My Shotokan is not

“Pure”
Why I think Funakoshi Sensei
would approve.
By
Robert Johnson
February 2013

1
Many years ago when I was a middle-aged Nidan (having started Karate in my early
30’s), I had the pleasure of assisting Aponte Sensei at the Claremont College Shotokan
program. Along the way I met a young black belt from a Chicago Shotokan school. I
recall him being a gifted practitioner and on the few occasions that we trained together I
enjoyed learning from him. One evening Sensei asked me to teach the young man
Chinese Hands set one. I’ve always been a fan of Sensei’s Chinese Hands as they
incorporate flowing blocks to protect your center line while simultaneously attacking.
Unfortunately my young friend felt otherwise and commented that he did not enjoy our
program as it was not “pure Shotokan”. I haven’t seen the young man since then, but his
“pure Shotokan” comment stayed with me.

Eventually I was fortunate enough to test for Sandan and another comment came about
that also stayed with me. At the end of the test Shihan Dean Pickard encouraged us all to,
and I’m paraphrasing here, “go back to the beginning”. I took that advice to heart and
began to research the history of Shotokan. Along the way I stepped outside the Shotokan
box and found new ideas that have made me a better martial artist. Thank you Shihan.

So what did I find? Well let’s have a look…

Pure Shotokan

How do we define Shotokan? Kihon (basics), Kata (forms) and Kumite (fighting).
Techniques in kihon and kata are characterized by deep, long stances that strengthen the
legs in an effort to promote stability and powerful movements. Linear movements
followed by straight punches (oui-tsuki or gyaku-tsuki); hard blocks and snapping kicks
(with the occasional yoko-geri kekomi) are taught in Kihon training and reinforced
through kata. Kumite expands upon the lessons of Kihon, but sadly seems to have
become divorced from kata due mostly to a lack of emphasis on self-defense in favor of
tournament contests.

Clearly those deep, strong stances came to us from the old masters of Okinawa through
Master Funakoshi, right? Well, maybe not. The photographs below of Master Funakoshi
from his 1922 book Tote Jitsu show the stances before modern competition. Notice how
high the three stances are compared to what we do today (photos on next page).

2
Jasonn Armstrong Sensei com mments in hiss book, “A kkey point to nnote is that ddeep stances
evolv fter the 1930’s, prior to thhis date stannces in such arts as karatte
ved with sports karate aft
were predominateely short and d high.”1 Arrmstrong Sennsei’s mediccal analysis ppoints to
probllems develop ped by deep stances thatt our Okinaw wan masters did not face, “Deeper
stances reduce thhe ability to control
c lordoosis, and if oone attempts to maintain a “neutral
ually lost…””2 He goes oon, “To make matters
spinee” in deep staances hip rottation is actu
more challenging g for the lowwer back, pracctitioners takke these deeep stances whhich
challeenge posturee and then peerform impaact oriented aactivities on wood floorss involving
lungiing for punch hes and heavvy landings after
a kicks. This can all take a toll oon the
spinee/discs and su s tissue.”3
urrounding soft

As we
w moved furrther from th he original in
ntent of the aart (self-defeense and heaalthy
longeevity) towardds the sport of
o Karate it seems that w we may be ddoing more ddamage to
ourseelves than to our opponen nts.

This must mean that

t our kataa are the “purre” Shotokann. Let’s look at a few.

Pinan
n (Heian)

The story
s goes thhat Master Ito
osu created the
t Pinan Kaatas to teachh to school chhildren,
deriv
ving the five Kata from thhe more commplex Kankuu-Dai and addvanced Kataas and
removing the “daangerous” ap pplications. Master Funaakoshi learned the Pinann Katas from
m
Master Itosu and,, having mad de some mod difications, rrenamed theem “Heian”; a name withh
similar meaning but
b more accceptable to the Japanese mainland cuulture.

As is true with most

m stories, this
t may nott be wholly aaccurate.

Chokki Motobu Seensei (1871 – 1944), a co ontemporaryy of Master F Funakoshi, nnotes that
“As to
t the Pinan (5 Kata) thee modern timme warrior M Mr. Itosu origginated this sstyle to use aas
teach dents”4. I fin
hing materiall for his stud nd it interestting that Mootobu Sensei uses the
wordd “style” to describe
d the Pinan
P Kata since
s “style”” implies a deefense system, as
opposed to the coommonly held belief that the Pinan K Kata were siimply exercises for

1
Streeet Fighting Stattistics & Mediccal Outcomes linked
l to Karatte & Bunkai Seelection 2nd edition 2012
Jason Armstrong pg.. 109
2
Ibid pg. 109
3
Ibid pg. 109
4
Chok ki Motobu Okiinawan Kempo o ed. Annette Hellingrath
H (Maasters Publicatiion first publisshed 1926), 26..

3
school children and beginners. According to Patrick McCarthy Sensei “Itosu established
the Pinan in 1905”5 but they were “introduced into the school system in 1908”6. John
Sells Sensei puts the introduction of the Pinan “from about 1902 to 1907"7. Clearly
Master Itosu had been developing and teaching the Pinan Kata to his adult students well
before it was “dummied down” to make it safe for children.

Assuming that the Pinan Kata’s were derived from the more advanced Kanku-Dai Kata,
(which is not necessarily a safe assumption as I will soon discuss), it seems hard to
believe that the “dangerous” applications had been removed. As Iain Abernathy Sensei
notes: “The main difference between the adults’ and children’s training would simply be
a matter of approach. The children would be taught the solo forms, without their
applications, and would perform them as a form of group exercise;
whereas, the adults would be taught the complete fighting system. As
time has passed, it is the ‘children’s approach’ that has become the
most widely practiced.”8 My personal explorations of the Heian
applications support Abernathy Sensei’s comments. All five Kata
exhibit opportunities for groin attacks, knee strikes, joint locks, head
butts, and throwing applications (see photo of Funakoshi Sensei
executing a throw from Pinan Godan). Master Funakoshi himself
stated, “Having mastered the five forms, one can be confident that he is
able to defend himself competently in most situations.”9

So are the Pinan Katas a derivation of Kanku-Dai and/or other advanced Shotokan Kata?
Mark Bishop notes in his book Okinawan Karate that “Horoku Ishikawa of Shinpan
Shiroma Shito-ryu typically came up with the theory that, ‘Itosu had based his five Pinan
katas on an analysis of the kata Kusanku Dai’.”10 (Kusanku Dai being the original name
for Kanku-Dai). However, Mr. Bishop also notes that “Chozo Nakama told me that
Itosu had learned the kata Chiang Nan from a Chinese who lived on Okinawa, and later
remodeled and simplified this into five basic kata, calling them Pinan because the
Chinese Chiang Nan was too difficult to pronounce…”11 The Chiang Nan theory is also
noted by Patrick McCarthy in his book, Ancient Okinawan Karate. McCarthy Sensei
notes that a Chinese man named Chan Nan (Chiang Nan) “had left a secret book on
gongfu with Itosu, a book that allegedly influenced him significantly. Some say that this
book was the Bubishi, which Mabuni had hand-copied and then published in 1934.
Others say that it was a copy of Qi Jiguan’s 1561 Ji Xiao Xin Shu, a book from which
came Itosu’s idea for the pinan kata.”12 John Sells Sensei also supports the Channan
theory in his book.

5
Patrick McCarthy, Yuriko McCarthy, Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Koryu Uchinada: Vol. 2, (Dec
2011) pg. 12
6
Ibid pg. 15
7
John Sells, Unante The Secrets of Karate 2nd edition (2000) pg. 257
8
Iain Abernathy The Pinan / Heian Series as a Fighting System;
http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/article/pinan-heian-series-fighting-system-part-one ,pg. 1
9
Gichin Funakoshi, Karate-Do Kyohan, Kodansha Intl, pg. 35
10
Mark Bishop, Okinawan Karate, Tuttle publishing, 1999, page 89
11
Ibid Bishop page 88
12
Patrick McCarthy, Ancient Okinawan Karate, page 12

4
Students wishing to learn more on the relationship between the Pinan/Heian Kata and the
Channan Kata should read Channan: Heart of the Heians by Elmar T. Schmeisser, Ph.D.
Schmiesser Sensei’s analysis of the Channan Kata applications in relation to the
Pinan/Heian kata brings new life to the lost meaning (at least as far as Shotokan is
concerned) of these “basic” kata.

Before I leave this subject, I would like to bring up an interesting historical dilemma,
namely; who taught Master Funakoshi the Pinan Kata? Master Funakoshi is himself
quite clear that he learned the kata from Master Itosu, “Master Itosu, from whom I so
gratefully learned the Heian, Tekki and other kata…”13. “Gima Shinkan also wrote that
Funakoshi was so well known for teaching the pinan kata that many people referred to
him as Pinan Sensei.”14 However, the FAJKO (Federation of All-Japan Karate-do
Organization) Karate-do directory states that “In 1919, at the age of fifty-one, Funakoshi
Gichin, learned the pinan kata from Mabuni Kenwa.”15

Granted this issue is more a historical curiosity than important event, but there is logic to
the FAJKO’s statement. We know that Master Funakoshi was born and raised in the
Shuri district, which is where he met and trained with Masters Azato & Itosu. We also
know that he moved to Naha in 1891 and began training with other practitioners. (This
may only be a four mile walk from Naha to Shuri, but with the responsibilities of family
and career an eight mile daily commute on foot is a bit of a burden). Master Itosu created
the Pinans in the 1900-1905 time-frames. Master Mabuni (1888 – 1952 founder of Shito
Ryu) “was the original master of pinan…”16 And finally we know that Masters Mabuni
and Funakoshi were close associates with a deep respect for one another. So it is not
entirely unlikely that Master Funakoshi may have received initial training on the Pinan
from Master Itosu while visiting Shuri and then refined his skills with Master Mabuni.

This investigation, albeit brief, confirms in my mind two things: first, the Heian Katas as
we know them today have evolved from a more practical self-defense orientation to the
current emphasis on competition “styling”. This can be seen in the photos of Master
Funakoshi performing the Pinan Katas in his 1922 book Tote Jitsu. Second, it is my
belief that the Pinan/Heian Katas have much more to offer the Shotokan practitioner than
simple exercise. Applications to these Katas should be explored by the advanced student
and, in turn, taught to the beginning student as a means to defend him/herself. The Katas
were intended to teach to beginners; I see no reason why the practical applications should
be withheld until the student reaches the Yudansha level, or as is more typical, not taught
at all.

13
Gichin Funakoshi, Karate-Do Nyumon, Kodansha Int’l, page 22
14
McCarthy, Ancient Okinawan Karate page 12
15
Ibid McCarthy pages 12-13.
16
Ibid McCarthy page 12

5
Naihanchi/Tekki

Bushi Matsumura (1796-1893) is thought to have brought the

Naihanchi Kata back from China, presumably from one of his trips to
Fuzhou. The actual creator of the Kata is unknown; however it could
well have been Matsumura himself. Matsumura was a legendary figure
in Okinawa, acting as bodyguard and martial arts instructor to the King.
A student of Tode Sakugawa (1733 – 1815), Matsumura went on to
teach such legendary figures as Itosu Ankoh, Funakoshi Gichin,
Mabuni Kenwa and Motobu Choki.

Several sources indicate that the Naihanchi Nidan & Sandan Katas were created by
Master Itosu. Interestingly, Wikipedia notes that some researchers believe that it was
originally one longer Kata broken down into smaller parts. The Wikipedia authors cite
the change in the opening ready stances for Nidan & Sandan as support for this theory.

Regardless of what theory one chooses to believe, the three Naihanchi Kata were crucial
to the studies of the great masters. Master Funakoshi notes in several books how he spent
nine years studying the three Naihanchi before being allowed to move to a different Kata.
“Before Heian was invented Tekki was the first kata for the Shorin ryu (for-father of
Shotokan) practitioners for many years.”17 Choki Motobu found the kata so important
that it was the only kata he passed on to his son, Chosei.18

The kata are usually described as being used for fighting on a bridge or against a wall.
While this may be true, most researchers agree that the kata are intended to teach close-in
fighting techniques that depend upon the ability to easily shift the body and rotate the
upper body while maintaining a firm connection to the ground. My personal favorite
theory comes from Bruce Clayton’s book, Shotokan Secrets. Sensei Clayton envisions
Master Matsumura and Master Itosu, both members of the royal court and guards to the
king, taking up stations on either side of the king, “There are two versions of the
naihanchi kata (tekki shodan), credited to Matsumura and to Itosu, respectively. Itosu’s
version opens by stepping to the right (Shotokan), as if stepping in front of the king from
his left side. Matsumura’s version of the kata opens by stepping to the left (Isshinryu), as
if protecting the king from his right side.”19 It is easy to imagine these two highly skilled
bodyguards closing ranks around their king.

Whatever the intent of the original Kata may have been, it was clearly important to the
early practitioners that the applications be thoroughly understood; why else spend three
years on each version? As Master Funakoshi tells us, the practice of “Te” was done in
secret; hardly necessary if it was just a matter of getting the stance right or scoring a

17
Kousaku Yokota, Shotokan Myths, XLibris, 2010, pg. 138
18
A Meeting with Chosei Motobu by Graham Noble http://seinenkai.com/articles/noble/noble-
motobu2.html, page 2
19
Bruce D. Clayton, PhD., Shotokan Secrets, Ohara Publications, 2010, pg. 169

6
point. Also, the emphasis on “Do” was introduced to the art after it was accepted by the
Japanese mainland, “The linking of Okinawan fighting arts and of Japanese karate-jutsu
and karate-do to Buddhist religion or philosophy, especially Zen, is a modern innovation
and one that is considerably newer than the systems it allegedly spiritually invigorates.
In particular, the quasi-Buddhist teachings that are sometimes associated with Japanese
karate-do are without foundation in the original form established by Funakoshi.”20 It
seems logical to assume that the applications to these Kata were being practiced
diligently, unlike the “pure” Shotokan of today.

The photographs on the left show

movements two and three from
Tekki Shodan demonstrated by
Master Funakoshi in his 1922
book Tote Jitsu. (Note: in his
book it is referred to as Naihanchi
Shodan).

The illustration to the right is an application

(Bunkai) from the Saipai Kata of Goju-Ryu. Note
the similarity with the Tekki Kata in these two
movements. (Illustration from The Way of Kata by
Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder).

20
Donn F. Draeger, Modern Bujutsu & Budo Vol. 3, Weatherhill, 1974 pg. 128

7
 Why compare a Goju-Ryu application to a Shotokan Kata?
Master Funakoshi shared his thoughts on the subject of
differing schools, “There is no place in contemporary
Karate-do for different
schools.”21 He explains
further, “My belief is that
all these “schools” should
be amalgamated into one so that Karate-do may pursue
an orderly and useful progress into man’s future”.22
(Photo on left back row (l-r): Yasuhiro Konishi, Tatsuo
Yamada, Front row (l-r): Chojun Miyagi, Gichin
Funakoshi). (Photo on right: (l-r) Toyama Kanken, Ohtsuka Hironori, Shimoda Takeshi,
Funakoshi Gichin, Motobu Choki, Mabuni Kenwa, Nakasone Genwa and Taira Shinken).

The concept of “pure” Shotokan does not fit Master Funakoshi’s concept of Karate-do.

Kushanku/Kanku Dai

Kanku Dai & Kanku Sho are referred to as “the living heart of
Shotokan”23 by Bruce Clayton Sensei. Ironically, the young man who
started my search for pure Shotokan also commented that he never
bothered with this kata as it was ‘just the Heian’s put together’. It
appears that nothing could be further from the truth.

The Kusanku (or Koshokun as Master Funakoshi referred to it in Tode

Jitsu) kata was apparently created by Tode Sakugawa in honor of his
teacher, a Chinese diplomat named Kusankun. The first known
mention of Kusankun and his skills were recorded in the Oshima Hikki,
a chronicle of the testimony of the officers and crew of a ship wreck in 1762. The
witnesses recounted the impressive grappling techniques used by Kusankun, a man of
small stature, to overcome a larger attacker. 24

Richard Kim Sensei tells us that a young Tode Sakugawa befriended Kusankun after
having made a fool-hardy attack and ending up in a river. Kusankun was impressed with
the young man and invited him to study with him in China, which he did for the next six
years.25 Tode Sakugawa passed the kata to his student, Bushi Matsumura who in turn
passed it on to Master Itosu. Master Itosu then created the “Sho” version of the kata.

Once again we have a kata that when observed through its historical origins proves to be
something other than the traditional linear distance fighting of Shotokan. Instead we
find a record of close-in grappling and striking.

21
Gichin Funakoshi, Karate-Do My Way of Life, Kodansha Int’l., pg. 38
22
Ibid page 38-39
23
Bruce Clayton, Shotokan Secrets, pg. 73
24
Patrick McCarthy, The Bubishi, Tuttle Publishing, 2008, pg. 69;
25
Richard Kim, The Weaponless Warriors, Ohara Publications, 1978, pg. 21,

8
As an interesting side note, the first series of moves (the arm movements that give rise to
the name “To view the sky”) have any number of bunkai. One comes from Master
Funakoshi who indicates that the circular movement that ends with the hands together
symbolizes that no weapons will be used (similar to the start of Tekki Shodan)26. My
personal favorite is from John Sells Sensei, “in drawing the ‘circle’, one was really
simulating the pulling of the topknot pin out of the hair, and then utilizing it as a
dagger.”27 Clearly fashion can be dangerous.

Further study

The remaining kata in the Shotokan curriculum all have equally interesting histories and I
encourage everyone to do their own research. The student will find that these kata come
from various sources, most originating in some form from China. Many of the kata from
different styles share a common ancestor but have been modified either by the person
first introducing the kata or by his students as they went their own way. Some of these
changes came about simply because one student learned from the master when the master
was young and nimble and another student learned the kata from the master as he and his
kata matured.

Whatever the source of these kata’s may have been, one thing is clear in my mind; the
masters of old were not tied to the absolute conformity that Shotokan practitioners strive
for today. As Harry Cook Sensei stated, “One major difference between the way that
karate kata were performed in the past and the way they are done now, is that in the past
function dictated form, while in many of the modern versions, form dictates function. In
the older versions the application of the technique was considered to be the most
important aspect, while the modern approach to kata is to see the development of the
outer form as paramount.”28 The lack of real bunkai training in most Shotokan dojos is
unfortunate and prevents the practitioner from being a well-rounded martial artist. Elmar
T. Schmiesser Sensei, a former student the legendary Nishiyama Sensei said it best in his
interview with The Shotokan Way:

"Shotokan" karate can be defined at least two ways, that of the

testing curriculum, and that of the principles of movement. If you
define the style by the testing curriculum, shotokan karate is
worthless in the street. Street altercations start at 6 inches,
generally involve a grab, and have no "yame." Standard shotokan
karate is optimized in its testing curriculum for a duel between
two essentially equal protagonists, using only percussive karate
techniques pulled short of the target, aware of each other, on a
smooth floor and using limited weapons, essentially empty-
handed kendo. On the other hand, if you define shotokan karate

26
Gichin Funakoshi, To-te Jitsu, Masters Publications, 1922, pg. 140
27
John Sells, Unante pg. 265
28
Harry Cook, Throws and Locks in Karate Kata, http://www.theshotokanway.com/throwsandlocks.html 3

9
 by the fundamental bases that underlie the generation of impact,
the control of balance, the establishment of stance, the awareness
of interval and the commitment of technique, then shotokan karate
is eminently suited to developing the wherewithal to survive in
the street, even if it is not a complete curriculum. Kata bunkai
makes up the missing pieces, since they imply the aikido/judo
fundamentals that cover the closer range aspect of the street
fight.”29

That is not to say that we should not strive for perfection in our kata, but rather we
should also be mindful that kata transmits a history of fighting skill that we as martial
artists should not ignore in our pursuit of perfection of character. We owe it to the
masters of old to search for the essence of the kata rather than simply performing them in
pursuit of trophies.

Kumite

Not much is said about kumite before the 1930’s. There are stories of the prowess of our
progenitors: Bushi Matsumura’s contest with the stranded sailor Chinto that gave rise to
our Gankaku kata; Master Itosu’s vice-like grip on the young ruffian who accosted him,
or Matsumora Kosaku’s disarming of a samurai warrior with a wet towel, to name a few.
However, while kumite as we know it today is rarely mentioned, it did exist.

Motobu Choki Sensei comments on two types of karate in his book, Okinawan Kempo.
“The first part is basic movements taught to beginners. These basic movements are
commonly called kata…The other is kumite and this may be compared to kime in Judo.
The kumite is an actual fight using many styles of kata by grappling the opponent.” He
goes on to say, “The kumite or match has been practiced in the Ryu Kyu Islands from
ancient days.”30 This is confirmed by Mabuni Kenei, son of the great Mabuni Kenwa
Sensei:
“In his younger days, many would challenge my father to a kake-damashi
(a challenge match, or an exchange of techniques) after they had heard
that he was practicing te. These challenges he would accept, and would
choose a quiet corner of town to serve as the venue. There were no special
dojo like there are today, so we used to train and fight upon open ground.
There was no street lighting, so we had to use lanterns, and in the dim
light the contestants fought. Each contestant would bring a ‘second’, and
after a period the second would intervene and stop the fight. They would
then declare a winner, and the one who needed more training. Such
challenges were often made to my father, and he frequently acted as a
second for others.”31

29
Interview with Elmar T. Schmiesser http://www.theshotokanway.com/elmarschmeisserinterview.html
30
Choki Motobu, Okinawan Kempo, May 1926 pg. 37
31
Patrick McCarthy, Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: Koryu Uchinada: Vol. 2, Dec 2011, Pg. 5

10
Master Funakoshi may not have cared for the competitive
nature of kumite; but it did not stop his contemporaries. During
the 1920’s and 1930’s both Masters Mabuni Kenwa and Miyagi
Chojun experimented with safety equipment (see photo of
Master Mabuni in sparring gear). However, it should also be
noted that these same men would come to express dismay over
the competitive nature of karate after the 1930’s.

Weapons

Being a student of Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan I would be remiss if

I did not do a brief examination of weapons and Shotokan. A quick
search on the internet will find photographs of Master Funakoshi
using a bo and sai. In several of his books he mentions that his
father was skilled in bo jutsu and that his instructor, Master Azato,
was skilled in swordsmanship. Master Funakoshi also shared a
mutual friend with Mabuni Kenwa, namely, Matayoshi Shinko the
renowned weapon expert and fore-father
of the weapon style that I study today. In
fact, Masters Funakoshi and Matayoshi
traveled to Kyoto in May 1917 where they demonstrated their
arts.32 And finally one of Master Funakoshi’s own students
in Japan became so enthralled with the weapons art that he is
now regarded as the “father of Modern Kobudo”; none other than Taira Shinken Sensei.

So why don’t we study weapons in Shotokan? My research indicates that in order to

convince the occupying Allied forces after World War II that karate was a peaceful art
the decision was made to de-emphasize weapons. This certainly makes sense, but I
believe the time has come to re-introduce a few weapons kata in the Shotokan program.
Judging from the number of Shotokan practitioners that I have met at Sanguinetti Franco
Sensei’s Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan International this may well be happening.

32
Patrick McCarthy, Koryu Uchinada page 9

11
Where has this research lead me?

The historical data indicates to me that we have strayed too far from the original intent of
our art. That is not to say that I completely disagree with the competitive nature of
Shotokan. Tournament sparring and tournament kata are great formats to build
confidence, especially in our youth. However, if we hold ourselves out as teaching self-
defense are we being truthful? Does scoring a point in a tournament really translate to
having a glass bottle jabbed in our face? Maybe it does for those skilled natural athletes,
but what about Minnie and Joe Six-pack that walked in the door to learn how to defend
themselves on the street? I strongly believe that Shotokan contains all the necessary
skills, but they have been forgotten. It is my personal goal to regain what has been lost.

The reality is that it’s not that hard. Our kata contain the principles necessary if we put
them into context of the most likely attack scenarios. Patrick McCarthy Sensei refers to
these as the Habitual Acts of Physical Violence and lists 32 different scenarios. Jason
Armstrong Sensei lists the top ten most likely attacks gathered from hospital data. Based
upon this information, along with attending seminars; watching videos; training in other
arts; and just having the good fortune of training with people like Aponte Sensei and
Sanguinetti Sensei, I have developed a two person Heian Bunkai Oyo (application of kata
principles) Flow Drill that utilizes the moves we all know from the five Heian’s, but puts
them into a more realistic attack/response scenario. The ultimate goal is to flow through
these movements in a rapid, close-in attack/defense drill, as opposed to the static,
unrealistic bunkai that we’ve seen in the JKA videos. Eventually I hope to do the same
with the Tekki and other katas.

As an aside, I am not alone in my disdain for the JKA bunkai video series. Kousaku
Yokota Sensei, 8th Dan and former member of the JKA for 40 years, devotes an entire
chapter in his book Shotokan Myths to this subject. In it he describes how the series was
created in the 1980’s in response to the western students asking questions, something that
is not done in a Japanese dojo. “The problem is that they disregarded or dropped the true
applications that are either hidden or modified movements in the kata.”33 He goes on,
“Do not blame your techniques if you have problems as the ma-ai (distance) and
applications aren’t realistic or applicable.” 34 Strong words indeed.

Please don’t get me wrong, I love Shotokan. I love the deep stances, despite the aches
and pains they’ve caused, and I love trying to perfect my kata and kihon; however, I
believe that there is an important part of Shotokan that is being ignored.

33
Kousaku Yokota, Shotokan Myths pg. 96
34
Ibid pg. 97

12
Conclusion

My Shotokan may not be “pure”; (whatever that may mean), but, from what I’ve found,
neither was Master Funakoshi’s. My Shotokan is the result of having had the incredible
luck to walk into a dojo lead by an instructor (Ty Aponte Sensei) who has true martial
spirit and, as Master Funakoshi described his instructors Masters Itosu and Azato, does
not suffer from petty jealousy. Because of Aponte Sensei, My Shotokan has been
opened to other ideas by incredible instructors like Sanguinetti Franco Sensei who along
with teaching me Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan has also shared concepts from his style of
Goju-ryu; Mike Kazmer Sensei and his sempai’s Buddy Merritt and Tim Richmond from
the Araki-Mujinsai-Ryu school of Iaido; and Mike Whiteside Sensei, whose solid
grounding in Shotokan keeps me anchored to the tradition.

As Master Funakoshi noted, “Because karate eventually takes on a deeply personal

character, it may be said that every karate-ka has his own karate.” I have much to learn,
but I do believe that impure as it may be, My Shotokan has become My Karate.

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