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was a Japanese
master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
of
karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...
who created the
Wadō-ryū is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Ōtsuka (1892–1982). The style itself places emphasis on not only striking, but ''tai sabaki'', joint locks and throws. It has its origins within Tomari-te karate, but was al ...
style of karate. He was the first Grand Master of Wadō-ryū karate, and received high awards within Japan for his contributions to karate.


Early life

Ōtsuka was born on June 1, 1892, in Shimodate City,
Ibaraki Ibaraki may refer to any of the following places in Japan: * Ibaraki Prefecture, one of the 47 prefectures of Japan **Ibaraki, Ibaraki, a town in Ibaraki Prefecture **Ibaraki Airport, an airport in Omitama, Ibaraki **Ibaraki dialect, the dialect sp ...
, Japan. He was one of four children to Tokujiro Ōtsuka, a medical doctor. At the age of 5 years, he began training in the
martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
of
jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subd ...
under his great-uncle, Chojiro Ebashi (a
samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...
). Ōtsuka's father took over his martial arts education in 1897. At the age of 13, Ōtsuka became the student of Shinzaburo Nakayama in Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu. In 1911, while studying business administration at
Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...
in Tokyo, Ōtsuka trained in various jujutsu schools in the area. Before his studies were complete, his father died and he was unable to continue studying; he commenced work as a clerk at the Kawasaki Bank. Although he wished to become a full-time instructor, he did not pursue this course at this point out of respect for his mother's wishes.


Shotokan karate

On June 1, 1921 , Ōtsuka received the ''
menkyo kaiden is a Japanese term meaning "license." It refers to the license to teach used by practitioners of various Japanese classical arts and martial arts certifying some license within the school or ryū. The ''menkyo'' system dates back to the 8th ce ...
'' (certificate of mastery and license to teach) in Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu from Nakayama Tatsusaburo. While a valid license, a common misconception is that along with this certificate he became the "4th grandmaster" of Shindō Yōshin-ryū. This is inaccurate – the 3rd grandmaster (Tatsuo Matsuoka) actually outlived Ōtsuka by almost 8 years. Jujutsu was not to become his primary art, however; in 1922, Ōtsuka began training in
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" throug ...
karate under
Gichin Funakoshi was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Karate, Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, ...
, who was a new arrival in Japan. In 1927, he also established a medical practice and specialized in treating martial arts training injuries. By 1928, Ōtsuka was an assistant instructor in Funakoshi's school. He also trained under Chōki Motobu and Kenwa Mabuni, and studied kobudo, around this time. Ōtsuka began to have philosophical disagreements with Funakoshi,Konishi, Y. (1977): ''Karatedo: Ryukyu Karate no sentatsusha-tachi'' (Predecessors of Ryukyu Karate) (pp. 58–59). Japan: Sozou. and the two men parted ways in the early 1930s. This may have come, in part, from his decision to train with Motobu. Funakoshi's karate emphasized ''
kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practise ...
'', a series of movements and techniques linked by the fighting principles. Funakoshi did not believe that
sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debat ...
was necessary for realistic training. Motobu, however, emphasized the necessity of free application, and created a series of two-person ''
kumite Kumite ( ja, 組手, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary. Kumite can be used to develop a par ...
'' called ''yakusoku kumite''.


Wado-ryu karate

On April 1, 1934, Ōtsuka opened his own karate school the Dai Nippon Karate Shinko Kai at 63 Banchi Suehiro-Cho,
Kanda Kanda may refer to: People * Kanda (surname) *Kanda Bongo Man (born 1955), Congolese soukous musician Places * Kanda, Tokyo, an area in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan **Kanda Station (Tokyo), a railway station in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo * Kanda River, a ri ...
, Tokyo. He blended Shotokan karate with his knowledge of Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu to form
Wadō-ryū is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Ōtsuka (1892–1982). The style itself places emphasis on not only striking, but ''tai sabaki'', joint locks and throws. It has its origins within Tomari-te karate, but was al ...
karate, although the art would only later take on this name several years later. With recognition of his style as an independent karate style, Ōtsuka became a full-time instructor. In 1940, his style was registered at the Butokukai,
Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...
, for the demonstration of various martial arts, together with Shotokan,
Shitō-ryū is a form of karate that was founded in 1934 by . Shitō-ryū is synthesis of the 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 ...
, and
Gōjū-ryū , Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters d ...
. Following World War II, the practice of martial arts in Japan was banned. After a few years, however, the ban was lifted; through the 1950s, Ōtsuka held various karate competitions. In 1964, three of Ōtsuka's students Tatsuo Suzuki,
Toru Arakawa Tōru Arakawa(, '' Arakawa Tōru ''; November 1932 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan; – 20 June 2015) was a karate master of the style Wadō-ryū. He was one of the few karateka ranked 9th Dan in Japan. Biography Tōru Arakawa began karate training a ...
, and Hajime Takashima) from
Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. It is one of Japan's leading private universit ...
toured Europe and the United States of America, demonstrating Wadō-ryū karate.


Later life

On April 29, 1966,
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...
Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
awarded Ōtsuka the Order of the Rising Sun, Fifth Class for his contributions to karate. In the next few years, Ōtsuka wrote two books on karate: ''Karate-Do, Volume 1'' (1967, focused on ''kata'') and ''Karate-Do, Volume 2'' (1970, focused on ''kumite''). On October 9, 1972, the Kokusai Budoin
International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF) is the oldest continuously operating Japanese organization promoting international Budō.''Journal of Combat Sports and Martial Arts''. MEDSPORTPRESS, 2011; 1(2); Vol. 2, page 50. The organization, founded in 1952, has headquarters in Toky ...
(IMAF Japan) awarded Ōtsuka the title of ''Shodai Karate-do Meijin Judan'' (first-generation karate master 10th ''dan''); this was the first time this honor had been bestowed on a karate practitioner. Ōtsuka continued to teach and lead Wadō-ryū karate into the 1980s, and died on January 29, 1982. In 1983, his son, Jiro Ohtsuka, became the second Grand Master of Wadō-ryū karate and honored his father by taking the name "Hironori Ōtsuka II."


Notes

a. Ōtsuka's surname is sometimes also spelled as Ohtsuka.


References


External links


International Federation of Wado-Ryu Karate-Do Organizations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otsuka, Hironori 1892 births 1982 deaths Japanese male karateka Japanese jujutsuka Karate coaches Martial arts school founders People from Ibaraki Prefecture Wadō-ryū Wadō-ryū practitioners Waseda University alumni 20th-century philanthropists