Karatedo Doshinkan
History
India
The first written records of Asian martial arts are found in India. Their martial art was called Virami (vee rah me), or Vijramusthi (veej ra moosht hee). Virami means “warrior’s methods” and was standard training for the Kshatriya or warrior cast. Its empty handed techniques included striking, kicking, joint locks and grappling. Weapons included bow and arrow, spear, lathi (laht hee) and the chakra.
Many of the members of the Kshatriya or warrior’s class in India become monks. It is believed that Indian Virami was taken with the monks who traveled to China to teach Buddhism. Virami thus served as the foundation for the many forms of Chuan-fa or “fist methods” that developed in China.
China
Many of the members of the Kshatriya or warrior’s class in India become monks. Indian Virami, “warrior method”, was taken with the monks who traveled to China to teach Buddhism. Specific names and dates are not reliable, although some accounts claim that Buddhism was first transmitted from India to China during the Southern Liang dynasty (502-557 A.D.) by Da Mo, the first Buddhist patriarch to travel there. Others records indicate that the transmission occurred during the Sung dynasty (420-479 A.D.).
Hundreds of forms of Chuan-fa (Japanese: Kenpo) or “fist methods” developed in China over the centuries. They have been classified in many ways, but the most common is Northern Kenpo and Southern Kenpo. The Northern methods were developed in the mountains and open plains, so originally their stances, kicks and punches tended to be long and delivered from a far distance from their opponent. It also included throwing and grappling. The Southern Kempo systems were developed in crowded coastal cities and on boats, so the original emphasis was on short stances, and close-in blocks and punches. Of course, over the years these forms blended together, so the Northern and Southern classifications are only useful in historic terms.
Okinawa
Geographically, Okinawa is in close proximity to Taiwan and mainland China, so a lot of trade and cultural exchange took place between those countries. Chinese tradesmen and diplomats often visited Okinawa and brought Chuan-fa, “fist methods” with them.
The modern idea that Karatedo, earlier called Tode, was developed by poor Okinawan farmers, forbidden to posses weapons by the Japanese Satsuma occupation is fanciful. The developers of Tode on Okinawa were mostly Okinawan nobility, many of who traveled to China to learn Chuan-fa, something the local farmers did not have the means to do.
Three basic types of Tode developed in Okinawa: Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-de, named after the geographic locations they developed in. It should be kept in mind, however, that these places are only a stone’s throw from each other, and so these different types of training developed separately because of loyalty to different clans or teachers, more than because of location.
Shuri-te
The foremost exponent of the Shuri-te type of training was Sensei Ankoh Itosu. He was a brilliant teacher and had the largest following in Okinawa. He was responsible for bringing Tode training out of secrecy and one-on-one instruction, into public instruction at the turn of the last century. He accomplished this by teaching at the Okinawan Teacher’s College, so that the school teachers would appreciate its benefits and would help to incorporate Tode instruction into elementary schools, middle schools and high schools throughout Okinawa. Sensei Itosu also encouraged his students to start using the name Karatedo instead of the ancient name Tode. Students of Sensei Itosu went on to found many systems of Karatedo including Shorin-ryu, Shotokan, Shito-ryu, etc.
Naha-te
The foremost exponent of the Naha-te type of training was Sensei Kanryo Higaonna. He originally studied with Seisho Aragaki, in the Naha district of Okinawa. In 1877 he travel to mainland China and studied for about three years (some say longer) with Wei Shin Zan and Liu Liu Ko. Sensei Higaonna’s most famous student, Chojun Miyagi Sensei, went on to found the Goju-ryu system of Karatedo.
Tomari-de
Tomari-de was taught mostly by Aragaki Sensei and Azato Sensei. It may be an over-simplification to say it, but Tomari-de was primarily a combination of the light and airy Shuri-te and the short and powerful Naha-te types of training. Tomari was a sea port district, so Tode practitioners there came into contact with many Chinese merchants, learned many types of Chinese Chuan-fa from them, and so contributed many kinds of kata to Okinawan Tode.
Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-de were all effective types of training and each had its advantages. They have borrowed from each other down through the years, although they have keep distinct differences in appearance and training methods.
Daishihan Kanken Toyama (1888-1966)
Kanken Toyama was born on September 24th in the 21st year of the Meiji era (1888) in Shuri, Okinawa. He was born to a noble family and was consequently raised studying the Chinese classics, which he would later teach in China.
Young Toyama started Tode instruction in 1897 at the age nine, with master Itarashiki, who recognized his potential and suggested that he also study with Itosu Anko, the foremost teacher of the Shuri-te type of Tode. Master Itosu was Kanken Toyama’s main teacher from that day forward. Itosu, however, recommended that young Toyama round out his study of Tode by training with all the other Tode masters of the day. Toyama also studied extensively with Sensei Higaonna Kanryo of the Naha-te, Aragaki Anko Sensei of the Tomari-de, Chibana Sensei, and with weapons masters Oshiro and Tana. Toyama assisted Sensei Itosu from 1907 onward at the Okinawa Teacher’s College in Shuri City.
Sensei Itosu developed many proficient students. Some of them became the founders of their own systems of Karatedo, both in Okinawa and Japan, and some became quit famous. However, Sensei Itosu’s three top students were Sensei Hanashiro Chomo, Sensei Kanken Toyama and Sensei Tokuda Anbun. They were all given the formal title of “Shihandai” (top assistant or protégé) by Sensei Itosu. Sensei Hanashiro and Sensei Tokuma died in 1945. It was Sensei Toyama who taught most of the classes for Itosu at the Okinawa Teacher’s College from 1907 onward.
From 1914 onward, Toyama held a high office at the Shuri First Elementary School (Shuri Dai-ichi Shogakku) and taught Karatedo there as well.
Kanken Toyama in China
Sensei Itosu died on January 26, 1915. Sensei Higaonna died in 1916. Sensei Aragaki died in 1918. All of Toyama’s other teachers had also passed away by 1918. From 1915 to 1924, Toyama continued to teach Itosu’s Karatedo at the Okinawan Teachers College and at the Shuri First Elementary School. Many of Itosu Sensei’s advanced students continued to train with Toyama during this time.
In 1924, Toyama accepted a teaching position at a Middle School in Taipei, Taiwan and moved there with his family, where he taught the Chinese classics. While in Taiwan Sensei Toyama studied with masters Chen Fong Tai in Taipei and Lim Tun Tong in Taichung. He learned four styles of Taiwan Chuan-fa (kenpo or fist methods) and Chugoku Chuan-fa (mainland China’s fist methods); Taku, Makaitan, Rudaobai, and Ubo. Sensei Toyama lived in Taiwan from 1924 to 1930. He then moved to Tokyo, Japan and open a private dojo (training hall) there.
Note: These are the Okinawan pronunciations of his Chinese teacher’s names and their styles of training. Taku is also called Hakuda in Japanese.
Japan
Sensei Toyama in Japan
In 1930 Kanken Toyama left Taiwan, returned to Okinawa briefly, and then moved to mainland Japan and on March 20th, 1930 established his home and dojo in the Shimo Meguro district of Tokyo. Toyama’s home was in an “L” shape. The short part of the “L” was his family’s two story residence. The long part of the “L” was the single story dojo with a high ceiling.
Sensei Toyama named the dojo portion of his home the Shudokan. This was never the name of his system or style of Karatedo as some later thought. It was only the name of the training hall. “Shu” means “to study”. “Do” means “the Way”, in this case, Karatedo. “Kan” simply means hall or building. In 1933 Toyama formed an organization called “Zen Nippon Karatedo Renmei” (All Japan Karatedo Federation). Therefore, his dojo was also known throughout Japan as “Zen Nippon Karatedo Renmei Sohombu” (All Japan Karatedo Federation General Headquarters).
During the 1920s and 1930s many Okinawan Karatedo practitioners moved to mainland Japan to teach. Each of these Karatedo teachers formed their own systems with new names, such as Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu, Shotokan, etc., to differentiate their Karatedo from other groups.
When Sensei Toyama began teaching in Japan, it was expected that he would also give a name to his “style” of Karatedo. However, having extensively studied all of Okinawa’s traditional Karatedo, Toyama was dedicated to preserving all of it, not just this or that portion of it. Consequently, he chose not to give a “system name” to his form of Karatedo. He therefore called it “Okinawa Seito Karatedo”, which means “Classical Okinawan Karatedo”. The name strongly implies Okinawan Karatedo in its entirety, rather than a particular segment of it.
In 1895 the Dai Nippon Butokukai (Greater Japan Martial Virtue Society) was established by the Japanese government (Japanese Ministry of Education) to regulate all forms of Japanese Budo. The Butokukai recognized Sensei Toyama’s unique training and mastership of all forms of Okinawan Karatedo, and in 1937 gave him an exclusive license to promote to any rank (Dan) or teacher’s title (Shogo), regardless of the type of Karatedo the promoted individual practiced. He was the only Karatedo teacher in Japan or Okinawa to ever be given this kind of license.
Some of the foremost Okinawan and Japanese Karatedo masters, who formed their own styles, received their 8th 9th or 10th Dan degrees or their teacher’s titles of Shihan or Hanshi from Kanken Toyama. For example, Sensei Eizo Shimabukuro, one of the most respected teachers of Shorin-ryu Karatedo in Okinawa, received his Judan (10th degree) from Toyama, as did Sensei Kanki Izumigawa, the founder of one of the largest systems of Goju-ryu Karatedo in Japan.
Kanken Toyama passed away on November 24th 1966 at the age of 79. He actively taught until the last year of his life. His home continued to be occupied by his family, who allowed the dojo to be used by his students, but as per Toyama Sensei’s wishes, the name Shudokan was discontinued, and the dojo name was thereafter changed to the Kanken Toyama Memorial Dojo.
The main curriculum at Toyama’s dojo was Itosu’s Shuri-te type of training, sometimes called Itosu-ha (Itosu lineage) by historians. Most students did not learn the Naha-te, Tomari-de or Shina Kempo (Chinese Chuan-fa) unless that was their original training, and they came to Toyama to further their training in that form.
Between 1930 and 1966, Sensei Toyama raised nearly 100 students to the Shihan level, and a few to the Hanshi level. Most were taught the Itosu-ha. However, there was one student that Toyama Sensei considered his successor, to whom he taught all of Okinawa’s Traditional Karatedo, and that was Isao Ichikawa.
Young Ichikawa started training with Sensei Toyama when he was six years old. In addition to attending group practices, he regularly visited Toyama Sensei’s home for private training in the traditional way. Before he died, Sensei Toyama conferred Ichikawa with Judan (10th degree) and the shogo (teacher’s title) of Hanshi. Soon after Sensei Toyama’s death, Hanshi Ichikawa moved to Vienna, Austria and founded Karatedo Doshinkan.
Note: Those outside of Japan who continue to use the name Shudokan do so out of their devotion to Sensei Toyama. They understandably have not known of the history and wishes of Toyama in regard to the name Shudokan, because they have not been widely published, and their Karatedo should not be considered somehow less legitimate because of it.
Austria
Hanshi 10 Dan Isao Ichikawa moved permanently to Vienna, Austria in 1967. Soon after that he was joined by his brother, Shihan Nobuo Ichikawa, and together they founded Karatedo Doshinkan. Thus began a new era of traditional Karatedo. They traveled to many places around the world to share Karatedo and many people visited Vienna to train directly with them. From 1967 to 1996 Shihan Nobuo Ichikawa trained and taught with Hanshi Isao Ichikawa.
Hanshi 10 Dan N. Ichikawa
Shortly before Hanshi Isao Ichikawa’s death in 1996 he conferred the rank and title of Hanshi 10 Dan to Nobuo Ichikawa. Hanshi Nobuo Ichikawa carried on the traditions of Karatedo Doshinkan, leading the dojo in Vienna and continuing to lead special trainings around the world. He shared a treasure trove of traditional Karatedo movement, customs, and kata.
Hanshi 10 Dan Masako Fujimoto-Stock
Hanshi 10 Dan Nobuo Ichikawa passed away March 6th, 2019. Some time before his death he chose Shihan Masako Fujimoto-Stock as his successor and Hanshi 10 Dan. Receiving the red belt in a ceremony on March 31st, 2019, she became the new head of Karatedo Doshinkan. The home, or Honbu Dojo, consequently became headquartered in Tirol, Austria where Hanshi Masako resides. She continues the tradition of holding a special annual Summer Training in Germany, and other special trainings throughout the world in Austria, Djerba, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Poland, and the United States, among others.
USA
Starting in 1970 the founders of Karatedo Doshinkan, Hanshi Isao Ichikawa and Shihan Nobuo Ichikawa, began visiting the United States to teach. Many people who had studied other forms of Karatedo for many years quickly recognized their Karatedo as the most authentic and far reaching that they had ever seen, and Karatedo Doshinkan quickly developed a large following.
Many Americans have gone to Austria to train extensively with Hanshi Isao Ichikawa, Hanshi Nobuo Ichikawa, and Hanshi Masako Fujimoto-Stock.
Visits by Hanshi Isao Ichikawa continued, generally twice per year, until his death in 1996. Visits by Hanshi Nobuo Ichikawa continued until his death in 2019. Hanshi Masako has continued this tradition of visits to the United States. All members of Karatedo Doshinkan in the USA, regardless of rank or experience, have the opportunity to train with Hanshi 10 Dan Masako Fujimoto-Stock when she visits.