Wado Ryu and Japanese Budo

Being realistic, to write anything significant about Wado Ryu and Japanese Budo would take considerably more time and space than I have access to at the current time. But, my hope is that in some small way I can contribute to propagating a deeper understanding of the way the Wado Ryu is woven into the fabric of Japanese martial culture and unravel some of the complexities.

I am very much aware of the myths and misinformation spread by previous attempts to create potted histories of the various strands of the martial arts, be they Japanese, Chinese or Korean. And with this in mind I make my apologies in advance for any generalisations or inaccuracies that have crept into the following text.

Understanding Budo - why it matters.

As the popularity of Wado Ryu karate worldwide continues to spread instructors and students are compelled to look deeper in to the discipline that they have chosen to explore. Although many are content to polish and develop skill in pure technique, some practitioners have a desire to examine the rich fabric of the culture of the traditional Japanese martial arts in an attempt to gain a greater understanding of their discipline.

After all, we all come face to face with cultural differences from the moment we first cross the threshold of a martial arts Dojo (the name "Dojo" is enough in itself to give us a clue to the fact that we are on a peculiar kind of hallowed ground.) From the formal bow to the logic behind the syllabus and rank promotion we see concrete evidence of a methodology that sits outside of our normal understanding of western or modern culture.

The common cry of the "revisionists", the "modernisers" is, "Why do we continue to conform to these anachronistic practices, doing things for no discernable or understandable reason?" and there immediately appears the flaw in the argument - if you didn't understand it, don't be so keen to throw it away! Find out why it was put there first place.

Revisionists also like to strip the martial arts down to what they perceive as the bare bones of "just what works", and yes, in a quick-fix type of way this can be done. After all, in a push button, fast food culture, where everyone leads busy lives, who has the time to be bothered with the minutiae of fine and precise detail, subtleties of balance and breathing, as well as hours and hours of relentless grueling practice?

Also, if Wado Ryu stylists want to tap in to the real essence of the school/style and really develop an understanding of the objectives beyond the physical attainment of mechanical skill, there are a few important issues that need to be grasped. Many of these issues pertain to the place of a foreign martial culture from a different age and a different geographical location, within the modern western social framework. Also, as will become apparent, Hironori Ohtsuka founder of Wado Ryu karate had a much wider agenda.

"Jutsu" and "Do".

To begin to grasp the essentials of Japanese Budo (lit. "Martial Way") one must first examine the phenomenon of Jutsu and Do.

There has been much debate regarding the clarification of the issue of Jutsu and Do and it is possible that much of the early (20th century) attempts at defining these two terms have been over simplistic. The tendency to categorize for the sake of convenience carries a hefty penalty for the serious researcher.

Put simply, "Jutsu" in the context of martial arts means "art", "skill" or "science", hence "Bujutsu" means "Martial Arts" or the science of the Warrior ("Bushi").

When "Bu" has the extension "Do" grafted on to it it means Martial Way or Warrior Way. It is the meaning of the character "Way", "Do" that has the most relevance to the subject of this study.

This "Way" can also be translated as "path" or "road" and also associated with livelihood, as in; a person who by compulsion or profession has chosen to tread their particular path, it is their "Way".

The concept of "Do" originates with the Chinese "Tao". Taoism, probably more a philosophy than a religion, has permeated Chinese thought at all levels of society since it's formal recognition in the 4th century BCE in the work Chinese sage Lao Tzu, who compiled his final words in the form of a manuscript commonly known as the "Te Tao Ching". His ideas were not new to the time in which he lived, but his synthesis of the Taoist philosophy was in itself a masterpiece in literature and in conveying the essence of Taoism.

The Tao embodies the natural Way, the balance of the circular nature of the universe and the duality of opposites that are in constant motion and change. It's simplicity and purity is staggering, yet the implications are almost too big for the human mind to grasp.

There has always been a simplicity and austerity associated with Taoism, a stripping away of the inessentials. Many Taoist qualities have been absorbed by other oriental philosophical and religious systems, the no-nonsense methodology of Zen Buddhism, adopted by the Japanese warriors of the Kamakura period, has close connections to the Taoist approach.

Obviously, within such a long timeframe the various philosophies and religious beliefs became inextricably woven into the mindset of the professional warrior and were used, and in some cases misused, to suit the particular situation. Warrior Zen borrowed heavily from Taoist and Confucian ideas, but the idea of the "Tao", the "Way" (also "Michi" in Japanese) remained fairly constant.

Case Histories - Judo and Kendo.

To gain some kind of insight in to the historical climate prevalent prior to the birth of Wado Karate it may be useful to briefly examine two parallel systems that faced the same types of trials and pressures experienced by the early pioneers of distinctly Japanese karate.

In the 19th century in Japan two of the indigenous fighting systems, one armed the other unarmed, made the philosophical and practical leap away from the past and into the future. Both of these systems were carried forward on a tide of social and political development as Japan jockeyed to take its place amongst the modern and developing nations of the world.

Japanese Swordsmanship, Kenjutsu was considered in some areas to be a hangover from the feudal past, and also carried associations as a hotbed of dissatisfaction for those who wanted a reversal of the Meiji headlong rush towards the modernisation of the Japanese nation. Grim faced, idealistic and radical young men saw the old schools of swordsmanship as the last bastions of the golden days of the pre-Meiji era.

To survive, Kenjutsu had to make an ethical, and inevitably, practical transition. The transformation of Kenjutsu in to Kendo took place when the powers that be felt that the art of the Sword, when transformed into a modernised and more workable format, would be of great benefit to the health and vitality of the developing Nation. Out went the brutal duelling, often resulting in injury, even death, and in came the modern bamboo sword (Shinai) and the more refined protective armour.

At the end of the 19th century this same educational and altruistic transformation also underpinned Jigoro Kano's vision and, if you like, rescue package to arrest the perceived decline and ills of the many Jujutsu schools in Japan.

Kano, a fanatical student of Tenshin Shinyo Ryu and Kito Ryu Jujutsu was greatly influenced by his experiences and exposure to western education and sport ethic; "healthy mind, healthy body", "cornerstone of the Nation" etc.

Against hostile conservative opposition and with dogged determination Kano built a small empire, and founded Kodokan Judo, a synthesis of his vast experience of the training halls of Koryu jujutsu. In the process of developing the sporting side of Judo, in the form of Randori, or "free practice" the Jujutsu he'd been exposed to was "cleaned up" and the dangerous techniques excised and edited out.

Privately or publicly Martial Arts commentators alternately see Kano as a hero and a heretic. Heroic in that he founded a system that has remained largely intact for 120 years and has fitted in alongside the major sporting activities worldwide. Heretic, because some would say that the cultural and historical elastic has been stretched too far, and perhaps even snapped completely, and what we see today bears little resemblance to the ancient fighting system so skilfully and dangerously evolved over many hundreds of years.

How Karate became a Japanese Budo system.

The story of how the plebeian art of Okinawan Toudi Jutsu (Karate Jutsu) came to be incorporated in to the catalogue of mainstream Japanese Martial Arts is worthy of a book to itself. However, for the sake of this study it is necessary to understand some of the background to this to appreciate how Wado Ryu karate (or "Wado Ryu Jujutsu Kempo") fits into the picture.

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century Japan had set it's sights on expansion and development, both territorially and economically, and despite embracing the best of western economic methodology was keen to promote it's individuality and national pride. This was the heyday of Japanese Nationalism.

The Japanese Martial tradition had a prominent place in national pride. To the Japanese martial arts establishment the fact that this Martial tradition was home-grown and (from their point of view) unique in the world was all the more reason to encourage its growth and revival - albeit in a revised form.

The newly introduced Karate Jutsu initially did not mesh well with the Martial Arts Establishment. The early Okinawan pioneers who arrived in mainland Japan to spread the word in the early 1920s had their work cut out.

An Okinawan schoolteacher, Gichin Funakoshi who was progenitor of the karate school today known as Shotokan was one of the first generation of Masters to attempt to promote and develop the practice of Karate in major Japanese cities. He understood the situation very well and realised that the acceptance of Karate Jutsu as a form of Chinese Boxing which would stand shoulder to shoulder with mainstream Japanese Martial Arts would be difficult for the Establishment to swallow.

Aside from the nationalistic issue the other obstacles centred around the lack of organisation and structure within early Karate practice in Japan. Inevitably the example to follow was set by Judo and Kendo. Karate really had to be restructured along the lines of the infrastructure created by Jigoro Kano and Kodokan Judo.

Internal feuding between the Okinawan Masters competing for supremacy did not help matters. This resulted in fragmentation and lack of a clear and agreed syllabus. There was no space for stylistic differences, the Japanese way demanded a standardising of Karate practice.

One of the first casualties was the name itself, or at least the first character that made up the name. Originally "Kara" referred to "Chinese/China" and "Te" as "hand". But this Chinese connection had to be lost in transition. This wasn't new, as early as 1905 one of the Masters in Okinawa rewrote the first character. Although it sounded the same, the new/revised character meant "empty". This in itself had a double meaning; at one level referring to empty handed, unarmed, on a deeper level meaning Void or the eternal emptiness found in metaphysical thought. But it was only really in Japan that the name change became almost a mission statement in becoming the "official" name. For many Okinawan hard-liners this was a change too far, which resulted in further division of the factions. Along with this the extension "Jutsu" was dropped and replaced with "Do" so "Karate-Do" became at the same time an aim and a name.

A standard training uniform was the next area of attention. Kano's Judo had devised a standard practical training uniform, as well as the idea of coloured belts to denote rank. In circa 1886 Dan ranks at the Kodokan started to wear black belts. So therefore in 1924 Funakoshi adopted the same ranking system and a lighter weight training uniform for Karate practitioners.

The Dai Nippon Butokukai was the organisation responsible for the propagation and development of the traditional Japanese Martial Arts and it was this very same group who oversaw and pressurised the exponents of Karate-Do to toe the party line. However, the original intention of the Butokukai was not allowed to come to full fruition. Their dream of a single style, a single syllabus, in short, homogenous karate, was severely interrupted by the second world war. Particularly as the occupying forces dissolved the Butokukai (and other organisations which appeared to contribute to Japanese militarization). Amazingly the popularity of the various karate groups continued to grow in the post war period.

Whether the factions that exist today enrich or befoul the content and credibility of Karate-Do is perhaps a matter worthy of further debate.

Two of the chief contributors to the growth of Japanese rather than Okinawan Karate were Yasuhiro Konishi (1893 - 1983) and Hironori Ohtsuka (1892 - 1982).

Konishi was from a wealthy background, a martial arts enthusiast, an accomplished Jujutsu-ka and a Kendo teacher. He had already had some exposure to Okinawan Karate before he trained under Gichin Funakoshi. He was also instrumental in supporting the maverick Okinawan Master, Choki Motobu, (also a key influence on Hironori Ohtsuka.)

Konishi and Ohtsuka together must have seen something in the Okinawan Karate-Jutsu that complemented their ideas of how the Japanese Martial Arts can grow and develop. They were instrumental in developing the first contest Kumite and were not afraid to blend, incorporate and synthesise aspects of their previously attained martial skills with the Okinawan Karate taught to them by Funakoshi, Motobu and Kenwa Mabuni (founder of Shito Ryu Karate).

It is generally accepted that despite the fact that Ohtsuka Sensei had access to probably the most famous and accomplished Okinawan karate experts of their generation, he was not satisfied with the answers he was getting. While he freely adopted sections from the curriculum of the strains of Okinawan karate he was exposed to his most innovative developments show the distinctive stamp of Japanese Budo/Bujutsu.

There is a stark contrast between the seemingly crude but effective kumite drills seen within Okinawan karate and the kumite drills that Ohtsuka Sensei formulated as the backbone of Wado Ryu.

One can only speculate as to how Ohtsuka Sensei, as a Menkyo Kaiden in Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu of nearly forty years experience, would have viewed the grappling "Bunkai" shown to him by the likes of Choki Motobu etc.

As has been mentioned before Ohtsuka Sensei had his own agenda for the formula and curriculum of his Wado Ryu and the roots of this are clearly embedded in the soil of distinctly Japanese Budo.

For a more detailed explanation of Ohtsuka Sensei's ethical and philosophical vision for Wado Ryu continue on to part 2 by clicking on the button below.

Kendo.

Forward to part 2

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