Kanbukan (韓武舘, roughly translated as ''"Hall of Korean Martial Arts"'' or ''"Korean Martial Hall"'') was one of the earliest Karate organizations made in Post-War Japan and is considered the birthplace of the
Bōgutsuki Karate
Bōgutsuki Karate (防具付き空手 or ぼうぐつきからて, eng. ''Karate with Bōgu, Armour'') is one of the competition formats of Karate.
It is also known as bōgu karate (防具空手, Armour Karate), bōgu-tsuki shiai (防具付試合) ...
.
Kanbukan itself was a dojo that existed for only five to six years, but its influence on history of
Karate and
combat sports
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opp ...
in general is immense. Its legacy is carried by various successor organizations, including
JKF Renbukai.
Overview
In early 1930,
Kanken Toyama a native, returned to his country of origin to open his first
dojo in Tokyo on March 20, 1930, named
Shūdōkan (修道舘) meaning "The Dojo for the Study of the Karate Way". Kanbukan dojo was established in 1945 at Kudan (
Chiyoda, Tokyo) by the high-ranking students of
Shudokan under
Kanken Toyama to practice and popularize karate while avoiding
GHQ surveillance under the postwar martial arts ban. As a school, it inherits the non-school principle of Toyama's Shudokan, with art having direct lineage of
Shuri-te
Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long hi ...
of
Anko Itosu
Anko may refer to:
People
* , Japanese emperor
* , father of modern karate
*, karate master and contemporary of Itosu
*Ankopaaingyadete (Anko), 19th-century Kiowa calendar artist
Fictional characters
* , in the ''Naruto'' series
* , in the ma ...
. To disguise the intent of the dojo, the students used the name Kanbukan and named the
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
Shudokan practitioner
Dr. Yun Kwae-byung as the director of the dojo. Therefore, making it possible to practice Karate and editorialize karate booklets without drawing unwanted attention from the
GHQ. In 1946, students of Kanbukan started practising karate using
kendo armor. In 1948, Kanbukan moved its dojo to
Setagaya.
In 1949, Dr. Yun Kwae-Byung would return to Korea, influenced by the impending
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. In 1951, after the regulations by GHQ were relaxed, Norio Nakamura changed the name to Renbukan (錬武舘) at the Wenkai Society in
Higashi, Shibuya
is a residential district of the Shibuya, Tokyo, Shibuya ward in Tokyo surrounded by the residential areas of Hiroo, Shibuya, Hiroo, Ebisu, Shibuya, Ebisu, Daikanyama and Aoyama, Tokyo, Aoyama. Masahito, Prince Hitachi, Prince Hitachi and Hanak ...
. Later, when it developed into the (former) All Japan Karatedo Federation (current
JKF Renbukai). In 1954, the
National Karatedo Championships with Armour were held, marking the first major event involving
Bōgutsukikarate.
Organization
Kanbukan Dojo chiefly taught Karate, but also had open exchange between different martial arts and welcomed practitioners of both
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
and
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
ethnicity. The Kanbukan offered
traditional karate
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
, innovative
free-sparring (
jiyu kumite), and ''bogu kumite'' (English: "sparring with protective armor"; Korean: '), as well as
judo
is an unarmed 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 Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
and
kendo.
Kanbukan was a traditional dojo where people usually practice basic training and kata, and but it is the biggest feature was the use of
kendo armor for kumite training, which allowed for
full contact fighting.
Like
judo
is an unarmed 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 Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
and
kendo, karate at that time considered the need for competition for the spread of karate, sought a method, and tried to use armor in order to achieve both safety and practicality.
Notable people
*
Dr. Yun Kwae-byung - served as director of Kanbukan. Was a high-ranking practitioner of
Shudokan under
Kanken Toyama. High ranking Shito-ryu under Mabuni.
*
Mas Oyama
, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese ...
- Founder of
Kyokushin Kaikan
is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training.
Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...
and pioneer of
Full Contact Karate
Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors spar (also called Kumite) full-contact and allow a knockout as winning criterion.
History
Full contact karate competition comes in several different formats developed for the art of k ...
.
Successor groups
After Kanbukan closed, Renbukan continued Kanbukan's original direction and held the first national karate championship armored karate in 1954. In addition, it can be said that it had a great influence on the current karate world, such as developing into the
Japan Karate Federation
The Japan Karate Federation (JKF), a.k.a. Japan Karatedo Federation, is a national governing body of sport karate in Japan. The JKF is officially affiliated with the Japan Olympic Association (JOC), World Karate Federation (WKF), Japan Sports As ...
and the
JKF Renbukai. The following two are the direct successor groups.
JKF Renbukai
A competition group based on the karate rules with armor. The National Karatedo Championships, which started in 1954, are now sponsored by this organization and continue to be the National Karatedo Championships with Armor.
Renbukan
Renbukan, which was founded by Nakamura, a high-ranking student of Kanbukan, still exists, has left the Renbukai, and is a member of the All Japan Koshiki Karatedo Federation (Chiba faction). In addition, in the form of taking over the "4th National Karatedo Championships", which was the last of the "1st National Karatedo Championships" of the All Japan Tournament, which was the first in the karate world sponsored by Renbukan in 1954, was the last in 4 times. Every autumn, the "Renbukan Karatedo Championships" are held in
Asakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known as the location of the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as the .
History
The ...
.
In Korea
When Dr. Yun Kwae-Byung returned to Korea, he served as a professor at
Seoul National University, taught karate at a
judo
is an unarmed 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 Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
hall called Chosun
Yun Mu Kwan
Yun Mu Kwan (Hangul: 연무관, Hanja: 研武館, eng.''Hall or Institute for Martial Study'') was one of the original five "kwans" that arose in Korea following World War II. It was the name of the place where a generic form of Japanese karate ...
(朝鮮研武館) in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
. He would later open a
kwan called
Jidokwan
Jidokwan is one of the original nine schools of the modern Korean martial arts that became Taekwondo and was founded in what is now South Korea at the end of World War II. Its name translates as "School of Wisdom". The Jidokwan in Korea stil ...
, which would serve as the one of the originators of
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
.
Legacy
Kanbukan itself was a dojo that existed for only five years, but it greatly contributed to the succession of the martial arts karate lineage by the Japanese immediately after the defeat, evading the GHQ's ban on martial arts.
Asides from being a pioneer in the
competitive kumite and being the predecessor of
JKF Renbukai, there were people who would later become important figures in the karate world, such as
Mas Oyama
, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese ...
, who were a disciples at Kanbukan.
By allowing direct hits, contrary to prior
semi-contact rules of Kumite, Kanbukan and its Karate also influenced the birth of the
Kyokushin
is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training.
Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...
– which was founded by
Mas Oyama
, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese ...
, who attended Kanbukan. And by birthing Kyokushin, it has guided the development of
Full Contact Karate
Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors spar (also called Kumite) full-contact and allow a knockout as winning criterion.
History
Full contact karate competition comes in several different formats developed for the art of k ...
,
Kickboxing and the modern combat sports in general.
Promoting bogutsuki karate with
Yun Kwae-byung involved, Kanbukan has likely influenced
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
's (particularly
Kukkiwon
Kukkiwon (), also known as World Taekwondo Headquarters, and home of the World Taekwondo Academy, is where the official taekwondo governing organization was established by the South Korean government.Min, B.-H. (2005)Kukkiwon, the spiritual home ...
's) practice of "hogu daeryon" (“sparring with protective armor”).
[Nakamura, Norio. (2000, May). Interview. “The People from Kanbukan to Renbukai”. Karate-do. (Japan). May 2000.]
In addition, the "Karate Directory" (空手道名鑑 “Karatemichi meikan”, ASIN B000J8AOK4) was published by Dr. Yoon Kwei-Byung when he was the director of Kanbukan.
The achievements of Kanbukan are immeasurable, as it laid the ground for the development of modern karate in posterity, not just the preservation of tradition.
See also
*
Kanken Tōyama
*
Shūdōkan
*
Kong Soo Do
Kong Soo Do (공수도) is a name used to refer to Korean martial arts derived from Karate, that was used
by couple of the original kwans before the unification and creation Taekwondo as the universal striking art of Korea. As with Tang Soo Do, ...
*
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
*
Nippon Kempo
Nippon Kempo (日本拳法) is a Japanese martial art, practised wearing protective gear (face, body, crotch, etc.) and gloves and allows full use of stand-up striking, throwing, and ground fighting.
It was founded and created by Muneomi Sawaya ...
Notes
:1.Regarding this,
Kinjo Hiroshi said, "it was because Director Yoon was a Korean national and belonged to the
privileged class as a third-country person at that time."
References
{{Reflist
External links
JKF Renbukai homepage and history
Japanese karate
Traditional karate
Japanese martial arts