Was the creation of Karate-do a necessary evolution or a politically motivated rebranding? 🤔 This week on Great Karate Myths, we unravel the historical truth behind the dichotomy of Jutsu (technique/skill) and Do (way/path).

We look at Gichin Funakoshi's ambition to transform Okinawan karate into a Japanese budo , following the lead of Kano Jigoro's Judo. Learn how the end of the samurai and the Meiji Restoration fundamentally redefined martial arts, shifting them away from combative skill and toward personal development and nation-building.

🚨 Myth Alert! We argue that the idea of a historical "golden age" of deadly Karate-jutsu is a modern invention, largely created to sell the art to the West. We also contrast the physical culture focus of Miyagi Chojun's Goju-ryu with the samurai-influenced "one blow" ethic of Shotokan.

Don't miss the final point on why the antique kata are more closely related to Kung Fu and weapons applications than to modern ideas of unarmed combat! 🤯

Key Highlights:

• Funakoshi's political reasons for changing 'China Hand' to 'Empty Hand'
• Why jutsu and do don't historically apply to the antique kata
• The late-eighties pressure point fighting craze
• Funakoshi borrowing from Japanese arts like Jigen-ryu and Jiu-jitsu

🎧 Tune in and subscribe to our podcast for more myth-busting!

In this episode of "Great Karate Myths," we challenge the idea of tradition by diving into Ten No Kata 🥋, a form created by Gichin Funakoshi Sensei between 1925 and 1935. It was a deliberate, non-traditional creation designed to establish a systematic set of basics (kihon) for beginners. We discuss why its very existence suggests that a cohesive set of fundamentals was "woefully absent" from existing kata and how it became the fundamental blueprint for modern karate practice globally—influencing Shotokan's kumite and the basic drills of Taekwondo. We explore how Ten No Kata is a physical representation of the shift from karate jutsu (technique) to karatedo (the way) and why it's argued to be the first "pure empty-hand" form. Funakoshi Sensei’s brilliant, progressive thinking is on full display in this pivotal kata.

Relevant Links/Resources

• Karate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi Sensei)
• Karate-Do Nyumon (Funakoshi Sensei)
• Henning Wittwer’s translation and analysis of Karatedo Nyumon

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• Keywords/Tags

  Ten No Kata, Gichin Funakoshi, Karate History, Shotokan, Karatedo, Kihon, Martial Arts Philosophy, First Pure Kata, Karate Jutsu, Sente Nashi

In this episode of Great Karate Myths, we dive into the aspects of martial arts that are intentionally left out of the traditional kata. We challenge the common misconceptions that kata are a "complete" system of unarmed combat or a choreographed fight against multiple opponents. We discuss why foundational elements like spitting, headbutting, and ground grappling are omitted and explore the idea that kata are meant to be a simple framework for developing spontaneous and creative skills. Using analogies from music and writing, we argue that the purpose of kata is to provide a limited, fundamental skill set that allows for improvisation, rather than a rigid set of pre-determined responses to every situation.

Key Takeaways/Highlights

• Kata are not a "complete" system of unarmed fighting, as such a concept is impossible to define or record.

• Kata are not choreographed fights against multiple opponents, a major misconception promoted by organizations like the Japan Karate Association in the 20th century.

• Kata deliberately leave out certain violent techniques and skills, such as spitting, headbutting, eye gouging, and grappling.

• The movements in kata are intended to be simple, foundational techniques that can be committed to muscle memory, allowing for creativity and improvisation in real-world situations.

• Skills like closing the distance to an opponent are not included in kata because they must be developed through practical, real-world experience, not a pre-scripted form.