Iain Abernethy presently holds the rank of 4th Dan and is a senior instructor for the British Karate-Do Chojinkai, an A-class E.K.G.B Kata Judge and is author of Karate's Grappling Methods.

If you are interested in the effective and realistic use of the combative methods recorded within the katas, it is vitally important that you understand the history associated with the katas. Without an understanding of this history you will be unable to appreciate the katas, and their development, in the correct historical perspective, and hence will have little chance of unlocking the methods they contain. Kata has always been an integral part of karate practice. To understand the history and development of kata practise, it is vital to look at the history and development of karate as a whole.

The recording of information through physical movement is probably as old as mankind itself. Ancient cultures often used sequences of physical movements as a method to pass on their culture to the next generation. Part of this culture would undoubtedly be the fighting and hunting techniques that a particular group had refined and found to be most successful. Seeing as combat is a physical activity, there can be little doubt that the most effective way for an individual to learn the combative skills of the group would be to copy the movements of those who were more experienced. The elders would demonstrate the various combative movements, and the younger members of the group would try to emulate these movements. These skills would eventually be further refined and then passed onto subsequent generations. It is in this way that the first “katas” would have been created.

It as upon the island of Okinawa that the system of fighting that came to be known as karate was developed. Okinawa is one of a chain of islands that are collectively known as the Ryukyu Islands. Okinawa lies five hundred and fifty miles east of Mainland China, approximately halfway between China and Japan.

During the 11th century, a number of Japanese warriors fleeing from the Taira – Minamoto wars made their way to Okinawa. Many of the Minamoto samurai took Okinawan wives and remained upon the island for the rest of their days. The bujitsu of the Minamoto samurai had a large influence upon the fighting methods employed by the Okinawan nobles. One part of Minamoto bujitsu that had an influence upon the development of karate was the idea that all motion is essentially the same. Whether striking, grappling or wielding a weapon, the Minamoto samurai taught that all combative methods relied upon similar physical movements. An individual would be taught a particular physical movement and would then be shown how that movement could be adapted to achieve varying goals. The results of this combat philosophy can still be seen in modern day karate. It is not uncommon to see a single movement in a kata to be given several different applications. This use of multiple applications – whilst sometimes controversial – is historically correct. By affording a movement multiple applications the founders of what became known as karate ensured that great amounts of information could be contained in katas of a manageable length. The use of multiple applications also helps ensure a quick response in combat. The reason being that the practitioner has not learned may different movements for many different situations – which is extremely undesirable as the brain will have to shift through large amounts of information before being able to determine the appropriate movement – but will instead have learnt a relatively small number of movements that can be applied to many situations.

In 1377, the king of Okinawa expressed his allegiance to the emperor of China, which resulted in a huge influx of Chinese culture and customs. Chinese combative systems and ideas were included in this importation of information. It was in 1392 that thirty-six Chinese families emigrated to Kume village in Okinawa as part of a cultural exchange. Amongst these thirty-six families were a number of Kempo experts who had a huge influence upon the growth and development of the native Okinawan systems. The Chinese transported many of the katas practised within modern karate to Okinawa, and their methods were the inspiration behind many others. Indeed, many of the katas are named after the Chinese martial artists who created or inspired them e.g. Kushanku, Wanshu, Chinto etc.

In 1429, King Sho Hashi wished to improve the standing of Okinawa and as a result the Okinawan people began active relations with other countries. This resulted in trade with Indonesia, South-East Asia, Korea, Japan and, of course, China. The towns of Shuri and Naha became famous as trading centres for luxury goods. Later these towns would also gain notoriety for the systems of fighting that bore their names. This influx of trade also led to the exchange of combative ideas that will have further influenced the native fighting systems, and the katas used to record these traditions.

In 1477, Sho Shin (the king of Okinawa) imposed a ban on the private ownership and stockpiling of weapons by civilians. In addition, all the nobles were required to live close to Shuri castle. This attempt to control the population of Okinawa had a huge effect upon the nature of the native fighting skills. In the majority of fighting systems throughout the world, weapons were always the first choice. No warrior would choose to fight with their bare hands when they could use a weapon. The banning of weapons resulted in the Okinawan people having no other option but to use their unarmed combat skills in the event of attack. This acted as a catalyst in the advancement of the empty handed fighting skills of Okinawa. The moving of the nobles close to Shuri castle also had an effect upon the development of karate. It was common practice throughout the world for kings to keep nobles close at hand. This made the organising of meetings etc. a great deal easier and ensured that the families of the various nobles were within hostage-taking distance. This would ensure loyalty to the king and could be used as a strong negotiating tool in the event of disagreement. The various nobles would also be granted favours and social status for their loyalty and service. Many of the nobles would practice martial arts to ensure that they had the skills needed to maintain order and to protect the king should the need arise. Strong fighting skills would be acknowledged and rewarded by the king, and hence the practice of martial arts was strongly encouraged amongst the nobles. It was the upper classes of Okinawa that were predominately responsible for the cultivation and development of karate, and not, as is commonly thought, the lower classes. The upper classes of Okinawa would actively seek out instruction in the martial arts (and had the resources and opportunity to do so, as afforded to them by their position) which resulted in the further development and formation of family styles based upon Chinese Kempo.

In 1609, Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate, which maintained power through the skilful playing off of one faction against another. The Tokugawa clan had previously subjugated the Satsuma clan but they still considered them to be a threat, and hence they were sent to invade Okinawa. This would ensure that the Satsuma samurai were out of the way and it also resulted in the punishment of the Okinawans for failing to supply Japan with supplies it required for a previous attack on China. The invasion was successful and once again the Okinawans were prohibited from possessing weapons. Any Okinawan found in possession of a weapon would be severely punished. This attempt to subjugate the Okinawan people resulted in many clashes between the Okinawans and the Satsuma samurai. The Okinawans had no option but to rely upon their empty-handed fighting skills in addition to the combative use of domestic and fishing tools. Various laws were imposed by the Japanese to eradicate all traces of the Okinawan fighting systems. This resulted in karate being practised in secret for fear of being discovered. This had a profound effect upon karate. It became a tradition that was only meant to be understood by a chosen few. The katas and, in particular, their applications became further shrouded in secrecy. A kata and its combative applications would only be revealed to the most trusted student. The effects of this are still felt today as many of the meanings of kata movements have gone to the grave with the kata’s early practitioners. An additional effect of secrecy was that karate became extremely violent, as its only purpose was to quickly disable any assailant.

The Satsuma clan maintained control over Okinawa for nearly three centuries until Okinawa officially became part of Japan. The system of fighting employed by the Satsuma samurai was Jigen-Ryu Bujitsu. Some of the Okinawan nobles were instructed in this system and hence it will have had an influence upon the native traditions. Indeed, Bushi Matsumura – a karate master who was employed by the king of Okinawa as a bodyguard – gained his teaching certificate in Jigen-Ryu. It is Matsumura who is accredited with synthesising Jigen-Ryu with Chinese and indigenous Okinawan systems to form what became known as the Shuri-te style of Karate.

From what we have seen so far, we can conclude that karate is synthesis of many different fighting systems. Okinawa’s unique position in the world and the various bans on weaponry made it the ideal place for a highly effective system of empty handed combat to develop. Over many centuries the Okinawans had the opportunity to study a vast amount differing combative traditions, and hence take the most effective techniques and concepts from each to form a uniquely efficient system. Not only did the Okinawans have the means, but they also had the motivation. Whilst in other cultures the development of effective empty hand skills would take second place to the development of weapon skills, the Okinawans were not afforded the same degree of luxury. It is also important to understand that the Okinawan fighting traditions were closely guarded secrets.

Many of the katas practised at this time were Chinese in origin, but they would have been influenced by the techniques and concepts gleaned from fighting traditions originating from other parts of the world. The Okinawans also developed their own katas to record their fighting systems. The only purpose behind a kata at this point in history was to record highly effective and brutal methods of combat, and to provide a training method to perfect those methods. But things were soon to change. As modern karate practitioners – who desire effective combat skills – we need to be aware of these changes.

In 1868, Japan moved from feudalism to democracy. During this time the Japanese abandoned many of the aspects of their culture that were attached to feudalism. The class structure, the wearing of swords by samurai, the styling of the hair in to the “top-knot” etc. all were to be abolished. However, the Japanese authorities were keen to continue to foster many of the values associated with the past. It was felt that the practice of martial arts would promote health, would develop strong sprit and encourage morality in the Japanese people. It was also felt that martial practice would help the Japanese to maintain a sense of national identity in the wake of political change and foreign influence. The development of “sporting” martial arts, that continued to foster the values associated with bushido, were supported by the ministry of education and hence arts such as Judo and Kendo were strongly promoted in Japan’s education system. It was also felt that the healthy bodies and strong spirits developed through the practice of Budo would be an aid to Japan’s growing army.

In 1891, during their medical for recruitment into the army, the exceptional physical condition of two young karate exponents (Yabu Kentsu and Hanashiro Chomo) was noted. As a result, the military enquired as to whether Karate would be an aid to the Japanese war machine, as Judo and Kendo had been. This idea was ultimately abandoned due to the disorganisation of the karate fraternity, the length of time it took to become competent and due to fears that the Japanese troops may use their new found skills in brawls. However, at the turn of the twentieth century a group of karate practitioners campaigned to get karate placed onto the Okinawan school system’s curriculum in the belief that young men with healthy bodies and moral character would be far more productive in Japanese society.

In 1901 the great “Anko” Yasutsune Itsou (1830 –1915) campaigned successfully to get Karate onto the physical education program of the Shuri Jinjo elementary school. As it stood, Itsou believed Karate to be too dangerous to be taught to children and set about disguising the more dangerous techniques. As a result of these modifications, the children were taught the katas as mostly blocking & punching. Itsou also changed many of the more dangerous strikes (taisho, nukite etc.) into punches with the clenched fist. This enabled the children to gain such benefits as improved health and discipline from their karate practice without giving them knowledge of the highly effective & dangerous fighting techniques that the katas contain. In 1905, Itsou was appointed as karate teacher to the prefectural Dai Ichi Collage and the prefectural teachers’ training collage. In 1908, Itsou wrote a letter to the prefectural education department that outlined his views on karate and asked that karate be introduced onto the curriculum of all Okinawan schools. Itsou was granted his wish and karate became part of the education of all Okinawan children.

Itsou’s modifications resulted in huge changes in the way the art was taught. The emphasis was now placed firmly upon the development of physical fitness through the group practice of kata. The children would receive no instruction in the combative applications associated with the katas and deliberately misleading labels were adopted for the various techniques. Today, it is Itsou’s terminology that is most commonly used throughout the world and it is vital to understand why this terminology developed. When studying the combative applications of the katas remember that many of the names given to various movements have no link with the movement’s fighting application. Terms such as “Rising-block” or “Outer-block” stem from the watered down karate taught to Okinawan school children, and not the highly potent fighting art taught to the adults. When studying bunkai be sure that the label does not mislead you. Itsou’s changes also resulted in the teaching of kata without its applications. The traditional practice had been to learn the kata and then when it was of a sufficient standard (and the student had gained the master’s trust) the applications would then be taught. However, it now became the norm to teach the kata for its own sake and the applications may never be taught (as is sadly still the case in the majority of karate schools today).

Itsou is often criticised for “blunting” karate due to the changes he instigated, but I feel this is grossly unfair. At that time, karate was essentially a dying tradition and had Itsou not ensured that it adopted the modern characteristics – already taken onboard by Judo and Kendo – Karate may well have died out. Itsou will have had no idea that his “children’s Karate” was due to become the world’s most popular martial art, and hence will not have known what a profound effect his changes (and the changes of those who followed him) were to have. The majority of today’s Karate practitioners practice the art in the “children’s way” and not as the effective combat art it was originally intended to be. Indeed Itsou himself encouraged us to be aware of this difference. In 1905, Itsou wrote, “You must decide whether your kata is for cultivating health or for its practical use.” Itsou was an extremely talented fighter who encouraged his adult students to, “Always practice kata with its practical use in your mind.”

In the mid 1930’s, Gichin Funakoshi – a student of Itsou’s and the founder of Shotokan karate – led a movement to gain Karate national recognition from Japan’s leading martial arts association, the Butoku-Kai. After numerous meetings and demonstrations, Karate was finally granted national recognition, but there were a number of conditions attached. The Butoku-Kai insisted that Karate develop a unified teaching curriculum, distance itself from its Chinese origins, adopt a standard training uniform (a lightweight Judo gi was decided upon), assign a system of ranking (the Kyu-Dan grade system of judo), develop a system of competition and to further reduce some of the more violent methods employed. Funakoshi and his group were successful in these tasks and Karate gained national recognition and hence continued to spread. These changes were vital if Karate was to continue to grow, but again they had a negative effect on the combative aspect of the Karate katas. The more potent techniques and methods contained within the katas were further obscured due to the concerns at the brutality employed. The birth of competition and of the grading system eventually resulted in many practitioners being more concerned with the “look” of the kata in order to win trophies and pass exams. Competitive sparring also resulted in Karate beginning to focus on the defeat of other karateka in competition, as opposed to the defeat of a violent and untrained attacker in actual combat. I would again caution the reader against viewing these changes in a negative light. Certainly they had a negative effect on the effectiveness of the art with regards to the way it was practised, but they ensured the survival and spread of Karate. If these changes had not been made it is extremely unlikely that Karate would ever have left Okinawa, if it survived at all! These changes ensured the survival of Karate, and the katas associated with it. The katas contain all the principles and methods of the original fighting art, and if we wish to practice the original Karate all we need to do is alter the way we approach the kata.

In conclusion, the katas are a collection of highly effective fighting techniques and concepts that have been developed and refined after exposure to many systems. The katas were closely guarded secrets that would only be taught to the most trusted individuals and the unique culture upon the island of Okinawa created an ideal situation in which effective empty handed fighting skills could develop. But various historical events – although vital for the survival of karate – have resulted in the combative applications of the katas being obscured. It is hoped that after reading this article you are more aware of the evolution of kata and some of the issues associated with understanding their applications. Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it useful.