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Karate-do History
A martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands from
indigenous fighting methods and Chinese wushu (kung fu).
It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking,
knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such
as knife-hands and ridge-hands. Grappling, locks,
restraints, throws, and vital point strikes are taught
in some styles. A karate practitioner is called a
karate-ka.
Okinawa
Karate began as a common fighting system known as "te"
among the pechin class of the Ryukyuans. After trade
relationships were established with the Ming dynasty of
China by Chuzan King Satto in 1372, many forms of
Chinese martial arts were introduced to the Ryukyu
Islands by the visitors from China, particularly Fujian
Province. A group of 36 Chinese families moved to
Okinawa around 1392 for the purpose of cultural exchange
and shared their knowledge of the Chinese martial arts.
The political centralization of Okinawa by King Shohashi
in 1429 and the 'Policy of Banning Weapons,' enforced in
Okinawa after the invasion of the Shimazu clan in 1609,
are also factors that furthered the development of
unarmed combat techniques in Okinawa.
There were few formal styles of te, but rather many
practitioners with their own methods. One surviving
example is the Motobu-ryu school passed down from the
Motobu family by Seikichi, Uehara. Early styles of
karate are often generalized as Shuri-te, Naha-te, and
Tomari-te, named after the three cities from which they
emerged. Each area and its teachers had particular kata
(prearranged fighting patterns), and principles that
distinguished their local version of te from the others.
Members of the Okinawan upper classes were sent to China
regularly to study various political and practical
disciplines. The incorporation of empty-handed Chinese
wu shu into Okinawan martial arts occurred partly
because of these exchanges. Traditional karate kata bear
a strong resemblance to the forms found in Fujian
martial arts such as Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors,
and Gangrou-quan (Hard Soft Fist; pronounced "Gōjūken"
in Japanese). Further influence came from Southeast
Asia— particularly Sumatra, Java, and Melaka. Many
Okinawan weapons such as the sai, tonfa, and nunchaku
may have originated in and around Southeast Asia.
Sakukawa, Satunushi (Kanga) (1782–1838) had studied
pugilism and staff (bo) fighting in China (according to
one legend, under the guidance of Kosokun, originator of
kusanku kata). In 1806 he started teaching a fighting
art in the city of Shuri that he called "Tode Sakukawa,"
which meant "Sakukawa of China Hand." This was the first
known recorded reference to the art of "Tode." Around
the 1820s Sakukawa's most significant student Matsumura,
Sokon (1809–1899) taught a synthesis of te (Shuri-te and
Tomari-te) and Shaolin (Chinese) styles. Matsumura's
style would later become the Shorin-ryū style.
Ankō Itosu
Grandfather of Modern Karate
Matsumura taught his art to Itosu, Yasutsune (Ankō)
(1831–1915) among others. Itosu adapted two forms he had
learned from Matsumara. These are kusanku and channan
(chiang nan). Itosu created the pinan forms ("heian" in
Japanese) which are simplified kata for beginning
students. In 1901 Itosu helped to get karate introduced
into Okinawa's public schools. The pinan forms were
taught to children at the elementary school level.
Itosu's influence in karate is broad. The forms he
created are common across nearly all styles of karate.
His students became some of the most well known karate
masters, including Gichin Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni, and
Choki Motobu. Itosu is sometimes referred to as "the
Grandfather of Modern Karate."
Japan
Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate, is
generally credited with having introduced and
popularized karate on the main islands of Japan.
Funakoshi was a student of both Asato Ankō and Itosu
Ankō (who had worked to introduce karate to the Okinawa
Prefectural School System in 1902). During this time
period, prominent teachers who also influenced the
spread of karate in Japan included Kenwa Mabuni, Chojun
Miyagi, Choki Motobu, Kanken Tōyama, and Kanbun Uechi.
This was a turbulent period in history in the region. It
includes Japan's annexation of the Okinawan island group
in 1872, the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), the
Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), the annexation of Korea,
and the rise of Japanese militarism (1905–1945).
Japan was invading China at the time, and Funakoshi knew
that the art of Tang/China hand would not be accepted;
thus the change of the art's name to "way of the empty
hand." The dō suffix implies that karate-dō is a path to
self knowledge, not just a study of the technical
aspects of fighting. Like most martial arts practiced in
Japan, karate made its transition from -jutsu to -dō
around the beginning of the 20th century. The "dō" in
"karate-dō" sets it apart from karate "jutsu", as aikido
is distinguished from aikijutsu, judo from jujutsu,
kendo from kenjutsu and iaido from iaijutsu.
Funakoshi changed the names of many kata and the name of
the art itself (at least on mainland Japan), doing so to
get karate accepted by the Japanese budo organization
Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. Funakoshi also gave Japanese
names to many of the kata. The five pinan forms became
known as heian, the three naihanchi forms became known
as tekki, seisan as hangetsu, chinto as gankaku, wanshu
as empi, and so on. These were mostly political changes,
rather than changes to the content of the forms,
although Funakoshi did introduce some such changes.
Funakoshi had trained in two of the popular branches of
Okinawan karate of the time, Shorin-ryū and Shorei-ryū.
In Japan he was influenced by kendo, incorporating some
ideas about distancing and timing into his style. He
always referred to what he taught as simply karate, but
in 1936 he built a dojo in Tokyo and the style he left
behind is usually called Shotokan after this dojo.
The modernization and systemization of karate in Japan
also included the adoption of the white uniform that
consisted of the kimono and the dogi or keikogi—mostly
called just karategi—and colored belt ranks. Both of
these innovations were originated and popularized by
Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo and one of the men
Funakoshi consulted in his efforts to modernize karate.
Korea
Due to past conflict between Korea and Japan, most
notably during the Japanese occupation in the 20th
century, the influence of karate on Korean martial arts
is a contentious issue. From 1910 until 1939, many
Koreans migrated to Japan and were exposed to Japanese
martial arts. After regaining independence from Japan,
many Korean martial arts schools were founded by masters
with training in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean martial
arts. Tang Soo Do was founded by Hwang Kee who studied
Shotokan Karate in Japan.
Triad Martial Arts - Karate-do
Johnny Lee Smith began his martial arts career in 1979.
He achieved a rank of 3rd Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo
Do, and a 4th Degree Black Belt in Kobayashi Shirin Ryu.
Tang Soo Do Lineage
Takahara Peichin & Kusanku
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Satunushi Sakugawa
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Sokon Matsumura
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Yasutsune Itosu & Yasutsune Azato
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Gichen Funakoshi
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Hwang Kee
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Young Ju Lee
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Jimmy Webster
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Johnny Lee Smith
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Triad Students
Shorin Ryu Lineage
Takahara Peichin & Kusanku
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Satunushi Sakugawa
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Sokon Matsumura
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Yasutsune Itosu
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Chosen Chibana
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Shuguro Nakazato
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Frank Hargrove
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Johnny Lee Smith
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Triad Students
KARATE-DO TESTING
Requirements for promotion to your next rank are found
in your student handbook. Be sure to understand that a
minimum time for study period is required before testing
on any given material. This does not mean that an
individual will test in an exact time frame. One must
know the material and be able to perform it well. If
during the time for study period, you do not have at
least a 90% attendance rate you testing will be
postponed. Minimum age for black belt is 16 years.
TRIAD MARTIAL ARTS KARATE-DO BLACK BELTS UNDER JOHNNY
LEE SMITH
FIRST BLACK BELT TESTING CLASS
ROY C. ELLIS 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
ROY L. MANLEY 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
LOWELL WOLF 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
ADAM WILLINGHAM Currently a 2nd Dan Black Belt Triad
Karate-do
SECOND BLACK BELT TESTING CLASS
PATRICK J. WATSON 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
HEATH WHITE 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
THIRD BLACK BELT TESTING CLASS
THOMAS W. MONTGOMERY, M.D. 1st Dan Black Belt Triad
Karate-do
DANIEL MONTGOMERY 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
TONY WILLINGHAM Currently a 2nd Dan Black Belt Triad
Karate-do
FOURTH BLACK BELT TESTING CLASS
YVONNE BEARDEN 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
FIFTH BLACK BELT TESTING CLASS
KENDALL HARDMAN 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
SIXTH BLACK BELT TESTING CLASS
JOSEPH BLACKMAN 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
AUSTIN CHUNN 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
SEVENTH BLACK BELT TESTING CLASS
JOHN O'BRIEN 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
DANIEL O'BRIEN 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
JOSH O'BRIEN 1st Dan Black Belt Triad Karate-do
TONY SULLIVAN - 1st Degree Black Belt Triad Jiu Jitsu
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