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
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" throu ...
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
.Blair, R. L. (1972): "Karate is dying, says Isao Obata, disciple of the venerable Gichin Funakoshi, Founder of Modern Karate." ''Black Belt'', 10(10):27–33. He was a senior student of
Gichin Funakoshi
was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of 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, Gichi ...
,Adams, A. (1971): "The Father of modern Karate." ''Black Belt'', 9(10):41–47. who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate, and was a key figure in the establishment of the
Japan Karate Association
Japan Karate Association (日本 空手 協会; ''Nihon Karate Kyokai''; JKA; sometimes referred to simply as ''Kyokai'' 協会 in Japan) is one of the oldest global Shotokan karate organization in the world.
Origins
Gichin Funakoshi played a ...
(JKA) under Funakoshi in 1949.Japan Karate Association: History – The early years (1949–1957) (2010). Retrieved on April 23, 2010.Evans, J. K. (1988): "The battle for Olympic Karate recognition: WUKO vs. IAKF." ''Black Belt'', 26(2):54–58.British Traditional Karate Association: Shotokai – The true heir of Funakoshi? (June 11, 2006). Retrieved on April 23, 2010. (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 23, 2010. Obata also helped introduce karate to the United States of America through his demonstrations of the art to
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
personnel,Melton, J. R. (1986): "The evolution of Karate: From fighting method to art, sport and self-defense system." ''Black Belt'', 24(12):28–32, 98–106.E/B Productions: A short biography of Master Hidetaka Nishiyama (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 17, 2010. and through his students, most notably
Tsutomu Ohshima
is a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the organization Shotokan Karate of America (SKA).
Early life
Obata was born in 1904 in the Tokyo area of Japan, the son of Kyuichi Obata and Toyoko Obata (née Ishiguro). His father owned several silk mills in the region, and moved the family to different towns as demanded by his work. Obata lost two brothers in infancy, and grew up with one younger brother and one younger sister. As a child, he had a great interest in the martial arts, and left it to his brother, Satoru, to prepare to lead the family business eventually.
At school, Obata trained in
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
,
kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...
(swordsmanship), and kyudo (archery). Unlike most Japanese boys of the time, he went through several schools, and entered Keio Preparatory School in Tokyo around 1922. A friend gave him a copy of Gichin Funakoshi's first book on karate, and this sparked Obata's interest in the art. Upon completion of his secondary education, Obata gained entry to
Keio University
, mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword
, type = Private research coeducational higher education institution
, established = 1858
, founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa
, endowmen ...
. In 1923, Funakoshi accepted a position teaching karate at the university, and Obata was one of the first students in line. He would go on to become one of Funakoshi's senior students. The
Great Kantō earthquake
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
struck later that year, destroying most of Tokyo, including Keio University's karate ''
dojo
A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
'' (training hall). The students rebuilt the ''dojo'' within a year, however, and training resumed.
Kyuichi Obata was too busy with his business to have studied the martial arts himself, but was pleased at his son's commitment to karate; one of the family's ancestors had been Obata Nobusada, a famous
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 h ...
, general and governor under the ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...
'' (feudal lord)
Takeda Shingen
, of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.
Shingen was a warlord of great ...
in the 16th century. Toyoko Obata was a deeply religious
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
and saw the martial arts as contradictory to her beliefs, but never inhibited her son's training.
Karate career
Over the next few years, Obata assisted Funakoshi with teaching karate at
Takushoku University
Takushoku University (拓殖 大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Duke Taro Katsura (1848–1913).
,
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902.
The university has numerou ...
, and
Hitotsubashi University
is a national university located in Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Chiyoda. One of the top 9 Designated National University in Japan, Hitotsubashi is a relatively small institution specialized solely in social sciences ...
(then known as Shoka University). He became the inaugural captain of Keio University's karate club. In 1926, Funakoshi awarded black belt status to his most senior students, including Obata. Obata's father died of a heart attack in 1927.
In 1932, Obata travelled to
Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...
, and was to work there for more than 10 years as an economic adviser to the Manchurian Aviation Corporation. He was responsible for flight scheduling and operations. During this time, he taught karate privately to a few friends and students, but turned his focus to kyudo. His mother introduced him to a young woman, Miyako, and the two were married in Tokyo by 1935. In 1940, he returned to Tokyo to represent Manchuria at a kyudo tournament, and won the competition. For a time, he was much better known for his expertise in kyudo than in karate.
During the first few months of World War II, Obata was promoted to the rank of 5th ''
dan
Dan or DAN may refer to:
People
* Dan (name), including a list of people with the name
** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark
* Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa
**Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...
'' in Shotokan karate. When Japan entered the war, Obata's brother Satoru joined the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
as an officer. S. Obata had practised judo and was ranked 2nd ''dan'' in karate. He died in the bitter fighting for Iwo Jima, and this meant that Obata had to return to Japan to look after his mother and sister. His brother's death affected him deeply, for the two had been very close. With the end of the war, the occupying forces suspended all martial arts training in Japan for three years; it was only then that Obata could resume training under Funakoshi. In the meantime, he worked at international trading company Hirano Seiko.
On May 27, 1949, Obata,
Masatoshi Nakayama
was an internationally famous
Japanese master of Shotokan karate.DF_56_of_80">("S_...,_who_were_known_as_kenjutsu_instructors,_from_the_Nagano_Prefecture.html" ;"title="kenjutsu.html" ;"title="DF 56 of 80/nowiki>">DF 56 of 80">("S ..., who were k ...
,
Shigeru Egami
was a pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the Shōtōkai style. He was a student of Gichin Funakoshi, who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate.
Early life
Egami was born on December 7, 1912, in Ōmuta, Fu ...
, and other colleagues established the Japan Karate Association (JKA) under Funakoshi. Obata was the inaugural Chairman of the JKA, with Funakoshi as Honorary Chief Instructor and Nakayama as Chief Instructor.Noble, G. (1995) Master Funakoshi's Karate: The history and development of the empty hand art, Part III Retrieved on April 23, 2010. In 1954, he left the JKA when the organization became increasingly commercial and militaristic in nature. Along with Nakayama,
Hidetaka Nishiyama
was a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate.International T ...
, and others, he began teaching personnel from the US
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(SAC) who were based in Japan. Through Emilio Bruno of the SAC, whom Obata had earlier met through his work at Hirano Seiko, SAC headquarters invited Obata to visit the US to demonstrate his art. For two months in 1953, he flew from base to base, demonstrating Shotokan karate to US military personnel; he then returned to teaching in Japan.
Later life
Obata's master, Funakoshi, died in 1957. While Funakoshi had been honorary head of the JKA, Obata felt that the university karate clubs (Keio, Waseda, Takushoku, Hitotsubashi, and
Hosei
is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan.
The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of la ...
) most faithfully represented the spirit of Funakoshi's karate. Through the 1950s and 1960s, Obata continued teaching karate to SAC personnel at the Kodokan. In 1968, he visited the US again and was honored by his student
Tsutomu Ohshima
is a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the organization Shotokan Karate of America (SKA). Obata's mother died that year. Another pioneer of karate in California, Dan Ivan, also studied under Obata.Kroll, P. W. (1976): "Dan Ivan: Karate's man of many contrasts – He is both traditionalist and avid martial arts promoter." ''Black Belt'', 14(9):18–22, 74, 82.
In his final years, Obata lived with his wife in the outskirts of Tokyo, spending his days teaching karate or tending to his garden. While officially retired, he continued teaching four nights and four evenings each week at Keio University and Meiji University. His students presented him with a plaque reading: "Like your nickname, ''Elephant'', you are strong, big and gentle. We thank you for the lessons you have taught us." In a 1972 interview, Obata expressed disillusionment with the development of karate, saying, "Karate is dying now. It cannot last longer than a few more decades." He died in 1976.Chidokan Karate-Do New Zealand: Historical background (2010). Retrieved on April 23, 2010.
See also
*
List of Shotokan organizations
This is a list of some of the larger Shotokan karate organizations and associations in order by year of establishment. International Japan Karate-Do Association lead by Shihan Sadasige Kato. Its headquarters is situated in Tokyo, Japan, though i ...