Investigations into the history of karate

Funakoshi Gichin 船越義珍 (1868–1957) is an important source for research into the life and times of Itosu Ankō 糸洲安恒 (1831–1915). His publications contain numerous descriptions of Itosu’s activities. According to Funakoshi, he himself began learning karate from Itosu at a young age, probably as one of Itosu’s first students in Okinawa in the early 1880s. On page 23 of the anniversary publication of the Keiō University Club, published in 1936 by the Keiō Gijuku Taiikukai Karatebu 慶應義塾体育會空手部 in Tōkyō, where Funakoshi began teaching in 1924, there is a text that refers to Funakoshi’s 40 years of study under Asato Ankō 安里安恒 (c1828–c1914) and Itosu Ankō. According to this, there is reason to believe that Funakoshi did not start training with Itosu as a young boy, but only years later when he was in his late 20s. The book was begun in 1934 and took about two years to complete. Accordingly, it would mean that Funakoshi began his training with the two masters in 1894.

What are we to make of this? It is not unusual for the dates in the literature to vary. It is the task of scientific research to clarify these backgrounds precisely.

* A copy of the text from 1936 was kindly made available to me by Prof. Dr. Heiko Bittmann.