Gokenki, a Chinese teacher of White
Crane; and with Tawada and Soeishi
Senseis. From these masters he learned both karate
and kobudo kata and
methods. In 1929, after serving his compulsory military service and the
completion of a highly respected career as a police officer, Mabuni Sensei left Okinawa for Osaka, Japan, to teach Itosu-kai. In 1937 Mabuni Sensei blended
the teachings of Shuri-te and Naha-te to create a new style called Shito-Ryu.
The ideogram "Shi" is pronounced "Ito" (from Itosu) and "To" is
pronounced "Higa" (from Higaonna);
therefore, in deference to his Senseis, Mabuni Sensei combined these ideograms to form the name of
his new style of Karate-Do, Shito-Ryu. At this same
time period, in Okinawa and Japan, the name of Kempo (To-te) was changed to
Karate (empty hand). On Mabuni Sensei's death in
1952, his eldest son Kenei Mabuni,
along with his younger brother Kenzo Mabuni, formed Karate Shito-kai
in Japan. Kenzo
Mabuni eventually formed his own organization
called "Nihon Karate Kai Seito Shito-ryu",
teaching "original Shito-ryu" from his
father's syllabus.
KENZO MABUNI
When Kenwa Mabuni died in 1952, he
left no legal heir to the Shito-ryu system. His
second son Kenzo Mabuni,
was approached by his mother, Kame Mabuni, to take over the Shito-ryu
karate system. Kenzo Mabuni
was unsure and could not decide at that time. He went into seclusion in the
city of Nagoya to train and think
about the important decision he must make and about the great responsibility he
would have. After a two year retreat, Kenzo Mabuni decided to accept
this great responsibility and challenge and to become heir to his fathers lineage. Kenzo Mabuni still lives in the original family home in Osaka, which is the
headquarters of the Nippon Karate-Do Kai (Seito Shito-ryu).
Kenzo Mabuni passed away in
June 2005, leaving the system to his daughter, Tsukasa Mabuni
Adirondack Shito-Ryu Karate
Lineage
Mabuni, Kenwa - Founder, Soke - Seito Shito-Ryu Karate
Mabuni, Kenzo - 2nd Soke - Nihon Karate Kai “Seito Shito-ryu”
Shihan Paul Fracchia - Soke, Matsukazi Shito-Ryu Karate, Kobudo, Jujitsu Federation
Sensei
Gary Bennett - Adirondack Shito-Ryu Karate