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Shitō-ryū Practitioners
is a form of karate that was founded in 1934 by . Shitō-ryū is synthesis of the Okinawan martial arts, Okinawan Shuri-te and Naha-te schools of karate and today is considered one of the four main styles of the art. History Kenwa Mabuni (Mabuni Kenwa 摩文仁 賢和) was born in Shuri, Okinawa, Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa in 1889. Mabuni was a 17th generation descendant of the warrior Uni-Ufugusuku, Uni Ufugusuku Kenyu. He began his instruction in his home town in the art of at the age of 13, under the tutelage of (1831–1915). He trained diligently for several years, learning many ''Kata (martial arts), kata''. It was Itosu who first developed the Pinan, Pinan kata, which were possibly derived from the ''Kusanku'' form. One of his close friends, (founder of Gojū-ryū Karate) introduced Mabuni to another great of that period, . Mabuni began to learn under him. While both Itosu and Higaonna taught a "hard-soft" style of Okinawan "Te", their methods and emphase ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and List of islands of Japan, thousands of smaller islands, covering . Japan has a population of over 123 million as of 2025, making it the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh-most populous country. The capital of Japan and List of cities in Japan, its largest city is Tokyo; the Greater Tokyo Area is the List of largest cities, largest metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37 million inhabitants as of 2024. Japan is divided into 47 Prefectures of Japan, administrative prefectures and List of regions of Japan, eight traditional regions. About three-quarters of Geography of Japan, the countr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kata (martial Arts)
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts as a way to memorize and perfect the movements being executed. Korean martial arts with Japanese influence ( hapkido, Tang Soo Do) use the derived term '' hyeong'' (hanja: 形) and also the term ''pumsae'' (hanja: 品勢 hangeul: 품새). Kata are also used in many traditional Japanese arts such as theatre forms like kabuki and schools of tea ceremony ('' chadō''), but are most commonly known in the martial arts. Kata are used by most Japanese and Okinawan martial arts, such as iaido, judo, kendo, kenpo, and karate. Background Kata originally were teaching and training methods by which successful combat techniques were preserved and passed on. Practicing kata allowed a company of persons to engage in a struggle using a syste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including those at Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi (Shodai), Takushoku, Chuo, Gakushuin, and Hosei. Funakoshi had many students at the university clubs and outside dojos, who continued to teach karate after his death in 1957. However, internal disagreements (in particular the notion that competition is contrary to the essence of karate) led to the creation of different organisations—including an initial split between the Japan Karate Association (headed by Masatoshi Nakayama) and the Shotokai (headed by Motonobu Hironishi and Shigeru Egami), followed by many others—so that today there is no single "Shotokan school", although they a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gichin Funakoshi
was the founder of Shotokan karate. He is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gichin (1981). ''Karate-Do: My Way of Life'', Kodansha International Ltd. . he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1922, following its earlier introduction by his teacher Itosu. He taught karate at various Japanese universities and became honorary head of the Japan Karate Association upon its establishment in 1949. In addition to being a karate master, Funakoshi was an avid poet and philosopher. His son, Gigō Funakoshi, is widely credited with developing the foundation of the modern karate Shotokan style. Early life Gichin Funakoshi was born on November 10, 1868, the year of the Meiji Restoration, in Shuri, Okinawa, to a Ryūkyūan Pechin. Funakoshi was born prematurely. His father's name was Gisu. He was of samurai lineage, from a family which in former times had been vassals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring Prefectures of Japan, prefectures, is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with 41 million residents . Lying at the head of Tokyo Bay, Tokyo is part of the Kantō region, on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. It is Japan's economic center and the seat of the Government of Japan, Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central Special wards of Tokyo, 23 special wards, which formerly made up Tokyo City; various commuter towns and suburbs in Western Tokyo, its western area; and two outlying island chains, the Tokyo Islands. Although most of the w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naha
is the Cities of Japan, capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 people per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is . Naha is located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of Okinawa Prefecture. The modern city was officially founded on May 20, 1921. Before that, Naha had been for centuries one of the most important and populous sites in Okinawa. Naha is the political, economic and educational center of Okinawa Prefecture. In the medieval and early modern periods, it was the commercial center of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Geography City center Central Naha consists of the Palette Kumoji shopping mall, the Okinawa Prefecture Office, Naha City Hall, and many banks and corporations, located at the west end of Kokusai-dōri, the city's main street. boasts a 1.6 kilometer (1 mile) long stretch of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bunkai
, literally meaning "analysis" or "disassembly", "is a term used in Japanese martial arts referring to process of analysing kata and extracting fighting techniques from the movements of a 'form' (''kata''). The extracted fighting techniques are called ''Oyo''." Process Bunkai is usually performed with a partner or a group of partners which execute predefined attacks, and the student performing the ''kata'' responds with defenses, counterattacks, or other actions, based on a part of the ''kata''. This allows the student in the middle to understand what the movements in ''kata'' are meant to accomplish. It also illustrates how to improve the technique by adjusting distances (Maai), timing, rhythm (Ritsudo) and fluidity (Nagare) in combat properly, in order to adapt and adjust any technique depending on the size of an opponent. Some ''kata'' have another layer of application that is taught using an ''Oyo Bunkai'', an "application of the kata in ways other than the standard bunkai." ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saifa
Saifa (kanji:砕破, katakana:サイファ) is a ''kaishugata'' (kata) of Gōjū-ryū karate. According to the International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Federation, this kata is taught third, after Gekisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai Dai Ni, and preceding the ''heishugata'' Sanchin. It is likewise taught third in the Meibukan tradition. The name is variously translated as "rip and tear", "pound and pulverize", or "tearing and breaking ground". This name might refer to the striking techniques which prioritize closed fist strikes such as back fist or hammer fist strikes, as well as simple grabbing techniques. The origins and creator of this kata are unknown, but it has been speculated that it may have originated in Chinese styles studied by Higaonna Kanryō, who was the teacher of Miyagi Chojun, the founder of Gōjū-ryū karate. However, Tōon-ryū, the style founded by another of Higaonna's students, Kyoda Juhatsu, does not contain Saifa, leading other sources to speculate that it may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Passai
''Passai'' (katakana パッサイ), also ''Bassai'' (バッサイ), is a karate kata. According to Motobu Chōki, the ''Passai'' kata was one of the three most practiced kata in Okinawa, along with '' Naihanchi'' and ''Kūsankū'', but was already lost in China at the time. Originally there were two types of ''Passai'', ''Dai'' (, ) and ''Shō'' (, ), but today there are many different variations depending on the school. In 1935, Gichin Funakoshi changed the name of the ''Passai Dai'' () to ''Bassai Shodan'' (, now ''Bassai Dai'') to reflect the Japanese pronunciation and Kanji, and the pronunciation ''Bassai'' was subsequently popularized on the Japanese mainland. The Passai kata is practiced today in various Korean martial arts besides karate, such as Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, and Soo Bahk Do. In Korean, the kata have several names: ''Bassahee'', ''Bal Se'', ''Pal Che'', ''Palsek'', ''Bal Sae'', ''Ba Sa Hee'', and ''Bal Sak''. The kata's focus is the idea of changing disadvantage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naihanchi
(or , ) is a karate kata, performed in straddle stance ( / ). It translates to 'internal divided conflict'. The form makes use of in-fighting techniques (i.e. tai sabaki (whole body movement)) and grappling. In Shorin-Ryu and Matsubayashi-ryū Naihanchi Shodan is the first ''ni kyu'' (brown belt kata) although it is taught to ''yon kyu'' (green belts) occasionally before evaluations for the ni kyu rank. It is also the first Shorin-ryu and Shindo jinen-ryu kata to start with a technique to the right instead of the left. There are three modern kata derived from this (Shodan, Nidan and Sandan). Some researchers believe Nidan and Sandan were created by Anko Itosu, but others believe that it was originally one kata broken into three separate parts. The fact that only Naihanchi/Tekki Shodan has a formal opening suggests the kata was split. Whilst the kata is linear, moving side to side, the techniques can be applied against attackers at any angle. The side to side movements in a low ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Higaonna Kanryo
Higaonna (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, founder of Gojū Ryū karate-do *Higaonna Kanryu Higaonna Kanryu (1849-1922) was a Ryukyuan karateka well known for his calligraphy and Chinese studies as well as his martial arts. He learned his martial arts under Wai Shinzan and not under Ru Ru Ko as some believe. His relative Higaonna ... (1849–1922), calligrapher and martial arts practitioner *, Gojū Ryū practitioner, chief instructor of IOGKF {{surname Japanese-language surnames ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
