Blast from the past
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The physics of karate: A chapter in modern karate history
The study of karate is multifaceted. In addition to its history, sports science, pedagogy, psychology, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, religious studies, media and film studies, researchers have also explored the physics of karate. First studies Scholarly interest in this subject in the Western Hemishpere likely began around the mid-1960s. On July 2, 1966, J. A. Vos Continue reading
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Yamakawa – Ancestral home of karate masters
Yamakawa, a district in Shuri (Okinawa) just a few minutes’ walk from Shuri Castle, was once home to many aristocratic families—the scholar-officials of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. The neighborhood looked much like a traditional Ryūkyūan village, with both small and large houses that reflected the social status of their residents. The homes were wooden and single-storied, Continue reading
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Karate in 1916 Hawaiian newspaper – was it the first?
Before Yabu Kentsū (1866–1937) arrived in Hawaii in 1927, karate was already there. Although the aspect of karate in Okinawan immigrant communities overseas has not been sufficiently researched, there is some evidence (as presented by Bruce A. Haines and Charles C. Goodin in their respective studies). In their new home, the Okinawans not only talked Continue reading
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Young girls learn karate from Funakoshi Gichin
Asahi Graph (アサヒグラフ, Asahigurafu), also known as Asahi Picture News, was a Japanese weekly picture magazine that ran from 1923 to 2000. It began as a daily supplement from Asahi Shinbunsha, but became a weekly publication soon after. In the issue of 22 October 1941 (Vol. 37, No. 17) there is a short article about Continue reading
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Bulls and rams in karate folklore
Stories about animals have always played an important role in folklore. In the world of karate, the bull is the subject of many anecdotes. The bull is a very powerful animal. A form of bullfighting, in which peasants pitted bulls against each other for fun, is said to date back at least to the 12th Continue reading
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Article by Nakasone Genwa (1938)
Nakasone Genwa 仲宗根源和 (1895–1978) was man of many talents. In his youth he studied karate briefly with Itosu Ankō 糸洲安恒 (1831–1915) at Shuri Middle School from which he graduated in 1913. Later he probably also was taught by Yabu Kentsū 屋部憲通 (1866–1937) at the Okinawa Normal School. Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, he was Continue reading
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Article in Asahi Graph from March 15, 1959
Blast from the past: Article in Asahi Graph from March 15, 1959 titled 夫は空手、妻は琉舞 (Husband does karate, wife Ryūkyūan dance). The photos were taken in the dōjō of Nakazato Shūgurō 仲里 周五郎 (1920–2016). The rest of the text is unfortunately difficult to read but referring to the fact that Nakazato sensei practiced karate, his wife Continue reading
Investigations into the history of karate 