History

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>TROXELL'S BUSHI KAI KARATE 2005</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TROXELLS BUSHI KAI KARATE 2005"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id192.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bushi Kai Manual "><U>Bushi Kai Manual </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id195.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Philosophy"><U>Philosophy</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Terminology"><U>Terminology</U></A>   |   <B>History</B>   |   <A HREF="id194.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kata"><U>Kata</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id261.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PreArranged Kumite"><U>Pre-Arranged Kumite</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id271.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Street Prearranged Kumite"><U>Street Pre-arranged Kumite</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id196.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Miscellaneous"><U>Miscellaneous</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id265.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Strategy and Tactics"><U>Strategy and Tactics</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id266.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leonidas A Study of Budo Spirit"><U>Leonidas - 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China to Okinawa</B>  (and throughout the Orient)</div> <div> A.        Military envoys from China traveled extensively, carrying their Art along with them.  Kempo was combined with local fighting Arts in the Orient, in places  such as the Philippines, Korea, Thailand and throughout the Ryukyu Island chain. </div> <div> B.         Okinawa is the main island of the Ryukyu Islands.  The Art of Kempo was combined there with the local Art of Okinawa-te.  (Okinawan Hands)  </div> <div> C.         Okinawa-te was comprised of 3 Arts, Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te, named after the 3 largest villages on Okinawa where those respective Arts were practiced.  The combination of Kempo and Okinawa-te created a truly formidable Art.  An Art that was tested under fire throughout time.</div> <div> <B>III.     Development Through Use</B></div> <div> A.        Approx. 500 years ago, King Renshi of Okinawa banned the possession and use of all weapons by anyone other than his military.  He united all the Ryukyu Islands into one kingdom, and enforced his rule with an iron hand.  The populace continued to secretly train in their Arts, to protect themselves from both bandits and King Hanshi’s soldiers.</div> <div> B.        Approx. 200 years ago, the Satruma Clan of Kyushu Japan invaded and occupied Okinawa.  The Japanese War Lords also made it a crime punishable by death to posses or use weapons.  During this time the Art underwent it's most advanced developments.  Common farm implements and tools became substitute weapons.  The Tonfa (a mill wheel handle) the Sai (pitchfork or hand plow) the Kama (scythe or sickle) the Nunchaku (a grain flail) the Ekku (an oar) and the Bo (a walking staff) are some of the better known tools/weapons.</div> <div> C.        Through the many years of secret practice (to be caught practicing the Art was punishable by death) the Okinawans became so proficient that they could attack and overcome Japanese soldiers with their ‘bare hands’.  In the 16th century, the Okinawans attacked and over-threw the Japanese occupational force.</div> <div> <B>IV.     Path of Karate -  Okinawa to Japan  (Master Gichin Funakoshi</B>)</div> <div> A.        In the 20th century, Okinawa and Japan were at peace, and the Okinawan’s  were once again subjects of Japan.  Even at peace, the people of the two countries had many deep seated prejudices and hatreds for each other.  In a measure of goodwill, the Okinawan’s sent a polished and refined gentleman, who was a Master of Shuri-te to the Japanese to teach the Art of Self-Defense.  Master Gichin Funakoshi was of lower rank than the Grand Master of Okinawa, Chokun Mobutu, but Master Funakoshi was not prejudiced against the Japanese.    </div> <div> B.        Master Funakoshi was born in Shuri, Okinawa in 1869, and died in 1959.  He began training in the Shuri-te Art at the age of 11.  He moved to Japan in approx. 1917.</div> <div> C.        Master Funakoshi stayed the rest of his life in Japan, and opened many Dojos.  He developed his own style of Karate known at Shoto-kan.  (Shoto was Master Funakoshi’s nickname)  He added many aspects of the Japanese Martial Arts to his style, incorporating Judo, Ju-jitsu and other aspects of Samurai training, once again changing the Art and bettering it.  He eventually married a Japanese woman, and traveled throughout Japan promoting the Art.  He was instrumental at a meeting held in 1935, where to distinguish what he was teaching from Okinawa-te it was decided to rename the Art in Japan as Kara-te.  Kara-te meant Empty Hands, and was just a small change of a symbol that meant Chinese Hands.  This was felt to be true to all of the origins, but allowed it to be uniquely Japanese, and thereby better accepted.  Funakoshi succeeded in getting the Art accepted, and it was taught in the Universities through Karate clubs.  Karate was also taught  in a diluted form in the Japanese Elementary School system as Physical Education. In World War II it was found that the best physical specimens of the Japanese all had Karate training in their background.  Master Funakoshi became known as the ‘Father of Modern Day Karate’ or as the ‘Father of Japanese Karate’.</div> <div> D.        After the war, Karate spread throughout the world, again influencing and changing local fighting Arts making them better.  In Korea, again traveling by way of military envoys, Karate influenced and helped create both Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do.  Tae Kwon Do was officially named in 1955.  Karate also traveled to the United States from Japan by way of a military serviceman.  </div> <div> <B>V.     Path of Karate - Japan to America  (Grand Master Robert A. Trias</B>)</div> <div> A.        Master Robert A. Trias was a Navy sailor stationed in the Solomon Islands when he first started training in the Art.  Eventually he was taught the Art of Shorei-ryu, an Okinawan Art descendent from Naha-te.  Master Trias was the Middleweight Boxing Champion for the U.S. Navy at the time.   </div> <div> B.         Master Trias came back to America in 1946, and opened the first American Dojo in Phoenix Arizona.  There in  14 foot square training area he taught  2-3 hours a day for 7 days a week.  In 1948, Master Trias formed the United States Karate Association, the first American Karate organization.   Master Trias held the first American Karate Tournament in 1969. He also created the Shorei Goju style of Karate. It was due to his efforts that Karate has become what it is today, where Karate Dojos are now in nearly every town in America.  Grand Master Robert A. Trias, 10th Dan, ‘The Father of American Karate’ - 1922 - 1989.  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>