dojo

کتابهای ماس اویاما 

kyokushin  karate

Welcome to Winnipeg Kyokushin Karate Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

تاریخچه فدراسیون کاراته جمهوری اسلامی ایران

^سال 1342 ورود هنرهاي رزمي وكاراته به ايران

 

^سال 1975 ورود سبك كان ذن ريو و شروع به فعاليت كاراته بصورت رسمي

 

^سال 1348 تشكيل انجمن كان ذن ريو

 

^سال 1351 انجمن هاي وادوريو ـ شوتوكان در خيابان عبده روبروي خيابان فاطمي

 

^1353(1972) شركت تيم ملي ايران (منتخب انجمن هاي كاراته ) در دومين دوره مسابقات جهاني كاراته (wuko) پاريس

 

^13853 تاسيس فدراسيون كاراته ايران

^رئيس : فرهاد وارسته

^نائب رئيس : خسرو جهانباني

^دبير : جمشيد سليمي

^سال 1353 شركت تيم ملي ايران درمسابقات بين المللي سوئد

^سال 1354 شركت تيم ملي ايران در مسابقات بين المللي آلمان (برلين )

^سال 1354 برگزاري مسابقات بين المللي در تهران (استاديوم آزادي)

^سال 1355 برگزاري مسابقات قهرمانيي كاراته اتحاديه كاراته اروپا در تهران

^سال 1355 شركت تيم ملي ايران در مسابقات كاراته قهرماني آسيا (اندونزي )

^سال 1356 شركت تيم ملي ايران در مسابقات كاراته قهرماني جهان (ژاپن )

^سال 1356 انحلال فدراسيون كاراته با توجه به كسب مقام سومي تيم ملي كاراته در مسابقات جهاني ژاپن(1977)

^سال 1356 تشكيل فدراسيون ورزشهاي رزمي و ادغام سه رشته كاراته ، جودو و تكواندو در يك فدراسيون

^رئيس :شهريار شفيق

^نائب رئيس : سرهنگ سرشار

^دبير : بهمن فكرت

^مسئول كاراته : محمد علي صنعت كاران

^وقوع  انقلاب اسلامي و پيروزي انقلاب

^تعويض مسئولين فدراسيون ورزشهاي رزمي

^رئيس :محمد مهر آئين

^نائب رئيس : محمد علي كيهان

^دبير : خسرو جهانگيري

^انحلال فدراسيون ورزشهاي رزمي و تشكيل سه فدراسيون كاراته ، تكواندو و جودو 1363

^رئيس :مهدوي

^نائب رئيس : مهرداد نخعي

^دبير : سيد ابراهيم خادميان ، فرهاد نيازي و محمد آرين خو

^تعويض مديريت فدراسيون كاراته 1364

^رئيس :مهدي محمدزاده

^نائب رئيس : هوشنگ سواديپور،علي جوهري

^دبير :هادي آرزم ، محمدعلي زماني

^تعويض مديريت فدراسيون كاراته 1368

^رئيس :حبيب الله ناظريان

^نائب رئيس : حميد زندي نژاد ، محمد علي مرداني ، ابراهيمي

^دبير : محمد علي مرداني ، حسن اسماعيلي ، علي رشيدي ، منصور صاحب الزماني ، علي سمندر زاويه و محسن آشوري

^1380 تعویض مدیریت جدید

^رئیس علی سمندر زاویه و دبیر محسن آشوری

^ودر حال حاضر رئیس فدراسیون کاراته جمهوری اسلامی آقای کتیرائی و دبیر آن اقای آشوری میباشد

^این مطلب در تاریخ تیر ماه 1387 تنظیم گردید

سبکهای کاراته در ایران

تلفن	نام سبك	نام و نام خانوادگي
8005213	وادوكاي	محمدباقر آقا ميري
7877257 لطيفي	كيوكوشين ماتسوشيما	محسن آشوري
6422520	كنتاكت كاراته	جواد آزاديان
5062544	شيتوريو- شيتوكاي	اكبراكرامي
7551514	هاياشي ها شيتوريو	مهدي ابرهيمي
8094502	شوتوكان SKI	منوچهر اصلانيان
8112224 احمدي	وادوريو	محمد بهبوي
2841003	داي دوجوكو	مجيد باغدارنيا
2072855	كيوكوشين بين المللي	احمد پورمحسني
	كوك سول وان	كوروش سروش
4307750	شيتوريو - كن شي كان	اسماعيل خادميان
5370954	كميته هان مودو	رضا خانيان
	شيتوريو ايران	ارسلان خزلي
7456510	تاپ كاراته	رضا رمضانزاده
سليمي 8886869	كان ذن ريو	جمشيد سليمي
40926-22	شوتوكان ايران	كيكاوس سعيدي
5802687	انشين	حميد سلطاني
7421665	شين ذن	محسن سلطاني زاده
7878761	كن شين كان	احمد شقاقي
8470196	سي دو كان	حسن شعفي
	هاپكيدو  GHF	سيدمهدي نژند
8786760	شوتوكان WSKF	احمد صافي
4474777-0311	شوتوكان J.K.A	محمدعلي صنعتكاران
2238490	نيوفول كنتاكت	اكبر طالعي
موسوي3359325 علمائي 3918117	كميته مساجد	حاج آقا علمائي
6217220	سي شين كاي	نصراله كاكاوند
8204908	گوجوريو- گوجوكاي	علي اكبرمحمدي بقاء
6923722	گوجوريو اوكيناوائي	سليمان مهديزاده
	فول كنتاكت
	شيتوريو-كوبه اوزاكا	محمدعلي مرداني
2278204 2573170	ايشين ريو	مهراد نخعي
3812757	آشي هارا	حسين نگيني
4802595	بو دوكاي	لطيف نبي زاده
2508023 7558081	كيوكوشين ماتسويي	مسعود همايونپور
	شيتوريو شوكوكاي يونيون	محمد متقيان نژاد
	شيتوريو سي شي كان	حسن بهزادي
	ایتوسوکای	عليرضا سمندر
	گوجوريو سي واكاي	ايرج تيمورنژاد
	هاپكيدو KHF	محمدرضا هاشم پور
	مدرن هاپكيدو	رضا ولي نژاد
09121472157	سعید فرد نورمحمد نیا	شوتوکان ساساکی
	علیرضا مختار پورنجمی	ایشین ریو اوکیناوایی
	امیر مهدوی	هانکوریو شیتوریو
	منوچهر حاجی محمدیان	شوتوکان ریوبوکای

 

ادامه مطلب

سوگند کاراته

راه راستین مبارزه را میپیمائیم

تا همواره حواس وروح خود را آماده نگهداریم

استاد فرهاد وارسته

استاد دکتر فرهاد وارسته بنیانگذار سبک کان ذن ریو کاراته دو

 Farhad Varasteh

Founder of Kan-Zen-Kai-Karate-Do Organization

شین ذن کاراته و کانچو یوسف شیرزاد

ا

استاد کانچو یوسف شیرزاد اولین نماینده رسمی سازمان جهانی کیوکوشین کاراته در ایران 

و بنیانگذار سبک شین ذن کارته 

KANCHO YOUSEF SHIRZAD(9th Dan)
 

Fonder of the International Shinzen Kai Karate Organization (ISKO)

Due to instability in the area where he lived, and to protect himself against danger, he, at the age of 12 (in 1962), started training wrestling and boxing.
When he turned 14 he started taking karate lessons with trainer Abutaleb Mashinchian.

In 1967 he met Dr. FARHAD VARASZEH (founder of Kan-Zen-Kai-Karate), and in 1972, at the age of 22 he graduated 1. Dan and recieved the black belt.
He then joined the National Karate team of Iran and had a lot of thoughts regarding the Asian Martial Arts.

In 1975 he met SOSAI MAZUTATZU OYAMA (founder of Kyokushin Kai Karate) and went on several occasions to Japan to train with him.
With the coaching assistance of his Trainer Sosai Oyama, he quickly became of the foremost athletes in his country.

After the demise of Sosai Oyamas, Kancho Yousef Shirzad founded the organisation ISKO, (International Shinzen Kai Karate Organisation).
Shinzen Kai Karate had been exercised since 1973 but the official work with the organisation didn`t begin until 10 days after the death of Sosai Oyamas May 6th 1994.

KANCHO YOUSEF SHIRZAD 9th Dan,
developed the Shinzen system from his own knowledge of Kyokushin Kai Karate and other Martial Arts systems like Kickboxing, Thaiboxing, Chinese boxing and traditionel Iranish fighting.

He recognised the importance of the Kata as an expression of a fight and that the reasons for passing on the Kata training were not just for Martial Arts tradition, but moreover a way to liberate the thoughts and to strengthen the mental balance.

The Katas contained a number of hand and foot-techniques combined with impressive jumps, and was named Tobino Kata.

Today Shinzen Kai Karate is trained in more than 30 countries worldwide.
OSU!

سوگند کاراته

همواره به عقل وقدرت می اندیشیم

وخواسته های دیگر را از خود میرانیم

زندگی استاد اویاما

"Karate, properly viewed, is

a way of perfecting character"

MAS OYAMA 1923-1994

Read the 11 Mottos of Mas Oyama

(Mas) Oyama, founder of kyokushin karate, may be the toughest martial artist of all time.

 

Oyama, was born Yong-I Choi, on July 27, 1923, in the tiny village of Wa-Ryongri Yong-chi Myonchul Na Do, in Southern Korea. His family, considered aristocrats, belonged to the Yangban-clan. His father, Sun Hyang, was the mayor of Kinje, a town near the village where Yong-I Choi was born. As a young child, nine years of age, Oyama began studying Southern Chinese Kempo under the instruction of Mr. Yi, an employee on the estate owned by Oyama's father. Oyama was also an avid reader and was deeply affected and moved after reading the biography of Otto von Bismark (1815-1898) the Prussian Chancellor (1871-1890) of the German empire. Bismark, Oyama read, was instrumental in unifying Germany in a span of only two to three years, making it a nation powerful enough to control most of Europe.

The philosophy of Bismark made such a strong impression on Oyama that he decided he wanted to be the Bismark of the Orient. With great aspirations Oyama somehow felt his destiny was in Japan and he left Korea at the age of fifteen. It was at this time in Japan the young Choi changed his name. He adopted the name Oyama from the family that befriended him and took him in, while in Japan.   

In 1938, at the young age of fifteen, Oyama wanted to serve the country he now called home and therefore joined Japan's Yamanashi Youth Air Force Academy with the intentions of becoming a pilot. In September of this same year, Oyama became a student of Gichin Funakoshi, Shotokan Karate founder, at the Takushoku University. Funakoshi, a school teacher from Okinawa, was credited with introducing karate to Japan. It is this man that Oyama later would refer to as his true karate teacher. Throughout the years Oyama always spoke highly of Funakoshi, remarking in later recollections of his gentle yet overwhelming presence. Oyama went on to say that of the many things he learned from Funakoshi, kata (formal exercises) was the most important. 

By the age of eighteen, Oyama had earned the rank of nidan in karate (second level black) rank. Oyama was still very much a patriot and was always volunteering for special military duty. On one assignment to an airfield near Tokyo, a confrontation provoked by an officer, resulted in Oyama striking the officer. Although found innocent, due to the provocation on the part of the officer, Oyama was ordered transferred to an area in the Pacific. However, the war was just ending and lucky for Oyama, the transfer was halted. But this luck had an ironic twist for Oyama because it also meant that his driving quest to serve his new country was now over. The announcement that Japan had surrendered WWII quickly ended Oyama’s military career. The stress of losing his career and the dishonor he felt for his adopted country losing the war created great - almost unbearable - stress in Oyama’s life. 

Oyama found someone Korean like himself by the name of Nei-Chu So. Not only was So Korean but he was also from the same province. Nei-Chi So was a practitioner of the Gojo-Ryu style of karate. Gogen Yamaguchi, nicknamed "The Cat", was carrying on goju-ryu, founded by Chojun Miyagi in 1930 in Japan. Yamaguchi commonly acknowledged that Nei-Chu So was one of his best students. Oyama quickly resumed his martial arts training under So and a strong bond was formed between the two. So, a great philosopher and strong in character, possessed even stronger spiritual convictions. Oyama would not only learn Goju-ryu from So, but would also be sanctified by him into the Buddhist faith of the Nichiren sect. It was So who inspired Oyama to make karate his life long dedication, propelling him to face his own challenges and develop his own achievements and victories. At the same time he began his training with So, Oyama earnestly took-up the practice of Judo as well. After four years of training, he received his yondan (fourth level black) ranking in Judo. 

Oyama liked to attend the local dance competitions in the area in order to socialize and relax after his martial arts training. It was at one such dance event that Oyama came to the aid of a female who was being accosted by a local troublemaker. When Oyama intervened, the troublemaker, a tall Japanese suspected of several homicides, became enraged and produced a knife. Taunting Oyama, the troublemaker made continuous slashing movements through the air in front of Oyama’s face with the knife then lunged towards Oyama. Oyama blocked the attack and delivered a forceful punch to the head of the assailant, killing him instantly. Because of eyewitness accounts of the incident, Oyama was ruled by the courts as justified in using self-defense. However, the impact of the tragedy devastated Oyama. To kill a man with a single blow was so overwhelming to Oyama that he decided to give up his martial arts training. Learning that the man he killed had a wife and children on a farm in the Kanto area near Tokyo, Oyama went to the farm and worked there for several months. He did not leave until the widow assured him that she was financially capable of maintaining the farm and that she did not hold Oyama responsible for the death of her husband. 

This became the turning point in Oyama’s life. His Goju-ryu instructor, Nei-Chu So advised him to go away, to train his body and soul and to give karate a chance to control his life. Oyama, lacking direction and a goal wondered if karate was a realistic goal. Would karate training give him the much-needed control of his physical strength as well as mental discipline? If karate would provide these traits, then he would have to give himself completely to the training. He realized it would be a long, hard journey. He was determined to succeed on this quest. 

In 1948 Mas Oyama, taking with him only his books and the basic necessities for cooking, began an arduous training regimen atop Mt. Minobu in Chiba Prefecture. Mt. Minobu is the same place where the famous seventeenth century samurai, Miyamoto Musashi, received inspiration for Nito Ryu, his celebrated double sword system. To Oyama, this was the ideal place to train and be inspired in the same tradition as his idol, Musashi. Of the books Oyama took with him on this journey, none were more important than the collection on Musashi, by Yoshikawa. For eighteen months, isolated in the mountains, Oyama tested himself against nature’s elements with such scenarios as training and meditating under icy waterfalls, performing countless jumps over bushes and boulders and using trees and rocks as makiwaras (striking aide, see photo below) to condition his hands, feet and legs.

He would begin training at five in the morning, running up the steep slopes. Using large rocks as weights, he would lift them hundreds of times to increase his strength. In addition, he performed kata a minimum of one hundred times each day as well as hundreds upon thousands of repetitions of kihons (basic techniques), continuously pushing himself to the limits of human endurance. At the conclusion of his daily training, he would read various Buddhist writings and sit in zazen and meditate. It was also at this time that Oyama began to contemplate the idea of the circle and point for his karate. He also began visualizing himself defeating a bull with his bare hands. If he could get strong enough and powerful enough that he was able to defeat a bull with his karate, he would become famous. But it wasn’t fame he was after. The fame, he thought, would be a tool. If he could attract interest from others, he could enlighten them on the strengths and virtues of karate and he would succeed not only in his goal of mastering karate, but of instructing others in the way of karate as well.

After eighteen months of solitude, Oyama returned from the mountains. Shortly after his return from the mountain training, the first karate tournament since the end of World War II, was held in Japan. Oyama competed in this All Japan Karate Tournament held at the Maruyama Kaikan in Kyoto and emerged victorious - the tournament’s first champion. But Oyama was an intense young man and still was not satisfied with his achievement. He still felt that something was lacking in his martial arts and that he had not truly reached his full potential. Oyama returned to the mountains for another year of gruelling fourteen-hour training days. To this day, there is no other person who has undertaken such a training regimen within the martial arts. After this final isolation and training period, Oyama returned to civilization ready to apply all that he had learned. It was at this time Oyama decided to apply his karate expertise in a life and death battle - a conflict that would set man against beast. 
Mas Oyama, in order to show the strength of his karate, tested his strength by fighting raging bulls bare-handed. It was a mismatch from the get-go for the bulls, not for Oyama. In all, he fought 52 bulls, three of which were killed instantly, and 49 had their horns taken off with knife hand blows. That it is not to say that it was all that easy for him. Oyama was fond of remembering that his first attempt just resulted in an angry bull. In 1957, at the age of 34, he was nearly killed in Mexico when a bull got some of his own back and gored him. Oyama somehow managed to pull the bull off and break off his horn. He was bedridden for 6 months while he recovered from the usually fatal wound. Today of course, the animal rights groups would have something to say about these demonstrations, despite the fact that the animals were all destined for slaughter.  

In 1952, he travelled the United States for a year, demonstrating his karate live and on national television. During subsequent years, he took on all challengers, resulting in fights with 270 different people. The vast majority of these were defeated with one punch! A fight never lasted more than three minutes, and most rarely lasted more than a few seconds. His fighting principle was simple — if he got through to you, that was it.
If he hit you, you broke. If you blocked a rib punch, you arm was broken or dislocated. If you didn't block, your rib was broken. He became known as the Godhand, a living manifestation of the Japanese warriors' maxim Ichi geki, Hissatsu or "One strike, certain death". To him, this was the true aim of technique in karate. The fancy footwork and intricate techniques were secondary (though he was also known for the power of his head kicks). 

These life and death struggles brought notoriety to Oyama. Oyama used this notoriety to help establish his Kyokushin organization. Oyama's reputation grew with each bullfight and each challenge match, as he defeated wrestlers, boxers and judo stylists alike in no-holds-barred bouts. He was an equal-opportunity fighter, taking on any man from any combat system who wished to challenge him. For nearly fifty years, fifteen million plus members of Oyama's worldwide Kyokushin Karate organization witnessed this man's incredible feats. Whether from the power of his strikes, the strength of his handshake, his remarkable teachings or through the teachings of the instructors and branch chiefs that Oyama produced, everyone associated with him knew that this esoteric name was not inappropriate.  Oyama was a living legend until he passed away April 26, 1994, at the age of 71. He could fight and defeat a bull or another man with little problem; they were tangible opponents that appeared before him. But lung cancer was a hidden enemy, sneaking around inside Oyama's body and tearing it asunder day by day. He couldn't beat the disease with his fists or his feet. Nor could he devise a strategy to ward it off. For years, the cancer ate away at his insides without him even knowing it was there.  His death was met with sadness in not only kyokushin circles, but the rest of the martial arts community as well.

استاد کانازاوا

استاد کانازوا رئیس انجمن جهانی شوتوکان

HIROKAZU KANAZAWA , SHIHAN, (10th Dan)

One of the world's most renowned and respected traditional karate masters alive, Kanazawa Shihan is the only karateka ever to have won the notorious ‘All Japan Karate Championships’ an incredible three times in a row. On one occasion he won the finals while nursing a broken wrist from an earlier event. In recent years, his eldest son, Nobuaki, has preserved the family reputation by winning the current All Japan Championships.

Although Kanazawa is now a dedicated Karateist he started out originally as a Judoist. While in high school he held the 2nd Degree rank. After graduation he enrolled at Nippon University. One day, however, he happened to see students from another university practicing Karate. Impressed by their skills, he decided immediately to learn this art of self defense. The students he had seen were from Takushoku University which, at that time, was the most active in Karate participation, and his desire to learn Karate was so strong that he switched to Takushoku.

Kanazawa soon became the protege of the late headmaster of the Shotokan style, Matsatoshi Nakayama (10th Dan) and is one of the few remaining karateka privileged to have studied under Master Gichin Funakoshi.

It took Kanazawa one and one half years of disciplined training to attain the 1st Degree rank After three years he gained the 2nd Degree rank and passed the other members of the club who had started before him. 

In 1956 he passed the exam for 3rd Degree rank and also passed the instructor's exam. The first All-Japan Karate Tournament was held in Tokyo in 1957. Kanazawa's right hand had been broken at this time, and he was not going to participate. His mother, however, had come in from the country to watch him, and not wanting to disappoint her, he decided to enter in at least one match. A doctor had to follow him around to check on the injured hand and make sure it had not been aggravated in any way after each match. Using his left hand to fake and block and saving his bandaged right hand for the precise moment, he won all matches on clear one-point blows.

Kanazawa has sustained many injuries. He has had two broken hands, broken fingers, an injured shoulder and spine, and has had to have stitches over his right eye and right ear. He is quick to point out that these injuries were his own fault.

In addition to Kanazawa Shihan’s mastery of karate-do and expertise with various traditional weaponry, he also has a very extensive knowledge of Chinese art of Tai-Chi, having studied it to its conclusion under professor Wong for more than thirty years. 

Currently, Kanazawa Shihan is both Chairman and World Chief Instructor of the world's largest Shotokan Karate organisation, the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation, with in excess of two and a half million members worldwide, in one hundred and  three countries (at the last count). In April 2000, while attending the 7th S.K.I.F. World Championships in Bali, Shihan Kanazawa was promoted to the grade of 10th Dan. He is currently the only living Shotokan Master to hold the grade of 10th Dan. Although having such a formidable pedigree and being accorded legendary status, Kanazawa Shihan is also extremely charismatic but easily approachable. Being a natural teacher and communicator, he chooses to spend individual time with as many of his students as possible. Demand for his services, worldwide, is on the increase and his schedule is extremely intense.

 

Master Kanazawa speaks for his Art (Excerpted from 4 different interviews)

"The most important points of my teaching are breathing, movement and timing. But breathing is first.... the first thing we do in this world is to breathe and, you know, even today, 90% of people do not know how to breathe correctly. If the breathing is wrong, your body will go wring - your mind will be wrong also - there is a very strong connection. You control your spirit with your breathing and we should always be thinking and trying to learn more about this most vital aspect - it is the very core of life.

With time and thought, I have come to an appreciation that winning can be done with using only 60% of your power - 100% is not necessary if you have good waza (technique) - just enough is sufficient! Whereas before I would try to use all of my power to accomplish something, now I try to use only 60% and rest the other 40%. To simplify, if I use 60% correctly and I also use 40% of my opponent's power against him, the total is still 100% and the combination will result in more damage to him. I must say that my Tai-chi training and studies have greatly influenced my personal style of karate.

I have been accused of changing the Kata but there have always been differences in the performance of Kata. Not only the obvious style differences in the various ryu(schools), like when the same Kata is performed by the Shotokan, the Shitoryu and the Wadoryu, but also minor differences from how you interpret the move and also from your age and physical capabilities. In the Kata, Nijushiho,two side thrust kicks are performed ... a twenty year old may have no difficulty performing them but forty years later . . . how will it be then? The same technique cannot be expected of a sixty year old -rather he should just lift the leg, as the kick was originally done. Likewise, I have sometimes taught a roundhouse kick in the Kata 'Enpi'.I did this because no other Kata contains a standing roundhouse kick. I felt that the addition of this kick was beneficial - yet it did not change the basic concept of the kata.

I have developed several new techniques. One example is my tsuki - this, I believe, has developed considerably since my younger days, but it happed sub-consciously - I mean. I was not thinking about it, it just automatically developed. I now have a double focus (kime) . . . physical focus first, then a speed focus, which gives a lot more shock. I did not realize what l was doing until it was pointed out to me by a very famous teacher in Japan, Mr. Matsuda Ryuchi, an authority on Chinese martial arts. He visited many karate H.Q's. in Japan and he wrote, in his observations that only two people had impressed him on his trouble- a Mr. lwai, lwai, a Goju-ryu and Wado-ryu sensei and myself. He told me that my punch was from Chinese Kempo, but I was unaware of that fact.

The standard of karate is universally high and the level is now equal worldwide. Unfortunately, there is one important aspect that has not developed along with the physical abilities and that is the philosophy of karate - this is a very neglected part of karate and this neglect is true not only in the West but also in Japan.

I dislike and disagree with the trend that karate is viewed as (and indeed has virtually become)  merely a sport in many people's eyes. The karate of the J K.A. (Kanazawa was formerly Chief Instructor of' the International Section of the J.K.A. Editor) has become a very hard karate - based essentially on competitive fighting. In such an environment, there is a tendency to practice only that which works in competitions and forget the rest. So it is a karate of force and therefore it becomes more and more elitist, suitable only for a particular group of karate-ka - the young, strong men. That is a contradiction of my basic idea, which is karate for all and for all your life.

My philosophy is that I try always to be true to myself and to others ... I can say that I fear nothing - not even death, and this I do not say in a big-headed or conceited way. My meaning is that I always try my best in everything I do, so I will be satisfied when I do die - I think the reason that people fear death is because they want to do and accomplish so many other things that are still undone . . . they always want to do more.
Also, I truly believe that life continues after physical death - all life continues ... life is a circle.

In the art of Karate, the basic forms and movements are practiced without any opponent. By just imagining the opponent a Karateist can fulfil every form practiced. It is very important therefore that while practicing, the Karateist put his whole heart, soul and mind into the form. Then the purpose of defeating an opponent becomes complete, for all of these cannot be done at random. A person may study Karate for years, but if he is only moving his hands and feet he will not be able to understand the true meaning of Karate. 

In sparring, a Karateist should concentrate his heart, mind and soul into the art. Concentration plays an extremely important part in sparring. It is so important that the slightest distortion in thinking can cause serious injury to the opponent or yourself . Therefore sparring should be done with the utmost seriousness. 

Karate is a good teacher and builder of character. For a Karateist who goes through the ups and downs of training, it will help him to control himself in whatever else he does, and through patience he will be able to build up his personality and create a harmonious character. But he can only realize this within himself and gradually discover the real spirit of Karate. 
Karate, through its physical and spiritual training and rigid principles, has taught me to control myself. I am confident that in no matter what kind of situation I am in, I would not carelessly use Karate to defend myself. One must always be in a defensive attitude and avoid entanglements for Karate seeks no advantage. In Karate you start with defense and end with defense." 

بروس لی

BRUCE LEE - A Legend's Biography

   

 

More topics:	Was Bruce Lee a fake master?	Yip Man	Jeet Kune Do
	Bruce Lee’s most famous quotes	Wing Tsun	Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris

by Robert Ciapparelli

According to the Chinese calendar, 1940 was the Year of the Dragon. A Cantonese film actor named Lee Hoi Chun was performing in San Francisco accompanied by his pregnant wife Grace. By November, Grace had gone into labour and was taken to hospital, but her husband continued on to New York to perform there. On the 27th of November, 1940, at the Jackson Street hospital, Grace gave birth to a baby boy. He was named Lee Jun Fan, which meant "To Return Again". The child would return to his place of birth someday. The doctor attending the arrival gave the child the English name Bruce... And the legend was born !!

At the age of 6, Bruce started to appear in numerous Chinese films. His first film was called "A beginning of a boy." As he made more films it was decided that he should star in a film with his father. The film was called "My Son Ah Cheun". Bruce had a bigger role than his father. In each film he played a problem child, always stealing and fighting. He made at least 20 of these Cantonese films including "Black Boy Jungle" and "Boys on the Street". 

When Bruce was 14, he got beaten up in a street fight. So, after discussing the matter with his mother he decided to learn martial arts and develop his physique and self defense abilities.
Most people think that Bruce was born muscular. It was actually totally the opposite; he was always rather frail as a child and never ate well even when he returned to the U.S in 1958. Only through constant training and proper eating did he build himself up into the super-human physical specimen that he was to become. Bruce was never to lose a single fight ever again!!

Although his father had him wielding a sword at 6, his first REAL teacher was the Wing Chun master, Sifu Yip Man. Bruce became obsessed with the whole concept of Wing Chun and soon became very good. One of the Wing Chun training methods was the wooden dummy - A training device which builds both speed and focus. Another one of his teachers was Siu Hon Sung, a kung fu expert. Bruce had been learning Cha Cha dancing and offered to trade his knowledge of it for some of his kung fu lessons. It would normally take 3 weeks to learn 30 kung fu moves, but Bruce mastered them in only 3 nights. Siu Hon Sung never did learn any Cha Cha!
In 1958 Bruce became the Hong Kong Cha Cha champion. He then made 2 more Cantonese films, "The Orphan" and "Thunderstorm". Thunderstorm is the only film where he didn't have a single fight, although there are certain confrontations.

Bruce, fighting Dan Inosanto in "Game of Death".

As time passed, Bruce would fight in the streets trying to see just how good he was. Eventually the police warned his mother Grace, that if it didn`t stop, Bruce would be Arrested. So in April 1958, his father gave him $100 US and sent him to San Francisco (his place of birth) with the hope that Bruce would change and become more responsible.
He boarded a boat and left. He made a little more money on the way there giving Cha Cha lessons to his fellow passengers.

In San Francisco Bruce lived with his fathers friend, Ruby Chow, who owned a restaurant. Bruce worked in the restaurant while living in the attic.
After he  finished High School, he was still constantly training and developing his skill in the martial arts. For Bruce it wasn't enough to be just a good martial artist, he had to be the BEST.

Bruce grew tired of the restaurant and headed for Seattle to study Philosophy at the University of Washington.
In 1959, he met a fellow Asian called Taki Kimura. He was twice Bruce's age and had suffered many years of racial abuse. Bruce persuaded him to take pride in his Asian identity and taught him martial arts. Another student was Roy Hollingsworth. Eventually they suggested that he open a school to make money.

In Hong Kong, kung fu was a secret Chinese weapon and was never taught to any non-Chinese person, but Bruce welcomed ANYONE who was interested in learning what he had to teach. In his opinion the Chinese people were not the only worthy persons to learn this great art, and so he broke the racial barriers that had been forged over time!!

In 1961 while teaching some fellow university students Bruce met a young girl called Linda Emery. They soon fell in love and got married... Later, their son Brandon was born, followed a couple of years later by Shannon.

In 1963, Bruce wrote a book called "Chinese Kung Fu". It was incredibly detailed with precise drawings.

In 1964, at a Karate tournament hosted by Ed Parker, Bruce demonstrated his abilities to a large audience... At Long Beach, with Taki Kimura as his assistant, he showed off his 2 finger press ups and his legendary one inch punch.
A noted television producer who was really impressed by Bruce's intensity and focus approached him and a screen test was arranged. This lead to his playing the role of Kato in the Green Hornet series which was filmed in 1965.
While filming this series, Bruce left Taki Kimura in charge of his kung fu school. Although the Green Hornet never really took off, it lasted for 30 half hour episodes. Bruce, surprisingly, as Kato became more popular than the main star, especially in Hong Kong.
In the documentary "Bruce Lee: The Martial Arts Master" Van Williams who was the main star of the Green Hornet recalls how Bruce used to run around the set practicing his kicks. "He would jump up and tap you on the ear with his foot, but this stopped when one of the extras turned around and got his jaw dislocated". During filming Bruce liked to work in close to improve the fight scenes, but he also injured quite a few stuntmen by doing this. The producers found it pretty hard to find stuntmen in the end. Bruce had to slow his movements down because on film, he was practically a blur and you couldn't see what he was doing properly!!

After the Green Hornet, Bruce opened up another kung fu school called "Lee Jun Fan, Gung fu institute". This is where he learned to use the nunchaku`s from fellow student Danny Inosanto. Here he taught actors like James Coburn, Steve McQueen and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He had now become so popular that he could charge up to $300 US an hour for instruction.

This was also the place where he created his own technique of Jeet Kune Do, which means (The Way of the Intercepting Fist). He thought it would be better to intercept and attack, rather than blocking and then attacking.
Bruce believed intercepting an attack would be a lot faster than blocking and then attacking as the latter was comprised of two separate movements.

In 1967, Bruce starred in "A Man Called Ironside", as a martial arts instructor, Bruce always did his own stunts as well. He then filmed 12 episodes of "Longstreet", a short series where he teaches a guy his new Jeet Kune Do technique. This was a great idea that would let Bruce show the world his new technique.
He became more and more interested in making a Hollywood movie and wanted to make more money than Steve McQueen per film... This Bruce eventually did achieve!!

In 1970, Bruce realized after the advice of one of his students (James Coburn), that his immediate film career was to be in Hong Kong.
When appearing on a TV show, he broke 4 out of 5 one inch thick boards, and one dangling piece as well (Breaking a dangling one inch piece of wood is an amazing feat).
This was seen by TV producer Raymond Chow who had just opened up Golden Harvest studios. He offered Bruce a two picture deal and they flew off to Thailand to film "The Big Boss". During filming, one of the Thais thought that the fight co-ordinator was faster than Bruce, 5 minutes later... he changed his mind!!!
Another thing that surprised the cast was Bruce opening a bottle of drink with one thumb (The kind that normally needs a can opener). The movie became a smash hit, breaking all known box office records. He then flew to Shanghai and filmed "Fist of Fury". Raymond Chow told Bruce that he would play a bigger part in producing it than in his last film. This once again broke all the box office records, including the ones from "The Big Boss".

By now Bruce had become a national hero and started up his own company called "Concord Productions" and decided that he would write, direct and star in his next film. He went to Europe location hunting, finally deciding on Rome. He brought in 3 top martial artists, Bob Wall, Whong In Sik and Chuck Norris, who he would fight at the end of the film. The result was another sellout; police had to arrive to halt the traffic jams and big crowds.

All 3 of these films had Bruce arriving in a strange town, not knowing his potential enemies. In "The Big Boss", he was in Thailand working at an ice factory with his cousins. In "Fist of Fury", he had come to Shanghai to attend his teacher's funeral, finding his school abused and insulted by the local Japanese school. In "Way of the Dragon" he comes to Rome to help out at a friend's restaurant, which is being hassled by a protection racket. Also the enemies were never Chinese, always foreigners like the Thais, Japanese, Europeans and Americans. Even when there was the odd bad Chinese guy, it's clearly pointed out that they're just misguided pawns of a foreign boss.

Bruce would often be challenged by the extras, but he was never actually defeated, apart from the time when he was 14. Bruce didn't drink, so the characters he played didn't drink either. He always showed himself like he was in real life. "The Way of the Dragon" is the best example of Bruce in real life. In the only bedroom scene he ever filmed in "The Big Boss", a prostitute gets him drunk and takes him back to her place, only to watch him then fall asleep. He would also show off his ability to play all kinds of different characters. In "Fist of Fury" he dresses up as an old newspaper guy as well as a telephone repair man.

Bruce, James Coburn and Stirling Silliphant had been trying to put together a project to be called "Silent Flute". 20th Century Fox agreed to do it, but on a tiny budget and providing that it could be shot in India. They spent weeks location hunting there and finally decided it was a waste of time. In Nepal Bruce saw a Bigota (Tall Tower). This gave him the idea for "Game of Death". Bruce only filmed 1/3 of this film before being interrupted to film the eventual Hollywood smash hit "Enter the Dragon".
"Game of Death" was completed in 1978 after Bruce`s death. The story line is changed and Bruce only appears for 10 minutes at the end. This is footage from the Tower version, which he had intended. The first 95% of the film is NOT the missing scenes!!

"Enter the Dragon" was the 1st time a U.S and Hong Kong film company had come together to make a film. This was the film that brought Bruce world wide fame and made him the world`s first Asian superstar. The big fight scene at the end took 7 days to film, it was during this that an extra challenged Bruce in real life. He wanted to experience Bruce`s Jeet Kune Do. Bruce drew a circle on the floor and told him that he had 3 punches to knock him out of it. The extra couldn`t do it, so Bruce told him, "OK my turn". He pointed to his shoulder blade and said "I`m going to hit you right here, are you ready?" The guy said "What do you mean, am I ready?" Before he could say anything, his teeth started falling out of his mouth. Bruce was just SO fast. Another extra challenged him. They sparred for a bit, then the guy got kicked in the head...and that was enough.
The mirror scene took hours to set up, getting the mirrors in the perfect place, so they didn't reflect any cameras. People would argue over whose job it was to do stuff; this is where Bruce came in... The Chinese would die for him. Eventually the film was completed.

During the time of filming "Game of Death", Bruce had been working with some new character ideas. They would have wielded weapons, like swords and long knives. On the documentary "The Legend" you can see photos of at least 4 of these characters. One of them is a blind swordsman, his version of a character called Zatawichi. (A popular Japanese film at that time). Unforunately we`ll never see Bruce in these roles, but it is interesting to think about the kind of sword films Bruce could have produced.

On the 10th May 1973, the trouble for Bruce Lee had begun. While dubbing the sound effects for "Enter the Dragon", he passed out for a whole half an hour. He went to the hospital, and was prescribed the drug Manatol. It was used to reduce an apparent brain swelling.

On July 20th 1973, Bruce had arranged to meet Raymond Chow along with actress Betty Ting Pei who would star in "Game of Death". He stopped off at Betty`s house and told her that he had a headache. She gave him an Aquagesic (a painkiller that she regularly used ). Bruce laid down in her bed and went to sleep. During his sleep, the brain swelling returned and triggered an allergy to the painkiller called a cerebral edema.
Later Betty tried to wake him but couldn't. Panicking, she called Raymond Chow, who came over and called the doctor. Bruce was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth hospital, barely alive. The ambulance crew was fighting to resuscitate him, but Bruce was pronounced "dead on arrival".

As the news spread across the world, people talked about nothing else, refusing to believe it. Bruce had two funerals, one in Hong Kong and one in the U.S. Over 27,000 people attended his funeral, few could hide their grief. People were just breaking down and crying when they saw him in the open coffin. A banner was placed amongst the many tributes reading "A star sinks in a Sea of Art".
When the press found out that Bruce had died at Betty`s house, they were quick to speculate that Bruce had died while they were having sex. To this day vicious rumours are still spread across the world. At the airport, Linda broke her silence and told Hong Kong to drop it and that she blamed nobody, and that Bruce had died of natural causes.
His funeral in Seattle was attended by all his friends, family and former students. James Coburn and Steve McQueen acted as pallbearers. Should you wish to watch the funeral, you can find it on the documentary (Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend). Finally on  July 31st, 1973, Bruce was laid to rest in Seattle at the Lake View Cemetary.
His and Brandon's graves are regularly visited by people from all over the world. There are ALWAYS fresh flowers on their graves each day. Some day, I too will place mine there and pay my respect to my  favourite person in the whole world.
 

Soon after the funeral, as the wild rumours continued, the autopsy results were that Bruce had died of a cerebral adema in reaction to the painkiller that he had taken... The result was death by misadventure. For years Betty Ting Pei had kept quiet, ignoring the insults thrown at her until in 1983 when she first broke her silence on a TV show and told the world that she would never have done anything to hurt Bruce as he was a very good friend. But the rumours are STILL going on. Some I've heard are that a Chinese mafia gang arranged his death, who supposedly had control over all of the Chinese actors. Another says that he'd been killed by Shaolin monks for teaching the secrets to the outsiders. Another rumour is the curse. Bruce supposedly was haunted by personal demons. He had premonitions that he would die at half his father's age of 64 (which he did at 32). Also a protector of evil blew off his roof to warn away evil spirits. The same thing happened to the previous occupants of his house and disaster had befallen them. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's basketball number was 33, Bruce would have been 33 that year in November... The rumours just go on. Personaly I believe in the cerebral edema; the swelling was brought on by great stress over work, Bruce practically wore himself out to a disappointingly early grave.

In 1978, the producers of "Enter the Dragon" decided to finish "Game of Death" as a tribute to him. In my opinion, they'd have been better off to show us the entire 30 minutes of the REAL version. The first 95% is not the MISSING scenes but a crappy changed storyline.

To this day many Bruce Lee Imitators have tried to be just like him, but have all just faded. Maybe a star like Jackie Chan can rise to the limits, but even Jackie Chan doesn`t claim to be the new Bruce Lee. There will never be a NEW Bruce Lee.

This is Bruce Lee...... The Legend !!!

About the author: Robert Ciapparelli is a JKD Unlimited practitioner and studies under Sifu Morne Swanepoel in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is dedicated to the pursuit of complete martial freedom, as well as to enhancing his unlimited potential within the realms of combat and beyond. He can be contacted via his website http://wulijkd.50megs.com/ 

More topics:	Was Bruce Lee a fake master?	Yip Man	Jeet Kune Do
	Bruce Lee’s most famous quotes	Wing Tsun	Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris

استاد ئیپ من

GRANDMASTER YIP MAN

by Robert Ciapparelli

http://wulijkd.50megs.com/

 

Grandmaster Yip Man working the wooden dummy.

 

 

Grandmaster Yip Man spent his whole life as champion of the cause of Wing Chun Kung Fu. He was responsible for advancing Wing Chun Kung Fu to its eminence today. Yip Man was the first Sifu ever to open a Wing Chun school accessible to the general public.
Yip Man began with his training under Chan Wah Soon, the first of three Wing Chun masters to instruct him. He started his training at a very young age. Chan accepted him as both his youngest and his final student. Yip trained under Chan until Chan's death in 1905, thereafter continuing his Wing Chun with Ng Chung So, one of Chan's top disciples. After two more years of study, Yip left Fatshan for Hong Kong and enrolled in St. Stephen's College at Stanley to pursue an academic education.

While enrolled at St. Stephen's, a classmate, hearing of Yip's training in kung fu, dared him to challenge an old kung fu practitioner living on a boat anchored in Hong Kong Bay. Yip accepted the dare and duly sought out and challenged the old man. The old man accepted his challenge and, despite Yip's growing reputation as an unmatched fighter, beat him handily. Only after his defeat did Yip discover that the old man was actually master Leung Bik, a direct descendant of the original Wing Chun lineage reaching back to Wing Chun herself. After the melee, Leung took Yip as his only student in the art and advanced his Wing Chun even further, both expanding his theoretical grounding in the art and refining his technique.

Yip returned to Fashan at age 24 and found a position as the Captain of the Local Police Patrols of Namhoi. Yip worked as a law enforcement officer for several years, teaching Wing Chun in his spare time, but always, in accordance with Wing Chun tradition, restricting his lessons to a just a few carefully selected students.
Yip continued in this manner until China succumbed to the Communist revolution in 1949. Historical accounts seem to concur that Yip felt forced to flee mainland China and return to British-occupied Hong Kong as a consequence of the communist uprising. In any case, Yip at the age of 54 abandoned his family home and fortune to seek sanctuary off shore.
Reaching Hong Kong alone and destitute, facing certain poverty, Yip Man quickly fell back on his martial arts expertise to earn a living. He decided to break with the Wing Chun tradition of limiting instruction to a select few and opened a public Wing Chun school in the union hall building for restaurant workers.

However Yip Man established his teaching practice in Hong Kong, he managed to create with it the seeds of a martial arts revolution that, through the efforts of some of those he taught, would take root in countries spanning the world. Though Yip Man himself never taught outside the Chinese sphere of influence, his disciples carried his Wing Chun around the globe. Bruce Lee was one of them.
Perhaps no other name is spoken in Wing Chun circles with greater reverence than that of Grandmaster Yip Man. A teacher of the art until his death in 1972, Yip Man is often credited with moving Wing Chun from an obscure fighting system known only in China to a world-renowned style of kung fu studied by thousands.
 

Grandmaster Yip Man in action !!

In this short demonstration the real "simplicity" of Wing Chun Kung Fu is shown. Towards the end of the sequence of movements note how Grandmaster Yip Man is able to trap both of his opponents hands rendering him helpless. He then follows up with a side-palm strike to the neck.

 

About the author: Robert Ciapparelli is a JKD Unlimited practitioner and studies under Sifu Morne Swanepoel in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is dedicated to the pursuit of complete martial freedom, as well as to enhancing his unlimited potential within the realms of combat and beyond. He can be contacted via his website http://wulijkd.50megs.com/

استاد گی چین فونا کوشی

Master Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of modern karate-do.

(1868-1957)

If there is one man who could be credited with popularizing karate, it is Gichin Funakoshi. Funakoshi was born in 1868 in Shuri, then the capital city of the island of Okinawa. He started practicing karate while in primary school but didn't begin his mission of spreading it to the outside world until he was 53. 
Funakoshi was born into a well-to-do family of scholars in Shuri, Okinawa, in 1868. His grandfather had been a tutor for the daughters of the village governor, and had been given a small estate and "privileged family" status in return. Gichin's father, however, was a heavy drinker, and squandered most of the family's wealth, so young Funakoshi grew up in a home that could provide very few luxuries. 

As a teenager, Funakoshi was sickly and weak. Fortunately, when he finally started primary school, he happened to be in the same class as the son of Yasutsune Azato, a renowned karate master who had served as a military chief for the king of the Ryukyu Islands. Azato took Funakoshi on as his only student, teaching him late at night because of laws which forbid the teaching or practicing of karate. 
It was from Azato and Azato's close friend Yasutsune Itosu that Funakoshi learned most of his martial arts. From childhood until he left for Tokyo in 1921, Funakoshi studied diligently from these two masters, learning not only shuri-te karate, but Chinese classical literature and poetry. He also spent a short time studying under Itosu's master, shuri-te founder Sokon Matsumura.

Funakoshi took a job as an assistant schoolteacher in 1888 at the age of 21, and also took a wife about the same time. He supported his wife, his parents and his grandparents on a salary of about three dollars a month. His wife, also karate adept, encouraged Funakoshi to continue practicing. In addition, she took a job working in the fields during the day and then wove fabrics at night to help make ends meet. 
In 1901, karate practice was legalized in Okinawa, and its study became mandatory in middle schools. Securing permission from Azato and Itosu, Funakoshi announced that he would begin formally teaching karate. He was 33 years old. 

There are many stories about Funakoshi's exploits as a youth. One thing is certain: he found more honor in avoiding a fight than in starting one, and he believed there was more courage in fleeing a confrontation than in defeating an enemy. He claimed to have only used his karate against another person one time, during World War II. A thief tried to attack him, but Funakoshi stepped out of the way and grabbed the man's testicles. He held the man in that position until a constable passed by. Although Funakoshi had not started the altercation, he later revealed that he always felt shame about that day because he had not avoided the confrontation. 

It was that "true spirit of karate" that Funakoshi spent his entire life trying to achieve. Mas Oyama, who later created kyoku shinkai karate, once trained under Funakoshi, but quit because Funakoshi's karate was "too slow" and seemed more like a lesson in etiquette and discipline. But this was how Funakoshi wanted it. He taught that karate should not be used for self defense-even as a last resort-because once karate was used, the conflict became a matter of life or death, and somebody was going to get injured. Funakoshi always remembered the proverb Soken Matsumura taught him: "When two tigers fight, one is bound to be hurt. The other will be dead." 

Funakoshi became so skillful at karate that he was chosen to teach it to the reigning King of Okinawa. Before Funakoshi left the island, he had already risen to the position of chairman of Shobukai, the martial arts association of Okinawa. 
In May 1922, the Japan Education Ministry organized the first All Japan Athletic Exhibition of Ochanomizu in Tokyo. Wanting the event to be as comprehensive as possible, the ministry decided to include karate. As the province's leading practitioner, Funakoshi was the obvious choice. The Japanese budomen, tremendously impressed by karate, immediately set out to persuade Funakoshi to stay and teach the dynamic martial art to Japanese youth. He accepted the project with vigor, because he harbored a secret desire to see karate proliferate as kendo and judo had. 

The arrival of Gichin Funakoshi was inauspicious, to say the least, and no one seriously expected anything to come of his visit to Japan. At 51, the mild-mannered high school teacher from Naha was already well past his prime. But how were they to know that Gichin Funakoshi was destined to become the Father of Japanese Karate and would set in motion the forces of a little-known martial art which would one day sweep the world? 

Funakoshi karate was well received by the Japanese, and judo founder Jigoro Kano asked for private lessons on basic karate kata (forms). Funakoshi taught Kano for several months and then arranged to return to Okinawa. Before he could leave, however, Hoan Kosugi, a popular artist of that time, asked Funakoshi to teach both him and his fellow artists karate, because there was no one else in the area who could. It was then Funakoshi realized that, if he were to spread karate throughout Japan, Tokyo was the place to do it. 


Judo founder Jigoro Kano was so impressed with Gichin Funakoshi's karate that he asked for, and received, private karate lessons from Funakoshi for several months. 
Taking up residence at a dormitory for Okinawan students at Keio University, Funakoshi began teaching karate in the dorm's lecture hall. 

Funakoshi became a subject of some controversy only a few years after relocating to Tokyo. For centuries, karate had been written two different ways in Japanese. One way used the characters for "Chinese hands," and the other used the characters for "empty hands." Although both were pronounced "karate," they were written differently. Funakoshi agreed with the obvious historical allusion in the "Chinese hands" characters, but he felt that the use of "empty hands" not only emphasized the art of self-defense without weapons, but also characterized the sense of emptying one's heart and mind of earthly desires and vanity. When he wrote his first book, Ryukyu Kempo: Karate, in 1922, he used the "empty hands" characters exclusively. 
Funakoshi is credited with standardizing the writing of karate, a feat which, though angering several martial arts masters at the time, met with eventual universal approval. 

In 1923, a massive earthquake shook Japan, and Tokyo was razed in the ensuing fire. Although the dormitory Funakoshi called home and still taught out of was spared, many of his students died or disappeared. For a short time he suspended his instruction and spent the next several months assisting in the massive cleanup. 
Funakoshi's next major task was the creation of an all-new dojo (training hall). Because he had a difficult time raising funds, the building was not started until 1935. A year later, the world's first freestanding karate dojo was completed. Funakoshi named the school "shotokan" (the house of Shoto) after the pen name he used when writing poetry. When he stepped through the doors for the first time, he was almost 70 years old. 
As he became increasingly busy with his dojo, Funakoshi began handing over his teaching assignments at the various universities to his students. He still conducted demonstrations, however, including regular performances before Emperor Hirohito, who invited him to the Imperial Palace on an annual basis. 
The United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, and times grew hard in Japan. Funakoshi's third son, Gigo, who was supposed to inherit his father's school, died of tuberculosis in 1945. A few months later, Funakoshi's dojo was destroyed by Allied bombers. In that same year, the battle for Okinawa began in earnest, and many people fled to the island of Kyushu, including Funakoshi's wife, who had remained in Shuri during his residence in Tokyo. The couple were reunited at a refugee camp on Kyushu, and Funakoshi stayed with his wife until her death in 1947. He then boarded a train for Tokyo to start all over again. 

More than just the buildings had been demolished in Japan during the war; national spirit had been eroded as well. The occupying forces disallowed martial arts instruction. Fortunately, because of Funakoshi's association with the Ministry of Education, karate was classified as physical education, not a martial art. He therefore began teaching again, and within a few years was drawing martial artists from other disciplines, all of whom were longing for a place to practice. Included among these new recruits were American servicemen, who were amazed at this form of exercise. For every GI who returned to the United States with a karate tale, Funakoshi received two more letters from Americans who wished to become students. 
Funakoshi, approaching his mid-80s, found a new task. He had spread karate throughout Japan, now it was time to spread it throughout the world. In 1953, after several requests from Americans for qualified karate instructors, he began sending some of his finest students to the United States to begin teaching martial arts. These men, who included Masatoshi Nakayama, Hidetaka Nishiyama and Tsutomu Ohshima, were America's karate pioneers. Funakoshi eventually organized his students and their schools into the Japan Karate Association in 1955, one of the first international martial arts associations. 

Two years later, at age 89, Funakoshi died in his sleep, leaving behind a legacy so huge that its shadow stretched from the shores of tiny Okinawa across the Pacific Ocean to the United States. Funakoshi took little credit for karate's immense popularity, but few denied that he had almost single-handedly brought the art to Japan and subsequently sent it overseas. 

Funakoshi's Teachings

Funakoshi concentrated almost entirely on teaching kata. He brought 15 kata compiled from various styles, and developed some himself. Although he taught a little kumite, his approach to karate was based on the following precept: "Once you have completely mastered kata, then you can adapt it to kumite." The closest thing to karate in Japan when Funakoshi arrived was the atemi (technique of striking the vital parts of the body). 

Funakoshi also stressed the importance of toughening each part of the body until it was as hard as iron. He constantly beat himself with an oak staff to drive home his point to his students! A makiwara (straw-padded pole) was used to toughen the hands and feet.

Even in his 50s and 60s Funakoshi was agile and unusually strong, especially in defense. Funakoshi's defense was very difficult to penetrate during training, no matter how hard his students tried. 
Perhaps the most important work Funakoshi accomplished was during the 30's when he systematized karate kata and techniques, incorporating a code of ethics and discipline found in the other Japanese martial arts. This codification forged the bonds that would one day transform karate into a mental and physical discipline which would rival judo in "finding the way." He published three books on the subject-the second and the most important one of which, Karate-Do Instructions, was published in 1939. Aided by his son Yoshitaka, Funakoshi continued teaching karate throughout the rest of the decade at the Mejiro dojo as well as at the college clubs he had organized. When the war broke out, the number of students gradually decreased because of the draft. 

Most of Funakoshi's former students remember him as a mild, gentle and friendly person. The Okinawan master always shook hands and put his arm around them when they met. He wasn't bossy, but when he was teaching karate, he was very strict. 

He didn't drink, smoke, gamble or play around with women. He was the kind of man who never made enemies. Outside of karate, his two main interests were calligraphy and composing Chinese poems. He was convinced that living a good, clean life created a character best suited for the study of karate. He educated his students by trying to get them to fulfil their own potential. 

Before he brought karate to Japan from Okinawa, it was just a local system in Okinawa. Upon bringing karate to Japan and seeing Japan's traditional martial arts, such as judo and kendo, Master Funakoshi patterned karate after these arts to a large degree and made karate popular. He had the technical and philosophical ability to do this and got people to accept his ideas about karate rather easily. This was one of his biggest contributions to the martial arts. That's why it is often said that Master Funakoshi was a great philosopher and a great technician. On karate's spiritual side, too many people look on the surface of karate and only see violent techniques: kicking, punching and striking. They see karate as something that's only very dangerous. But Master Funakoshi combined karate techniques with traditional budo (the martial way) to put the essence of budo into karate-a real way of the martial arts. That's why Master Funakoshi's students did not have any violent ideas. He taught that karate is defensive, never offensive. When Master Funakoshi studied in Okinawa, you couldn't publicly practice karate. It wasn't for everybody and was secret. Karate practitioners were like a secret society. But Master Funakoshi opened karate to the public and proved that its techniques are effective. And yet, Master Funakoshi not only stressed the technical aspects of karate, he emphasized that karate has a philosophical background. To him, karate had a philosophical essence that carried over into other parts of students' lives. In other words, karate was a way of life: karate-do. Otherwise, you only have karate-jutsu, which is just the art of fighting. Master Funakoshi made this distinction.

When you first met him, he looked very old. Nobody would guess that he was a real grandmaster. That's how humble he was. He always felt he needed more study, and was a great example of a genuine martial artist. Some masters, once they reach a certain point, like to show off. "I'm a fifth-degree black belt; I'm the strongest man in the world," they spout. Such behavior had nothing to do with Master Funakoshi's philosophy. He felt no need to show off. Once he put on a gi (karate uniform), however, and went into the dojo, he was different- right away. He still didn't show off, but he changed. When he stood in the dojo, he looked as though one of his movements could destroy anything. That's how good his techniques were. Then, when he finished training, he again became very humble. Master Funakoshi always said that the martial artist's etiquette was very important, and that etiquette was the sign of the true martial artist. That's why Master Funakoshi didn't look like a so-called "real" grand- master. He didn't show that kind of thing except in the dojo. 
Master Funakoshi was very wise and had a broad mind. He felt that karate should be open to everybody; he wanted everybody to know the art. If you have some nice medicine, he felt you should share it with everybody. That's why he agreed to form an association, and that's why he created the JKA. He never said anything about any one particular style. For instance, some had goju style, while others had wado style. But he never taught the need for styles.

Funakoshi always believed kata was the secret to becoming skilled in karate. He made students practice the pinan and naihanchi forms for at least three years before he allowed them to progress to the more advanced kata. The repetitious training paid off, though, because his students developed the most precise, exact karate taught anywhere.

 
Funakoshi was a man of Tao. He placed no emphasis on competitions, record breaking or championships. Instead, he emphasized self-perfection. He believed in the common decency and respect that one human being owed another. He was the master of masters. 

Some final words…

As karate legends go, Gichin Funakoshi's life was not terribly exciting. He never challenged anyone to a sword duel, never attempted to dismantle a bull's horn, never had a presumptuous nickname and, in fact, never left the islands of Japan. He was a poet, and a schoolteacher, and the closest he ever came to seeing battle was when he mediated a dispute between two neighboring villages. 
Yet Funakoshi is one of the most honored, cherished and memorable martial artists in history. His innovations left indelible marks on the art form we know today as karate. Not only was shotokan karate, the style he founded, influenced by Funakoshi, but dozens of other styles as well.
Funakoshi died in 1957 at the age of 88, after humbly making a tremendous contribution to the art of karate.

استاد یوشیبا (IKIDO)

Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969)

 

Read some of Ueshiba's famous quotes...

Asked when aikido was established, Master Ueshiba replied, "The day I was born."

The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, was born on December 14, 1883, to a farming family in an area of the Wakayama Prefecture now known as Tanabe. Among five children, he was the only son. From his father Yoroku, he inherited a samurai's determination and interest in public affairs, and from his mother an intense interest in religion, poetry and art. In his early childhood, Morihei was rather weak and sickly, which led to his preference of staying indoors to read books instead of playing outside. To counteract his son's daydreaming, Yoroku would recount the tales of Morihei's great-grandfather "Kichiemon," said to be one of the strongest samurai of his day, and encouraged him to study Sumo wrestling and swimming. Morihei became stronger and finally realized the necessity of being strong after his father was attacked and beaten by a gang of thugs hired by a rival politician.
        School seemed to bore Morihei as his nervous energy needed a more practical outlet. In the year of 1898, Ueshiba left his home village outside Osaka and traveled to Tokyo to set up a small stationery business. While in Tokyo, he sought instruction in the martial arts. He actively investigated dozens of arts, but was eventually drawn to specialize in three: the sword style known as Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, the staff style known as Hozoin Ryu, and Tenjin Shinyo jujutsu.
        During the Russo-Japanese War period, he decided to enlist in the army. Standing at just under five feet tall, he failed to meet the minimum height requirements. He was so upset that he went immediately to the forests and swung on trees trying desperately to stretch his body out. On his next attempt to enlist, he passed his examination and became an infantryman in 1903.
        The Russo-Japanese War (1904) provided Ueshiba with a real situation to develop himself in accord to the principles he had learned during his martial arts training. Ueshiba the soldier spent most of the war years in the harsh climate of northern Manchuria and, by the end of the war, his health had deteriorated considerably. With characteristic vigour, he regained his vitality by way of long hours spent in outdoor labour. 
        Morihei returned home to the farm. Having grown strong during his time in the military, he was now eager to continue physical training. His father built a dojo on his farm and invited the well-known Jujutsu instructor Takaki Kiyoichi to tutor him. During this time, young Ueshiba became stronger and found he possessed great skills. At the same time he became more interested in political affairs. In the Spring of 1912, at the age of 29, he and his family moved into the wilderness of Hokkaido. After a few years of struggle, the small village started to prosper. Ueshiba had grown tremendously muscular, to the point that the power he possessed in his arms became almost legendary. 
        It was during this time in Hokkaido that he met Sokaku Takeda, grandmaster of Daito-ryu Aiki Jutsu. After meeting Takeda and finding himself no match for his teacher, Ueshiba seemed to forget everything else and threw himself into training. After about a month, he went back to Shirataki, built a dojo and invited Takeda to live there, which he did. 
        Upon hearing of his father's serious illness, Ueshiba sold off most of his property and left the dojo to Takeda. He would not return to Hokkaido. Upon returning home, he found that he had stayed away too long and that his father had passed away. Ueshiba took his father's death very hard. He decided to sell off all his ancestral land and move to Ayabe.
        During his early 40s (around 1925), Ueshiba (who was a very religious man) had several spiritual experiences which so impressed him that his life and his training were forever changed. He realized the true purpose of Budo was love that cherishes and nourishes all beings. 
         Many people sought Ueshiba's teaching, among them Tomiki Kenji (who went on to make his own style of Aikido) and the famous Admiral Takeshita. In 1927, Deguchi Onisaburo encouraged Ueshiba to separate from Omoto-kyo and begin his own way. This he did and he moved to Tokyo. Ueshiba's following had grown to the point that he was moved to build a formal dojo in the Ushigome district of the city (the present site of the Aikido World Headquarters). While the dojo was being constructed, many high-ranking instructors of other arts such as Kano Jigoro, came to visit. They were so impressed that they would dispatch their own students to study under Ueshiba. 
        In 1931, the "Kobukan" was finished. A "Budo Enhancement Society" was founded in 1932 with Ueshiba as Chief Instructor. It was about this time that students such as Shioda Gozo, Shirata Rinjiro and others joined the dojo. Up to the outbreak of World War II, Ueshiba was extremely busy teaching at the Kobukan, as well as holding special classes for the major military and police academies. For the next 10 years, Ueshiba became more and more famous and many stories began to appear in writing. His only son, Kisshomaru did much of the writing and documenting of the events of his life. 
        In 1942 he longed to return to the farmlands. He had often said that "Budo and farming are one." The war had emptied the Kobukan, and he was tired of city life. Leaving the Kobukan in the hands of his son Kisshomaru, he moved to the Ibaraki Prefecture and the village of Iwama. Here he built an outdoor dojo and the now famous Aiki Shrine.
        Iwama is considered by many to be the birth place of modern-day Aikido, "the Way of Harmony." Prior to this move, his system had been called Aikijutsu, then Aiki-Budo, still primarily a martial art rather than a spiritual path. From 1942 (when the name Aikido was first formally used) to 1952, Ueshiba consolidated the techniques and perfected the religious philosophy of Aikido. 
        After the war, Aikido grew rapidly at the Kobukan (now called Hombu Dojo) under the direction of Kisshomaru Ueshiba. Morihei Ueshiba had become famous as "O Sensei" or "The Grand Teacher," the Master of Aikido. He had also received many decorations from the Japanese government. Right up to the end of his life, O Sensei refined and improved his "Way", never losing his dedication for hard training. 
        In early Spring 1969, O Sensei fell ill and told his son Kisshomaru that "God is calling me...." He was returned to his home at his request to be near his dojo. On April 15th, his condition became critical. As his students made their last calls, he gave his final instructions. "Aikido is for the entire world. Train not for selfish reasons, but for all people everywhere." 
        Early on the morning of April 26th, 1969, the 86-year-old O Sensei took his son's hand, smiled and said, "Take care of things" and died. Two months later, Hatsu, his wife of 67 years, followed him. O Sensei's ashes were buried in the family temple in Tanabe. Every year a memorial service is held on April 29th at the Aiki Shrine in Iwama. 

Some last words...

 Continuing the evolution of martial "arts" to "ways" - from Bugei to Budo - Ueshiba Sensei diligently applied himself to the reworking of the techniques he had been taught, and synthesized them into a form that taught harmony rather than violence. In this way he was able to integrate his spiritual beliefs and his great technical proficiency in the Art.
    Morihei understood that continued fighting - with others, with ourselves, and with the environment - can only bring disaster and chaos. "The world will continue to change dramatically, but fighting and war can destroy us utterly. What we need now are techniques of harmony, not those of contention. The Art of Peace is required, not the Art of War." Morihei taught Aikido as a creative mind-body discipline, as a practical means of handling aggression, and as a way of life that fosters fearlessness, wisdom, love, and friendship.
    Ueshiba proclaimed that the true Budo way (the way of the warrior) was the way of peaceful reconciliation. He dedicated himself to the design of an art that would teach technical prowess and strength, and commitment to the self discipline needed for personal growth. 
    One of the unique characteristics of O-sensei's art was the use and development of Ki (inner power) and many of the photographs of O-sensei show him demonstrating his superb understanding of the use of inner strength.
    Morihei Ueshiba was one of history's greatest martial artists. Even as an old man of eighty, he could disarm any foe, down any number of attackers, and pin an opponent with a single finger. Although invincible as a warrior, he was above all a man of peace who detested fighting, war, and any kind of violence. His way was Aikido, which can be translated as "The Art of Peace." Morihei Ueshiba is referred to by the practitioners of Aikido as O Sensei, "The Great Teacher".

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ادوات

In the Medieval the inhabitants of Okinawa lacking the possibility to possess any sort of weapon, started using tools and equipment destined for everyday use (mainly agricultural in their skirmishes with the Samurais. Thus, within a few hundred years the kabudo style - (fighting with weapons) arose and become an integral part of traditional karate. Its effectiveness was called upon by its creators when, unarmed, they had to fight Samurai, which on average could make four movements with their swords in a single second.    Five main instruments are used in Kobudo. They are: the Bo - pole, the Sai - blunt trident, the Nunchaka - small flail, the Tonfa - a mill-wheel handle, and the Kama-scythe. All these types of arms are an integral part of Okinawa Te, an entire classic Martial art in itself.   The following weapons used to be employed; Eku - oars, Tekko - a type of brass-knuckles, Suratin - two small rocks joined by either a leather band or a metal chain, Tinbe - a turtle shell shield.    However they presently do not to conform to modern Kobudo.
	A mill-wheel handle . It is made of very hard types of wood such as oak or cherry. Its average length is anywhere from 40 to 50 centimeters. The handle is fixed as a rule at a 90 degree angle, 15 cm from one of the ends. Two tonfas are usually used at the same time, one in each hand. It reinforces the karate master's upper arm, thus facilitating the possibility to repel attacks. The tonfa can inflict a great number of unexpected blows. It is presently used in a lot of countries as a police baton.
	Little flails used for threshing rice called nuchaka - (the translation of the Japanese character "noon" is "identical" or "double" and that of "chaka" - is segment), the most famous type of kobudo in the world, it is banned as an weapon in a lot of countries due to its deadly powers. Devised of two wooden cylinders 30 to 40 centimeters in length it is joined in the middle by a rope made of either silk or horse hair. Nunchakas are very effective for defense as well as for attack.
	There are three varieties: mid-length and long, which are used for harvesting the Papaya fruit and the short ,which is used in the collection of rice. In Kobudo all three types are used but it is the short kama, the most widely used, that has become a classical Kobudo weapon. Usually used in pairs, it has a Parrot-beak shaped blade which can be sharpened using the file located in the middle of the wooden handle.
	The blunt trident used for hoeing when planting rice, called sai, was developed as an arm in defense against swords. Made of steel, it weighs from 800 to 1200 grams and is 35 to 50 centimeters in length. It is widely used for both making blocks and attacks. It is generally used in pairs.
	The word "Roku" is Japanese means six, "shaku", stands for measurement approximately equal in length to one foot, and "bo" - is a wooden yoke used for carrying buckets. Fishermen then transformed them into a means for transporting boats through mangrove thickets. It is used in open fields. It makes it possible to defend oneself or to attack within a 360 degree circle.
	Fabricated from the shells of giant turtles living in the coastal waters around Okinawa. Originally used as a basket for carry vegetables or in the field as a sun-screen. In Kobudo it was transformed into a shield.
	Oars used for rowing or as a rudder. Its use is similar to the Bo, but the technique for using Eku differs from the Bo because the Eku has a different center of gravity.
	Two stones joined by either a metal wire or a leather cord. The former with a metal wire were used for mooring small boats in the port of Naha, and the latter were used to strengthen the moorings. They are used either as an offensive weapon or for making blocks. They are very effective in fights with adversaries armed with different types of steel weapons, such as the sword. With the aid of Surutin you can dislodge your adversary's sword or tangle it up in the metal wire. The metal wire or leather strip come in different lengths and they have an average weight of 400 rams.
	Used for easing the handling of horses harnessed to carriages. In Kobudo they are employed for inflicting blows or for blocking the impact of other weapons.