Shōtōkai
The term Shōtōkai ( Japanese 松濤 會 ) describes a style in the Japanese martial art Karate- do.
Development in Japan
In the 1920s, Karate was made popular in Japan by Funakoshi Gichin , a student of Itosu . In 1935 the first karate dōjō was founded in Japan: the Shoto-Kan, the "House of the Shōtō".
Shōtō, which means “pine waves”, was the name with which Funakoshi signed his Chinese poems: “When I had time, I walked the slopes of Mount Torao ... when there was a little wind, you could hear the sound of the Hear pine needles and feel the deep, impenetrable secret that lies in the roots of all life. ”The karate style taught by Funakoshi was also called Shōtōkan from then on.
Funakoshi Gichin, born in 1868, had mastered both the Shōrin-ryū and the Shōrei-ryū systems . In addition, he studied the Chinese classics, dealt with poetry and calligraphy and taught at the elementary school.
Throughout his life, Funakoshi emphasized the closeness of martial arts to Zen Buddhism . So he was also ready to change the character for karate, “China Hand”, into Karate, “empty hand”, a term that is linked to the concept of emptiness in Zen, and thus complied with Japanese nationalism. In other matters too, the Karate-do Funakoshis, which he understood as a martial art with primarily educational objectives, came under pressure from nationalist-military circles. The Nihon Butoku-Kai, the main government organization, demanded the introduction of a grading system and competitions and declared four karate styles to be the main styles: Shōtōkan , Shitō-ryū , Gōjū-ryū and Wadō-ryū . Funakoshi accepted the belt system, but not the competitions. He did not even allow the Kumite , which is common today in Shōtōkai karate, in his training . H. Exercise forms for two.
Differentiation in Shōtōkai Karate-dō and Shōtōkan competitive karate
After the Second World War , in which the Shōtō-Kan, also known as Hombu or Zentraldōjō, was destroyed, some of Funakoshi's oldest students (Nakayama, Nishima and Obata) also called for the introduction of competitive training and better marketing of karate through competitions. In 1949 Nakayama founded the Japan Karate Association (JKA) to promote karate as a competitive sport. Funakoshi refused to support him - nevertheless the JKA appointed him "honorary instructor". An “honor” that he never accepted.
Karate- do and competition could not be agreed for Funakoshi . Funakoshi appointed Egami Shigeru to be his successor, his Uchi-Deshi , his “inner” student, who has also mastered the inner values of martial arts . This founded the "Shōtōkai Ryu", the "school of the group of the Shōtō", so called based on the Nihon Karate-dō Shōtō-Kai, an association that had formed in 1935 to support Funakoshi Sensei and the construction of the Shōtō-Kan . Gichin Funakoshi died in 1957.
Development of Shōtōkai karate
Egami Shigeru stayed true to the spirit of Zen- oriented karate-do with Shōtōkai karate . “If you want to follow the path of true karate, you don't just have to try to stand next to your opponent, you have to look for unity with him. Killing is not an issue, nor is it about winning. Practicing karate-do is about becoming one with your partner and progressing together. ” With this in mind, he also developed and renewed the techniques. His goal was to develop the greatest possible strength, energy and presence with the greatest possible ease and looseness, in order to clear the way for harmony and unity in the common movement.
After the death of Funakoshi Sensei in 1957, Egami took over the functions of head trainer in the Honbu Dojo , the Zentralaldōjō, in Japan and the management of Nihon Karate-Do Shōtōkai. He presided over the organization until his death in 1981. His successor and current head of Nihon Karate-dō Shōtōkai is Genshin Hironishi. His successor, the current president, is Jotaro Takagi, a former CEO of the Mitsubishi group.
Worldwide spread of Shōtōkai karate
In the fifties the spread of karate began by the students of Funakoshis outside of Japan, by most of them under the name "Shōtōkan" and in more or less close connection to the JKA.
In 1957 Tetsuij Murakami came to Europe at the request of Henri Plée, the French "karate pioneer", where he began to set up training groups in France, Italy, Portugal, the former Yugoslavia, Germany and Switzerland. Murakami Sensei also taught Elvis Presley during his stay as a US soldier in Germany.
At the beginning Murakami taught Shōtōkan karate as Funakoshi had taught first. In 1968, during a trip to Japan, he had the opportunity to get to know Egami's advanced forms of exercise. Murakami subsequently included Shōtōkai principles in his (Shōtōkan) karate practice according to his understanding and discretion. Murakami Sensei died in Paris in 1987.
Mitsusuke Harada , who had also trained with Egami, brought Shōtōkai karate to Brazil, where his professional activity took him. In 1965 he moved to England, where he has been teaching ever since. Shōtōkai, as it was developed in the last decisive phase of Master Egami's life, was introduced into Europe by Master Harada. Harada received the details of this from the already existing French Shōtōkai group: Harada's French student Sensei Bassis had received the instructions for the new form from Master Egami.
Tetsuji Murakami's appointment
Murakami's 1974 nomination as responsible in France was a matter that was strongly determined by the political thinking and geopolitical strategy of those responsible for the NKS (Nippon Karate-dō Shōtōkai) in Japan.
Harada no longer wanted to teach in France, and it was necessary to ensure that a Japanese person reported to the NCP headquarters in France as well. After negotiations, Murakami was graduated to 5th Dan in 1974 and was given access to all of the Shōtōkai groups of the Harada lineage that had already existed in France, even though he had never received Shōtōkai lessons.
Following the Japanese purity laws, the aim was to prevent a gajin (a non-Japanese, a stranger) from assuming this responsibility.
The never-determined succession of Master Murakami
As mentioned, Master Murakami has set up numerous groups in several European countries. As Murakami's death approached, Murakami's closest students tried to find out who was to be his successor. Murakami's answer to this question was, "I will recover." Shortly before his death, Murakami's wife obtained that Master was converted to Catholicism.
The fact is that there is no designated official successor in the “Murakami Line”.
The Murakami groups that exist in many countries exist largely independently of one another and, unfortunately, without mutual cooperation. Unfortunately, most of the energies in the dispute over which direction has been going on for years are about who is right and who knows the correct interpretations of the Murakami teaching. This in an environment in which many of these adepts behaved like in a supermarket: They used the details that seemed important to them as they saw fit. And all a little different. The only credo of one group is the low position, others prefer the loose execution of the technique - the contradictions are predetermined in this way, an agreement is not in sight.
Diversity of Shōtōkai groups
Several Shōtōkai associations have been founded in France, the largest being AKSER (Association Internationale Karate-dō Shōtōkai Egamiryu), headed by William A. Schneider, who has been practicing karate-do for over 50 years. Schneider was a pupil and later an assistant to Harada Sensei and trained directly with Egami Sensei during several stays in Japan and took Dan exams (Sensei = teacher, master). Schneider Sensei holds the highest degree of dang in Shōtōkai-Karate-dō (5th Dan) and is 6th Dan in the official and state-recognized French Karate Federation. William Schneider is also the founder and president of AKSER International, which is represented in 11 countries - including Austria, Switzerland, Serbia and Greece, Japan and Canada.
Also taught in France after the death of Master Murakami a. a. Patrick Herbert , who had been Murakami's student since 1974 and his assistant since 1980. Patrick Herbert is the technical director of the Karate-Do Shotokai Europe KDSE association ; he teaches in Paris and on stages in France and Switzerland .
In addition to the Harada organization, the KDS, there are three other Shōtōkai organizations in England and Scotland, the Shindo Shotokai Association, the Shotokai Foundation and the Shotokai College.
In Chile, Ito's student (student of Kenjiro Kawanabe) teaches Humberto Heyden Shōtōkai karate. Another student of Egami who teaches in Europe, Italy and Spain is Hiruma.
Other Shōtōkai groups that refer to Master Murakami and others. a .:
Shotokai Europe (Patrick Herbert, F) IKDS (Adam Prince, F) Karate Dō Italia Kenkyūkai (Marco Forti, Angelo Camelia, Andrea Severi, I) KISA (Giorgio Vecchiet, I) KISEIKAI (Yves Ayache, F) Mushinkai Europe (Luis de Carvalho, F) Murakami-Kai Switzerland (Martin Wälchli, CH) Scuola Shotokai Italia (Antonio Maltoni, I) Shotokai Portugal (Mario Rebola, P) Surya (José Patrao, P)
Current situation
The question arises as to how the Murakami Museum should be administered in the future - with all the fruitless and diverging debates on interpretation. Much more interested, however, is who has studied the Shōtōkai style at its origins and cultivates and further develops it in the spirit of Egami.
Because this should be added here: After the death of Master Egami, Master Harada more or less returned to the forms of Master Funakoshi stylistically.
There is the bizarre fact that several representatives who claim the legacy of Murakami (and the Shōtōkai) exclusively for themselves have graded themselves at the same time.
Others like Patrick Herbert, Adam Prince or Yves Ayache were recently graduated to 5th Dan.
According to the generally recognized Budo principles, there must be an expert (higher graded and more experienced) who has assessed and promoted this graduation.
Adolphe Schneider, 6th Dan, spent several long study stays in Japan with Master Egami, and met him every week with his translator and Japanese teacher or experts from the imperial Gakkushuin University. Harada tried - in vain - to stop Schneider's last visit in 1974. Master Egami found that it was up to him to decide whom to invite for training purposes.
According to tradition, Adolphe Schneider was recommended by Egami in the inner circle of various Japanese masters and experts for in-depth studies.
This gave him the opportunity, for example, to learn Okinawian katas from Master Usami, an instructor from Egami, which are less known because the teachers usually only pass them on to a limited number of students. Knowing these forms provides the historical key to understanding the development of Katas in Shotokai style.
While studying in Japan, Adolphe Schneider dealt with other aspects of martial arts. It was and is important to him that Shōtōkai is a technically advanced form of karate - but it should always prove to be a form suitable for combat and not a purely aesthetic gesture.
It is also no coincidence that Adolphe Schneider expanded and refined his craft with masters of the Hojo and Bojitsu, that he met teachers such as Omori Sogen and Roshi Deshimaru in Japan and France.
The Shōtōkai collective in France
Schneider's commitment has a continuation today: he initiated and coordinates the so-called Shōtōkai collective, a group of French Shōtōkai representatives. It was and is always of great concern to him to work together on an agreement on the most important technical principles of Shōtōkai. This was done in order to preserve the Shōtōkai, which had gotten sidelined in terms of meaning, from technical arbitrariness, to give it a better reputation in the field of karate and to give the style more weight in the French association.
Most of the French Shōtōkai exponents lost interest in this group again after they were able to take their exams at the French Association thanks to the mediation of Adolphe Schneider.
To transmit means to translate
The exotic trap is still luring today: everything that comes from Japan and China in martial arts is in fashion, and much is adopted without reservation. Thanks to her knowledge of Japanese and years of critical analysis, Adolphe Schneider can separate the wheat from the chaff. In 1998 he wrote a compendium that fully describes Shōtōkai karate - including the 30 most important katas . No other source in the West carries out the Shōtōkai katas in this classroom-like manner. Dr. Günther Bitzer-Gavornik (AKSER Austria) translated the book into German.