Mythbusting: Who Developed Karate/Kobudo?

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

The idea that farmers and fishermen came up with kobudo isn’t entirely false. It just didn’t happen the way it has been popularized by some martial arts stories.

The facts that the popular stories leave out is that the farmers and fishermen were formerly wealthy nobles or even royal lineage. All men who had been trained in martial arts and with several types of weapons.

The social upheaval of the time forced many of these people to become fishermen, merchants or farmers to continue to make a living after losing their wealth and status or being stripped of them. They continued to train and practise in secrecy and their familiarity with weapons lead them to devise ways to adapt and use the tools of their new trades for training. This phenomenon is just about as old as the formal annexation of the Ryukyu kingdom by the Empire of Japan in the late 1880’s. None of the reknowned practitioners and teachers of that period or after are of lower birth. Every single one is noble or higher samurai class.

Wastelander · KF Sensei

MatsuShinshii · Black Belt

I have read many, many opinions about who created Karate and Kobudo.

First off when you delve into this subject you will quickly realize that the myth that farmers and fishermen created these arts under the cover of darkness and secrecy is one purely of western invention.

The myth that it was created due to the Satsuma clan taking away all weapons is another western misconception as Wastlander has pointed out.

The truth, per actual documentation is the nobles created the art(s). To say this it needs to be clarified. When we say nobles that does not mean just Ryukyu nobles. The arts that make up what was called Tuidi (To-de), where created and passed down by Chinese nobles, Siam nobles and yes Okinawan nobles.

Many of the open hand techniques come from China, Indo-China and Okinawa itself. This is also true of Kobudo, which contrary to popular belief, did not only entail just those weapons that we are most familiar with today. As Wastelander said this included swords, spears, and the like along with those weapons we are all familiar with. These arts and weapons were not all indigenous to Okinawa, in fact not too many were.

I understand that "some" nobles fell into poverty and had to pick up farming or fishing to support their families but if you research this you'll find this is the exception rather than the rule. Most nobles turned to government or local municipal positions, education or the like. This is due to the simple fact that they were educated and peasants were not.

Oh and just a word of clarity about who invented Karate and Kobudo... the Japanese. The Ryukyu nobles created Tuidi and Buki.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

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Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

One point about swords is that for the entire history of the Ryukyu Kingdom and beyond, they were weapons that only the privileged classes could possess or afford.

The Ryukyus did not have the resources to produce blades in significant numbers and therefore had to obtain either the raw materials or the finished weapons through trade. The training in swordsmanship and other blades weapons came from Chinese teachings and later from Satsuma Samurai. Ryukyu nobles has access to such training opportunities because they had the connections to be in contact with Chinese or Japanese experts, and travel to train under them. An often overlooked fact is that many Ryukyuan martial arts/Tuide experts were also equally brilliant swordsmen in addition to several other weapons not included in ”kobudo” as it is known now. For example, Matsumura Sokon the originator or Shorin-ryu was also an expert in the Jigen-ryu school or swordsmanship, which is the style taught to Satsuma samurai. Azato(Friend and fellow of Itosu and teacher or Funakoshi) was also known to be a fine blade.

MatsuShinshii · Black Belt

Age-Uke · Yellow Belt

Nunchuku I believe was a rice and millet thrasher, Tonfa was at first a handle to millet and rice millstones.

Maybe the peasant mythos of Kobudo came from those?

IMO At the beginning of The Shimazu clan's occupation of Ryukyu with samurai at every checkpoint, focusing on weapons that were easily concealed or held in plain sight as non-threatening tools make sense. Nunchucku, Bo, Tonfa, Eku, Hanbo, Kuwa

The belief Karate itself was made up by peasants, I believe is also false.

As for Bo being a peasant weapon... Musō Gonnosuke founder of the Koryu school of jojutsu known as Shintō Musō-ryū defeated the famed Miyamoto Musashi with a jodo (short staff)
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There is no block in Karate

Wastelander · KF Sensei

Age-Uke · Yellow Belt

I agree 100%

On Concealed.. I was thinking right after the occupation. With the tension that had to exist, to me makes sense that investing in weapon systems that were camouflaged either right out in the open and unknown to the occupying force, or kept out of sight, seems very plausible. IMO some of the weapon systems of Kubudo could easily fit the profile.

on Karate and peasant origins: IMO Doesn't compute

From

: https://toshujutsu.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/the-lost-master-anko-azato/

Anko Azato (Funakoshi O-Sensei other Sensei) studied Jigen Ryu swordsmanship directly under the noted Japanese instructor Ishuin Yashichiro. However, among all the combative disciplines, it was the swordsmanship of Jigenryu that Anko Azato most favored. In Funakoshi O-sensei opinion, Anko Azato was peerless in karate but judging by his preoccupation with Jigen Ryu, his swordsmanship was his real passion.”

Anko Azato held the nobility title of "Keimochi" which was like that of a lower Daimyo in Japanese society.”

And Anko Itosu was a Pechin (upper class noble)

Practicing a peasant's art would have been unheard of.
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There is no block in Karate

Wastelander · KF Sensei

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