Okinawan Martial Art Texts

Very little was written about Karate prior to its introduction to Japan and transformation from a 'jutsu' to a 'do' art, either from a technical point of view or regarding its history and development. This is at least partly due to the longstanding secrecy surrounding its practice in Okinawa. It also seems likely that some written material was destroyed during the Battle for Okinawa during the Second World War. Other than The Bubishi I am only aware of two pieces of text on Karate written by Okinawan practitioners, prior to the books published by Gichin Funakoshi, Choki Motobu and others of their generation. I have reproduced both pieces here to give some insight into the thought processes of the writers. If anyone knows of any other such texts, please let me know and I will be only too happy to add them to this site.

The first piece was written by Sokon Matsumura in a letter he presented to his student, Ryosei Kuwae, (exact date unknown) and reads as follows:

If you want to practise fighting arts, you must know the true meaning of them, therefore I have resolved to state the facts; please examine them closely.

So, the way of learning and the way of fighting arts have one and the same purpose. There are respectively three kinds of learning and fighting arts. The three kinds of learning are namely:

1. Reading, writing and arithmetic - the three R's,
2. Exegetics,
3. The study of Confucianism.

The three R's include calligraphy, composing words into sentences and being able to calculate the totals of rice stipends required by important people. Exegetics is the teaching to people the sense of duty ascertained through the Chinese classics, having the way of profound knowledge and teaching by example. Both the former schools of learning are distinctive as being just literary arts, however Confucianist learning brings about sincerity, pureness of heart and a sense of propriety in all things. Hence the governing of one's house (and even one's country) well, will result in world peace. This is true knowledge, Confucian knowledge.
The three kinds of fighting arts are:

1. Those of court instructors,
2. Nominal styles,
3. The true fighting arts.

The court instructors' styles are practised in a very unusual way; movements are never the same, formless and light, becoming (like women) more and more dance-like as the proponents mature. The exponents of nominal styles do not practise regularly, they come and go here and there, contriving how to win, quarreling with and perhaps inconveniencing people. Most serious of all they cause bodily harm, making their parents and family ashamed of them. With the true fighting arts you will not be distracted, so contrive for achievement, govern your own heart and wait for your enemy to be disarrayed; quieten yourself and wait for your enemy to become agitated; snatch your enemy's heart and you will conquer him. As your proficiency increases distinctiveness will come, you will be capable of everything, you will not be disorientated, you will know the place of filial piety. The spirit of a ferocious tiger and the speed of a flying swift will develop naturally so that you will be able to overpower any aggressor.

A wise sage wrote in the Chudokansha the following so called 'Seven Martial Virtues': Martial artists are forbidden to act in an unruly manner; soldiers should practise admonition, help people, distinguish themselves and safeguard the people so that the populace can live in peace and have abundant wealth. Therefore learning and fighting arts have the way of truth. Court instructors' styles and nominal styles are useless, so consider the true fighting arts carefully. I think you should seize the opportunity to act accordingly with restraint, so that if you practise with the previous mentioned facts in mind, it has been said that, the lower abdomen will become the storehouse of one's energy.

The second piece is the text of a letter written by Anko Itosu to the Okinawan Prefectural Education Department in 1908. His motives for this are quite clear:

Tode did not develop from the way of Buddhism or Confucianism. In the recent past Shorin-ryu and Shorei-ryu were brought over from China. They both have similar strong points, so, before there are too many changes, I should like to write these down.

1. Tode is primarily for the benefit of health. In order to protect one's parents or one's master, it is proper to attack a foe regardless of one's own life. Never attack a lone adversary. If one meets a villain or a ruffian one should not use tode but simply parry and step aside.
   

2. The purpose of tode is to make the body hard like stones and iron; hands and feet should be used like the points of arrows; hearts should be strong and brave. If children were to practise tode from their elementary-school days, they would be well prepared for military service. When Wellington and Napoleon met they discussed the point that 'tomorrow's victory will come from today's playground'.
   

3. Tode cannot be learned quickly. Like a slow moving bull, that eventually walks a thousand miles, if one studies seriously every day, in three or four years one will understand what tode is about. The very shape of one's bones will change.
   

   Those who study as follows will discover the essence of tode:
   

4. In tode the hands and feet are important so they should be trained thoroughly on the makiwara. In so doing drop your shoulders, open your lungs, take hold of your strength, grip the floor with your feet and sink your intrinsic energy to your lower abdomen. Practise with each arm one or two hundred times.
   

5. When practising tode stances make sure your back is straight, drop your shoul-ders, take your strength and put it in your legs, stand firmly and put the intrinsic energy in your lower abdomen, the top and bottom of which must be held together tightly.
   

6. The external techniques of tode should be practised, one by one, many times. Because these techniques are passed on by word of mouth, take the trouble to learn the explanations and decide when and in what context it would be possible to use them. Go in, counter, release; is the rule of torite.
   

7. You must decide whether tode is for cultivating a healthy body or for enhancing your duty.
   

8. During practice you should imagine you are on the battle field. When blocking and striking make the eyes glare, drop the shoulders and harden the body. Now block the enemy's punch and strike! Always practise with this spirit so that, when on the real battlefield, you will naturally be prepared.
   

9. Do not overexert yourself during practice because the intrinsic energy will rise up your face and eyes will turn red and your body will be harmed. Be careful.
   

10. In the past many of those who have mastered tode have lived to an old age. This is because tode aids the development of the bones and sinews, it helps the digestive organs and is good for the circulation of the blood. Therefore, from now on tode should become the foundation of all sports lessons from elementary schools onward. If this is put into practice there will, I think, be many men who can win against ten aggressors.