I have only just realised that I’ve been doing so much promoting and posting on Facebook and Instagram that I neglected to actually sit down and write about the Okinawan Karate Podcast.
So here it is:
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In last week’s article I explored some of the history of the development of Karate and of Budo culture in Japan.
In part 2 I hope to get to the point in why I began writing such a body of text by exploring the matter of what we understand as "traditional" karate practice, where it fits into the changes made in Okinawa, and what we perceive as being Japanese.
But firstly, a little clearing up to do.
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The Bu in question is the term for Warrior, as in Budō - Way of the Warrior. If you have trained in a Japanese style of Karate, even some Okinawan styles you will have heard this term at some point.
It is often associated with a sense of learning “traditional” Karate. I use these quotation marks for reasons that I will go into.
But first, let us take a step back in time….
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I spent over 20 years practicing Shotokan at various Dojo across the UK and Australia, and many were similar in their breakdown of practice. Line-up, bow, warm-up, Kihon, Kumite, Kata, warm-down/stretching or simply sit, meditate and bow to finish.
Having experienced a few different Dojos I'd like to give you my experience of practice in an Okinawan Dojo.
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If you’ve commonly practiced Karate outside of Okinawa or Japan, like myself, you may be familiar with attending classes in a church hall, a gym hall space, a YMCA, a converted garage/spare room/ loft space complete with floor mats and wall hangings.
What did I notice when coming to Okinawa and stepping inside the Dojo space?
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