This page is dedicated to the memory of sensei Charles Naylor (1933-2007) a true Karateka in every sense (Chelmsford Shotokan karate) and one of the great exponents and promoter of Shotokan karate
Karate-do - kara = empty - Te = hand - do = way
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957)
Gichin Funakoshi was a school teacher by profession,
trained in all the Chinese classics which he taught to Japanese children
It is generally accepted that Gichin funakoshi 1868-1957 (founder of shotokan style) is the father of modern day karate-do - because he introduced a mixture of karate kata's from Shorei-ryu and Shorin-ryu Okinawan karate styles which eventually became known as shotokan karate to the Japanese. Because of Ginchin Funakoshi's efforts, eventually karate became widely excepted in mainland Japan, then finally filtered out to the rest of the world. The purest form of karate-do does not involve any type of weapon as its concept is to use parts of the body as a weapon (the brain being the deadliest weapon of all weapons using knowlegde of the human body, ki (chi) and acu-point striking techniques to guide and become one with the body).
Gichin Funakoshi was born in Shuri Okinawa in 1868, Funakoshi was premature at conception and was a sickly child, at the age of 11he began to study Karate under two of Okinawa’s top masters, master Azato and master Itosu. After years of secret karate study (because karate was banned in Okinawa at this period in time) sensei Funakoshi became a master in his own right. By 1922 Japanese attitudes towards karate had changed and karate training bans in Okinawa had been abolished which led to Gichin funakoshi being invited to demonstrate Okinawan karate openly to the Japanese public and officials for the very first time. The karate demonstration by master Funakoshi was such a success he was invited to stay in mainland Japan and teach his style, this eventualy led to all good karate styles becoming a Japanese national treasure.
Gichin Funakoshi was trained in and taught the Chinese classics (Confucius - Lao Tzu - I Ching - Nei ching sun wen - Yin & Yang - 5 elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine etc.) as a professional school teacher in Okinawa, this gave him formal training in how to create and formalize lessons, training techniques and devising lesson plans. Through the skills he had developed during his teaching years sensei (teacher) Funikoshi created, managed and formulized karate into a system of etiquette and basic movements so that it translated into any language or country. This type of formalization and translation surly is the mark of a genius.
Funakoshi wrote that "As a mirror's polished surface reflects whatever stands in front of it and a quiet valley carries even small sounds, so the student of karate-do render of his mind any selfishness and wickedness (ego) in an effort to react appropriately toward anything he might encounter. This is the meaning of kara, or empty; of karate-do".
7 rules of learning and teaching karate (or training precepts of Karate-do); as written by Gichin Funakoshi in Karate-Do Nyumon & karate-do; My way of life:
1. Since karate is a martial art, you must practice with uttermost seriousness from the very beginning. This means going beyond diligent or sincere training. In every step, in every movement of your hand, you must imagine yourself facing an opponent with a drawn sword. Each and every punch must be made with the power of your entire body behind it, with the feeling of destroying your opponent with a single blow. You must believe that if this punch fails, you will forfeit your own life. Thinking this, your mind and energy will be concentrated, and your spirit will express itself to the fullest.
No matter how much time you devote to practice, no matter how many months and years pass, if your practice consists of no more than moving your arms and legs, you might as well be studying a dance. You will never come to know the true meaning karate.
You will find that training with a deadly serious attitude will over time not only benefit your study of karate, but many other facets of life as well. Life itself is often akin to a match with real swords. With a lukewarm attitude towards life-such as assuming that after every failure you will always have a second chance-what can you accomplish in a short life span of fifty years?
2. Try to do exactly as you are taught without complaining or quibbling. Only those lacking in zeal and unwilling to face up to themselves resort to quibbling. Often their foolish complaints border on the pathetic. For example, in teaching the back stance (kokutsu-dachi), I come across people who say they simply are not able to learn the stance, no matter how hard they try. They ask me what they should do-after practicing for less than an hour! Even if one fervently practices the back stance every day, standing until his legs become hard as rock, it would still require six months to a year to learn it. It is ridiculous to say, "No matter how hard I try," without first working up a sweat. A Zen monk monk hearing this would probably shout and scold and give the man a taste of his staff.
You cannot train through words. you must learn through your body. Enduring pain and anguish as you strive to discipline and polish yourself, you must believe that if others can do it, you can do it too. Ask yourself, "What's stopping me? What am I doing wrong? is something lacking in my approach?" This is training in the martial arts
Important points taught to us by others may quickly be forgotten, but the essence of knowledge acquired through personal hardship and suffering will never be forgotten. I believe that is why the martial arts masters of old would confer a diploma and reveal key elements only to those disciples whose training, almost unbearably hard and austere, had lead them to experience directly the spirit of the budo.
3. When you are learning a new technique, practice it wholeheartedly until you truly understand it. Do not crave to know everything at once. Practice painstakingly. Karate has many techniques and kata. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that because there is so much to learn, you should learn everything in a general way. It would be quit impossible for an inexperienced person not knowing the meanings of the kata or the techniques contained in them to commit them all to memory. To him the kata would be nothing but an incoherent jumble of techniques. Learning each movement and each technique independently, he would fail to see how kata interrelated with kata and how kata integrated movements and techniques. learning one thing, forgetting another, his final reward would be total confusion.
A student well versed in every one technique will naturally see corresponding points in other techniques. An upper level punch, a lower level punch, a front punch and reverse punch are all essentially the same. Looking over the thirty-odd kata, he should be able to see that they are essentially variations on just a handful. If you truly understand a single technique, you need only observe the forms and be told the essential points of the others. You will be able to grasp them in a relatively short time.
Gichin Funakoshi would tell his students
"The spirit of karate-do is lost without courtesy"
4. Do-not pretend to be a great master and do-not try to show off your strength. It is absurd that many of those practicing the martial arts feel they must make a show of being a martial artist. Picture a man, shoulders raised high, elbows swinging, swaggering down the street as if he owned it, with a look on his face that says, "I'm the greatest hero that ever lived." Even if he were that, one's respect for him would drop by at least a half. And, of course, if he was not a man of great ability but simply a synthetic hero, the situation would be too ridiculous for words.
The tendency to act big or superior is usually most conspicuous among novices. By acting this way, they degrade and ruin the reputation of those seriously practicing the martial arts. Then there are those who, having superficial knowledge of one or two karate techniques, hold their fists in such a way as to call attention to their calloused knuckles while pushing their way through crowds as if looking for a fight-foolish beyond words. "His smile can even win the small hearts of little children; his anger can make a tiger crouch in fear." This succinctly describes the true martial artist.
All too frequently one hears teachers speak of trainees as oshiego (pupil), or montei (follower), or deshi (disciple), or kohai (junior). Such terms should be avoided, for the time may well come when the trainee will surpass his instructor. The instructor, meanwhile, in using such expressions runs the risk of complacency, the danger of forgetting that some day the young man (or woman) he has spoken of rather slightly will not only catch up with him, but go beyond him-in the art of karate or in other fields of human endevour.
To attain true proficiency in the art of karate-do, the karateka must control his mind and conquer himself. The Zen doctrine is central to Okinawan goju-ryu karate-do. Intuitive understanding cannot be taught, but is awakened in the karate students mind after many years of dedicated training, discipline and meditation.
5. Have a deep regard for courtesy, and you must be respectful and obedient toward your seniors. There is no martial art that does not stress the importance of courtesy and respectful manners.
Courtesy and respect should not be confined to the dojo. Is there anyone who would bow before the shrine but would walk past a wayside shrine without paying their respects? I would hope not. Similarly, is there anyone who willingly follows the orders of his seniors in the dojo, but completely ignores the words of his father and older brother? I hope not. If there is such a person, he has no right to practice the martial art.
At home one listens to one's father and older brothers. In school one obey's teachers and upper classmen. In the army one follows the orders of officers and non-com's. At work one does not act contrary to or disregard the words of superiors. Because of this, there is value in one's having practiced karate.
6. Ignore the bad and adopt the good. When you observe the practice of others and discover something that you should learn, try to master it without hesitation. If you see a man sliding into idleness, examine yourself with strict eyes. When you see a man who is particularly good at kicking, ask yourself why is his kick so good. How could you learn to kick like that; how does your kick differ? In this manner, you should be able to devise a method to improve your kick. When you see a man who does not seem to improve, again ask yourself why. Maybe he does not train enough or maybe he lacks determination. Ask yourself, does not the same hold true for you?
This attitude does not apply only to improving one's technical abilities. We all have our good points and our shortcoming. If we are sincere in our desire to improve ourselves, everyone we meet can be a role model and a touchstone for self-reflection. An old proverb says, Sannin okonaeba kanarazu waga shi ari. [This quote is based on a passage from the Analects of Confucius: "When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them."]
7. Think of everyday life as karate training. Do not think of karate as belonging only to the dojo, nor only as a fighting method. The spirit of karate practice and the elements of training are applicable to each and every aspect of our daily lives. The spirit born of bearing down and gritting your teeth against the cold in winter training or blinking the sweat out of your eyes in summer training can serve you well in your work. And the body that has been forged in the kicks and blows of intense practice will not succumb to the trials of studying for a difficult exam or finishing an irksome task. One whose spirit and mental strength have been strengthened by sparring with a never-say-die attitude should find no challenge too great to handle. One who has undergone long years of physical pain and mental agony to learn one punch, one kick should be able to face any task, no matter how difficult, and carry through to the end. A person like this can truly be said to have learned karate.
Translated by John Teramoto - Photos taken from the book Funakoshi published in 1924: "Rentan Goshin Karate-jutsu".
Gichin Funakoshi would tell his students
"The spirit is the first that karate-do aims to foster whilst developing sufficient power to destroy a ferocious wild animal with a single blow "
Shotokan Nijukun (20 life rules) as written by Gichin Funakoshi
Karatai belt Grading's
Red 9kyu - Orange 8kyu - Yellow 7kyu - Green 6kyu - Purple 5kyu - Purple/white stripe 4kyu
Brown + Black sash 3kyu - Brown/1 white stripe + Green sash 2kyu - Brown/2 white stripes + Red sash 1kyu - Black belt + Yellow sash 1st dan
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