The History of Okinawan Karate – Roots
In the South China and Philippine Seas, of almost equidistance between China and Japan, are the Ryukyu Islands. The largest island is Okinawa-jima, which itself is only a little over 1200 square kilometres. It’s on this small sliver of land in the middle of the sea that the Way of the Empty Hand developed in its different schools, leading to global popularity and adherence.
Like so many other peoples, the Okinawans developed a system of bodily self defense, and it is their style that was te (quite simply, hands). During the 15th century, under a good king named Shohashi, Okinawa enjoyed prosperity and rich commerce with neighbouring Asian nations, which allowed te to flourish and be influenced by other ideas and methods. In 1609, the Shimazu clan of Satsuma samurai annexed Okinawa, and, like many occupiers, disallowed any form of martial training. This did not hinder the development of te, however. It was then practiced under cover of darkness, and its information passed down amongst close family.
The indigenous style of te began to meet its Chinese connection starting in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, at around the same time when Fujian White Crane started development west over the sea. Kusanku, an ambassador of the Qing Dynasty, was sent to the Ryukyuan Kingdom around 1756. Having received a Shaolin martial education, he began his instruction on Okinawan soil. He went on to train Sakugawa Kanga, a major contributor to the further development of te.
Eventually, the styles of te would diversify itself. The villages of Shuri and Tomari would branch into shorin-ryu or Shuri-te/Tomari-te, and if you were to walk on over to Naha, you’d find yourself learning shorei–ryu or Naha–te.The styles would gain reputations for specialization; shorin for speed and agility, shorei for power and rootedness. Despite the niches that characterized the schools at the time, an Okinawan folk song serves to remind practitioners of the peaceful and non-competitive nature of their people, and their art:
“Even though we take different roads to ascend the wooden mountain, each of us can achieve our goal and appreciate the moon when we reach the top”.
Next time, part two of the history behind our art and style.