Kodokan
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The blog as a book
Karate’s history is richer and more complex than popular narratives often suggest. Based on this blog, Investigations into the history of karate (Lulu, 2025) brings together a diverse collection of essays that explore the art’s overlooked figures, pivotal moments, and forgotten contexts. From the pioneers of Hanashiro Chōmo and Yabu Kentsū to the appearance of karate Continue reading
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When Kōdōkan integrated karate into its curriculum
Kanō Jigorō (嘉納治五郎, 1860–1938) undertook a visit to Okinawa and Kyūshū in 1927. Although no photographs of the trip are known to exist today—indeed, the Kōdōkan Archives has no record of any—it was prominently documented in the Kōdōkan publication Sakkō, No. 3 (1927), which featured a detailed account of Kanō’s stay. Interestingly, just two issues Continue reading
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Kōdōkan karate “pioneer“ Iwabuchi Makoto
As early as August 1908, Kanō Jigorō 嘉納治五郎 (1860–1938), founder of the Kōdōkan, observed a group of Okinawan middle school students demonstrating karate during the Youth Bujutsu Exhibition at the Kyōto Butoku Kai. Several years later, in April 1911, he invited a small group of third-year students from the Okinawa Prefectural Normal School—then visiting Tōkyō—to perform their Continue reading
Investigations into the history of karate 