KARATE er et kamp- og selvforsvarssystem som er utviklet gjennom flere tusen år. Det var først kjent i Kina, før det via Okinawa kom til Japan.
Teknikkene er stort sett de samme som finnes innen kinesiske kampkunster. Det som skiller systemene fra hverandre er måten teknikkene settes sammen og praktiseres på.
Det var Gichin Funakoshi fra øya Okinawa, utenfor Japan, som i begynnelsen av 1920-årene satte karate i et system, slik vi kjenner det i dag. Han er den moderne karates far.
Han kalte karate for Karate-do:
Kara betyr tom eller himmel
Te betyr hånd
Do betyr kunst eller vei
Karate kan altså beskrives som den tomme hånds vei.
Fordi karate-do først ble praktisert av munker og prester i klostre og templer, har zenbuddhismen hatt sterk innflytelse på treningen. Noe av dette henger igjen i dag, i form av hilsning og høflig fremtreden blant annet i treningslokalet. Forøvrig vektlegges selvdisiplin og vennlighet som viktige deler av karate-do. Funakoshis filosofi gikk ut på at man ved å lære om karate-do ville foredles og bli gode samfunnsborgere. Han sa også at man ikke trener karate for å bruke det destruktivt, men for å forbedre seg som menneske.
I karate har vi flere forskjellige stilarter. En karatestil kan defineres som en teknikk og en filosofi som etter enkelte ledende karateutøveres oppfatning er den beste måten å drive karate på. Stilartene er vanligvis av japansk eller Okinawisk opprinnelse. Mange stilartsgrupper har et godt samarbeid seg imellom. Noen av de store gruppene har hundretusener av utøvere.
Det er mange stilarter i Norge og vi kan nevne noen; Shotokan, Gojoryu, Wadoryu, Kyokushinkai, Shitoryu, Shokukai, Shorinryu og Nanbudo.
Under følger noen læresetninger fra en av karatehistoriens store mestre:
Ten Precepts (Tode Jukun) of Karate
In October 1908, Itosu wrote a letter, “Ten Precepts (Tode Jukun) of Karate,” to draw the attention of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of War in Japan. A translation of that letter reads:
Ten Precepts of Karate
Karate did not develop from Buddhism or Confucianism. In the past the Shorin-ryu school and the Shorei-ryu school were brought to Okinawa from China. Both of these schools have strong points, which I will now mention before there are too many changes:
1.Karate is not merely practiced for your own benefit; it can be used to protect one’s family or master. It is not intended to be used against a single assailant but instead as a way of avoiding a fight should one be confronted by a villain or ruffian.
2. The purpose of karate is to make the muscles and bones hard as rock and to use the hands and legs as spears. If children were to begin training in Tang Te while in elementary school, then they will be well suited for military service. Remember the words attributed to the Duke of Wellington after he defeated Napoleon: “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.”
3. Karate cannot be quickly learned. Like a slow moving bull, it eventually travels a thousand miles. If one trains diligently every day, then in three or four years one will come to understand karate. Those who train in this fashion will discover karate.
4. In karate, training of the hands and feet are important, so one must be thoroughly trained on the makiwara. In order to do this, drop your shoulders, open your lungs, take hold of your strength, grip the floor with your feet, and sink your energy into your lower abdomen. Practice using each arm one to two hundred times each day.
5. When one practices the stances of Tang Te, be sure to keep your back straight, lower your shoulders, put strength in your legs, stand firmly, and drop your energy into your lower abdomen.
6. Practice each of the techniques of karate repeatedly, the use of which is passed by word of mouth. Learn the explanations well, and decide when and in what manner to apply them when needed. Enter, counter, release is the rule of releasing hand (torite).
7. You must decide if karate is for your health or to aid your duty.
8. When you train, do so as if on the battlefield. Your eyes should glare, shoulders drop, and body harden. You should always train with intensity and spirit, and in this way you will naturally be ready.
9. One must not overtrain; this will cause you to lose the energy in your lower abdomen and will be harmful to your body. Your face and eyes will turn red. Train wisely.
10. In the past, masters of karate have enjoyed long lives. Karate aids in developing the bones and muscles. It helps the digestion as well as the circulation. If karate should be introduced beginning in the elementary schools, then we will produce many men each capable of defeating ten assailants. I further believe this can be done by having all students at the Okinawa Teachers’ College practice karate. In this way, after graduation, they can teach at the elementary schools that which they have been taught. I believe this will be a great benefit to our nation and our military. It is my hope you will seriously consider my suggestion.
Anko Itosu, October 1908