Bushoru.org Closure

I have closed Bushoru.org, which was intended to be a more official home for my group. It wasn’t really working as I wanted it to, so I decided to keep the site as this original blog, which is much easier to manage.

Gichin Funakoshi’s Side-up Kick (Keriage)

Uechi-ryu Karate Illustrating a Sword-foot Kick

Gichin Funakoshi Demonstrating Keriage in Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu (Karate Jutsu)

Gichin Funakoshi Performing Keriage, Illustrated in Karate Jotatsu Ho, by Yasuhiro Konishi (1956)

Gichin Funakoshi Specifically Noting Using the Sword-foot in Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu (Karate Jutsu)

Gichin Funakoshi’s keriage (keage / rising kick / side rising-kick / side snap-kick / side-up kick) was different to the modern version usually seen. In an article for Black Belt Magazine, Tsutomu Ohshima, a student under Gichin Funakoshi, stated that he had asked Isao Obata, his senior, about the side-up kick, to which Obata replied by enquiring as to if Ohshima had seen the way their teacher, Funakoshi, had performed it. That is how Obata had continued to practise it, and Ohshima realised that it was a better way physiologically. 

“For a long time there was confusion about the right way to perform the side-up kick. When Master Funakoshi was showing us how to do it, he just made a small, low motion with his foot, exactly like the front snap kick except with the body facing to the side. Many of us assumed he did the kick that way because he was old. At that time, we thought the side-up kick should be delivered higher, with the knee turned in, which looked fancier but was harder to do. That was the way I practiced it when I came to the United States. 

“I practiced that way for many years, but I began to develop problems with my back. Finally Senior Obata, the first captain of the Keio University karate club, was visiting this country (at my invitation) and I mentioned this to him. I said, “You know, I think there is something wrong with the side-up kick. If you perform it this way, it is very bad for the back.” Obata said, “Of course. That’s not the way to do the side-up kick. Didn’t you see how the Master did it?” Master Funakoshi was showing us the right way all along, but we didn’t understand what was wrong with our own way until many years later.”

(Black Belt Magazine, March 1982)

The Name of the Kata Wansū

Images from the books Karate Jutsu (English translation of Gichin Funakoshi's Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu, 1925, by John Teramoto), and Karate Kenpo Zen by Mutsu Mizuho, 1933, as well as from footage of Hironori Otsuka performing wansu.

In Funakoshi karate, wansū was later (by 1935) called enpi, meaning “flying swallow”. It is a relatively swift and light form, and resembles the flight of a bird, specifically a swallow. In Chinese martial arts, and as wansū was originally Chinese, as with many of the Okinawan karate kata, any bird system is within the crane / white crane style as a matter of generality. 

In Karate Jutsu, and therefore in Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu, Gichin Funakoshi used kanji for wansū when listing the kata, and katakana later when describing it. There are only a few kata listed with kanji, such as gojūshiho and kūsankū, despite the fact that sēsan, for instance, is known to be “13 [hands / skills]” for certain. It must be, then, that the kanji for wansū were known, unusually. Was it someone’s name, or were they chosen in Okinawa (Ryūkyū) a long time ago? 

Apparently wansū was [potentially] a system taught in Tomari village in 1683 or from the 1600s. There are a few versions, so it may have been a system of techniques that were formalised by various experts in Okinawa, or there was one kata / quan which was changed over time by several exponents. 

The ideograms used by Gichin Funakoshi in Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu are not listed in Collins Chinese Dictionary within W and J, as in Wang Ji. Those meaning “prince” are different characters, and are written “wángzi” (the “i” has an upsidedown arrow above it) when Romanised. Andreas Quast wrote an article about wansū. However, with respect, the characters used for Wang Ji are different to those used by Gichin Funakoshi and Mutsu Mizuho, so, assuming accuracy of the characters written by Gichin Funakoshi, wansū is not from that Wang Ji. Additionally, again with respect, and also considering that Quast’s article is from 2015, and a researcher might form one conclusion at one point, but a different one later with further research, the article states that Gichin Funakoshi used only katakana for the name wansū, while he actually used kanji in his kata list and katakana in addition when describing the kata later, as I have already noted. Mutsu Mizuho, a student of Gichin Funakoshi’s, used the same characters as his teacher, but Hironori Otsuka seems to have used different symbols that mean “late” based on the translation provided by Google Translate, which seemed to manage to accurately scan the symbols. In Collins Chinese Dictionary, the first symbol used by Otsuka reads as “wan” (with an upsidedown arrow above the “a”) and means “late”, but the second character doesn’t appear anywhere you would think it should, such as ji, shu, su, shou, zhi, zi, and others. However, they’re different to the ideograms used by Gichin Funakoshi, so I would suggest that they are incorrect. Also according to Google Translate, the kanji noted by Gichin Funakoshi and Mutsu Mizuho are Wāng Jí in Mandarin, meaning Wang Ji in English. So even with different symbols there is a similarity to the suggestion that wansū is Wang Ji. Though, of course, the accuracy of the characters is important. Therefore, I would suggest that wansū is named after a Chinese person called Wang Ji who was an expert in Chinese boxing and who taught some Okinawans, maybe in the 1600s.

Sean Marshall

Yin and Yang in Karate

It is a myth that karate is a hard martial art in the sense that it only uses hard techniques. It appears hard, but that is because it is related to a variety of so-called hard methods, such as Southern Shaolin. The karate text, Bubishi, does not specify a difference between Northern and Southern types of gongfu, instead simply noting Shaolin. While the old masters disagreed over the idea that karate kata were descended either from Shorin-ryu, using the characters for Shaolin, or Shorei-ryu, using the ideograms for Zhaoling, supposedly referring to the, or a, Southern Shaolin Temple, the commonality is that both are a kind of Shaolin boxing. In other words, the sort of gongfu seen to be harder or external, when compared with Wudang boxing which, while descended itself from Shaolin, is viewed as being softer or internal. Although, both Shaolin and Wudang actually teach hard and soft techniques and methods, as the concept of yin and yang runs deep in Chinese history and culture.

According to Kanken Toyama (Oyadomari) in his Introduction to Karate-Do: Its Inner Techniques and Secret Arts (1956 – translated into English in 2019 by Tobey Stansbury), there are no such styles as Shorin-ryu and Shorei-ryu in karate, only hard and soft. However, there are general northern and southern types of Chinese boxing, discussed traditionally in quanfa through the saying, “Northern legs, southern hands”. Northern-style gongfu is usually formed in patterns that require a lot of space to perform, because they are based on the military patterns used for weapons such as different kinds of swords and the spear. Whereas, southern gongfu is more civilian based, hence the term “civil fighting arts”. Also, as with other parts of China, the terrain and weather differ in the south. Therefore, southern boxing often moves less than northern boxing, and sometimes not much at all. Stances are not necessarily narrow, but there is more emphasis on solidity while using the hands and body. Okinawan kenpo, or in other words, karate, is generally more like the southern kind of Chinese boxing, though there are a range of influences which have contributed over the centuries to making Ryukyu kenpo unique to Okinawa. Nonetheless, experts such as Gichin Funakoshi are supported in their theory on Shorin-ryu (Northern-style Shaolin boxing) and Shorei-ryu (Southern-style Shaolin boxing; Zhaoling boxing) with, for instance, Wong Kiew Kit’s 1996 book, The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu, stating on page 38 that “Southern Shaolin Kung Fu is characterised by solid stances, powerful arms and elaborate hand techniques, in contrast with the elegant jumping, extensive movements and wide range of kicking attacks of the Northern Shaolin version.” This is completely separate from karate, so masters like Gichin Funakoshi were not wrong in distinguishing between different broad types of boxing; one that is lighter, and one that is heavier. Master Funakoshi noted that both should be studied, and this advice fits perfectly with the study of yin and yang as yin is light while yang is heavy.

In Collins Chinese Dictionary, the character for yin refers to the negative and the shade, while the symbol for yang refers to the positive and the Sun, and is masculine. Gichin Funakoshi, in his 1925 text Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu, translated into English in 2001 by John Teramoto, described yin and yang in relation to the use of the hands as he had been taught by his teacher, Anko Asato, as noted in Karate-Do Ichiro (Karate-Do: My Way of Life), Master Asato always emphasising the differences between yin and yang. According to the English version, entitled Karate Jutsu, shinite is the dying hand, female hand, or yang hand, while ikite is the living hand, male hand, or yin hand. This seems odd or an incorrect translation or typing error, as yin is female and yang is male. Yet the same sort of description is given in later books by Gichin Funakoshi, including Karate-Do Kyohan (1935 – translated in 2005 by Harumi Suzuki-Johnston) and Karate-Do Kyohan (1958 – translated in 1973 by Tsutomu Ohshima). It cannot, then, be a mistake. I think it must either mean that both hands can change between types depending on the situation, or that the living hand is soft and the dying hand is hard. Regardless, yin is soft and yang is hard, but they rely on each other and are interrelated and constantly changing, with no beginning or end. This is a fundamental aspect of Taoism, referring to the beginning of the Universe and the creation of everything. Indeed, the hand gesture in which you place the open left palm over the closed right fist is a physical representation of yin and yang, meaning balance, peace and to stop fighting. That same posture is the manifestation of the Chinese character for martial (wu in Mandarin, bu is Japanese and Okinawan). There are quite a number of karate kata that employ this position, such as jion, jitte, wansu, passai, naihanchi (in a different manner), and many more.

Gichin Funakoshi stated in Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu that karate contrasts to jujutsu in that it can be considered a “hard” martial art. However, he goes on to write that hard and soft co-exist, and that grappling techniques can be considered soft which is fundamental to karate if the student seeks to become truly skilful. Furthermore, Funakoshi stated in the same text, on page 37 of the English edition, “... the ancient expression [which] says, ‘Battle exists in the interval between the normal and the abnormal – without knowing that the abnormal becomes normal, and the normal changes to the abnormal, how can victory be achieved?’” Immediately following this, it reads, “Yin and yang have no beginning, action and stillness are not apparent; unless one knows the Way, who can hope to gain victory?” And then the end of the paragraph talks about the cardinal principles, which are the same, albeit later described in a more succinct and refined way, as the three cardinal points of karate noted by Master Funakoshi in other works, including in his Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate which were first published in Karate-Do Taikan in 1938 by Genwa Nakasone, and translated into English in 2003 by John Teramoto. The principles are: Hard and soft application of power, stretching and contraction of the body, and fast and slow application of technique, all of which are clearly based on the opposites of yin and yang.

In Karate-Do Tanpenshu (2006), by Patrick and Yuriko McCarthy, there is an article written by Gichin Funakoshi in 1934 entitled Stillness & Action / Yin & Yang. Funakoshi details the concept of yin and yang to a degree that shows the reader that he clearly had a great understanding of this ancient Chinese notion of opposites in the Universe. Indeed it is the foundation of Chinese martial arts, with some styles such as taijiquan and taiji mantis going so far as to name their systems after it, taiji referring to yin and yang after there was nothing in the Universe. The taijiquan classics, including the Treatise by Master Chang San-feng, written around 1200 AD according to T’ai Chi Classics by Waysun Liao, 1977 / 1990, the Treatise by Master Wong Chung-yua, written circa 1600 AD, and the Treatise by Master Wu Yu-hsiang, who lived from 1812 to 1880, all discuss the principles of yin and yang when explaining the key points to know regarding the method of Long fist that is commonly known as taijiquan. Karate could also be called something like taiji karate (although that could be viewed as being incorrect as it is a combination of languages). Yet, it already is, in a manner of speaking. Taikyoku is taiji, but in Japanese. The three taikyoku kata in Funakoshi karate were developed by either Gigo Funakoshi or his father or both together. In the 1958 Karate-Do Kyohan by Gichin Funakoshi, he wrote about taikyoku being the first and last kata of a real student of karate. That is because the basics are fundamental and difficult to master. Yet, taikyoku is taiji and therefore yin and yang, so the teachings of the natural opposites of life and existence are supposed to be taught as the foundations and most important lessons in karate. Morinobu Itoman also discussed yin and yang in Okinawan karate in his 1934 book, The Study of China-hand Techniques, translated by Mario McKenna into English in 2012. From pages 154 to 156, there is a section called The Way of Opposites, and the first line reads, “Martial strategy is the way of opposites.” The third sentence is: “If my opponent employs one strategy, then I employ its opposite.” In sumo wrestling, I have seen several exponents who were small and comparably light defeating much larger wrestlers by using the skills found in soft power, harmonising to use their opponent’s strength against them. Hence, all complete martial arts study yin and yang; soft and hard; opposites.

In physical practice, the theory of yin and yang applies in many ways from a pure perspective. If there is no weight on one foot, it is completely yin, while the foot bearing your weight is fully yang. The free leg, or yin leg, can be most efficiently employed for kicking or stepping. Meanwhile, the arms and hands are yin on the outside and yang on the inside, yet can be applied in a multitude of manners. For example, checking the opponent’s attack, rather than blocking it in a raw sense, is yin defence. A counter-attack would be yang. All of the various methods of blending with the opponent’s assaults are yin, as they are soft. If, on the other hand, I use a defensive technique in a striking fashion, that is yang. For instance, instead of blending with the attack, I can essentially hit the advancing arm or leg. In addition, rather than just crudely blocking in such a way anywhere, I can select a location, preferring a soft target to a hard one, particularly when using the bones of my own arm. You need stamina and efficiency in fighting, as well as accuracy and speed, but you also need to utilise yin and yang and use your mind to strategise and fight with intelligence. It is better for longevity in a situation and in life to block hard to a soft point such as the upper arm, as opposed to connecting bone with bone more so on the inside and outside of the forearm near the wrist or by the elbow. Iron-body training is great, and you should be confident that you will not be easily hurt, coupled with your ability to evade and your skills in defence. But to rely solely on an iron-like physique is a mistake. As Master Anko Asato taught Gichin Funakoshi, “Think of the hands and feet as swords.” And as Master Funakoshi also wrote in his 20 precepts, “Do not think of winning; think, rather, of not losing.” Hence, focus on defence and do not let your opponent so much as touch you. In addition to this, employing the three cardinal points, as previously noted, as well as moving in accordance, the principles of yin and yang can be applied skilfully and with intellect, enabling, as with the case of certain sumo wrestlers, a small person to defeat someone much larger, no matter how intimidating they may appear.

This essay was written for my 5th Dan exam, which I passed in early January 2022.

Sean Marshall

So-called Advanced Kata

From sūpārinpē performed in the 1974 footage of Keio karate, which also featured Isao Obata

Suparinpei is taught in Keio University karate, and, according to Sensei Kinichi Mashimo, who learnt directly from Master Gichin Funakoshi and others such as Master Isao Obata (who continued to teach Funakoshi karate at universities such as Keio until he passed away in 1976), Master Gichin Funakoshi supervised the transmission of suparinpei at Keio, resulting in the alterations present in their version, although he did not teach the kata all on his own. It does appear evident that we know which kata he focused on, but that he knew other kata to one extent or another, and was therefore able to make changes to them after they were taught by other teachers to his students. Of course, to be overly concerned with which kata this or that person knew is ridiculous and a waste of time, because, for instance, Goju-ryu does not include gojushiho, and Tomari village tii traditionally taught wansu, wankuan (okan), rohai, naihanchi, passai, perhaps sesan, and maybe one or two other systems, then chinto, ji'in, jitte, chinte (mariti) and plausibly jion, but gojushiho was from Matsumura's tii. It makes no difference if you know suparinpei or gojushiho or any other particular kata that is, nowadays, said to be more advanced. Look at Choki Motobu's example. He only practised one or two kata, focused more on kumite, probably knew many more kata, and was highly skilled, apparently more so than most. My current teacher only teaches five forms: a short version of the actual form, the actual longer form, and three weapons forms. And the short form has 108 movements. Yet, we get by, and most of the time we practise pair-work. As Master Asato said, five or six kata are enough, provided they are studied deeply. And each has its own beneficial characteristics, so they can be selected accordingly, and in harmony with your own body.

The Karate Kata of Master Gichin Funakoshi

I think Master Gichin Funakoshi knew many kata but selected certain forms, for foundations, based on the recommendations of his teacher Master Asato (in the 1914 article/s, “Okinawa no Bugi”, based on interviews conducted between Gichin Funakoshi and Anko Asato in the early 1900s), and from his own favourite karate kata. Some others were devised by himself and his son, Master Gigo Funakoshi, in addition to kata imported from elsewhere and included in the then enlarging list which I think, for Gichin Funakoshi, was a re-enlarging list. 

In the first place there were mainly, if not only, the primary kata of the lineage. These are in Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu (1925), though a much longer list of additional kata is also included. But it doesn’t appear that any more than the main kata were being studied, unless we’re missing something.

Pin’an

Naihanchi

Kusanku

Passai

Sesan

Chinto

Wansu

Jitte

Jion

Despite a photo of Gichin Funakoshi using the bo (staff / stick) on his own, the only internal mention of bo kata by Gichin Funakoshi to students is to learn from his son, aside from other recommendations to learn from experts such as Master Kenwa Mabuni. (“My Years With Funakoshi”, Dr Yasukiyo Takeda, Shotokan Karate Magazine, Issue 41) The weapons practices of Gichin Funakoshi seem to have been more pair-work oriented.

There is a picture of Gichin Funakoshi grabbing the kicking leg of his opponent with both hands as in gojushiho and niseshi, and the description resembles the technical details of gojushiho. Whether or not this is indicative, though, I’m not certain, as with the bo photograph. Although the latter does look like the practice of kata, and it would make sense. However, what we can be sure of is that Gichin Funakoshi felt confident in his bojutsu (and, I would suggest, saijutsu, too) skills, according to Hironori Otsuka who stated that Gichin Funakoshi used to stand guard with his bo at the dorm when there was a threat of attack from Korea. 

The kata devised by both or each of the Funakoshi men were:

Taikyoku

Ten no Kata

Chi no Kata

Jin no Kata

Shoto (Okan / Wankuan)

Matsukaze no Kon

Meikyo (Funakoshi Rohai)

A kata added via Gigo Funakoshi and intended for his father was Kudaka Sochin. 

Therefore, with Rohai having been known as well by Gichin Funakoshi, and with teachers wanting to transmit their secrets only to Gichin Funakoshi (with his son equally trusted), why would Gichin Funakoshi not have been taught many more kata, methods and practices when he was young, before simply selecting a few to focus on when he started to teach when he was about 34?

Further support is found in a book by Kinichi Mashimo, “Ken: …”, a student under Gichin Funakoshi at Keio University. Here is a translation based on Google Translate:

“Under the supervision of Master Gichin Funakoshi, Suparinpei from Goju-ryu and Shito-ryu was adopted and altered in accordance with Master Funakoshi’s karate. The three-pronged stance, which is not found in Shotokan, was left as it was, but the four-pronged stance was changed to a horse-riding stance, and the tightening of the legs was particularly important.  It is suitable for breathing in accordance with gentle movements, remembering the tightening of the whole body, and mirroring in four directions to increase repetitions. The slowness is balanced by turning from a gentle movement and quickly changing. …” 

So, the kata Suparinpei, mentioned by Gichin Funakoshi in Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu, was taught at Keio when Gichin Funakoshi was present, and he supervised altering it. I think this suggests he had learnt it, therefore was able to change it, though he didn’t teach it wholly himself. However, this may be reading too much into it. 
Does this apply to other kata? We know that Master Nakayama, for example, was also sent to learn from others such as Master Mabuni, as he described in an interview. When he returned to Funakoshi with the kata he had been instructed to study, and as they were changed afterwards, to what extent did Funakoshi make those edits? 

Keio Karate Book by Sensei Kinichi Mashimo

https://www.karate-dvd.com/product/ken-middle-age-karate-and-kata-of-keio-university/

I was recently made aware by Ben Pollock, a member of my karate study group, that Sensei Kinichi Mashimo of Keio University has written a book detailing some of the karate studied at Keio. It’s in Japanese, but I’m going to translate it using Google Translate. Included are the kata Bassai [Sho], Gojushiho [Jo], Kanku [Sho] (Koshokun [Sho]), Gojushiho [Ge], Rohai, Niseshi, Wankan, Sochin, Sanchin, Chinto, Ji’in, Unsu, Hyaku-rei-hachi (Suparinpei), Seienchin, Tensho, Suji no Kon, Sakugawa no Kon, Sai, Kanku [Dai] (Kusanku [Dai] / Koshokun [Dai]), and Jion. It’s on order, and I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

Rare Old Keio Funakoshi Karate Footage

Rare video footage from 1974 featuring various Keio University karate experts. Found in the late Master Kazumi Tabata’s belongings, and kindly shared by Stuart Chassen and NACKC (The North American Collegiate Karate Conference), this film is Part 2 of 2, and illustrates kobudo / kobujutsu (bo and sai) and other karate kata practised in the Keio lineage which includes but is not limited to origins from Master Gichin Funakoshi. While there is a nice series of films showing Keio karate and including experts who were at least partly taught by Gichin Funakoshi, made by MDV Communication, some or all of whom must have also been taught by Isao Obata, it is great to see older footage. In the first part, Master Obata demonstrates the kata jitte / jutte and hangetsu (sesan), which is fantastic to see! This is a very important historical karate record, in my opinion.

Gichin Funakoshi Versus Multiple Opponents

Master Gichin Funakoshi practising / teaching applications (bunkai / kumite) of kata against multiple opponents. 

This rare photo is clearly from either the 1920s or, at the latest, the 1930s. It looks like an application to the common karate movement / position where one arm is held in a lower block (gedan barai / gedan uke) while the other is in a high inside-forearm block / outside block (jodan uchi ude uke / jodan soto uke), with other techniques to follow. The photo forms part of the rare film footage found in the late Master Kazumi Tabata’s belongings. Two parts of footage illustrate the old Keio karate kata from 1974, two years before Master Isao Obata, who features in the first part, passed away. I think this photograph reveals a lot about Master Funakoshi’s knowledge and ability regarding kumite and actual situations. This is exactly the sort of training necessary to prepare people for actual fighting. It is also further evidence that should make sceptics question their doubts over Master Funakoshi’s skills. 

Part 1

Part 2

The Late Master Kazumi Tabata

Some useful techniques by Master Kazumi Tabata, student of Master Isao Obata, who sadly passed away on 27 Nov. 2020 at the age of 77.

Footage of Master Isao Obata Performing Kata

We are very fortunate to be able to see kata demonstrated by Master Isao Obata, a direct student of Master Gichin Funakoshi, who claimed that his karate was almost pure Funakoshi karate. This footage belonged to Master Tabata, so we are indebted to him for keeping it safe. It is an invaluable historical resource. It makes me wonder what other old film footage there may be just waiting to be found. 

The Application of Kakidī

Kakidi (kakidī) / kake-te (kakede) is just a form a sticky hands (chi sao), or pushing hands (tui shou) - which is also called striking hands. Kakie is the more well-known version in Okinawa. Gichin Funakoshi noted kake-te in his books. These methods are great for developing sensitivity, better understanding of yin and yang, and grappling, striking, defence and strategy. As Gichin Funakoshi put it, you can learn a lot about your opponent with kakidi. The first version of this type of training which I learnt was a kind of chi sao using both hands. However, while it is beneficial and should be studied, it shouldn’t be focused on as if it is actual fighting itself. Indeed, no single method is fighting other than actual fighting. Every other training method is preparation for real situations. With this, the application of such a method as kakidi or chi sao is to move with your opponent once you’ve actually made contact. An actual fight starts from one distance or another, and sooner or later turns into contact. What do you do at all stages, including when you’ve actually connected? There could be a struggle. What do you do? You can’t think, because you’ll become distracted. You have to feel and harmonise, keeping control of yourself, your opponent, and the situation. 

Latest Study Group Post About Kakidi / Kakede

https://www.facebook.com/groups/funakoshikaratestudygroup/permalink/3004808926501480/

Breaking Boards and Bricks

This is an old practice in China and Okinawa. It is meant to be a way of showing strength of technique and mentality. However, it has been proven many times that it is based on physics and the make-up of whatever is being broken, rather than some special ability to break things that can only be acquired through years of relentless training. By following through in the right way, and by using the right boards, tiles, etc., even a novice can break things. If you want to show something special, rather break something that shouldn’t be breakable. That would be remarkable! Or, better yet, don’t break anything at all because it is wasteful and does not set a good example for our times. I do, however, see the value in the practice for martial development. It can help you to develop confidence in your technique and your hardness, and to improve your ability to follow through your target. But, like I said, it’s an old practice and it is wasteful. If you want to break something, perhaps use stones and then reuse the remains for something in your garden, for example. Or you could create a block of ice and try breaking that. Considering the environment on which depend, reusing, recycling, etc., is a product of the Way. Destroying useful objects is not. Think about it first, and rather devise a method to ensure it is sustainable before callously breaking anything. 

Competition in Karate

Not all competitions in martial arts are detrimental to real skill for real fighting. They can, however, be degrading to the positive development of character, but this depends on the individual and their teachers. Not every western-style boxer is arrogant and aggressive, for example. The trouble is that in certain types of prize fighting the danger is taken away. This is particularly true when using protective equipment. It is not an effective method as it only serves to aid sports, all the while it is greatly harmful to your ability to actually fight, be prepared to handle the adrenaline of an actual conflict, or have any degree of the mental preparation necessary for real fighting. If you can hit someone because they are wearing padding, they don’t mind because they know they won’t be injured. And vice versa. The element of danger, as if you and your opponent/s are in a life-and-death situation, is imperative to properly training your fighting skill. 

The Secrets of Karati

In the old days - the real old days - anything could be a secret. If you weren’t shown it, it’s a secret, at least from you. There are, however, actual secrets. Some are just tricks that help your technique, while others are genuinely “secret techniques”. They can be for fighting or healing. It can be as simple as a change in hand form, or a different version of an entire kata / system. A good example of this is the version of sochin taught to Gigo Funakoshi for his father, specified as being the correct version over any other the master had taught. So even “if” other students learnt effective techniques, they did not learn the master’s real techniques. However, all of this doesn’t necessarily matter in an actual fight. You can know all the special techniques that exist, but they alone will not save you. Only hard, daily, basic training can do that. And nothing can replace the great effort (gongfu) required. And then, all of the so-called secrets will be achieved naturally, anyway, because that ceaseless effort in the fundamentals and basics leads to the tricks and secrets and special techniques through the gradual development of understanding, which can’t be rushed as the mind is complex and takes time to learn and make things second-nature. Skill is continually progressed over the practitioner’s lifetime. Special techniques cannot be understood, nor applied effectively, or indeed responsibly, without first achieving the great transformative benefits of diligent basic training, and constantly returning to the basics as if they are the entire system in themselves. In a real fight, the skills, control and fortitude attained during extensive basic training will give you a chance of surviving, whether you know no secrets at all, or 100 secret techniques. Knowledge of certain points alone will not afford you the speed, stamina and basic skills you need to defend yourself and, if necessary, others. Hence, the real secrets lie simply in diligent daily training in the basics (provided what you’ve learnt is effective), and special techniques are for enhanced effectiveness in certain situations, but are not what make a capable fighter / boxer / warrior. The sheer speed and viciousness of attacks in real situations can be staggering. Actual fighting cannot be taken lightly. It is dangerous and demands primarily what only the basics can provide.