Asato Anko

Asato Ankō ( Japanese 安 里 安 恒 , occasionally the Kun reading Asato Yasutsune ; * 1827 in the Kingdom of Ryūkyū ; † 1906 ) was a master of early karate in Okinawa .

He and Itosu Ankō are the two most important teachers of Funakoshi Gichins , the father of modern karate and style founder of the ( Shōtōkan -Ryū). Funakoshi is also the most important source of the information we know about Asato today. Many of the different articles that have been written about Asato in recent times are clearly based on the descriptions of Funakoshi.

Life

Funakoshi met Asato when he was attending the same school class with his son. He later called him "one of the greatest experts in Okinawa in the art of karate." According to Funakoshis descriptions, the Asato family belonged to the class of Tonochi , an inherited title for municipal administrative boards, and Anko had authority in the village of Asato between the cities of Shuri and Naha , where he not only practiced karate, but was also known as a clever scholar, skilled rider, archer and swordsman (he practiced Jigen-ryū- Kendō ).

assessment

In an article that Funakoshi wrote in 1934, he describes that Asato and Itosu had learned karate together under Matsumura Sōkon . He also reports how Asato and Itosu defeated a group of twenty to thirty attackers and how Asato set a trap for troublemakers in his home village. In his autobiography from 1956, Funakoshi gives several anecdotes about Asato, including stories about Asato's political skill in implementing the instruction to cut off the traditional hair buns of Japanese men (pp. 13-14), Asato's victory over Yōrin Kanna , whom he was unarmed won against the Kanna armed with a sharp blade (pp. 14–15); Asatos demonstration of the finger thrust ( ippon-ken ; p. 15) as well as occasional, friendly competition in arm wrestling over Asatos and Itosus (p. 16).

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Asato is the family name, Ankō the first name.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Green, BD (1992): Gichin Funakoshi, more than a great master ( Memento of July 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Noble, G. (1988): Masters of the Shorin-Ryu: Part One, by Graham Noble Originally published as "Masters of the Shorin-ryu (Part 1)," Fighting Arts International , 9 (2): 24-28 .
3. ↑ Master Yasutsune (Ankoh) Asato (1928–1906) ( Memento from May 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Azato ( Memento of August 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
5. ↑ ^{a b c} Funakoshi Gichin: Karate-do: My way of life . Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN 978-0-87011-463-2 .
6. ↑ Funakoshi Gichin: Karate-do: My way of life (p. 3). Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN 978-0-87011-463-2 .
7. ↑ ^{a b} Funakoshi Gichin: Azatoh Ankoh: A short story about my teacher, Part 1 (from Japanese into English by P. McCarthy and Y. McCarthy)
8. ↑ Funakoshi Gichin: Azatoh Ankoh: A short story about my teacher, Part 2 (from Japanese into English by P. McCarthy and Y. McCarthy)

literature

• Karate Do Nyumon by Gichin Funakoshi
• Werner Lind : The dictionary of martial arts. China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Taiwan, etc. Sportverlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-328-00838-1 , ( Edition BSK ).