The ancestor of Karate in Okinawa was called “Te” or “Toudi”. This martial art was similar, but in many ways quite different from the Karate practiced worldwide today. The main difference being the practice goal / intent. Back then, the goal was to defeat any aggressor (self defense). While some of today’s Karate still has a self defense focus, it has mainly evolved into sport point scoring, and kata tournament. The result of this evolution is the loss of many useful and very practical self defense techniques. Katas are the main source of self defense Karate. However, Katas have evolved, and many changes occurred over the years, some made for the best by people that knew what they were doing, other changes made by people that unfortunately did not fully understand the art, or had other intent in mind but self defense. Adding to this, the unavoidable loss of kata details that happened over the years, just because it is the nature of things to have details left behinds or discarded as non important over the years, with Karate or anything else. Many books have been written by prominent Masters that got directly exposed to older Karate, and as more and more of these books are being translated into English and other languages, they provide useful information about older Karate self defense that allow us to further understand self defense through today’s Karate.
An example is the Bunkai (practical kata application) for any sequence including a Mae-Geri (Front kick). Often when practicing a Bunkai for a Kata sequence, one can end up being too close to the opponent to be able to do the front kick, or find oneself too far from the opponent to finish the sequence after doing front kick. There is a simple reason behind it: Front kick in older Karate, was never meant to be anything else but a groin kick, or an Hiza geri (knee strike). Mae Geri and Hiza Geri were by design, meant to be used when being closer to the opponent. Front kick to the stomach, or to the throat, like practiced today using the ball of the foot, requires a longer distance from the opponent, and was not common back at the time of “Te / Toudi”. It only emerged with the evolution of Karate to the modern martial art that we know today.
Beginning of Kushanku main sequence
If you practice the bunkai of the main sequence of the Kata “Kushanku”, regardless of the style, you will quickly realize how vital it is to know that the kick following the picture above, is a groin kick (not a stomach kick). One allows the Bunkai to work flawlessly and efficiently, while the other one makes it awkward and close to impossible to make the whole sequence without finding oneself too close or too far from the opponent.
Reading the wisdom words of our Sempais (A Sensei that studied before oneself) from older Karate, is an invaluable tool to anyone seeking true self defense Karate.
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