tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10872084102167396862024-02-21T04:14:31.762+07:00All About JapanAll about Japanese Cultures; Martial Arts, Arts, Language, Samurai, and many more to come.Kenshuseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14710817527390359812noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-84596325221080164562020-04-20T18:35:00.000+07:002020-05-13T11:20:38.861+07:00Indonesia Kendo Association<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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originated from: <a href="http://www.kendo.web.id/">www.kendo.web.id</a></div>
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Indonesia Kendo Association (IKA) is the official national organization for Kendo in Indonesia. Established in 2010, IKA aims to encourage and facilitate the development of Kendo in Indonesia, and to represent Indonesia in various Kendo events on the international level.</div>
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Currently, IKA’s membership covers the following organizations:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jakarta Kendo Association</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bandung Kendo Association</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Persada Medan Kendo Club</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yogyakarta Kendo Association</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Suroboyo Kenyukai</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Malang Kendo Asociation</li>
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IKA’s annual events are :</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Indonesia National Kendo Tournament</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jakarta Matsuri Kendo Tournament</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">National grading examination</li>
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With the development of Kendo in Indonesia, IKA is aiming to include as many local/regional events as possible into the national program/callendar.</div>
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IKA also routinely represent Indonesia in participating in international tournaments, such as :</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a aria-label="ASEAN Kendo Tournament (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.kendo.web.id/?s=asean+kendo" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">ASEAN Kendo Tournament</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hong Kong Asian Open Kendo Tournament</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Foreign Kendo Leader Seminar by All Japan Kendo Federation.</li>
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In May 2014, after a lengthy process, Indonesia Kendo Association is finally recognised by the International Kendo Federation (FIK) as their affiliated organisation. This achievement allows kenshi from Indonesia to compete for the first time in the World Kendo Championship, which next will be held in Tokyo on 29-31 May 2015.</div>
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As for now, here are International events which IKA has been participated:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.kendo.web.id/16th-wkc-2015-debut-indonesia-di-dunia-kendo-internasional/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">16th World Kendo Championship in Tokyo, Japan, 2015</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a aria-label="9th ASEAN Kendo Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, 2016 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.kendo.web.id/hasil-asean-kendo-tournament-2016/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">9th ASEAN Kendo Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, 2016</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a aria-label="17th World Kendo Championship in Incheon, South Korea, 2018 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.kendo.web.id/indonesia-kendo-association-announces-indonesia-national-team-for-17th-wkc/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">17th World Kendo Championship in Incheon, South Korea, 2018</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a aria-label="10th ASEAN Kendo Tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia, 2019 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.kendo.web.id/12th-asean-kendo-tournament-2019/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">10th ASEAN Kendo Tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia, 2019</a></li>
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and the next event is 18th World Kendo Championship in Paris, France, in 2021.</div>
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credit /source : <a href="https://indonesiakendo.wordpress.com/about-ika/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://indonesiakendo.wordpress.com/about-ika/ </a>(apparently not IKA official page but written by IKA official) with some additional information provided by <a href="http://kendo.web.id/" target="_blank">Kendo.web.id </a>admin</div>
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Sunaryo Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153812150701615827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-20274210960438737862008-08-14T08:29:00.001+07:002008-08-14T08:31:38.701+07:00Kappa<b>KAPPA 河童.</b> One of the <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/suijin.html" style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Suijin</a> 水神 (<span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">water kami, water deities)</span> </span>of Shinto mythology. Suijin are found in lakes, ponds, springs, wells, and irrigation waterways. They are often depicted as a snake, a <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/dragon.shtml" style="font-weight: bold;">dragon</a>, an eel, a fish, a <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/ssu-ling.shtml#turtle" style="font-weight: bold;">turtle</a>, or a kappa. One of the most curious Suijin in Japan manifests itself as the <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">water-cleansing bacteria in sewage water (<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/suijin.html#curious" style="font-weight: bold;">details here</a>). </span>According to the Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics (Kokugakuin University), women have played an important role in the history of Suijin worship in Japan. With the introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century AD, however, Japan's many Shinto water kami begin to slowly absorb Buddhist attributes. Not surprisingly, this ongoing mixture of traditions makes it difficult to identify the origins of these "syncretic" deities. This difficulty is compounded by the lack of Shinto artwork or written records prior to the 8th century. For details on Japan's SUIJIN traditions, please see the <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/suijin.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Suijin Page</a> (aka <b><i>Suiten</i></b>, <b><i>Mizu no Kamisama</i></b>). <br />
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<tr> <td align="center"><img alt="Kappa - image courtesy PANIC, gcb01334@nifty-serve.or.jp; email gcb01334@nifty serve.or.jp." border="0" height="335" id="Picture707" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-panic.gif" title="Kappa - image courtesy PANIC, gcb01334@nifty-serve.or.jp; email gcb01334@nifty serve.or.jp." width="240" /></td> </tr>
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<tr> <td align="center" style="padding: 3px;" width="246"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Image by <panic _moz-userdefined=""><br />
Contact Artist at:<br />
gcb01334<b><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">ATMARK</span></b>nifty-serve.or.jp<br />
Replace <b><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">ATMARK</span></b> with @ symbol<br />
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</tbody></table><b>KAPPA LORE. </b>Kappa smell like fish and are generally portrayed with the body of a tortoise, ape-like head, scaly limbs, long hair circling the skull, webbed feet and hands, and yellow-green skin. They are often depicted with a tortoise shell attached to their backs. Some say they can change color like the chameleon. They abhor metal objects and loud noises (cannon fire, gunfire, etc.). <br />
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The defining characteristic of the Kappa is the hollow cavity atop its head. This saucer-like depression holds a strength-giving fluid. Should you chance upon the quarrelsome Kappa, please remember to bow deeply. If the courteous Kappa bows in return, it will spill its strength-giving water, making it feeble, and forcing it to return to its water kingdom. <br />
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About the size of a child aged 6 to 10, the Kappa is nonetheless incredibly strong. It attacks horses, cattle, and humans, usually dragging its prey into the water, where, according to various legends, it feeds on their blood, or drains their life force, or pulls out their livers through their anuses, or sucks out their entrails, leaving nothing behind except a hollow gourd. Stories tell of Kappa pulling little children into the water and drowning them. In many localities, drowning is still referred to as <b><i>GAPPADOKO</i> (<span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">ガーッパドコ</span>)</b>. As drowning victims were sometimes found with a distended anus (swollen rectal), the Kappa is also sometimes called the <b><i>shirokodama</i></b> (anus) vampire. In some tales, the Kappa is associated with theft and raping women. <br />
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<tr> <td align="center" width="199"><div style="text-align: center;"><img align="top" alt="Japanese Kappa Netsuke, courtesy of Trocadero store run by 2EZR" border="0" height="210" hspace="0" id="Picture733" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-ivory-netsuke-with-baby-kappa-trocadero-2ezr-TN.jpg" title="Japanese Kappa Netsuke, courtesy of Trocadero store run by 2EZR" vspace="0" width="199" /><br />
<i>Japanese Ivory Netsuke<br />
Kappa and Kappa Baby<br />
Courtesy of www.2ezr.com<br />
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</tbody></table>Kappa are mostly evil, but not always. When benevolent, the Kappa is supposedly a skilled teacher in the art of bone setting and other medical skills. In the real world of medicine, the term "kappa" refers to a monoclonal plasma cell related to bone marrow. <i>(Note: Not yet able to confirm Kappa's bone-setting skills; but sounds very plausible, as most Shinto "kami" have some redeeming qualities.) </i>In addition, the Kappa is always portrayed as trustworthy despite its many evil ways. When captured and forced to promise never again to harm anyone, the kappa always keeps its promise. Kappa often help or mentor those who outwit them or capture them. <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=2027421096043873786" name="origins"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture745" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a><b>THEORIES ON KAPPA ORIGINS</b><br />
The Kappa's origin is difficult to verify precisely. But, by the Edo Period, illustrations of Kappa appear often in anthologies of supernatural tales, in comical paintings (giga), in ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), and in paintings accompanying verse (haiga). In 1910, Kappa lore gained nationwide popularity with the publication of <i>Tono Monogatari </i>(<span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">遠野物語</span>; Legends of Tono) by Yanagida Kunio (1875-1962). In <i>Tono Monogatari</i>, Yanagida presented numerous tales of supernatural beings in the Tono area, including stories about the evil Kappa. Today the Kappa is typically depicted as a cute cartoon-like character (<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml#cute" style="font-weight: bold;">see photos below</a>), and appears quite regularly in Japanese fiction, in cartoons for children (Urusei Yatsura, Tenchi Universe), as a cute mascot for commercial products, and in toys. <br />
<ol><li style="text-align: left;"><b><img align="right" alt="Kawatarou -- From the Kasshiyawa Chronicles, Edo Era" border="1" height="240" hspace="4" id="Picture744" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/autogen/a_kawatarou-kasshiyawa-chronicles-2.jpg" title="Kawatarou -- From the Kasshiyawa Chronicles, Edo Era" vspace="0" width="129" />Theory One, Shinto Mythology.</b> <br />
Some believe the Kappa is the "Kawa no Kami" (<span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">河伯</span>; River Deity) mentioned in the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan, the Nihongi), one of Japan's earliest official records, compiled around 720 AD. During the Edo Era, we find mention of Kawatarou in a serial called Kasshiyawa (<a href="http://bb.10daysbook.com/shop/title.asp?titleid=1179" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK"><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">甲子夜話</span></a><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"> | かっしやわ</span>), first appearing in 1821 and running until the death of the author in 1841. We also find mention of the Kappa in the mid-Edo period document named <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">耳袋</span>. For more historical notes and naming conventions, <a href="http://www.ishinotent.co.jp/Kappa/kappa-2.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">please click here</a> (outside site, Japanese language). <br />
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<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Theory Two, Leech Babies.<br />
</b>Some say the term "Kappa" was first applied to leech babies (stillborn infants pitched into the river). "In olden times, poor families often killed newborns because they could not afford to raise them," said an official from Tono City in a Yomiuri Shimbun article. "They generally threw their bodies into rivers. Perhaps adults made up Kappa stories so that children would be afraid to go near the rivers and see the dead babies." For details, please visit <a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/nanjo/nanjo13.htm" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">www.yomiuri.co.jp/nanjo/nanjo13.htm</a>. In the 1910 classic book <i>Tono Monogatari</i> (Legends of Tono, <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">遠野物語</span>), not all Kappa stories end happily. Many of the stories in the book deal with famines and the ill-treatment of stepchildren.<br />
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<li style="text-align: left;"><b> </b><br />
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<tr> <td align="center" width="199"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><img align="top" alt="Ivory Kappa Netsuke, Early-Mid 20th Century, Courtesy of Hanakago Antiques Trocadero Storefront" border="0" height="210" hspace="0" id="Picture736" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-netsuke-ivory-hanakago-antiques-trocadero-early-mid-20thC-TN.jpg" title="Ivory Kappa Netsuke, Early-Mid 20th Century, Courtesy of Hanakago Antiques Trocadero Storefront" vspace="0" width="199" /><br />
Ivory Kappa Netsuke<br />
Early-Mid 20th Century<br />
www.hanakagoantiques.com<br />
</i></div></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table><b>Theory Three,<br />
Portuguese Monks.</b> <br />
Some say the term "Kappa" originated with the appearance of Portuguese monks in Japan in the 16th century. Clad in cloaks with hoods that hung down their backs like the kappa's tortoise shell, the monk's shaven pate surrounded by a crown of hair also resembled the kappa's hair-rimmed crater of water. <b><i>Capa</i></b>, the Portuguese word for the monk's habit, was applied to the sprite and remains in use today. <i><quote _moz-userdefined="" by="" from="" story=""><a href="http://metropolis.japantoday.com/BigInJapan/366/biginjapaninc.htm" style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" target="_BLANK">Janet Leigh Foster</a>, Big in Japan, #366, JapanToday.com > <br />
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<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture746" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a></quote></i> </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Theory Four, Chinese <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/monkey-saru-koushin.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Monkeys</a>.</b> <br />
Some say the Kappa descended from monkeys, most notably the writer Yanagida Kunio (1875-1962), the author of <i>Tono Monogatari</i> (<span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">遠野物語 | </span>Legends of Tono). Yanagida is considered by most to be the father of Japanese folklore study, so his opinion carries weight. When comparing the different names used by different localities to describe the Kappa (e.g., Kawatarou, Gatarou, Kawako), Yanagida discovered that some areas in Japan refer to the Kappa as <b>Enkou | </b><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">猿猴 | えんこう</span>, the term for "monkey." Enkou appears in a famous Buddhist parable from China called Yuanhou Zhuyue (Japanese = <b>Enkou Sokugetsu, </b><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">猿猴捉月</span>). In this famous story, a group of monkeys attempt to catch the moon's reflection, but all are drowned in the effort. <br />
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<tr> <td align="center" style="padding: 2px;" width="156"><div style="text-align: center;"><img align="top" alt="Enkouzu, Edo Period, 18th C., Photo courtesy of the Miho Museum of Japan." border="1" height="377" hspace="0" id="Picture741" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/monkey-long-armed-miho-museum-TN.jpg" title="Enkouzu, Edo Period, 18th C., Photo courtesy of the Miho Museum of Japan." vspace="0" width="150" /><br />
<i>Enkouzu <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">猿猴図</span><br />
Edo Period, 18th C.<br />
Photo courtesy of<br />
the <a href="http://www.miho.or.jp/booth/html/artcon/00003264.htm" style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" target="_BLANK">Miho Museum</a><br />
of Japan.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.miho.or.jp/booth/html/imgbig/00002898.htm" style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" target="_BLANK">Click here</a> for<br />
another photo of Enkou from the Miho Museum<br />
</i></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><the _moz-userdefined="" as="" by="" quoted="" story=""><a href="http://www.aisf.or.jp/%7Ejaanus/deta/e/enkousokugetsu.htm" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">JAANUS</a>><br />
One night a monkey chieftain saw the bright reflection of the moon in the water below his tree. Thinking that the moon had died and fallen into the water, and fearing that the world would thus slip into darkness, the monkey called together his underlings and commanded them to join tails and together pull the moon out of the water. However, when the monkeys attempted this task, their combined weight was too great, the branch broke, and they fell into the water and drowned. One simple moral of the story is not to recklessly attempt impossible tasks. On a more philosophical level, the image of the monkey attempting to grasp a reflection of the moon is a metaphor for the unenlightened mind deluded by mere appearances. The theme was often depicted in ink painting, usually featuring long-armed spider monkeys. The screen paintings by Shikibu <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">式部</span> (16c; Kyoto National Museum) and Hasegawa Touhaku <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">長谷川等伯</span> (1539-1610; screen painting at Konchiin <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">金地院</span>, Kyoto), are representative. <end _moz-userdefined=""><a href="http://www.aisf.or.jp/%7Ejaanus/deta/e/enkousokugetsu.htm" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">JAANUS</a> quote> <br />
<br />
There are many more indications of the monkey connection. In Tono Town itself, the Sarukaishi River (literally "Monkey Stone River") flows through the town's southern section (although I'm not sure when this name was given to the river). In Geishu City, Hiroshima Prefecture, the locals say a monster named <b><i>Kawazaru</i></b> (<span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">川猿 | かわざる | <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">lit. River Monkey)</span> </span>lives in the waters there, attacking both men and animals. The monster is said to possess the power of 100 men, but its power evaporates if the water atop its saucer-like head is spilled. This Kawazaru story quoted from the Japanese-language site of the <a href="http://www.nichibun.ac.jp/YoukaiCard/0030075.shtml" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">International Research Center for Japanese Studies</a>. To learn much more about monkey lore in Japan, <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/monkey-saru-koushin.html" style="font-weight: bold;">click here.</a> <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=2027421096043873786" name="monkey"></a></span><br />
</end></the> </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Theory Five, Buddhist <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/monkey-saru-koushin.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Monkey</a> Mythology.</b> Some say the Kappa originated from earlier Buddhist tales from mainland Asia, again <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/monkey-india-china-p2.html" style="font-weight: bold;">tales concerning monkeys</a>. This is actually a sub-theory supporting Theory Four above. Some examples include: <br />
<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture747" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a><br />
<b>5A. The Monkey King and Water Demon</b><br />
Among the many tales in the <b><i>Jataka</i></b> -- perhaps the oldest extant collection of Buddhist folklore, dating from around the 3rd century BC from India and Sri Lanka -- one story tells of a monkey kingdom confronted by a monkey-eating water demon, and how the wise monkey king outwitted the demon using bamboo. <a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/bt1_22.htm" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">Please click here to read this story</a>, courtesy of buddhanet.net. One site reader made the following comment: <i>"It is possible that Kappa may be distorted form of Kapi which in sanskrit means monkey. There is a kapi-jataka, there is a mention of kapi jembawan (monkey sage)in Indonesian folklore based on kingdom of Dwarka where Lord Krishna ruled, there was also a place called Kapisthali in ancient India (now called Kaithal). Even Tulsidas, a famous Hindi poet who wrote Ramayana about 500 years ago, used the world kapi for Vanaras (monkey race) in South who helped Rama defeat Ravana."</i> <br />
<br />
<b>5B. Journey to the West (<span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">西遊記</span>, Japanese = Saiyuuki)</b><br />
<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/monkey-india-china-p2.html#journey" style="font-weight: bold;">Journey to the West</a> is a famous Chinese story (called <i>Hsi-Yu Chi</i> in Chinese). Although compiled by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century, the legend existed long before that. It is based on a real person named Xuan Zang (602-664 AD), a Buddhist monk who journeyed to India in search of Buddhist sutras. Protecting him on his journey (in the book) are three companions -- the Monkey, the Pig, and a Water Demon called Sandy (Japanese = Sagojou <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">サゴジョウ</span>). <b><i>To some, the Japanese Kappa is based on Sandy the water demon</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">. <span style="font-weight: normal;">According to </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">Chinese mythology, Sagojou was originally the "Commander of the Heavenly Hosts," but he was banished to Earth for accidentally breaking the Jade Emperor's vase. On earth, he appeared as an ugly water spirit, devouring anyone who strayed near his abode. In Journey to the West, he is armed with a "water staff" with a metal blade on each end, and he wears a necklace of the skulls of his victims. </span><br />
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<tr> <td align="center" style="padding: 3px;" width="158"><div style="text-align: center;"><img align="top" alt="Monkey riding Horse, Courtesy rubylane.com, Japanese Netsuke" border="1" height="112" hspace="0" id="Picture740" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/monkey-horse-rubylane-com-netsuke-TN.jpg" title="Monkey riding Horse, Courtesy rubylane.com, Japanese Netsuke" vspace="0" width="150" /><br />
<br />
<i>Monkey Riding Horse<br />
Japanese Netsuke<br />
Courtesy rubylane.com<br />
</i></div></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table><b>5C. More Supporting Theories<br />
Monkey "Protector of the Horse"</b><br />
Another striking overlap between Monkey and Kappa lore is the horse. In Chinese tradition, the <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/monkey-india-china-p2.html#stables" style="font-weight: bold;">monkey is often shown riding the horse</a>. This symbolism too stems from the classic Chinese story <i>Journey to the West </i>(see above), in which the Jade Emperor appoints the Monkey to the post of "Protector of Horses." See parts of this story <a href="http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/036.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">here</a>. The horse also appears quite regularly in Kappa mythology. Dozens of stories tell of the Kappa trying to drag a horse into the river, failing, then getting caught by the horse's owner, and forced to promise to never again harm the horses of the village. In this roundabout fashion, might we not call the Kappa a "guardian deity" of the horse? This topic is briefly explored at <a href="http://aya.kill.jp/kappakou1.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">this site (J)</a>, which also discusses the serial stories called <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;"><b><i>Kappa Heaven,</i></b> which ran from Showa 28 to Showa 33 in the weekly Asahi Shukan. </span>実はそれ「清水崑 (シミズ コン)」って漫画家が書いた「かっぱ天国(昭和28年~33年まで『週刊朝日』にて連載)」の河童なんです。<br />
</span><br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Theory Six, Ainu Origin.</b> Some say the Kappa is of Ainu origin, but I cannot find any reference in Ainu folklore to support this theory -- although I admit my knowledge of Ainu mythology is woefully lacking. The Ainu, Japan's earliest inhabitants, live primarily in Hokkaido, the northernmost island, and their folklore is rich in imagery and monsters. Near Sapporo, the main city in Hokkaido, is an area called Jozankei, home to the "Great Kappa King" and the "Kappa Buchi Legend." However, the Jozankei legends are probably not of Ainu origin. <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml#jozankei" style="font-weight: bold;">Click here for details on Jozankei.</a> According to the <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/sk3/asianhorror/a.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">Angelfire</a> web site: "The Ainu believe in a magical connection between trees and humans. For example, when a certain tree is cut down a girl will die. They feel that willows are like living humans and make miniature sacrificial willows from willow peelings (see also Willoughby-Meade, Chinese Ghouls and Goblins for more). The Ainu are also known for their Shamanistic beliefs and practices (perhaps of Siberian origin). To learn more about Ainu myths, please see <a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/aft/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">Ainu Folk Tales</a> by Basil Hall Chamberlain [1888; also the translator of the Kojiki]. The above link provides an online collection of Ainu tales from the book. One story in the collection is called <b><i>The Old Man of the Sea (Atui Koro Ekashi).</i></b> It describes an ocean monster able to swallow ships and whales. </li>
</ol><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture748" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img align="top" alt="Kappa Paintings from Gabi Greve Collection" border="1" height="204" hspace="0" id="Picture729" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-13-kappa-dancing-courtesy-gabi-greve-by-yamamoto.jpg" title="Kappa Paintings from Gabi Greve Collection" vspace="0" width="430" /><br />
<b>Modern Kappa Paintings from Gabi Greve Collection</b><br />
<a href="http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gabigreve2000/album?.dir=/2f0c&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gabigreve2000/my_photos" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">Yamashina-e & Otsu-e Photos of Kappa</a><br />
Paintings by artist <a href="http://www.amie.or.jp/daruma/YAMASHINA-mini.html" target="_blank">Yoshio Yamamoto</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture749" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a><b>KAPPA IN THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE </b></div><ul><li style="text-align: left;">Kappa Maki = Cucumber sushi rolls, a common Japanese food. The Kappa love cucumbers according to Japanese legend.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Okappa = Bobbed hairstyles that look like the Kappa's hair.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Kappa no Kawa Nagare = Even Kappa can drown. Even a Kappa can get carried away by the river. Kappa are excellent swimmers, so this is a proverb meaning "even an expert can make mistakes." There is a related proverb associated with the Monkey, which goes: <i>Saru mo Ki Kara Ochiru</i>. It means "Even monkies fall from trees." </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Kappa no He = Much ado about nothing (literally "water-imp fart")</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Kappa = Word for traditional straw raincoat worn by farmers </li>
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<tr> <td align="center" style="padding: 2px;" width="156"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><a href="http://www.hi-ho.ne.jp/four-season/intro/intro-e.html" target="_blank"><img align="top" alt="Mask of female kappa imp by Ryoji Otsuka" border="1" height="132" hspace="0" id="Picture711" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/female-water-imp-mask-by-ryoji-otsuka.jpg" title="Mask of female kappa imp by Ryoji Otsuka" vspace="0" width="120" /></a><br />
</span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">Mask of Onna Kappa (Female Kappa) by artist <a href="http://www.hi-ho.ne.jp/four-season/intro/intro-e.html" style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Ryoji Otsuka</a><br />
<br />
</span></i></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center" style="padding: 2px;" width="156"><div style="text-align: center;"><img align="top" alt="Fukutaro Kappa at Suitengu Shrine in Tokyo; photo courtesy http://tencoo.fc2web.com/jinja/xsuitengu.htm" border="1" height="200" hspace="0" id="Picture720" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-fukutaro-kappa-at-suitengu-shrine.jpg" title="Fukutaro Kappa at Suitengu Shrine in Tokyo; photo courtesy http://tencoo.fc2web.com/jinja/xsuitengu.htm" vspace="0" width="150" /><br />
<i>Mask of Kappa<br />
"Fukutaro" Kappa<br />
"Lucky" Kappa at<br />
Suitengu Shrine (Tokyo)<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="top" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="0" id="Picture750" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a></b></i></div></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table><b>COMBAT, SUMO, & CUCUMBERS</b><br />
The chief delight of the quarrelsome Kappa is to challenge humans to single combat. Indeed, the Kappa delights in Japanese Sumo wrestling, and often challenges its victim to a sumo bout. <br />
<br />
Kappa folk have a liking for cucumbers, a weakness that can be used to human advantage. According to one tale, an offering of cucumbers (on which are etched the name/age of family members) is enough to appease the Kappa, who thereafter will refrain from harming you and your family <i>(need to find source for this)</i>. Even today, cucumber sushi in Japan is called "Kappa-maki". <br />
<br />
<b>KAWAKO KAPPA</b><br />
The Kappa is sometimes called <b><i>Kawako</i></b> <i>(literally "river child")</i>. The name can be traced to <b>Kawako-no-miya </b><i>(Shrine of the Kawako),</i> located on the bank of the Kawachi river near Matsue/Izumo. Legend relates that a nasty Kappa was captured near here and forced to sign a note swearing never again to harm any of the people or animals in the area. Unable to write, the Kappa dipped its hand in the ink and pressed it on the document. The document remained among the shrine's relics, and the Kappa never broke the promise (the Kappa is always portrayed as trustworthy and courteous despite its many evil ways).<br />
<br />
<b>KAPPA BRIDGE IN TOKYO</b><br />
Tokyo's Kappabashi (Kappa bridge) was once farmland surrounded by canals prone to flooding. In the late Edo period a raincoat dealer <b><i>Kappaya Kihachi</i></b> devoted his entire personal fortune to building a drainage system. This difficult work took longer than expected and cost a fortune, and he was in despair until a kappa, whose life he had saved years before, suddenly appeared to help. With the kappa's assistance the project was completed in short order. In addition, those who had seen the Kappa were suddenly blessed with good fortune and soon the Kappa Temple was built, and the Kappa enshrined as a deity. <story _moz-userdefined="" by=""><a href="http://metropolis.japantoday.com/BigInJapan/366/biginjapaninc.htm" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">Janet Leigh Foster</a> for japantoday.com>. <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=2027421096043873786" name="genta"></a> </story><br />
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<tr> <td align="center" width="202"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><img align="top" alt="Kappa Drawing by Kato Tokuro, a famous Japanese 20th century potter" border="1" height="283" hspace="0" id="Picture718" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/Kato-Tokuro-Kappa-Drawing-1968-TN.jpg" title="Kappa Drawing by Kato Tokuro, a famous Japanese 20th century potter" vspace="0" width="200" /></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center" style="padding: 3px;" width="202"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">Drawing of Kappa<br />
by famous 20th-century<br />
Japanese potter named<br />
Kato Tokuro. <a href="http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/kato-tokuro-jt.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">Click here</a><br />
for details (outside link).<br />
</span></i> </div></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table><b>HOW GENTA SUBDUED A KAPPA:<br />
</b>See below woodblock print.<br />
<i>The following myth has been passed down through the ages in Saga Prefecture. It was translated by Keiko Takada and Eriko Tsudo of Saga Women's Junior College, and appears on the Saga Pref. Government site at:<br />
www.pref.saga.jp/soumu/kokusai/<br />
sagasaga/archives/sagasaga9809.htm</i><br />
<br />
Once upon a time in the village of Kawachino there lived a man named Genta. He was from a distinguished family in the village and was so wise and brave that he was greatly respected by the villagers. His house was large and stood near a river which flowed through the village. The river was at its deepest at the bend near his house, and the water looked dark and unfathomable, being over six meters deep.<br />
<br />
One summer evening, Genta came back from his outing and told his servants as usual to hitch his horse to a shady tree near the river. After taking a short rest, Genta stepped out into the garden and looked at the tree. To his surprise, a kappa, the size of a 6-7 year old boy was dragging the horse by its hind legs into the river. The silent horse was resisting the pull with its forelegs while strangely enough, the servant as if in a trance, was helping the small kappa by pouring water into the cavity on the kappa's head. The more the servant poured, the more powerful the kappa became.<br />
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<tr> <td align="center" width="239"><img align="top" alt="Shirafuji Genta Punishing a Kappa; woodblock by Utagawa Kunisada " border="0" height="358" hspace="0" id="Picture708" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-utagawa-kunisada-woodblock-TN.jpg" title="Shirafuji Genta Punishing a Kappa; woodblock by Utagawa Kunisada " vspace="0" width="239" /></td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center" style="padding: 4px;" width="239"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Woodblock Print by <br />
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864).<br />
Shirafuji Genta, a famous sumo<br />
wrestler, capturing a kappa.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="top" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="0" id="Picture751" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a></i></div></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table>Although Genta became very angry watching this scene, he had the presence of mind to think of a plan. From the shed he fetched a strong rope made of hemp palm and snuck up to the kappa from behind. Neither the servant nor the kappa noticed Genta's actions. He quickly caught hold of the kappa and dragged him away from the river, tying him up with the rope.<br />
<br />
All of a sudden, the servant came out of his trance and followed his master's direction to hang the kappa upside down from the pine tree in the garden. Genta glared at the wicked water imp and reprimanded him. "What an insolent fellow you are! You take so much pride in your bit of supernatural powers and even try to steal horses from humans. You are very sinful indeed. I shall kill you as a warning to all of your fellow kappa."<br />
<br />
With the precious water drained from his cavity, the kappa lost all his magic powers. The more he struggled, the tighter the rope cut into his flesh, making the pain even harder to bear. At last the kappa began to cry in a strange, harsh voice "please forgive me for mercy's sake my lord," he implored. "I'll not fail to make up for this crime, so please let me go." In tears, the the kappa begged Genta over and over again.<br />
<br />
A kind hearted man by nature, Genta felt pity for the ugly creature who was crying. "If you swear with all your heart, I'll forgive you," he said to the kappa "but first, you must confess your sins and make restitution."<br />
<br />
"I confess to you that I've done many wrongs," the kappa said. "I regret my past actions very much. Your authority is astonishing, so I promise you that even if the Kawachino River should flow upstream, I won't pull the people from this village into the water. Never will I do anything wrong again. Please spare my life today. I also promise to make all my fellow kappa keep this oath forever." <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img align="middle" alt="Kappa at Gokoku Shrine, Gifu City, photos by Reggie Thomson" border="1" height="224" hspace="0" id="Picture723" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-2-gokoku-shrine-gifu-city-photo-by-reggie-thomson-TN.jpg" title="Kappa at Gokoku Shrine, Gifu City, photos by Reggie Thomson" vspace="0" width="150" /><img align="middle" alt="Kappa at Gokoku Shrine, Gifu City, photos by Reggie Thomson" border="1" height="220" hspace="6" id="Picture724" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-gokoku-shrine-gifu-city-photo-by-reggie-thomson-TN.jpg" title="Kappa at Gokoku Shrine, Gifu City, photos by Reggie Thomson" vspace="0" width="150" /><br />
<i>Kappa Statues at Gokoku Shrine, Gifu City<br />
Photos by Reggie Thomson (http://www.reggie.net) </i></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the kappa swore his oath, Genta forgave him, took him down from the pine tree and untied the ropes. Placing both hands to the ground, the teary blue-eyed kappa bowed to him again and again. Then he asked Genta if he could go home to the bottom of the river.<br />
<br />
"All right," Genta said, "but before you go, turn yourself around three times and recite your oath each time." The kappa obediently turned around 3 times, each time reciting his oath loudly. Kneeling down, he praised Genta, then went away.<br />
<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture752" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a><br />
After that incident, no more was to be heard of kappa in the village. Years later, Genta passed away, leaving behind the legend of subduing the kappa. The pine tree from which Genta hung the kappa, remained long after his death. Eventually however, the old pine tree too withered and died.<br />
<br />
Whether the mystical kappa does in fact exist is still unknown. There is a sake manufacturing place in Imari called "Matsuura Ichishuzo" where, it is said that during restoration about 40 years ago, a small coffin was found between old boards containing a mummified kappa inside. The skeleton remains on display today for all who are interested in finding the truth. <i><end _moz-userdefined="" and="" by="" eriko="" keiko="" story="" takada="" translation="" tsudo=""> <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=2027421096043873786" name="cute"></a></end></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><img align="top" alt="Kappa (photo from Japanese web page) near Tanuki-machi Station" border="0" height="281" hspace="0" id="Picture714" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-tanushi-city-fukuoka-pref1.jpg" title="Kappa (photo from Japanese web page) near Tanuki-machi Station" vspace="0" width="226" /><img align="middle" alt="Kappa (photo from Japanese web page) near Tanuki-machi Station" border="0" height="281" hspace="5" id="Picture710" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-tanushi-city-fukuoka-pref2.jpg" title="Kappa (photo from Japanese web page) near Tanuki-machi Station" vspace="0" width="164" /><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">LEFT: </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">Giant Kappa statue near Tanukimachi Station<br />
</span>田主丸駅舎 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">Tanuki Machi Station, Fukuoka Prefecture<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;">RIGHT: </span></span></i></span><i>Stone statue near Tanukimachi Station<br />
In modern times, the Kappa often appear as cartoon characters </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
<img align="right" alt="Kappa Cartoon, courtesy of JAANUS" border="0" height="222" hspace="5" id="Picture719" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-cartoon-courtesy-JAANUS.gif" title="Kappa Cartoon, courtesy of JAANUS" vspace="5" width="206" />Below Text Courtesy of JAANUS<br />
aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/k/kappa.htm</b><br />
Literally river child. A supernatural water-sprite believed to inhabit Japan's lakes and rivers. The name kappa varies from region to region, and includes kawatarou <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">河太郎</span>, kawako <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">河伯</span>, and kawaranbe <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">河ランベ</span>. The appearance of a kappa also varies, but kappa are generally thought to be about the size of a young boy, and covered with green scales. They also have a snout, bobbed hair, and a saucer-like depression on the top of the head that holds water. When this water supply diminishes, the kappa's special powers diminish. Kappa swim well thanks to webbed feet and hands, but can also walk on land. Kappa also can rotate their arm and leg joints fully. Some kappa resemble otters, turtles with beaks, or have wings. Kappa are said to be fond of cucumbers and of sumo <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">相撲</span> wrestling. In some regions kappa are thought to be helpful, but generally their reputation is far more malicious. In particular, kappa delight in abducting humans and horses. Kappa are noted for their aversion to metal objects. Illustrations of kappa frequently are included in Edo period anthologies of supernatural tales. Kappa are often depicted in comical paintings (giga <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">戯画</span>), in paintings accompanying verse (haiga <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">俳画</span>), and occasionally in ukiyo-e <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">浮世絵 </span>(woodblock prints; see above photo). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img align="top" alt="Modern Japanese Cartoon Drawing; source unknown" border="1" height="306" hspace="0" id="Picture731" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/kappa-cartoon-modern-tenchinohoukai-TN.jpg" title="Modern Japanese Cartoon Drawing; source unknown" vspace="0" width="250" /><br />
<i>Modern Cartoon Drawing, found on web at:<br />
www.tenchinohoukai.greatnow.com/backgroundinfo/weapons<br />
Probably a Japanese drawing, but source not given at web site. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture754" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>LEARN MORE</b></div><ul><li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/suijin.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Suijin, Suiten, Mizu no Kamisama</a><br />
The Kappa river imp is just one of Japan's many Suijin (literally "water kami"). But don't confuse the Kappa with the more powerful and more benevolent water deity of Shinto lore known as <b><i>Mizu no Kamisama</i></b> (also literally "water deity," also known as <b><i>Suijin </i></b>or <b><i>Suiten</i></b>).<br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa-pt.shtml" style="font-weight: bold;">More Kappa Photos (this site, side page)</a><br />
</b> </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Kappa Paintings from Gabi Greve Collection</b><br />
<a href="http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gabigreve2000/album?.dir=/2f0c&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gabigreve2000/my_photos" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">Yamashina-e & Otsu-e Photos of Kappa</a><br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Learn About Above Artist (Gabi Greve Site)</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amie.or.jp/daruma/YAMASHINA-mini.html" style="font-weight: bold;">www.amie.or.jp/daruma/YAMASHINA-mini.html</a><br />
Paintings by artist Yoshio Yamamoto, 63 years old (2004). What exactly are Yamashina-e and Otsu-e paintings? During the Edo Period, there were many travelers on the old Tokaido Road between Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo). Each of the 53 postal towns on the way had its own specialty -- mostly some local food. But Yamashina Town, and especially nearby Otsu Town, were famous for funny paintings with religious overtones. Yamashina is now a modern suburb of Kyoto. <br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Other Names & Related Kappa Terms</b><br />
http://toshigc.hp.infoseek.co.jp/genju/JAPAN/genju-jap-kapa.htm<br />
www.ishinotent.co.jp/Kappa/kappa-2.html<br />
<a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture755" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">GAPPADOKO<br />
</span>www.nichibun.ac.jp/YoukaiCard/1230651.shtml<br />
</span>In village after village, the Kappa is associated with drowning, and such incidents are referred to as "GappaDoko." <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">また、馬とり淵という伝説があり、村々にはガーッパドコと言ってカッパがよく出没する魔所がある。<br />
</span><br />
SAGOGAWA RIVER <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">(さごがわ</span>, Near Nagasaki<br />
www1.odn.ne.jp/muraoka/kappa/tusima1.htm<br />
This is one <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">example where locals use the term Gappadoko, plus many other terms, like </span>BUCHI, GAPPA, KIRIDOSHIBUCH, GAPPADOKO, GATSUPA. They say there is a deep deep water hole, nearly five fathoms deep, where some Kappa live.ブチには名があり、それぞれにガーッパがすんでいる。なかでも水死事故があったキリドーシブチを「ガーッパドコ」といい、佐護川のガーッパを統 制する「大将ガーツパ」のすむブチをゴージブチという。ゴージプチはプチの中でも最大、最深(約五尋)である。 <br />
</span><br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Yanagida Kunio (1875-1962)</b><br />
www.pref.iwate.jp/english/folklore/folklore.html<br />
www.ffortune.net/spirit/zinzya/kami/kappa.htm<br />
Yanagida Kunio is the famous anthropologist who did the initial research on the Kappa and other supernatural beings in the Tono region (modern-day Iwate Prefecture). He is considered by some to be the father of Japanese folklore study, and the author of the classic <i>Tono Monogatari</i> (Legends of Tono), published 1910. <br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>TONO TOWN, TONO AREA, Iwate Prefecture</b><br />
The Kappa and Kappa-buchi <span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;">河童淵</span> (river banks/spots where the Kappa hunt their prey) in northern Japan are especially famous. The area itself is surrounded by three mountains (Mt. Hayachine-san, Mt. Rokkoushi-yama, Mt. Ishigami-san), which are known collectively as the Three Mountains of Tono. Tono is well-known for its horse breeding, an activity pursued for centuries in the area. Tono is also a land of old folk tales, especially those about the Kappa that were recorded by Yanagida Kunio in his famous book "Tales of Tono." Visitors to Tono today can still taste old Japan, for the area still has many thatched farmhouses, fertility shrines, and images of the Kappa. The Sarukaishi River (literally Monkey's Stone River) gently flows through the southern part of Tono city. During its feudal days until the Edo Period, Tono flourished as a market place, lodging town and castle. On December 1, 1954, the eight villages of Aozasa, Ayaori, Kamigo, Matsuzaki, Otomo, Tono, Tsuchibuchi and Tsukimoushi merged to become the city of Tono. Today, the Tono area is home not only to the Kappa, but apparently home as well to the red-faced <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/tengu.shtml" style="font-weight: bold;">Tengu</a> and a child-like spirit called the <b><i>Zashiki Warashi</i></b>. For more about Tono, please visit: <br />
</li>
<ul><li style="text-align: left;">www.asia-planet.net/japan/iwate.htm </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">www.jandodd.com/japan/top10s_tohoku.htm</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">www.anna.iwate-pu.ac.jp/~acro-ito/Japan_pics/<br />
Japan_TON/imageidx.html (Photos of Tono Area)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">www1.ourtokushima.net/kankyou/seikatsubunka/<br />
awalife/march02/zashiki.htm<br />
</li>
</ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml"><img align="right" alt="Top of Page" border="0" height="22" hspace="5" id="Picture756" src="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/top_of_page-200.gif" title="Top of Page" vspace="0" width="56" /></a><b>KAPPA ORIGIN FROM CHINA.<br />
</b>Below site says Kappa originated from the<br />
classic Chinese book "Journey to the West." <br />
</li>
<ul><li style="text-align: left;">www.brainyencyclopedia.com/<br />
encyclopedia/k/ka/kappa__mythical_creature_.html<br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">www.brainyencyclopedia.com/<br />
encyclopedia/s/sh/sha_wujing.html <br />
</li>
</ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;"><b>SAGOJOU, Sandy the Water Demon in Journey to the West</b><br />
www2.plala.or.jp/kamkamkam/gimon3/no110/saiyuuki.htm<br />
www.chinjuh.mydns.jp/sengai/mito/lg021028.htm<br />
www.chinjuh.mydns.jp/sengai/mito/lg021028.htm<br />
www.china-on-site.com/monkey.php<br />
tenchinohoukai.greatnow.com/backgroundinfo/weapons<br />
</span>物語の中では「サゴジョウ」じゃなかったですっけということは、本場中国の「西遊記」に出てくる「沙悟浄」もやっぱり河童なんでしょうか。そもそも河童というのは、日本独特のものなのでしょうか。それとも中国あたりから伝わってきたものなんでしょうか。 </span><br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Kappa Myth by Janet Leigh Foster</b><br />
metropolis.japantoday.com/BigInJapan/366/biginjapaninc.htm<br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">KAPPA FESTIVALS<br />
</span></b> </li>
<ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;"></span></b><b>KAPPA ODORI DANCE, </b>Hita City, Oita Prefecture<br />
http://iris.hita.net/~city/eng/engmap.htm<br />
A sacred Shinto dance to pray for abundant crops, in which young boys dressed as kappa (water imps) jump and cavort about in time to humorous music. Designated as a Prefectural Intangible Cultural Treasure. <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=2027421096043873786" name="jozankei"></a><br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">JOZANKEI HOT SPRINGS & KAPPA FESITVAL</span></b><span style="font-family: 'MS Pゴシック',monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;"><br />
www.asia-planet.net/japan/hokkaido.htm<br />
The symbol of Jozankei Valley is the Kappa, the water sprite. Jozankei (valley) is a hot spring area and spa near Toyohiragawa River in southwest Sapporo (Hokkaido). Called "Sapporo's Back Parlor," the spa is surrounded by mountains, and was discovered by a monk called Jozan, and named after this monk for the efforts he made to develop it. The Kappa is the guardian spirit of the area. Local legend tells of a young boy who fell into a deep pool, where he was taken to the land of the Kappa, and lived happily thereafter (see below Kappa-Buchi Legend). Approximately 23 Kappa stand in various poses around the spa town, including the <b><i>Great Kappa King</i></b>. There is also a Kappa Pool, which becomes very lively during the Kappa Festival that takes place in early August. <br />
<br />
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;">Kappa-Buchi (Kappa Pool) Legend in Jozankei<br />
According to local folklore, a young man was fishing in a deep pool in Jozankei, but fell in and never surfaced. Months later he appeared in his father's dreams to say he was living happily with the Kappa, and his Kappa wife and child. The pool is named "Kappa-buchi," or kappa pool, in light of this legend. <<a href="http://cathaypacific.com/chl/eng/destinations/0,,77258_76891_eng,00.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_BLANK">Courtesy Cathay Pacific</a>><br />
</span> </li>
</ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Sans-serif,sans-serif;"><b>BOOKS</b><br />
"The Kappa" & Other Works by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke<br />
Japanese Author <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> 芥川龍之介 </span>(1892-1927).<br />
Below text courtesy www.angelfire.com/sk3/asianhorror/a.html<br />
Supernatural themes surface intermittently throughout his works. While his novella, <i>The Kappa</i>, is more satiric than supernatural, he discusses some of the contemporary psychic research in Japan. In Yabuno Naka, the dead speak through a type of Japanese medium. Other works have tangential references to magic such as <i>Aguni no Kami</i> and Christian mythology in <i>Kirisutohoro Shoin Den</i>, which strangely enough is about the former Saint Christopher. He dabbles in Chinese magic in <i>Toshishun</i> describing how to become a type of Asian magi or seinin. His mother died insane when he was young, and his father gave him up for adoption. Despite his inauspicious beginnings, he had a distinguished academic career at Tokyo University, married and fathered three children. Follower of Natsume Soseki, he produced a fine series of short novels and short stories during his brief lifetime. Cassell's Encyclopedia of World Literature describes his work as "weird and fantastic" and "often symbolical and impressionistic." He committed suicide during a stretch of severe depression. Akutagawa's <i>The Hell Screen</i> is the strongest tale of Japanese horror available in English, using a painter as the conveyor of horror. <i>The Heresy, </i>its sequel, is less successful as horror. Another of his tales, <i>The Spider's Thread,</i> shows the horrors of a Buddhist Hell and the chilling indifference of those in Paradise. </span></li>
</ul>Kenshuseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14710817527390359812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-6769697709909219672008-08-14T08:22:00.001+07:002008-08-14T08:25:50.620+07:00Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892-1927)Short-story writer, poet, and essayist, one of the first Japanese modernists translated into English. Akutagawa published no full-length novel. He was a stylistic perfectionist, who often favored macabre themes. His short stories 'In a Grove' and 'Rashomon' inspired <a href="http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kuros.htm">Akira Kurosawa</a>'s classic film from 1950. In 1935, the writer's friend Kikuchi Kan established the Akutagawa Prize, which is generally considered among the most prestigious Japanese literary awards for aspiring writers. <br />
<blockquote><font size="2"><b>"Yes, sir. Certainly, it was I who found the body. This morning, as usual, I went to cut my daily quota of cedars, when I found the body in a grove in a hollow in the mountains. The exact location? About 150 meters off the Yamashina stage road. It's an out-of-the-way grove of bamboo and cedars."</b> (from <i>Rashomon and Other Stories</i>, tr. by M. Kuwata, Takashi Kojima) </font></blockquote>Akutagawa Ryonosuke was born in Tokyo into a family which had lived for generations in the <i>shitamachi</i> district of Tokyo, famous for its cultural traditions. Shortly after Akutagawa's birth his mother, Fuku, became insane. His father, Niihara Toshizo, a dairyman, was not able to take care of his son, and Akutagawa was adopted by his uncle, Akutagawa Dosho, whose surname he assumed. In 1913 Akutagawa entered the Tokyo Imperial University, where he studied English, graduating in 1916 with a thesis on William Morris. Throughout his life, Akutagawa remained a voracious reader of the Western novels. <br />
While still at the university, Akutagawa started to write short fiction. His first literary work was a 1914 translation of Anatole France's <i>Balthasar</i> (1889). With his friends, Kikuchi Kan and Kumé Masao, he founded the literary magazine <i>Shin Shicho</i>, where he published 'Rashomon' (or 'The Rasho Gate', 1915). The tale, set in 12th-century Kyoto, depicts a ruined city, where a former servant tries to survive and must choose between immorality and virtue. The novelist Natsume Soseki was impressed by Akutagawa's work and encouraged him in his writing. <br />
After graduating Akutagawa took up teaching at a naval school in Yokosuka and married Tsukamoto Fumiko. Primarily Akutagawa wanted devote himself entirely to literature and refused invitations to teach at the universities of Tokyo and Kyoto. Eventually he resigned to become a full-time contributor to the<i> Osaka Mainichi </i>newspaper. During his most active phase in 1921, Akutagawa traveled to China as a correspondent, but due to health problems he was not able to write any articles there. <br />
Akutagawa wrote almost all his central works in the ten years before his suicide. His early short pieces were carefully plotted historical tales, but toward the end of his short life, he focused more on his own emotional state and contemporary settings. Akutagawa gained first fame with 'The Nose' (1916), which drew on <i>Tales of Times Now Past</i> (ca. 1107). In the Gogolian story a Buddhist monk troubled by his oversize, dangling nose. <br />
European and Chinese literature was familiar for Akutagawa. He was a regular customer of Maruzen, Tokyo's foreign-language boohoo, and was interested in such Western writers as Strindberg, Mérimée, Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Baudelaire, and Tolstoy, all of whom he read in English translations. However, he never visited West, but his understanding of Western literature was profound. In 'Cogwheels', he refers to two of his favorite authors: "On one of the shelves upstairs at Maruzen I found Strindberg's <i>Tale</i> and read a few pages while standing there. It describes experiences not unlike my own. And it had a yellow cover. I put it back and pulled out a thick book my hand happened to fall on. In it what should there be but an illustration of cogs with eyes and noses not unlike human beings! It was a collection of pictures by inmates of a lunatic asylum assembled by some German. Even in my depression, my spirit could be felt rising in rebellion and with the desperation of an addicted gambler kept opening book after book. Oddly enough, almost every book had clearly hidden stings in its sentences and illustrations. Every book? Even in <i>Madame Bovary</i>, which I had read many times before, I felt I was only the bourgeois Monsieur Bovary in the end." (trans. by Will Petersen) In his autobiographical works Akutagawa also shows interest in the debate about socialism and social classes. Japanese sources for his stories include<i> Konjaku monogatari</i>, works of Tokigawa, early Meiji anecdotes, and Christian writing as in ‘'Kirishitohoro shonin-den’, about the former Saint Christopher. <br />
Akutagawa's accuracy in his expression is seen in the way he describes sensations ("Only for an instant, on his dry lips he felt the touch of the butterfly wings. But years afterward, on his lips, the wing's imprinted dust still glittered."), everyday items ("An iron wine bottle. Some time or other this finely incised wine bottle had taught him the beauty of <i>form</i>."), and milieus ("Thirty years old, he had for some time been in love with a vacant lot. A ground of moss, on it broken bricks, fragments of roof tile. But in his eyes a landscape by Cezanne.") Akutagawa's style, poetic interpretation of his observations and nearly aristocratic aestheticism, connected him to the feeling and attitudes of remote generations of writers. However, he was not blind to the struggle of his own generation, and its radicalism, which can be read from his essay 'What is Proletarian Literature', written in 1927. Akutagawa prognosed that the bourgeoisie will sooner or later yield their position to the proletariat. <br />
Akutagawa wrote some 150 stories several of which have been filmed. 'Rashomon' together with 'In a Grove' ('Yabunonaka'), about a rape-and -murder case in tenth-century Kyoto, formed the basis for Akira Kurosawa's famous film, which was unsuccessfully remade in Hollywood in 1964 under the title 'Outrage'. Many of Akutagawa's earlier pieces were set in the ancient Japan, but he brought into them a modern psychological point of view. 'Autumn' (1920), 'The Garden' (1922), and 'The House of Genkaku' (1927) represented his move toward realism. Often he depicted dark undercurrents of the mind and favored macabre themes. In the feverish 'Hell Screen' Akutagawa examined artistic creativity and asked the question, what happens if one is ready to break all moral rules to fulfil one's artistic goals, in this case to kill. The same idea of using a painter as a vehicle for horror, had been used by LeFanu and Poe. <br />
The story is narrated in first person by a side character, an eyewitness of the events. Yoshihide, the protagonist, is a bad-tempered but great artist. His only daughter Yuzuki, gentle and devoted to his father, works as a maid for the Lord of Horikawa, who bids Yoshide to paint a picture of hell. The artist laborers day and night and his apprentices are in a constant state of terror because of his weird behavior. Finally he tells his lord that he cannot paint anything for which a model is lacking and one part remains unfinished: a carriage falls down through the sky. A court lady in it writhes in agony, her hair in disordered in the raging fire. After some days, the scene is arranged to the artist; a woman is burned but she is Yuzuki. "Then, wonderful to say, over the wrinkled face of this Yoshihide, who had seemed to suffer on a previous occasion the tortures of hell, over his face the light of an inexpressible ecstasy passed, and forgetful even of his lordship's presence he folded his arms and stood watching. It was almost as if he did not see his daughter dying in agony. Rather he seemed to delight in the beautiful color of the flames and the form of a woman in torment." A month later the Hell Screen is completed and Yoshihide hangs himself in his studio. "The first and most prevalent rumor was that he had burnt Yoshihide's daughter to death in resentment over thwarted love. But there was no doubt that it was the daimyo's purpose to punish the perversity of the artist, who was painting the Hell Screen, even if he had to kill someone to do so." <br />
Akutagawa’s last stories, in which he examined his own work and place in the world as an artist, did not gain such success as his older tales. Akutagawa committed suicide by taking an overdose of veronal on July 24, 1927, at the age of thirty-five. Paranoid and delusional, he had suffered from visual hallucinations, believing, among othe things, that maggots were in his food. In his suicide note, entitled 'A Note to a Certain Old Friend', the author wrote: "The world I am now in is one of diseased nerves, lucid as ice. Such voluntary death must give us peace, if not happiness. Now that I am ready, I find nature more beautiful than ever, paradoxical as this may sound. I have seen, loved, and understood more than others." Akutagawa's autobiographical works include 'The Early Life of Daidoji Shinsuke' (1925), which was left unfinished, 'A Fool's Life' (1927), and 'Cogwheels' (1927). His last important work, <i>Kappa</i> (1927), depicted supernatural water creatures (<i>kappa</i>), familiar from folklore. In the satirical story, an upside-down version of Japanese life, an inmate in a mental asylum tells about his travels in an underground country, which he do no want to leave. <br />
<blockquote><b><font size="2">For further reading</font></b><font size="2">: <i>Modern Japanese Literature</i> by D. Keene (1956); <i>Akutagawa Ryunosuke: His Concepts of Lifre and Art</i> by K. Tsuruta (1968); 'Akutagawa Ryunosuke: The Literature of Defeatism' by T. Arima, in </font><i><font size="2">The Failure of Freedom </font></i><font size="2"><font size="2">(1969</font>)</font><font size="2">; </font><i><font size="2">Akutagawa: An Introduction</font></i><font size="2"> by Beongsheon Yu (1972); <i>World Authors 1950-1970</i>, ed. by John Wakeman (1975);</font><i><font size="2"> The Search for Authenticity in Modern Japanese Literature</font></i><font size="2"> by H. Yamanouchi (1978); </font><i><font size="2">Akutagawa and Dazai: Instances of Literary Adaptation</font></i><font size="2">, ed. by James O'Brien (1988); </font><i><font size="2">Parallelisms in the Literary Vision of Sin</font></i><font size="2"> by Tsutomu Takahashi (1997); </font><i><font size="2">Encyclopedia of World Literature</font></i><font size="2">, vol. 1, ed. by Steven R. Serafin (1999); <i>Akutagawa and Dazai: Instances of Literary Adaptation</i> by James O'Brien ( 2004) - </font><b><font size="2">For further information</font></b><font size="2">: </font><a href="http://www.kalin.lm.com/akut.html" target="_blank"><font size="2">Ryunosuke Akutagawa</font></a><font size="2"> - Akutagawa, Ryunosuke. </font><a href="http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/k/x/kxs334/academic/fiction/akutagawa_rashomon.html" target="_blank"><font size="2">"Rashomon"</font></a><font size="2"> (1915) - <b>Note</b>: <i>Special thanks to Sachin Gandhi who gave the idea for this page and helped with the quotations.</i> - PL </font></blockquote><b>Selected works</b>:<br />
<ul><li>'Rashomon', 1915<i><font size="2"> </font></i>- Rashomon and Other Stories (tr.. by M.Kuwata, Takashi Kojima) / Rashomon and Other Stories (tr. by Glenn W. Shaw) / Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories (tr. by Jay Rubin) -<i><font size="2"> </font></i><font size="2">films: </font><font size="2">1950, dir. by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyo, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki (based on the stories 'Rashomon' and 'Yabu no naka'); 1960, TV film, dir. by Sidney Lumet, play by Fay Kanin; 1961, TV film, dir. by Rudolph Cartier, adaptation by Fay Kanin; <font size="2">1964, </font>Outrage, </font><font size="2"> dir. by Marin Ritt, starring Paul Newman, Claire Bloom, Laurence Harvey, Edward G. Robinson </font></li>
<li>'Hana', 1916 - 'The Nose' (tr. by G.W. Shaw) </li>
<li>'Imogayu', 1916 </li>
<li>'Ogata Kanzai no oboegaki', 1917 - 'Ogata Ryosai's Memo' </li>
<li>'Aru hi no Oishi Kuranosuke', 1917 - 'A Day in the Life of Oishi Kuranosuke' </li>
<li>'Gesaku zanmai', 1917 - 'Absorbed in Letters' </li>
<li>'Karenosho', 1918 -' From Withered Fields' </li>
<li>'Kumo no ito', 1918 - 'The Spider's Thread' - <font size="2">animation in 1946, dir. by </font><font size="2">Noburô Ôfuji</font></li>
<li>'Jigoku hen', 1918 - The Hell Screen (tr. by W. H. H. Norman) -<font size="2"> film 1969, dir. by </font><font size="2">Shirô Toyoda, screenplay by </font><font size="2">Toshio Yasumi </font></li>
<li>'Hokyonin no shi', 1918 - 'Death of a Christian' </li>
<li>'Kirishitohoro shonin-den', 1919 - 'The Story of St. Christopher' </li>
<li>'Mikan', 1919 - Mandarins (tr. by Charles de Wolf) </li>
<li>'Aki', 1920 - 'Autumn' </li>
<li>'Butokai', 1920 - 'The Ball' </li>
<li>Nankin no Kirisuto, 1920 - 'Christ in Nanking' - <font size="2">film 1995, </font><font size="2">Nan Jing de ji du, dir. by </font><font size="2">Tony Au, screenplay by </font><font size="2">Joyce Chan</font><font size="2">, starring </font><font size="2">Tony Leung Ka Fai, </font><font size="2">Yasuko Tomita</font></li>
<li>'Toshishun', 1920 - TuTze-Chun (tr. by Dorothy Britton) </li>
<li>'Koshoku', 1921 - 'Lechery' </li>
<li>'Yabu no naka', 1922 -' In a Grove' (tr. by Takashi Kojima, in Rashomon and Other Stories) -<font size="2"> films: 1991, </font><font size="2">Iron Maze , dir. by </font><font size="2">Hiroaki Yoshida, starring </font><font size="2">Jeff Fahey</font><font size="2">, Bridget Fonda</font><font size="2">, Hiroaki Murakami</font><font size="2">, J.T. Walsh; 1996, dir. by Hisayasu Sato, screenplay by Takashi Natori</font></li>
<li>'Hina', 1923 </li>
<li>'Shuju no kotoba', 1923-25 - 'Words of a Dwarf' </li>
<li>'Daidoji Shinsuke no hansei', 1925 -' The Early Life of Daidoji Shinsuke' </li>
<li>Ume, uma, uguisu, 1926 </li>
<li>'Genkaku sanbo', 1927 - 'The House of Genkaku' </li>
<li>Kappa, 1927 - Kappa: A Novel (trans. by Geoffrey Bownas) / Kappa (tr. by Seiichi Shiojiri) </li>
<li>'Haguruma', 1927 - 'Cogwheels' </li>
<li>Bungeiteki na, amari bungeiteki na, 1927 </li>
<li>'Aru ahö no issho', 1927 - A Fool's Life (tr. by Anthony Barnett & Toraiwa Naoko) </li>
<li>'Seiho no hito', 1927 - 'Man of the West' </li>
<li>Tales of Grotesque and Curious, 1930 (tr. by Glen W. Shaw) </li>
<li>Akutagawa Ryunosuke Zenshu, 1934-35 (10 vols.)</li>
<li>The Three Treasures and Other Stories for Children, 1944 (trans. by Sasaki Takamasa) </li>
<li>Akutagawa Ryunosuke Zenshu, 1954-55 (20 vols.) </li>
<li>Japanese Short Stories, 1961 (translated by Takashi Kojima) </li>
<li>Akutagawa Ryunosuke Zenshu, 1964-65 (11 vols.) </li>
<li>Akutagawa Ryunosuke Zenshu, 1967-69 (11 vols.) </li>
<li>Exotic Japanese Short Stories, 1970 (trans. by Takashi Kojima and John McVittie) </li>
<li>The Essential Akutagawa, 1999 (ed. by Seiji Lippit)</li>
</ul>origins: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/akuta.htmKenshuseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14710817527390359812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-39426069727614398012008-08-14T08:04:00.002+07:002008-08-14T08:26:17.693+07:00Jujutsu<b>Jujutsu</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">柔術</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">jūjutsu</span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span><span class="metadata audiolinkinfo"><small></small></span>, literally meaning the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jutsu" title="Jutsu">art</a> of <a class="extiw" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%9F%94" title="wikt:柔">softness</a>", or "way of yielding" is a collective name for Japanese <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_martial_art" title="Japanese martial art">martial art</a> styles consisting of grappling and striking techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai" title="Samurai">samurai</a> of feudal Japan as a method for dispatching an armed and armored opponent in situations where the use of weapons was impractical or forbidden. Due to the difficulty of dispatching an armored opponent with striking techniques, the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against him, rather than directly opposing it, and came to be known as jujutsu.<br />
There are many variations of the art, which leads to a diversity of approaches. Jujutsu schools (<i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%AB" title="Ryū">ryū</a></i>) may utilize all forms of grappling techniques to some degree (i.e. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_%28grappling%29" title="Throw (grappling)">throwing</a>, trapping, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_locking" title="Joint locking">joint locking</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling_hold" title="Grappling hold">holds</a>, gouging, biting, disengagements, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_%28attack%29" title="Strike (attack)">striking</a>, and <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kicking" title="Kicking">kicking</a>). In addition to jujutsu, many schools taught the use of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapons" title="Weapons">weapons</a>.<br />
Today, jujutsu is still practiced both as it was hundreds of years ago, but also in modified forms for sport practice. Derived sports forms include the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_sport" title="Olympic sport">Olympic sport</a> and <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_art" title="Martial art">martial art</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">judo</a>, which was developed from several traditional styles of jujutsu by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_Jigoro" title="Kano Jigoro">Kano Jigoro</a> in the late 19th century; and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu" title="Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu">Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu</a>, which was in turn derived from earlier version (pre World War II) of Kodokan judo.<br />
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<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">History</span></h2><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Origins" name="Origins"></a><br />
<h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Origins</span></h3>Jujutsu was first developed by Samurai. Fighting forms have existed in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a> for centuries. The first references to unarmed combat arts or systems is in the earliest purported historical records of Japan, the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kojiki" title="Kojiki">Kojiki</a></i> (Record of Ancient Matters) and the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihon_Shoki" title="Nihon Shoki">Nihon Shoki</a></i> (Chronicles of Japan), which relate the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_myth" title="Founding myth">mythological creation</a> of the country and the establishment of the imperial family. Other glimpses can be found in the older records and pictures depicting sumai (or <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumo" title="Sumo">sumo</a></i>) <i>no sechie</i>, a rite of the Imperial Court in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara,_Nara" title="Nara, Nara">Nara</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto" title="Kyoto">Kyoto</a> performed for purposes of divination and to help ensure a bountiful harvest.<br />
There is a famous story of a warrior Nomi no Sekuni of Izumo who defeated and killed Tajima no Kehaya in <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimane_prefecture" title="Shimane prefecture">Shimane prefecture</a> while in the presence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Suinin" title="Emperor Suinin">Emperor Suinin</a>. Descriptions of the techniques used during this encounter include striking, throwing, restraining and weaponry.<br />
The term "<i>jūjutsu</i>" was not coined until the 17th century, after which time it became a blanket term for a wide variety of grappling-related disciplines. Prior to that time, these skills had names such as "short sword grappling" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">小具足腰之周</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>kogusoku koshi no mawari</b></span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span>, "grappling" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">組討 or 組打</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>kumiuchi</b></span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span>, "body art" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">体術</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>taijutsu</b></span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span>, "softness" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">柔 or 和</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>yawara</b></span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span>, "art of harmony" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">和術</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>wajutsu</b></span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span>, "catching hand" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">捕手</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>torite</b></span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span>, and even the "way of softness" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">柔道</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>jūdō</b></span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span> (as early as 1724, almost two centuries before <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_Jigoro" title="Kano Jigoro">Kano Jigoro</a> founded the modern art of Kodokan <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">Judo</a>).<br />
Today, the systems of unarmed combat that were developed and practiced during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muromachi_period" title="Muromachi period">Muromachi period</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1333" title="1333">1333</a>–<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1573" title="1573">1573</a>) are referred to collectively as Japanese old-style jujutsu <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">日本古流柔術</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">Nihon koryū jūjutsu</span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span>. At this period in history, the systems practiced were not systems of unarmed combat, but rather means for an unarmed or lightly armed warrior to fight a heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. In battle, it was often possible for a samurai to be unable to use his long sword, for various reasons, and be forced to rely on his short sword, dagger, or bare hands. When fully armored, the effective use of such "minor" weapons necessitated the employment of grappling skills.<br />
Methods of combat (as just mentioned above) included striking (kicking and punching), throwing (body throws, joint-lock throws, unbalance throws), restraining (pinning, strangulating, grappling, wrestling) and weaponry. Defensive tactics included blocking, evading, off-balancing, blending and escaping. Minor weapons such as the tanto (dagger), ryufundo kusari (weighted chain), kabuto wari (helmet smasher), and kakushi buki (secret or disguised weapons) were almost always included in Sengoku jujutsu.<br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Development" name="Development"></a><br />
<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Development</span></h3>In later times, other <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koryu" title="Koryu">koryu</a> developed into systems more familiar to the practitioners of <i>Nihon jujutsu</i> commonly seen today. These are correctly classified as <i>Edo jūjutsu</i> (founded during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_period" title="Edo period">edo period</a>): they are generally designed to deal with opponents neither wearing armor nor in a battlefield environment. Most systems of Edo jujutsu include extensive use of <i>atemi waza</i> (vital-striking technique), which would be of little use against an armored opponent on a battlefield. They would, however, be quite valuable in confronting an enemy or opponent during peacetime dressed in normal street attire (referred to as "suhada bujutsu"). Occasionally, inconspicuous weapons such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tant%C5%8D" title="Tantō">tantō</a> (daggers) or <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessen" title="Tessen">tessen</a> (iron fans) were included in the curriculum of Edo jūjutsu.<br />
Another seldom-seen historical side is a series of techniques originally included in both Sengoku and Edo jujutsu systems. Referred to as <i>hojo waza</i> (<span lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">捕縄術</span> <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojojutsu" title="Hojojutsu">hojojutsu</a>, <b>nawa jutsu</b>, <b>hayanawa</b> and others), it involves the use of a hojo cord, (sometimes the <i>sageo</i> or <i>tasuke</i>) to restrain or strangle an attacker. These techniques have for the most part faded from use in modern times, but Tokyo police units still train in their use and continue to carry a hojo cord in addition to handcuffs. The very old <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takenouchi-ryu" title="Takenouchi-ryu">Takenouchi-ryu</a> is one of the better-recognized systems that continue extensive training in hojo waza. Since the establishment of the Meiji period with the abolishment of the Samurai and the wearing of swords, the ancient tradition of <b>Yagyu Shingan Ryu</b> (Sendai & Edo lines) has focused much towards the jujutsu (Yawara) contained in its syllabus.<br />
Many other legitimate Nihon jujutsu ryu exist but are not considered koryu (ancient traditions). These are called either <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendai_Jujutsu" title="Gendai Jujutsu">Gendai Jujutsu</a> or modern jujutsu. Modern jujutsu traditions were founded after or towards the end of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_Period" title="Edo Period">Tokugawa period</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1868" title="1868">1868</a>), when more than 2000 schools (ryu) of jūjutsu existed. Various traditional ryu and ryuha that are commonly thought of as koryu jujutsu are actually <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendai_Bud%C5%8D" title="Gendai Budō">gendai</a> jūjutsu. Although modern in formation, very few gendai jujutsu systems have direct historical links to ancient traditions and are incorrectly referred to as traditional martial systems or ryu. Their curriculum reflects an obvious bias towards Edo jūjutsu systems as opposed to the Sengoku jūjutsu systems. The improbability of confronting an armor-clad attacker is the reason for this bias.<br />
Over time, Gendai jujutsu has been embraced by law enforcement officials worldwide and continues to be the foundation for many specialized systems used by police. Perhaps the most famous of these specialized police systems is the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_system_of_Japan" title="Police system of Japan">Keisatsujutsu</a> (police art) <b>Taiho jutsu</b> (arresting art) system formulated and employed by the Tokyo Police Department.<br />
If a Japanese based martial system is formulated in modern times (post Tokugawa) but is only partially influenced by traditional Nihon jujutsu, it may be correctly referred to as goshin (self defense) jujutsu. Goshin jujutsu is usually formulated outside Japan and may include influences from other martial traditions. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu" title="Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu">Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu</a>, which was developed from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">judo</a>, but with greater emphasis on ground grappling (<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne_waza" title="Ne waza">ne waza</a>), is an excellent example of Goshin Jujutsu.<br />
Jujutsu techniques have been the basis for many military unarmed combat techniques (including British/US/Russian special forces and SO1 police units) for many years.<br />
There are many forms of sport jujutsu, the original and most popular being judo, now an Olympic sport. One of the most common is mixed-style competitions, where competitors apply a variety of strikes, throws, and holds to score points. There are also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata" title="Kata">kata</a> competitions, where competitors of the same style perform techniques and are judged on their performance. There are also freestyle competitions, where competitors take turns attacking each other, and the defender is judged on performance.<br />
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<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Description</span></h2>Japanese jujutsu systems typically place more emphasis on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_%28grappling%29" title="Throw (grappling)">throwing</a>, immobilizing and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling_hold#Pinning_hold" title="Grappling hold">pinning</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint-locking" title="Joint-locking">joint-locking</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chokehold" title="Chokehold">choking</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangling" title="Strangling">strangling</a> techniques (as compared with other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_arts" title="Martial arts">martial arts</a> systems such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate" title="Karate">karate</a>). <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atemi" title="Atemi">Atemi</a>-waza</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_%28attack%29" title="Strike (attack)">striking</a> techniques) were seen as less important in most older <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_martial_arts" title="Japanese martial arts">Japanese systems</a>, since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai" title="Samurai">samurai</a> body armor protected against many striking techniques. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China" title="China">Chinese</a> <b><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanfa" title="Quanfa">quanfa</a>/<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuan_fa" title="Chuan fa">ch'uan-fa</a></b> (<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenpo" title="Kenpo">kenpo</a> or <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_fu" title="Kung fu">kung fu</a>) systems focus on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_%28strike%29" title="Punch (strike)">punching</a>, striking, and <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kicking" title="Kicking">kicking</a> more than jujutsu.<br />
The Japanese systems of <i>hakuda</i>, <i>kenpo</i>, and <i>shubaku</i> display some degree of Chinese influence in their emphasis on atemi-waza. In comparison, systems that derive more directly from Japanese sources show less preference for such techniques. However, a few jujutsu schools likely have <i>some</i> Chinese influence in their development. Jujutsu ryu vary widely in their techniques, and many do include significant numbers of striking techniques, if only as set-ups for their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling" title="Grappling">grappling</a> techniques.<br />
In jujutsu, practitioners train in the use of many potentially fatal moves. However, because students mostly train in a non-competitive environment, risk is minimized. Students are taught <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break_fall" title="Break fall">break falling</a> skills to allow them to safely practice otherwise dangerous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_%28grappling%29" title="Throw (grappling)">throws</a>.<br />
In jujutsu, there are five main sectors ("arts") of training. The first, the Art of Blocking, is used to defend against attacks. The second, the Art of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulcrum" title="Fulcrum">Fulcrum</a> Throw, is employed in modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">judo</a>. The third, the Art of the Non-fulcrum Throw is employed through throws that involve little or no contact with the opponent. The fourth, the Art of Escaping (Hakko-Dori), is very crucial in many styles of Jujutsu. The fifth, the Art of Striking (Atemi-Waza), is used more by modern <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jujutsuka&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Jujutsuka (page does not exist)">jujutsuka</a> who do not employ body armor.<br />
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<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Technical characteristics</span></h3>Although there is some diversity in the actual look and techniques of the various traditional jujutsu systems, there are significant technical similarities common to all schools:<br />
<ul><li>Students learn traditional jujutsu primarily by observation and imitation of the ryu's waza.</li>
<li>The unarmed waza of most schools emphasize joint-locking techniques (<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansetsu_waza" title="Kansetsu waza">kansetsu waza</a>), that is, threatening a joint's integrity by placing pressure on it in a direction contrary to its normal function, aligning it so that muscular strength cannot be brought to bear, take-down or throwing techniques, or a combination of take-downs and joint-locks.</li>
<li>Sometimes, atemi (strikes) are targeted to some vulnerable area of the body; this is an aspect of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuzushi" title="Kuzushi">kuzushi</a>, the art of breaking balance as a set-up for a lock, take-down or throw.</li>
<li>Movements tend to capitalize on an attacker's momentum and openings in order to place a joint in a compromised position or to break their balance as preparation for a take-down or throw.</li>
<li>The defender's own body is positioned so as to take optimal advantage of the attacker's weaknesses while simultaneously presenting few openings or weaknesses of its own.</li>
<li>Weapons training was a primary goal of Samurai training. Koryu (old/classic) schools typically include the use of weapons. Weapons might include the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_%28weapon%29" title="Bo (weapon)">roku shaku bo</a> (six-foot staff), <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanbo" title="Hanbo">hanbo</a> (three-foot staff), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katana" title="Katana">katana</a> (long sword), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakizashi" title="Wakizashi">wakizashi</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodachi" title="Kodachi">kodachi</a> (short sword), tanto (knife), or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jutte" title="Jutte">jitte</a> (short one hook truncheon).</li>
</ul><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Schools_and_derivatives" name="Schools_and_derivatives"></a><br />
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Schools and derivatives</span></h2>Because jujutsu contains so many facets, it has become the foundation for a variety of styles and derivations today. As each instructor incorporated new techniques and tactics into what was taught to him originally, he could codify and create his own <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryu_%28school%29" title="Ryu (school)">ryu</a> (school). Some of these schools modified the source material so much that they no longer considered themselves a style of jujutsu.<br />
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<h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Old schools</span></h3>Circa 1600 AD there were over 2000 ryu of jujutsu in Japan and there were common features that characterized most of them. The <i>technical characteristics</i> varied from school to school. Many of the generalizations noted above do not hold true for some schools of jujutsu. Old schools of Japanese jujutsu include:<br />
<ul><li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araki-ryu" title="Araki-ryu">Araki-ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daito-ryu_aiki-jujutsu" title="Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu">Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hontai_Yoshin-ryu" title="Hontai Yoshin-ryu">Hontai Yoshin-ryu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashima_Shin-ry%C5%AB" title="Kashima Shin-ryū">Kashima Shin-ryū</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukishin-ry%C5%AB" title="Kukishin-ryū">Kukishin-ryū</a> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu#cite_note-2" title="">[3]</a></sup></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekiguchi_Shinshin-ryu" title="Sekiguchi Shinshin-ryu">Sekiguchi Shinshin-ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sosuishitsu-ryu" title="Sosuishitsu-ryu">Sosuishitsu-ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takenouchi-ryu" title="Takenouchi-ryu">Takenouchi-ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatsumi-ryu" title="Tatsumi-ryu">Tatsumi-ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenjin_Shinyo-ryu" title="Tenjin Shinyo-ryu">Tenjin Shinyo-ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yagyu_Shingan_Ryu" title="Yagyu Shingan Ryu">Yagyu Shingan Ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshin_Ryu" title="Yoshin Ryu">Yoshin Ryu</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Derivatives_and_influences" name="Derivatives_and_influences"></a><br />
<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Derivatives and influences</span></h3>Some examples of martial arts that have developed from or have been influenced by jujutsu are: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido" title="Aikido">Aikido</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartitsu" title="Bartitsu">Bartitsu</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapkido" title="Hapkido">Hapkido</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">Judo</a> (and thence <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu" title="Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu">Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo_%28martial_art%29" title="Sambo (martial art)">Sambo</a>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kajukenbo" title="Kajukenbo">Kajukenbo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapap" title="Kapap">Kapap</a>, and <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenpo" title="Kenpo">Kenpo</a> – as well as some styles of Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate" title="Karate">Karate</a>. The <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wado-ryu" title="Wado-ryu">Wado-ryu</a> school of Karate, for example, is considered as a branch of <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shind%C5%8D_Y%C5%8Dshin-ry%C5%AB" title="Shindō Yōshin-ryū">Shindō Yōshin-ryū</a> Jujutsu</i> which has received strong influences from Okinawan Karate.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu#cite_note-3" title="">[4]</a></sup><br />
Some schools went on to diverge into present day Karate and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiki" title="Aiki">Aiki</a> styles. The last Japanese divergence occurred in 1905 when a number of jujutsu schools joined the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodokan" title="Kodokan">Kodokan</a>. The syllabi of those schools was unified under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_Jigoro" title="Kano Jigoro">Kano Jigoro</a> to form <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">Judo</a>.<br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Bartitsu" name="Bartitsu"></a><br />
<h4><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Bartitsu</span></h4>Jujutsu was first introduced to Europe in 1899 by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_William_Barton-Wright" title="Edward William Barton-Wright">Edward William Barton-Wright</a>, who had studied <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenjin_Shiny%C5%8D-ry%C5%AB" title="Tenjin Shinyō-ryū">Tenjin Shinyō-ryū</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinden_Fudo_Ryu" title="Shinden Fudo Ryu">Shinden Fudo Ryu</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokohama" title="Yokohama">Yokohama</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe" title="Kobe">Kobe</a>, respectively. He had also trained briefly at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodokan" title="Kodokan">Kodokan</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo" title="Tokyo">Tokyo</a>. Upon returning to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England" title="England">England</a> he folded the basics of all of these styles, as well as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing" title="Boxing">boxing</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savate" title="Savate">savate</a> and French <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stick_fighting" title="Stick fighting">stick fighting</a>, into an eclectic self-defence system called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartitsu" title="Bartitsu">Bartitsu</a>.<br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Judo" name="Judo"></a><br />
<h4><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Judo</span></h4>Modern judo is the classic example of a 'sport' that derived from jujutsu and became distinct. Another layer removed, some popular arts had instructors who studied one of these jujutsu derivatives and later made their own derivative succeed in competition. This created an extensive family of martial arts and sports that can trace their lineage to jujutsu in some part.<br />
The way an opponent is dealt with also depends on the teacher's philosophy with regard to combat. This translates also in different styles or schools of jujutsu. Because in jujutsu every conceivable technique (including biting, hair-pulling, eye-gouging, etcetera) is allowed (unlike, for instance, <b>judo</b>, which does not place emphasis on punching or kicking tactics, or <b>karate</b>, which does not heavily emphasize grappling and throwing), practitioners have an unlimited choice of techniques.<br />
Not all jujutsu was used in sporting contests, but the practical use in the samurai world ended circa 1890. Techniques like hair-pulling and eye poking were and are not considered conventionally acceptable to use in sport, thus they are not included in judo competitions or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randori" title="Randori">randori</a>. Judo did, however, preserve the more lethal, dangerous techniques in its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata" title="Kata">kata</a>. The kata were intended to be practiced by students of all grades, but now are mostly practiced formally as complete set-routines for performance, kata competition, and grading, rather than as individual self-defense techniques in class. However, judo retained the full set of choking and strangling techniques for its sporting form, and all manner of elbow locks. Even judo's pinning techniques have pain-generating, spine-and-rib-squeezing and smothering aspects. A submission induced by a legal pin is considered a fully legitimate way to win. Kano viewed the safe sport-fighting aspect of judo as an important part of learning how to actually control an opponent's body in a real fight. Kano always considered judo to be a form of, and a development of, jujutsu.<br />
A judo technique starts with gripping your opponent followed by off-balancing the opponent, fitting into the space created, and then applying the technique. In contrast, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuzushi" title="Kuzushi">kuzushi</a> (the art of breaking balance) is attained in jujutsu by blocking and then parrying or deflecting an opponent's attack in order to create the space required to apply a throwing technique. In both systems, kuzushi is essential in order to use as little energy as possible during a fight. Jujutsu differs from judo in a number of ways. In some circumstances, <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jutsuka&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Jutsuka (page does not exist)">jutsuka</a> generate kuzushi by striking one's opponent along his weak line. Other methods of generating kuzushi include grabbing, twisting, or poking areas of the body known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atemi" title="Atemi">atemi</a> points or pressure points (see <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyusho-jitsu" title="Kyusho-jitsu">kyusho-jitsu</a>) (areas of the body where nerves are close to the skin).<br />
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<h4><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu</span></h4><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu" title="Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu">Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu</a> (BJJ) was developed after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda" title="Mitsuyo Maeda">Mitsuyo Maeda</a> brought judo to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil" title="Brazil">Brazil</a> in 1914. At the time, judo was still often commonly referred to as "Jiu-Jitsu", which explains why this derivative of judo is called <i>Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu</i> rather than <i>Brazilian Judo</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu#cite_note-4" title="">[5]</a></sup> BJJ dominated the first large modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_martial_arts" title="Mixed martial arts">mixed martial arts</a> competitions, causing the emerging field to adopt many of its practices.<br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Modern_schools" name="Modern_schools"></a><br />
<h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Modern schools</span></h3>A Japanese-based martial system formulated in modern times (post Tokugawa) that is only partially influenced by traditional Nihon jujutsu, is correctly referred to as <b>goshin</b> (self defense) jujutsu. Goshin jujutsu is usually formulated outside Japan and may include influences from other martial traditions. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu" title="Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu">Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu</a>, although derived originally from Kodokan Judo, has evolved independently for many years, and could be considered an example of <i>Goshin Jutsu</i>.<br />
After the transplantation of traditional Japanese jujutsu to the West, many of these more traditional styles underwent a process of adaptation at the hands of Western practitioners, molding the art of jujutsu to suit western culture in its myriad varieties. There are today many distinctly westernized styles of jujutsu, that stick to their Japanese roots to varying degrees.<br />
There are a number of relatively new martial systems identifying themselves as jujutsu. Since they are created in modern (gendai) times, they are often referred to as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendai_jujutsu" title="Gendai jujutsu">gendai jujutsu</a>.<br />
Some of the largest post-reformation (founded post 1905) jujutsu schools include (but are certainly not limited to these in that there are hundreds (possibly thousands), of new branches of "jujutsu"):<br />
<ul><li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danzan_Ryu" title="Danzan Ryu">Danzan Ryu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Ju-Jutsu" title="German Ju-Jutsu">German Ju-Jutsu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goshin_Jujitsu" title="Goshin Jujitsu">Goshin Jujitsu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakko_Ryu" title="Hakko Ryu">Hakko Ryu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakko_Denshin_Ryu" title="Hakko Denshin Ryu">Hakko Denshin Ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukido_Jujitsu" title="Jukido Jujitsu">Jukido Jujitsu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketsugo_jujutsu" title="Ketsugo jujutsu">Ketsugo Jujutsu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumite-ryu_Jujutsu" title="Kumite-ryu Jujutsu">Kumite-ryu Jujutsu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanuces_Ryu" title="Sanuces Ryu">Sanuces Ryu</a></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senso_Ryu_Aikijujutsu" title="Senso Ryu Aikijujutsu">Senso Ryu Aikijujutsu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jitsu_Foundation" title="The Jitsu Foundation">Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu</a> (Jitsu Foundation)</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Circle_JuJitsu" title="Small Circle JuJitsu">Small Circle JuJitsu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Ju-Jitsu_Federation" title="World Ju-Jitsu Federation">World Ju-Jitsu Federation</a> (WJJF)</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goshinbudo" title="Goshinbudo">Goshinbudo</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Sport_jujutsu" name="Sport_jujutsu"></a><br />
<h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Sport jujutsu</span></h3>Sport jujutsu is an official sport of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Games" title="World Games">World Games</a> and comes in two main variants: <i>Duo</i> (self-defense demonstration) where both the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tori_%28martial_arts%29" title="Tori (martial arts)">tori</a> (attacker) and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uke_%28martial_arts%29" title="Uke (martial arts)">uke</a> (defender) come from the same team and demonstrate self defense techniques, and <i>Fighting System</i> (freefighting) where competitors combine striking, grappling and submissions under rules which emphasise safety. Many of the potentially dangerous techniques such as scissor takedowns, necklocks and digital choking and locking are prohibited in Sport Jujutsu. There are a number of other styles of sport jujutsu with varying rules.<a class="external autonumber" href="http://www.ichoyamaryu.com/AAU/rules/06_Jujitsu_Handbook.pdf" rel="nofollow" title="http://www.ichoyamaryu.com/AAU/rules/06_Jujitsu_Handbook.pdf"></a><br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Etymology" name="Etymology"></a><br />
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Etymology</span></h2>Jujutsu, the current standard spelling, is derived using the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepburn_romanization" title="Hepburn romanization">Hepburn romanization</a> system. Before the first half of the 20th century, however, jiu-jitsu and then jujitsu were preferred, even though the romanization of the second <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji" title="Kanji">kanji</a> as <i>jitsu</i> is unfaithful to the standard Japanese pronunciation. Since Japanese martial arts first became widely known of in the West in that time period, these earlier spellings are still common in many places. Ju-Jitsu is still a common spelling in France, Canada and the United States while Jiu-Jitsu is most widely used in Germany and Brazil.<br />
Some define jujutsu and similar arts rather narrowly as "unarmed" close combat systems used to defeat or control an enemy who is similarly unarmed. Basic methods of attack include hitting or striking, thrusting or punching, kicking, throwing, pinning or immobilizing, strangling, and joint-locking. Great pains were also taken by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai#Etymology_of_samurai_and_related_words" title="Samurai">bushi</a> (classic warriors) to develop effective methods of defense, including parrying or blocking strikes, thrusts and kicks, receiving throws or joint-locking techniques (i.e., falling safely and knowing how to "blend" to neutralize a technique's effect), releasing oneself from an enemy's grasp, and changing or shifting one's position to evade or neutralize an attack. As jujutsu is a collective term, some schools or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryu" title="Ryu">ryu</a> adopted <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Principle_of_Ju" title="The Principle of Ju">the principle of ju</a> more than others.<br />
From a broader point of view, based on the curricula of many of the classical Japanese arts themselves, however, these arts may perhaps be more accurately defined as unarmed methods of dealing with an enemy who was armed, together with methods of using minor weapons such as the jutte (truncheon; also called jitte), tanto (knife), or kakushi buki (hidden weapons), such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manriki-gusari" title="Manriki-gusari">ryofundo kusari</a> (weighted chain) or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekko" title="Tekko">bankokuchoki</a> (a type of knuckle-duster), to defeat both armed or unarmed opponents.<br />
Furthermore, the term jujutsu was also sometimes used to refer to tactics for infighting used with the warrior's major weapons: katana or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachi" title="Tachi">tachi</a> (sword), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yari" title="Yari">yari</a> (spear), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naginata" title="Naginata">naginata</a> (glaive), and <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_%28weapon%29" title="Jo (weapon)">jo</a> (short staff), <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_%28weapon%29" title="Bo (weapon)">bo</a> (quarterstaff). These close combat methods were an important part of the different martial systems that were developed for use on the battlefield. They can be generally characterized as either <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengoku_Jidai" title="Sengoku Jidai">Sengoku Jidai</a> (Sengoku Period, 1467- 1603) katchu bujutsu or yoroi kumiuchi (fighting with weapons or grappling while clad in armor), or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo" title="Edo">Edo Jidai</a> (Edo Period, 1603- 1867) suhada bujutsu (fighting while dressed in the normal street clothing of the period, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono" title="Kimono">kimono</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakama" title="Hakama">hakama</a>).<br />
The Chinese character 柔 (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language" title="Chinese language">Mandarin</a>: <i>róu</i>; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language" title="Japanese language">Japanese</a>: <i>jū</i>; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_language" title="Korean language">Korean</a>: <i>yū</i>) is the same as the first one in 柔道 (Mandarin: <i>róudào</i>; Japanese: <i>judo</i>; Korean: <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yudo" title="Yudo">Yudo</a></i>). The Chinese character 術 (Mandarin: <i>shù</i>; Japanese: <i>jutsu</i>; Korean: <i>sul</i>) is the same as the second one in 武術 (Mandarin: <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wushu_%28term%29" title="Wushu (term)">wǔshù</a></i>; Japanese: <i>bujutsu</i>; Korean: <i>musul</i>)<br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1087208410216739686&postID=3942606972761439801" id="Heritage_and_philosophy" name="Heritage_and_philosophy"></a><br />
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Heritage and philosophy</span></h2>All Japanese jujutsu schools have cultural indicators that help give a sense of the traditional character of the school.<br />
<ul><li>The type of <i>keikogi</i> or training suit worn, which is usually plain white, often with a dark <i>hakama</i> (the most colorful uniform might be plain black or the traditional blue of quilted <i>keikogi</i>).</li>
<li>Lack of ostentatious display, with an attempt to achieve or express the sense of rustic simplicity (expressed in such concepts as <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi" title="Wabi-sabi">wabi-sabi</a></i> in Japanese) common in many of Japan's traditional arts.</li>
<li>The use of the traditional (e.g., <i>Shoden, Chuden, Okuden</i>, <i>Kirigami</i> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menkyo_kaiden" title="Menkyo kaiden">menkyo kaiden</a> levels) ranking system, perhaps as a parallel track to the more contemporary and increasingly common <i>dan-i</i> (<i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyu" title="Kyu">kyu</a></i>/<i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_rank" title="Dan rank">dan</a></i>) ranking.</li>
</ul>Japanese culture and religion have become intertwined into the martial arts. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism" title="Buddhism">Buddhism</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto" title="Shinto">Shinto</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism" title="Taoism">Taoism</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism" title="Confucianism">Confucian philosophy</a> co-exist in Japan, and people generally mix and match to suit. This reflects the variety of outlook one finds in the different schools.<br />
Jujutsu expresses the philosophy of yielding to an opponent's force rather than trying to oppose force with force. Manipulating an opponent's attack using his force and direction allows jujutsuka to control the balance of their opponent and hence prevent the opponent from resisting the counter attack.<br />
The Japanese have characterised states of mind that a warrior should be able to adopt in combat to facilitate victory. These include: an all-encompassing awareness, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanshin" title="Zanshin">zanshin</a></i> (literally "remaining spirit"), in which the practitioner is ready for anything, at any time; the spontaneity of <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushin" title="Mushin">mushin</a></i> (literally "no mind") which allows immediate action without conscious thought; and a state of equanimity or imperturbability known as <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fudoshin" title="Fudoshin">fudoshin</a></i> (literally "immovable mind").Kenshuseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14710817527390359812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-10017322548757437822008-04-08T16:03:00.001+07:002008-08-14T08:04:12.767+07:00Kyudo (Japanese Traditional Archery)<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 100%;">Kyudo, which literally means The Way of the Bow, is considered by many to be the purest of all the martial ways. In the past, the Japanese bow was used for hunting, war, court ceremonies, games, and contests of skill. The original word for Japanese archery was <i>kyujutsu</i> (bow technique) which encompassed the skills and techniques of the warrior archer. Some of the ancient schools, known as <i>ryu</i>, survive today, along with the ancient ceremonies and games, but the days where the Japanese bow was used as a weapon are long past. Modern kyudo is practiced primarily as a method of physical, moral, and spiritual development.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">No one knows exactly when the term <i>kyudo</i> came into being but it was not until the late nineteenth century when practice centered almost exclusively around individual practice that the term gained general acceptance. The essence of modern kyudo is said to be synonymous with the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><b>Truth</b> in kyudo is manifested in shooting that is pure and right-minded, where the three elements of attitude, movement, and technique unite in a state of perfect harmony. A true shot in kyudo is not just one that hits the center of the target, but one where the arrow can be said to exist in the target before its release.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><b>Goodness </b>encompasses such qualities as courtesy, compassion, morality, and non-aggression. In kyudo, goodness is shown by displaying proper attitude and behavior in all situations. A good kyudo archer is a person who maintains his or her composure and grace even in times of great stress or conflict.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><b>Beauty</b> both enhances life and stimulates the spirit. In kyudo, truth and goodness, themselves, are considered beautiful. Beauty can also be found in the exquisite grace and artistry of the Japanese bow and the elegance of the traditional archer's attire. It is also present in the refined etiquette that surrounds the kyudo ceremony. Etiquette, which is simply common courtesy and respect for others, is an essential element of kyudo practice.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Much has been written about the philosophical connections of kyudo. Perhaps most known is the book <i>Zen in the Art of Archery</i> by Eugen Herrigel. In his book Mr. Herrigel sets forth his experiences with kyudo in the 1930's. It was a beautifully written account that has been translated into many languages, giving people worldwide their first glimpse of the art. Unfortunately, the book was very one-sided in its description of kyudo as a Zen art and is responsible for a lot of the current misconception surrounding the practice of kyudo as a religious activity.<br />
While kyudo is not a religion it has been influenced by two schools of Eastern philosophy: The previously mentioned Zen, a form of Buddhism imported from China, and Shintoism, the indigenous faith of Japan. Of the two, the influence of Shintoism is much older. Ritualistic use of the bow and arrows have been a part of Shintoism for over two thousand years. Much of the kyudo ceremony, the attire worn by the archers, and the ritual respect shown for the equipment and shooting place are derived from ancient Shinto practice.<br />
The influence of Zen, on the other hand, is more recent, dating back to the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) when the warrior archers adopted Zen as their preferred method of moral training. Zen's influence on kyudo became even greater in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when Japan, as a whole, experienced a period of civil peace. During that time the practice of kyudo took on a definite philosophical leaning. This is the period when sayings like "one shot, one life" and "shooting should be like flowing water" were associated with the teaching of kyudo. Because of its long and varied past, modern Japanese archery will exhibit a wide variety of influences. Today, at any given <i>kyudojo</i> (practice hall), one can find people practicing ancient kyujutsu, ceremonial court games, rituals with religious connections, and contests of skill. The key to understanding kyudo is to keep an open mind and realize that any style of kyudo you see or practice is but a small part of a greater whole, and that each style has its own history and philosophical underpinnings which make them all equally interesting and important.</span>Sunaryo Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153812150701615827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-66940283417941387812008-04-03T15:55:00.000+07:002020-04-20T18:38:20.421+07:00Kendo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Kendo</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">剣道</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">kendō</span></i>)</span>, or "<a class="extiw" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A9%C2%81%C2%93" title="wiktionary:道">way</a> of the <a class="extiw" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A5%C2%89%C2%A3" title="wiktionary:剣"> sword</a>", is the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_martial_art" title="Japanese martial art"> Japanese martial art</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencing" title="Fencing">fencing</a>. Kendo developed from traditional techniques of Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swordsmanship" title="Swordsmanship"> swordsmanship</a> known as <i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenjutsu" title="Kenjutsu">kenjutsu</a></i>.<br />
Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_arts" title="Martial arts">martial arts</a> values with sporting-like physical elements.<br />
Practitioners of kendo are called <i>kendōka</i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">剣道家</span><span class="t_nihongo_norom" style="display: none;"><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">kendōka</span></i></span>)</span>, meaning "one who practices kendo", or <i>kenshi</i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">剣士</span><span class="t_nihongo_norom" style="display: none;"><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">kenshi</span></i></span>)</span>, meaning "swordsman".<br />
Kendo is practiced wearing traditionally styled clothing and protective armour (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%85%C2%8Dgu" title="Bōgu">bōgu</a></i>), using one or two bamboo swords (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinai" title="Shinai">shinai</a></i>) as weapons. Kendo may be seen as a Japanese style of fencing. The movements in kendo are different from European fencing because the design of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword" title="Sword">sword</a> is different, as is the way it is used. Unlike western style fencing, Kendo employs strikes with a defined 'edge' and tip of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinai" title="Shinai">shinai</a>. Kendo training is quite noisy in comparison to other martial arts or sports. This is because <i>kendōka</i> use a shout, or <i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiai" title="Kiai">kiai</a></i>, to express their spirit, and when a strike or cut is performed, the front foot contacts the floor in a motion similar to stamping called fumikomi.<br />
There are estimates that about eight million people world-wide practice kendo with approximately seven million in Japan. The "Kodansha Meibo" (a register of <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_rank" title="Dan rank">dan</a></i> graded members published by the All Japan Kendo Federation) states that as of January 2003, there are 1.3 million registered <i>dan</i> graded <i>kendo</i> practitioners in Japan. The number of <i>kendo</i> players not yet graded to a <i>dan</i> level is not included: those kendōka would outnumber considerably the <i>dan</i> graded players.<br />
Kendo is one of the modern Japanese <i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud%C3%85%C2%8D" title="Budō">budō</a></i> and embodies the essence of Japanese fighting arts.<br />
Since the earliest <i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai" title="Samurai">samurai</a></i> government in Japan, during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura_period" title="Kamakura period"> Kamakura period</a> (1185-1233), sword fencing, together with <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_riding" title="Horse riding"> horse riding</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C3%85%C2%ABd%C3%85%C2%8D" title="Kyūdō">archery</a>, were the main martial pursuits of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military" title="Military">military</a> clans. In this period <i>kendo</i> developed under the strong influence of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_Buddhism" title="Zen Buddhism"> Zen Buddhism</a>. The <i>samurai</i> could equate the disregard for his own life in the heat of battle, which was considered necessary for victory in individual combat, to the Buddhist concept of the illusory nature of the distinction between life and death.<br />
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Kendō at an agricultural school in Japan around 1920</div>
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Those swordsmen established schools of <i>kendo</i> training which continued for centuries, and which form the basis of kendo practice today. The names of the schools reflect the essence of the originator’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment" title="Enlightenment"> enlightenment</a>. Thus the Ittō-ryū (Single sword school) indicates the founder’s illumination that all possible cuts with the sword emanate from and are contained in one original essential cut. The Mutō (swordless school) expresses the comprehension of the originator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaoka_Tesshu" title="Yamaoka Tesshu"> Yamaoka Tesshu</a>, that "There is no sword outside the mind". The 'Munen Musō-ryū’ (No Intent, no preconception) similarly expresses the understanding that the essence of <i>kendo</i> transcends the reflective thought process. The formal <i>kendo</i> exercises known as <i>kata</i> were developed several centuries ago and are still studied today.<br />
The introduction of bamboo practice swords (<i>shinai</i>) and armour (<i>bogu</i>) to <i>kendo</i> training is attributed to Naganuma Sirōzaemon Kunisato (長沼 四郎左衛門 国郷, 1688–1767).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo#cite_note-0" title="">[1]</a></sup> This is believed to be the foundation of modern <i>kendo</i>. <i>Kendo</i> began to make its modern appearance during the late 18th century. Use of the <i>shinai</i> and armour (<i>bogu</i>) made possible the full force delivery of strikes and thrusts without inflicting injury on the opponent. These advances, along with practice formats, set the foundations of modern <i>kendo</i>.<br />
Concepts such as <i> <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushin_%28Martial_Arts%29" title="Mushin (Martial Arts)"> mushin</a></i>, or "empty mind" as professed by exponents of Zen, are an essential attainment for high level <i>kendo</i>. <i> <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fudoshin" title="Fudoshin"> Fudoshin</a></i>, or "unmoving mind", is a conceptual attribute of the deity <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acala" title="Acala">Fudo Myo-O</a>, one of the five "Kings of Light" of Shingon Buddhism. <i>Fudoshin</i>, implies that the <i>kendoka</i> cannot be led astray by delusions of anger, doubt, fear, or surprise arising from the opponent’s actions. Thus today it is possible to embark on a similar quest for spiritual enlightenment as followed by the <i> samurai</i> of old.<br />
The <i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_Nippon_Butoku_Kai" title="Dai Nippon Butoku Kai"> Dai Nippon Butoku Kai</a></i> was established in 1895 to solidify, promote, and standardise all martial disciplines and systems in Japan. The DNBK changed the name of <i>Gekiken</i> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C3%85%C2%ABjitai" title="Kyūjitai">Kyūjitai</a>: 擊劍; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjitai" title="Shinjitai">Shinjitai</a>: 撃剣, "hitting sword") to <i>kendo</i> in 1920. Kendo (along with other martial arts) was banned in Japan in 1946 by the occupying powers. This was part of "the removal and exclusion from public life of militaristic and ultra nationalistic persons" in response to the wartime militarization of martial arts instruction in Japan. Kendo was allowed to return to the curriculum in 1950 (first as <i> Shinai Kyougi</i> "Shinai Competition" and then as <i>Kendo</i> from 1952)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo#cite_note-1" title="">[2]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo#cite_note-2" title="">[3]</a></sup>.<br />
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<i>Bōgu</i> set.</div>
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A <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinai" title="Shinai">shinai</a></i>.</div>
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Armour and clothing components</div>
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<i>Kendo</i> is practiced using a <i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinai" title="Shinai">shinai</a></i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">竹刀</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">しない</span></i>)</span>. One, or more rarely two <i>shinai</i>, are used. The <i>shinai</i> is the practice "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword" title="Sword">sword</a>" and is made up of four <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo" title="Bamboo">bamboo</a> staves, which are held together by leather fittings. <i>Kendoka</i> also use <i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokken" title="Bokken">bokken</a>/bokuto</i> (wooden swords) to practice more formal, set forms known as <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata_%28martial_arts%29" title="Kata (martial arts)"> <i>kata</i></a>.<br />
Protective armour <i> <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogu" title="Bogu"> bōgu</a></i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">防具</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">ぼうぐ</span></i>)</span>, is worn to protect specified target areas on the head, arms and body.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo#cite_note-5" title="">[6]</a></sup> The head is protected by the helmet-like <i>men</i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">面</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">めん</span></i>)</span>, the forearm, wrist and hand by gauntlets called <i>kote</i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">小手</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">こて</span></i>)</span>, the body by the <i>dō</i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">胴</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">どう</span></i>)</span> and <i>tare</i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">垂れ</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">たれ</span></i>)</span>. The clothing worn under the <i>bogu</i> comprises a jacket, or <i>kendogi</i>/<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keikogi" title="Keikogi">keikogi</a></i> and a <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakama" title="Hakama">hakama</a></i>, which is a trouser-like garment with wide legs. A cotton towel or <i>tenugui</i> is tied around the head, under the <i>men</i>, to absorb perspiration and provides a base for the <i>men</i> to fit comfortably. Like in other martial arts, <i>kendoka</i> train and fight barefoot.<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline">Modern practice</span></h2>
<i>Kendo</i> is ideally practiced in a purpose-built <i> <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%85%C2%8Dj%C3%85%C2%8D" title="Dōjō"> dōjō</a></i>, though standard sports halls and other venues are often used instead. An appropriate venue has a clean and well-sprung wooden floor, suitable for the distinctive stamping footwork used by the bare-footed practitioners.<br />
In modern <i>kendo</i>, there are strikes (or cuts) and thrusts. Strikes are allowed only to be made on specified target areas, or <i>datotsu-bui</i> on the wrists, head or body, all of which are protected by <i>bogu</i>. The targets are <i>men</i> (top of the head), <i>sayu-men</i> or <i>yoko-men</i> (upper left and right side of the head), the right <i>kote</i>, or wrist at any time, the left <i>kote</i> when it is in a raised position (such as <i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%85%C2%8Ddan-no-kamae" title="Jōdan-no-kamae"> jōdan-no-kamae</a></i> also known as <i>jōdan</i>) and the left or right side of the <i>dō</i> or torso. Thrusts are only allowed to the throat (<i>tsuki</i>). However, since an incorrectly performed thrust could injure the neck, thrusting techniques in free practice and competition are often restricted to senior <i> dan</i> graded <i>kendoka</i>.<br />
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Kendoka perform <i> <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonkyo&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Sonkyo (page does not exist)"> sonkyo</a></i> before combat.</div>
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Two kendoka in <i>tsuba zeriai</i>.</div>
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<i>Kendo</i> target points, or <i>datotsu-bui</i>.</div>
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Two kendoka, one (left) is playing in <i>nitō</i> (two sword style) and the other (right) is playing in <i>ittō</i> (one sword style).</div>
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Once a <i>kendoka</i> begins to practice in <i>bogu</i>, a practice session may include any or all of the following types of practice.<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Kiri-kaeshi</i>: successively striking the left and right <i>men</i>, practice centering, distance, and correct technique, while building spirit and stamina.</li>
<li><i>Waza-geiko</i>: <i>waza</i> or technique practice in which the student learns to use the many techniques of Kendo with a receiving partner.</li>
<li><i>Kakari-geiko</i>: short, intense, attack practice which teaches continuous alertness, the ability to attack no matter what has come before, as well as building spirit and stamina.</li>
<li><i>Ji-geiko</i>: undirected practice where the <i>kendoka</i> has a chance to try all that has been learnt, against an opponent.</li>
<li><i>Gokaku-geiko</i>: practice between two kendoist of similar skill level.</li>
<li><i>Hikitate-geiko</i>: practice where a senior <i>kendoka</i> guides a junior through practice.</li>
<li><i>Shiai-geiko</i>: competition practice which may also be judged.</li>
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refereccce : <a href="http://www.kendo.web.id/" target="_blank">www.kendo.web.id,</a> wikipedia</div>
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Sunaryo Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153812150701615827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-54213434125948181942008-04-03T15:45:00.001+07:002008-04-03T15:51:17.491+07:00Judo<p align="justify"><b>Judo</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja"><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A6%C2%9F%C2%94%C3%A9%C2%81%C2%93" class="extiw" title="wikt:柔道">柔道</a></span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">jūdō</span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span>, meaning "gentle way", is a modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_martial_art" class="mw-redirect" title="Japanese martial art"> Japanese martial art</a> (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendai_bud%C3%85%C2%8D" title="Gendai budō">gendai budō</a></i>) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_sport" title="Combat sport">combat sport</a>, that originated in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a> in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_%28grappling%29" title="Throw (grappling)"> throw</a> one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling" title="Grappling">grappling</a> maneuver, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking the elbow or by applying a choke. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_%28attack%29" title="Strike (attack)"> Strikes</a> and <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Thrust" class="extiw" title="wiktionary:Thrust"> thrusts</a> (by hands and feet) - as well as weapons defenses - are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata" title="Kata">kata</a>) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randori" title="Randori">randori</a>).</p> <p>Ultimately, the philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for almost all modern Japanese martial arts that developed from "traditional" schools (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kory%C3%85%C2%AB" title="Koryū">koryū</a></i>).</p> <p>Practitioners of judo are called <i>jūdōka</i>.</p> <h2><span class="mw-headline">History and philosophy</span></h2> <h3><span class="mw-headline">Early life of the founder</span></h3> <p align="justify">The early history of judo is inseparable from its founder, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_people" title="Japanese people"> Japanese</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath" title="Polymath"> polymath</a> and educator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_Jigoro" title="Kano Jigoro">Kano Jigoro</a> (嘉納 治五郎 <i>Kanō Jigorō</i>, 1860–1938). Kano was born into a well-to-do Japanese family. His grandfather was a self-made man: a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake" title="Sake">sake</a> brewer from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiga_prefecture" class="mw-redirect" title="Shiga prefecture"> Shiga prefecture</a> in central Japan. However, Kano's father was not the eldest son and therefore did not inherit the business. Instead, he became a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto" title="Shinto">Shinto</a> priest and government official, with enough influence for his son to enter the second incoming class of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Imperial_University" class="mw-redirect" title="Tokyo Imperial University"> Tokyo Imperial University</a>.</p> <p> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline">Founder pursues jujutsu</span></h3> <p align="justify">Kano was a small, frail boy, who, even in his twenties, did not weigh more than a hundred pounds (45 kg), and was often picked on by bullies. He first started pursuing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu" title="Jujutsu">jujutsu</a>, at that time a dying art, at the age of 17, but met with little success. This was in part due to difficulties finding a teacher who would take him on as a student. When he went to university to study literature at the age of 18, he continued his martial arts studies, eventually gaining a referral to Fukuda Hachinosuke (c.1828–c.1880), a master of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenjin_Shinyo-ryu" class="mw-redirect" title="Tenjin Shinyo-ryu"> Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū</a> and grandfather of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiko_Fukuda" title="Keiko Fukuda">Keiko Fukuda</a> (born 1913), who is Kano's only surviving student, and the highest-ranking female <i>jūdōka</i> in the world. Fukuda Hachinosuke is said to have emphasized technique over formal exercise, sowing the seeds of Kano's emphasis of free practice (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randori" title="Randori">randori</a></i>) in judo.</p> <p align="justify">A little more than a year after Kano joined Fukuda's school, Fukuda became ill and died. Kano then became a student in another Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū school, that of Iso Masatomo (c.1820–c.1881), who put more emphasis on the practice of pre-arranged forms (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata_%28martial_arts%29" class="mw-redirect" title="Kata (martial arts)">kata</a></i>) than Fukuda had. Through dedication, Kano quickly earned the title of master instructor (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shihan" title="Shihan">shihan</a></i>) and became assistant instructor to Iso at the age of 21. Unfortunately, Iso soon took ill, and Kano, feeling that he still had much to learn, took up another style, becoming a student of Iikubo Tsunetoshi (1835–1889) of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kito-ry%C3%85%C2%AB" class="mw-redirect" title="Kito-ryū"> Kitō-ryū</a>. Like Fukuda, Iikubo placed much emphasis on free practice. On the other hand, Kitō-ryū emphasized throwing techniques to a much greater degree than Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū.</p> <p> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline">Founding</span></h3> <p align="justify">By this time, Kano was devising new techniques, such as the "shoulder wheel" (<i>kata-guruma</i>, known as a fireman's carry to Western wrestlers who use a slightly different form of this technique) and the "floating hip" (<i>uki goshi</i>) throw. However, he was already thinking about doing far more than just expanding the canons of Kitō-ryū and Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū. Full of new ideas, Kano had in mind a major reformation of jujutsu, with techniques based on sound scientific principles, and with focus on development of the body, mind and character of young men in addition to development of martial prowess. At the age of 22, when he was just about to finish his degree at the University, Kano took nine students from Iikubo's school to study jujutsu under him at the Eisho-ji, a Buddhist temple in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura,_Kanagawa" title="Kamakura, Kanagawa"> Kamakura</a>, and Iikubo came to the temple three days a week to help teach. Although two years would pass before the temple would be called by the name "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodokan" title="Kodokan">Kodokan</a>", or "place for teaching the way", and Kano had not yet been accorded the title of "master" in the Kitō-ryū, this is now regarded as the Kodokan's founding.</p> <p align="justify">Judo<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo#cite_note-4" title="">[5]</a></sup> was originally known as <i>Kano Jiu-Jitsu</i> or <i>Kano Jiu-Do</i>, and later as <i>Kodokan Jiu-Do</i> or simply 'Jiu-Do' or 'Judo'. In the early days, it was also still referred to generically simply as 'Jiu-Jitsu'.</p> <p> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline">Meaning of "judo"</span></h3> <p align="justify">The word "judo" shares the same root <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideogram" title="Ideogram">ideogram</a> as "jujutsu": "<i>jū</i>" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">柔</span><span class="t_nihongo_norom" style="display: none;"><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">"jū"</span></i></span><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span>, which may mean "gentleness", "softness", "suppleness", and even "easy", depending on its context. Such attempts to translate <i>jū</i> are deceptive, however. The use of <i>jū</i> in each of these words is an explicit reference to the martial arts principle of the "soft method" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">柔法</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">jūhō</span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span>. The soft method is characterized by the indirect application of force to defeat an opponent. More specifically, it is the principle of using one's opponent's strength against him and adapting well to changing circumstances. For example, if the attacker was to push against his opponent he would find his opponent stepping to the side and allowing his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum" title="Momentum">momentum</a> (often with the aid of a foot to trip him up) to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_%28grappling%29" title="Throw (grappling)"> throw</a> him forwards (the inverse being true for pulling.) Kano saw jujutsu as a disconnected bag of tricks, and sought to unify it according to a principle, which he found in the notion of "maximum efficiency". Jujutsu techniques that relied solely on superior strength were discarded or adapted in favour of those that involved redirecting the opponent's force, off-balancing the opponent, or making use of superior <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leverage" title="Leverage">leverage</a>.</p> <p align="justify">The second characters of judo and jujutsu differ. Where jujutsu <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">柔術</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">jūjutsu</span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span> means the "art" or "science" of softness, judo <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">柔道</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">jūdō</span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span> means the "way" of softness. The use of "<i>dō</i>" <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">道</span><span class="t_nihongo_norom" style="display: none;"><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">"dō"</span></i></span><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span>, meaning way, road or path (and is the same character as the Chinese word "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao" title="Tao">tao</a>"), has spiritual or philosophical overtones. This is the same distinction as is made between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budo#Bud.C5.8D_vs._Bujutsu" class="mw-redirect" title="Budo"> Budō and Bujutsu</a>. Use of this word is a deliberate departure from ancient martial arts, whose sole purpose was for killing. Kano saw judo as a means for governing and improving oneself physically, mentally, emotionally and morally. He even extended the physical principle of maximum efficiency into daily life, evolving it into "mutual prosperity". In this respect, judo is seen as a holistic approach to life extending well beyond the confines of the dojo.</p>Sunaryo Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153812150701615827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-32396163947100612092008-03-29T15:41:00.000+07:002008-03-29T15:59:52.496+07:00Aikido<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Aikido</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">合気道</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">aikidō</span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span> is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_martial_art" class="mw-redirect" title="Japanese martial art">Japanese martial art</a> developed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morihei_Ueshiba" title="Morihei Ueshiba">Morihei Ueshiba</a> as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi" title="Qi">life energy</a>" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit."Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Aikido techniques are normally performed by "blending" with the motion of the attacker, rather than directly opposing the attack. The aikidoka (aikido practitioner) redirects the attacker's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum" title="Momentum">momentum</a>, using minimum effort, with various types of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_%28grappling%29" title="Throw (grappling)">throws</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_locks" class="mw-redirect" title="Joint locks">joint locks</a>. Aikido can be categorized under the general umbrella of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling" title="Grappling">grappling</a> arts.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Aikido derives mainly from the martial art of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dait%C5%8D-ry%C5%AB_Aiki-j%C5%ABjutsu" title="Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu">Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu</a>, but began to diverge from it in the late 1920s, partly due to Ueshiba's involvement with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oomoto" title="Oomoto">Ōmoto-kyō</a> religion. Ueshiba's early students' documents bear the term <i>aiki-jūjutsu</i>.Many of Ueshiba's senior students have different approaches to aikido, depending on when they studied with him. Today aikido is found all over the world in a number of styles, with broad ranges of interpretation and emphasis. However, they all share techniques learned from Ueshiba and most have concern for the well-being of the attacker.</p><p>The word "aikido" is formed of three <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji" title="Kanji">kanji</a>:</p> <ul><li><span lang="ja" lang="ja"><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/en:%E5%90%88" class="extiw" title="wikt:en:合">合</a></span> - <i>ai</i> - joining, harmonizing</li><li><span lang="ja" lang="ja"><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/en:%E6%B0%97" class="extiw" title="wikt:en:気">気</a></span> - <i>ki</i> - spirit, life energy</li><li><span lang="ja" lang="ja"><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/en:%E9%81%93" class="extiw" title="wikt:en:道">道</a></span> - <i>dō</i> - way, path</li></ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">The term <span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i>dō</i></span> connects the practice of aikido with the philosophical concept of <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao" title="Tao">Tao</a></i>, which can be found in martial arts such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">judo</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo" title="Kendo">kendo</a>, and in more peaceful arts such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_calligraphy" title="Japanese calligraphy">Japanese calligraphy</a> (<span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i>shodō</i></span>) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikebana" title="Ikebana">flower arranging</a> (<span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i>kadō</i></span>). The term <span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiki_%28martial_arts_principle%29" title="Aiki (martial arts principle)">aiki</a></i></span> refers to the martial arts principle or tactic of blending with an attacker's movements for the purpose of controlling their actions with minimal effort. One applies <span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i>aiki</i></span> by understanding the rhythm and intent of the attacker to find the optimal position and timing to apply a counter-technique. Historically, <span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i>aiki</i></span> was mastered for the purpose of killing; however, in aikido, one seeks to neutralise an aggressor without causing harm. The founder of aikido declared, "To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace."<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>A number of aikido practitioners interpret aikido metaphorically, seeing parallels between aikido techniques and other methods for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_resolution" title="Conflict resolution">conflict resolution</a>.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>These kanji are identical to the Korean versions of the characters that form the word <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapkido" title="Hapkido">hapkido</a>, a Korean martial art. Although there are no known direct connections between the two arts, it is suspected that the founders of both arts trained in Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.</p><p>Aikido was created by Morihei Ueshiba (<span lang="ja" lang="ja">植芝 盛平</span> <span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i>Ueshiba Morihei</i></span>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_14" title="December 14">14 December</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883" title="1883">1883</a>–<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_26" title="April 26">26 April</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969" title="1969">1969</a>), referred to by some aikido practitioners as <span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensei" title="Sensei">Ōsensei</a></i></span> ("Great Teacher"). Ueshiba envisioned aikido not only as the synthesis of his martial training, but also an expression of his personal philosophy of universal peace and reconciliation. During Ueshiba's lifetime and continuing today, aikido has evolved from the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kory%C5%AB" title="Koryū">koryū</a></i> (old-style martial arts) that Ueshiba studied into a wide variety of expressions by martial artists throughout the world. <a name="Initial_development" id="Initial_development"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Initial development</span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 182px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sokaku.jpg" class="image" title="Takeda Sokaku"><img alt="Takeda Sokaku" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7e/Sokaku.jpg/180px-Sokaku.jpg" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="265" width="180" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sokaku.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"><br /></a></div> Takeda Sokaku</div> </div> </div> <p style="text-align: justify;">Ueshiba developed aikido primarily during the late 1920s through the 1930s through the synthesis of the older martial arts that he had studied.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>The core martial art from which aikido derives is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daito-ryu_aiki-jujutsu" class="mw-redirect" title="Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu">Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu</a>, which Ueshiba studied directly with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeda_Sokaku" title="Takeda Sokaku">Takeda Sokaku</a>, the revivor of that art. Additionally, Ueshiba is known to have studied <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenjin_Shinyo_Ryu" class="mw-redirect" title="Tenjin Shinyo Ryu">Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū</a> with Tozawa Tokusaburō in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo" title="Tokyo">Tokyo</a> in 1901, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yagy%C5%AB_Shingan-ry%C5%AB" title="Yagyū Shingan-ryū">Gotōha Yagyū Shingan-ryū</a> under Nakai Masakatsu in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakai%2C_Osaka" title="Sakai, Osaka">Sakai</a> from 1903 to 1908, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">judo</a> with Kiyoichi Takagi (<span lang="ja" lang="ja">高木 喜代子</span> <span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i>Takagi Kiyoichi</i></span>, 1894–1972) in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabe" class="mw-redirect" title="Tanabe">Tanabe</a> in 1911.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The art of Daitō-ryū is the primary technical influence on aikido. Along with empty-handed throwing and joint-locking techniques, Ueshiba incorporated training movements with weapons, such as those for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spear" title="Spear">spear</a> (<span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yari" title="Yari">yari</a></i></span>), short <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staff_%28stick%29" title="Staff (stick)">staff</a> (<span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8D" title="Jō">jō</a></i></span>), and perhaps the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayonet" title="Bayonet">bayonet</a> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">銃剣</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji">jūken</span></i><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span></a></sup></span>)</span>. However, aikido derives much of its technical structure from the art of swordsmanship (<span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenjutsu" title="Kenjutsu">kenjutsu</a></i></span>).</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Ueshiba moved to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokkaid%C5%8D" title="Hokkaidō">Hokkaidō</a> in 1912, and began studying under Takeda Sokaku in 1915. His official association with Daitō-ryū continued until 1937. However, during the latter part of that period, Ueshiba had already begun to distance himself from Takeda and the Daitō-ryū. At that time Ueshiba was referring to his martial art as "Aiki Budō". It is unclear exactly when Ueshiba began using the name "aikido", but it became the official name of the art in 1942 when the Greater Japan Martial Virtue Society (<span title="Japanese transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space: normal; text-decoration: none;" lang="ja-Latn" lang="ja-Latn"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_Nippon_Butoku_Kai" title="Dai Nippon Butoku Kai">Dai Nippon Butoku Kai</a></i></span>) was engaged in a government sponsored reorganization and centralization of Japanese martial arts.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></p><h3><span class="mw-headline">Religious influences</span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 182px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Onisaburo_Deguchi_2.jpg" class="image" title="Onisaburo Deguchi"><img alt="Onisaburo Deguchi" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Onisaburo_Deguchi_2.jpg/180px-Onisaburo_Deguchi_2.jpg" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="256" width="180" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"> Onisaburo Deguchi</div> </div> </div> <p style="text-align: justify;">After Ueshiba left Hokkaidō in 1919, he met and was profoundly influenced by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onisaburo_Deguchi" title="Onisaburo Deguchi">Onisaburo Deguchi</a>, the spiritual leader of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oomoto" title="Oomoto">Ōmoto-kyō</a> religion (a neo-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto" title="Shinto">Shinto</a> movement) in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayabe" class="mw-redirect" title="Ayabe">Ayabe</a>. One of the primary features of Ōmoto-kyō is its emphasis on the attainment of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia" title="Utopia">utopia</a> during one's life. This was a great influence on Ueshiba's martial arts philosophy of extending love and compassion, especially to those who seek to harm others. Aikido demonstrates this philosophy in its emphasis on mastering martial arts so that one may receive an attack and harmlessly redirect it. In an ideal resolution, not only is the receiver unharmed, but so is the attacker.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">In addition to the effect on his spiritual growth, the connection with Deguchi gave Ueshiba entry to elite political and military circles as a martial artist. As a result of this exposure, he was able to attract not only financial backing but also gifted students. Several of these students would found their own styles of aikido.</p> <p><a name="International_dissemination" id="International_dissemination"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">International dissemination</span></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;">Aikido was first brought to the West in 1951 by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoru_Mochizuki" title="Minoru Mochizuki">Minoru Mochizuki</a> with a visit to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" title="France">France</a> where he introduced aikido techniques to judo students. He was followed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadashi_Abe" title="Tadashi Abe">Tadashi Abe</a> in 1952 who came as the official <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikikai_Hombu" class="mw-redirect" title="Aikikai Hombu">Aikikai Hombu</a> representative, remaining in France for seven years. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Tomiki" title="Kenji Tomiki">Kenji Tomiki</a> toured with a delegation of various martial arts through fifteen continental states of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> in 1953. Later in that year, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koichi_Tohei" title="Koichi Tohei">Koichi Tohei</a> was sent by Aikikai Hombu to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii" title="Hawaii">Hawaii</a>, for a full year, where he set up several <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dojo" title="Dojo">dojo</a>. This was followed up by several further visits and is considered the formal introduction of aikido to the United States. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> followed in 1955; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy" title="Italy">Italy</a> in 1964; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia" title="Australia">Australia</a> in 1965. Designated "Official Delegate for Europe and Africa" by Morihei Ueshiba, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masamichi_Noro" title="Masamichi Noro">Masamichi Noro</a> arrived in France in September 1961. Today there are aikido dojo available to train throughout the world.</p><div style="text-align: justify;">In aikido, as in virtually all Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_arts" title="Martial arts">martial arts</a>, there are both physical and mental aspects of training. The physical training in aikido is diverse, covering both general physical fitness and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditioning" title="Conditioning">conditioning</a>, as well as specific techniques. Because a substantial portion of any aikido curriculum consists of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_%28grappling%29" title="Throw (grappling)">throws</a>, the first thing most students learn is how to safely fall or roll.<sup id="cite_ref-AFL_21-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido#cite_note-AFL-21" title=""></a></sup> The specific techniques for attack include both strikes and grabs; the techniques for defense consist of throws and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling_hold#Pinning_hold" title="Grappling hold">pins</a>. After basic techniques are learned, students study freestyle defense against multiple opponents, and in certain styles, techniques with weapons.<br /><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>Kenshuseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14710817527390359812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-81928514555974440052008-03-27T16:55:00.000+07:002008-03-27T17:04:18.489+07:00History of Karate<h3><span class="mw-headline">Okinawa</span></h3><br />The relationship between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa" class="mw-redirect" title="Okinawa">Okinawa</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a> is complex and, in the context of karate, it is appropriate to consider them as originally being separate sovereign countries. Japan annexed the nominally-independent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%ABky%C5%AB_Islands" class="mw-redirect" title="Ryūkyū Islands">Ryūkyū Islands</a> in 1874, after centuries of strong Japanese influence over the kingdom following the invasion by the Japanese Satsuma clan in 1609. <p>The Okinawan martial art "<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawan_martial_arts" title="Okinawan martial arts">ti</a></i>" (or "<i>te</i>") was practiced by Okinawan royalty and their retainers for centuries before, and alongside, later Chinese influences. There were few formal styles of ti, but rather many practitioners with their own methods. One surviving example is the Motobu-udun di school passed down from the Motobu family by Seikichi Uehara.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since November 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;"></span></sup> Early styles of karate are often generalized as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuri-te" class="mw-redirect" title="Shuri-te">Shuri-te</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naha-te" class="mw-redirect" title="Naha-te">Naha-te</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomari-te" class="mw-redirect" title="Tomari-te">Tomari-te</a>, named after the three cities from which they emerged.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate#cite_note-13" title="">[14]</a></sup> Each area and its teachers had particular kata, techniques, and principles that distinguished their local version of ti from the others.</p> <p>Members of the Okinawan upper classes were sent to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China" title="China">China</a> regularly to study various disciplines, both political and practical. The incorporation of empty-handed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_martial_arts" title="Chinese martial arts">Chinese</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_fu" class="mw-redirect" title="Kung fu">kung fu</a> into Okinawan martial arts occurred partly because of these exchanges. To this day, karate styles from some areas bear a striking resemblance to Fujian martial arts such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujian_White_Crane" title="Fujian White Crane">Fujian White Crane</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ancestors" title="Five Ancestors">Five Ancestors</a>, and Gangrou-quan (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_and_soft_%28martial_arts%29" title="Hard and soft (martial arts)">Hard Soft</a> Fist; pronounced "Gōjūken" in Japanese), while some karate looks distinctly Okinawan.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since February 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;"></span></sup> Further influence came from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia" title="Southeast Asia">Southeast Asia</a>— particularly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra" title="Sumatra">Sumatra</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java" title="Java">Java</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaka" class="mw-redirect" title="Melaka">Melaka</a>. The similarities between karate and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silat" title="Silat">silat</a> may be found not only in the unarmed forms, but the weapon forms as well. Many Okinawan weapons originated in and around <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia" title="Southeast Asia">Southeast Asia</a> including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai_%28weapon%29" title="Sai (weapon)">sai</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonfa" title="Tonfa">tonfa</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunchaku" title="Nunchaku">nunchaku</a>.</p> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanga_Sakukawa" title="Kanga Sakukawa">Sakukawa Kanga</a> (1782–1838) had studied pugilism and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_%28staff%29" title="Gun (staff)">staff</a> (<i>bo</i>) fighting in China (according to one legend, under the guidance of Koshokun, originator of <i>kusanku kata</i>). In 1806, he started teaching a fighting art in the city of Shuri that he called "Tudi Sakukawa" (at that time meaning "Sakukawa of China hand"). This was the first known recorded reference to the art of Tudi (written as 唐手). Around the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1820" title="1820">1820s</a>, Sakukawa's most significant student, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokon_Matsumura" class="mw-redirect" title="Sokon Matsumura">Matsumura Sokon</a> (1809–1899) taught a synthesis of te (Shuri-te and Tomari-te) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_kung_fu" class="mw-redirect" title="Shaolin kung fu">Shaolin</a> (Chinese 少林) styles. Matsumura's style would later become the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorin-ryu" class="mw-redirect" title="Shorin-ryu">Shorin-ryū</a> style.</p> <p>Matsumura taught his art to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ank%C5%8D_Itosu" title="Ankō Itosu">Itosu Ankō</a> (1831–1915), amongst others. Itosu adapted two forms he had learned from Matsumara (<i>viz.</i>, <i>kusanku</i> and <i>chiang nan</i>) to create the <i>ping'an</i> forms ("<i>heian</i>" or "<i>pinan</i>" in Japanese) as simplified kata for beginning students. In 1901, Itosu was instrumental in getting karate introduced into Okinawa's public schools. These forms were taught to children at the elementary school level. Itosu's influence in karate is broad. The forms he created are common across nearly all styles of karate, and his students included some of the most well-known karate masters, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gichin_Funakoshi" title="Gichin Funakoshi">Gichin Funakoshi</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenwa_Mabuni" title="Kenwa Mabuni">Kenwa Mabuni</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motobu_Choki" class="mw-redirect" title="Motobu Choki">Choki Motobu</a>. Itosu is sometimes known as the "Grandfather of Modern Karate."</p> <p>In addition to the three early ti styles of karate, a fourth Okinawan influence is that of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanbun_Uechi" title="Kanbun Uechi">Kanbun Uechi</a> (1877–1948), who at the age of 20 went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzhou" title="Fuzhou">Fuzhou</a> in Fujian Province, China, to escape Japanese military conscription. While there, he studied under Shushiwa, the leading figure of Chinese Nanpa Shorin-ken at that time.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>He later developed his own style of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uechi-ryu" class="mw-redirect" title="Uechi-ryu">Uechi-ryu</a> karate based on the Sanchin, Seisan, and Sanseiryu kata that he had studied in China.</p><h3><span class="mw-headline">Japan</span></h3>Gichin Funakoshi, founder of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dt%C5%8Dkan-ry%C5%AB" class="mw-redirect" title="Shōtōkan-ryū">Shotokan</a> karate, is generally credited with having introduced and popularized karate on the main islands of Japan, although many other Okinawans were actively teaching, and thus equally responsible for transmission. Funakoshi was a student of both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ank%C5%8D_Asato" title="Ankō Asato">Asato Ankō</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ank%C5%8D_Itosu" title="Ankō Itosu">Itosu Ankō</a> (who had worked to introduce karate to the Okinawa Prefectural School System in 1902). During this time period, prominent teachers who also influenced the spread of karate in Japan included <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenwa_Mabuni" title="Kenwa Mabuni">Kenwa Mabuni</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chojun_Miyagi" class="mw-redirect" title="Chojun Miyagi">Chojun Miyagi</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choki_Motobu" class="mw-redirect" title="Choki Motobu">Choki Motobu</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanken_T%C5%8Dyama" title="Kanken Tōyama">Kanken Tōyama</a>, and Kanbun Uechi. This was a turbulent period in history in the region, including Japan's annexation of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%ABky%C5%AB_Islands" class="mw-redirect" title="Ryūkyū Islands">Okinawan island group</a> in 1874, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sino-Japanese_War" title="First Sino-Japanese War">First Sino-Japanese War</a> (1894–1895), the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War" title="Russo-Japanese War">Russo-Japanese War</a> (1904–1905), the annexation of Korea, and the rise of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_expansionism" class="mw-redirect" title="Japanese expansionism">Japanese expansionism</a> (1905–1945). <p>Japan was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_War#Invasion_of_China" title="Second Sino-Japanese War">invading China</a> at the time, and Funakoshi knew that the art of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Dynasty" title="Tang Dynasty">Tang</a>/China hand would not be accepted; thus the change of the art's name to "way of the empty hand." The <i>dō</i> suffix implies that <i>karatedō</i> is a path to self knowledge, not just a study of the technical aspects of fighting. Like most martial arts practiced in Japan, karate made its transition from -<i>jutsu</i> to -<i>dō</i> around the beginning of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century" title="20th century">20th century</a>. The "<i>dō</i>" in "karate-dō" sets it apart from karate "<i>jutsu</i>", as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido" title="Aikido">aikido</a> is distinguished from <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikijutsu" class="mw-redirect" title="Aikijutsu">aikijutsu</a></i>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">judo</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu" title="Jujutsu">jujutsu</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iaido" class="mw-redirect" title="Iaido">iaido</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iaijutsu" title="Iaijutsu">iaijutsu</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taido" title="Taido">Taido</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taijutsu" title="Taijutsu">Taijutsu</a>.</p> <p>Funakoshi changed the names of many kata and the name of the art itself (at least on mainland Japan), doing so to get karate accepted by the Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budo" class="mw-redirect" title="Budo">budo</a> organization <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_Nippon_Butoku_Kai" title="Dai Nippon Butoku Kai">Dai Nippon Butoku Kai</a>. Funakoshi also gave Japanese names to many of the kata. The five <i>pinan</i> forms became known as <i>heian</i>, the three <i>naihanchi</i> forms became known as <i>tekki</i>, <i>seisan</i> as <i>hangetsu</i>, <i>chinto</i> as <i>gankaku</i>, <i>wanshu</i> as <i>empi</i>, and so on. These were mostly political changes, rather than changes to the content of the forms, although Funakoshi did introduce some such changes. Funakoshi had trained in two of the popular branches of Okinawan karate of the time, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorin-ryu" class="mw-redirect" title="Shorin-ryu">Shorin-ryū</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorei-ryu" class="mw-redirect" title="Shorei-ryu">Shorei-ryū</a>. In Japan he was influenced by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo" title="Kendo">kendo</a>, incorporating some ideas about distancing and timing into his style. He always referred to what he taught as simply karate, but in 1936 he built the Shotokan dojo in Tokyo and the style he left behind is usually called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotokan" title="Shotokan">Shotokan</a>.</p> <p>The modernization and systemization of karate in Japan also included the adoption of the white uniform that consisted of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono" title="Kimono">kimono</a> and the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogi" class="mw-redirect" title="Dogi">dogi</a></i> or <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keikogi" title="Keikogi">keikogi</a></i>—mostly called just <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karategi" class="mw-redirect" title="Karategi">karategi</a>—and colored belt ranks. Both of these innovations were originated and popularized by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigoro_Kano" class="mw-redirect" title="Jigoro Kano">Jigoro Kano</a>, the founder of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">judo</a> and one of the men Funakoshi consulted in his efforts to modernize karate.</p> <p>In 1922, Hironori Ohtsuka attended the Tokyo Sports Festival, where he saw Funakoshi's karate. Ohtsuka was so impressed with this that he visited Funakoshi many times during his stay. Funakoshi was, in turn, impressed by Ohtsuka's enthusiasm and determination to understand karate, and agreed to teach him. In the following years, Ohtsuka set up a medical practice dealing with martial arts injuries. His prowess in martial arts led him to become the Chief Instructor of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shind%C5%8D_Y%C5%8Dshin-ry%C5%AB" title="Shindō Yōshin-ryū">Shindō Yōshin-ryū</a> jujutsu at the age of 30, and an assistant instructor in Funakoshi's dojo.</p> <p>By 1929, Ohtsuka was registered as a member of the Japan Martial Arts Federation. Okinawan karate at this time was only concerned with kata. Ohtsuka thought that the full spirit of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud%C5%8D" title="Budō">budō</a>, which concentrates on defence and attack, was missing, and that kata techniques did not work in realistic fighting situations. He experimented with other, more combative styles such as judo, kendo, and aikido. He blended the practical and useful elements of Okinawan karate with traditional Japanese martial arts techniques from jujitsu and kendo, which led to the birth of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumite" title="Kumite">kumite</a>, or free fighting, in karate. Ohtsuka thought that there was a need for this more dynamic type of karate to be taught, and he decided to leave Funakoshi to concentrate on developing his own style of karate—<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wad%C5%8D-ry%C5%AB" title="Wadō-ryū">Wadō-ryū</a>. In 1934, Wadō-ryū karate was officially recognized as an independent style of karate. This recognition meant a departure for Ohtsuka from his medical practice and the fulfilment of a life's ambition—to become a full-time martial artist.</p> <p>Ohtsuka's personalized style of Karate was officially registered in 1938 after he was awarded the rank of <i>Renshi-go</i>. He presented a demonstration of Wado-ryu karate for the Japan Martial Arts Federation. They were so impressed with his style and commitment that they acknowledged him as a high-ranking instructor. The next year the Japan Martial Arts Federation asked all the different styles to register their names; Ohtsuka registered the name Wado-Ryu. In 1944, Ohtsuka was appointed Japan's Chief Karate Instructor.</p> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isshin-ry%C5%AB" title="Isshin-ryū">Isshin-ryū</a> is a style of Okinawan karate founded by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimabuku_Tatsuo" title="Shimabuku Tatsuo">Shimabuku Tatsuo</a>, a student of Motobu Choki, and named by him on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_15" title="January 15">January 15</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956" title="1956">1956</a>. Isshin-ryū karate is largely a synthesis of Shorin-ryū karate, Gojū-ryū karate, and Kobudo. The name means, literally, "one heart method." The style, while not very popular in Okinawa, spread to the United States via the Marines stationed on the island after they returned home, and has also spread to other countries. After the passing of Shimabuku, many variations of the system formed and exist to this day.</p> <p>A new form of karate called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushin" class="mw-redirect" title="Kyokushin">Kyokushin</a> was developed in 1964 by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masutatsu_Oyama" class="mw-redirect" title="Masutatsu Oyama">Masutatsu Oyama</a> (who was born a Korean, Choi Yeong-Eui). Kyokushin taught a curriculum that emphasized contact, physical toughness, and practical application of karate techniques to self-defense situations. Because of its emphasis on physical, full-force <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparring" title="Sparring">sparring</a>, Kyokushin is now often called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_contact_karate" title="Full contact karate">full contact karate</a>." Many other karate organizations based are descended from the Kyokushin curriculum.</p> <p>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_All_Japan_Karatedo_Organization" title="Federation of All Japan Karatedo Organization">Federation of All Japan Karatedo Organization</a> recognizes four traditional styles of karate:</p> <ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dt%C5%8Dkan-ry%C5%AB" class="mw-redirect" title="Shōtōkan-ryū">Shōtōkan-ryū</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shit%C5%8D-ry%C5%AB" title="Shitō-ryū">Shitō-ryū</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C5%8Dj%C5%AB-ry%C5%AB" title="Gōjū-ryū">Gōjū-ryū</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wad%C5%8D-ry%C5%AB" title="Wadō-ryū">Wadō-ryū</a></li></ul> <p>Styles that do not belong to one of these schools are not necessarily considered to be 'illegitimate' or 'bad' karate, but simply not one of the traditional schools. For example, the styles listed by the World Union of Karate-do Organizations (WUKO) are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C5%8Dj%C5%AB-ry%C5%AB" title="Gōjū-ryū">Gōjū-ryū</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shit%C5%8D-ry%C5%AB" title="Shitō-ryū">Shitō-ryū</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dt%C5%8Dkan-ry%C5%AB" class="mw-redirect" title="Shōtōkan-ryū">Shōtōkan-ryū</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wad%C5%8D-ry%C5%AB" title="Wadō-ryū">Wadō-ryū</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Drin-ry%C5%AB" title="Shōrin-ryū">Shōrin-ryū</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uechi-ry%C5%AB" title="Uechi-ryū">Uechi-ryū</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushinkai" class="mw-redirect" title="Kyokushinkai">Kyokushinkai</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budokan_Karate-do" class="mw-redirect" title="Budokan Karate-do">Budōkan</a>. Many schools would be affiliated with, or heavily influenced by, one or more of these traditional styles.</p><h2><span class="mw-headline">Karate outside Japan</span></h2> <p><a name="Korea" id="Korea"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Korea</span></h3> <p>Due to past conflict between Korea and Japan, most notably during the Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule" title="Korea under Japanese rule">occupation</a> in the 20th century, the influence of karate on Korean martial arts is a contentious issue. During the occupation, many Koreans went to Japan<sup id="cite_ref-Japan_Focus_19-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate#cite_note-Japan_Focus-19" title=""></a></sup> and were exposed to Japanese martial arts. After regaining independence from Japan, many Korean martial arts schools were founded by masters with training in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean martial arts.</p> <p>For example, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_Hong_Hi" title="Choi Hong Hi">Hong Hi Choi</a>, a significant figure in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo" title="Taekwondo">taekwondo</a> history had studied <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotokan_karate" class="mw-redirect" title="Shotokan karate">Shotokan karate</a> under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gichin_Funakoshi" title="Gichin Funakoshi">Gichin Funakoshi</a>. Karate also provided an important comparative model for the early founders of taekwondo in the formalization of their art inheriting some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyung#Unofficial_ITF_Syllabus" class="mw-redirect" title="Hyung">kata</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo#Geup_ranks_and_belt_colors" title="Taekwondo">belt rank</a> system. It should be noted that contemporary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo" title="Taekwondo">taekwondo</a> is technically very different from karate (e.g. relies much more on legs than hands, involves high kicks on the heels, more jumps, etc).</p> <p><a name="Soviet_Union" id="Soviet_Union"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Soviet Union</span></h3> <p>Karate appeared in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a> in the mid-1960s, during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khruschev" class="mw-redirect" title="Khruschev">Khruschev</a>'s policy of improved international relations, and the first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotokan" title="Shotokan">Shotokan</a> clubs were opened in Moscow's universities.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since September 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;"></span></sup>In 1973, however, the government banned karate—together with all other foreign martial arts—endorsing only the Soviet martial art of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo_%28martial_art%29" title="Sambo (martial art)">sambo</a>. Karate schools went underground and lost all international contacts, evolving and mutating wildly.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since September 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed">citation needed</a></i>]</span></sup> Failing to suppress these uncontrolled groups, the USSR's Sport Committee formed the Karate Federation of USSR in December 1978. This was an exclusive, state-controlled organization with rules and methods intentionally incompatible with all foreign karate federations.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since September 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed">citation needed</a></i>]</span></sup> On 17 May 1984, the Soviet Karate Federation was disbanded and all karate became illegal again. In 1988, karate practice became legal again, but under strict government regulations. Only after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_Soviet_Union" class="mw-redirect" title="Dissolution of the Soviet Union">dissolution of the Soviet Union</a> in 1992 did independent karate schools resume functioning, and so federations were formed and national tournaments in authentic styles began.</p> <p><a name="United_States" id="United_States"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">United States</span></h3> <p>Karate entered the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> through members of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_military" class="mw-redirect" title="US military">US military</a> who had learned it in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa" class="mw-redirect" title="Okinawa">Okinawa</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a> and opened schools on their return. In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961" title="1961">1961</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidetaka_Nishiyama" title="Hidetaka Nishiyama">Hidetaka Nishiyama</a>, a co-founder of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JKA" class="mw-redirect" title="JKA">JKA</a> and student of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gichin_Funakoshi" title="Gichin Funakoshi">Gichin Funakoshi</a> began teaching in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>As a trial case in spreading the art of karate, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masatoshi_Nakayama" title="Masatoshi Nakayama">Masatoshi Nakayama</a> arrange to send <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teruyuki_Okazaki" title="Teruyuki Okazaki">Teruyuki Okazaki</a> to the United States in 1961 where he started a karate dojo in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia" title="Philadelphia">Philadelphia</a>.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since February 2008" style="white-space: nowrap;"></span></sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takayuki_Mikami" title="Takayuki Mikami">Takayuki Mikami</a> were sent by the JKA in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963" title="1963">1963</a>.</p> <p><a name="United_Kingdom" id="United_Kingdom"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">United Kingdom</span></h3> <p>In the 1950s and 1960s, several Japanese karate masters began to teach the art in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a>. In 1965, Tatsuo Suzuki began teaching <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wad%C5%8D-ry%C5%AB" title="Wadō-ryū">Wadō-ryū</a> in London. In 1966, members of the former British Karate Federation established the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate_Union_of_Great_Britain" title="Karate Union of Great Britain">Karate Union of Great Britain</a> (KUGB) under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirokazu_Kanazawa" title="Hirokazu Kanazawa">Hirokazu Kanazawa</a> as chief instructor<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span> and affiliated to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JKA" class="mw-redirect" title="JKA">JKA</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keinosuke_Enoeda" title="Keinosuke Enoeda">Keinosuke Enoeda</a> came to England at the same time as Kanazawa, teaching at a dojo in Liverpool. Kanazawa left the UK after 3 years and Enoeda took over. After Enoeda’s death in 2003, the KUGB elected Andy Sherry as Chief Instructor. Shortly after this, a new association split off from KUGB, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JKA_England" title="JKA England">JKA England</a>.</p> <p><a name="Karate_in_film_and_popular_culture" id="Karate_in_film_and_popular_culture"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Karate in film and popular culture</span></h2> <p>Karate spread rapidly in the West through popular culture. In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s" title="1950s">1950s</a> popular fiction, karate was at times described to readers in near-mythical terms, and it was credible to show Western experts of unarmed combat as unaware of Eastern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_arts" title="Martial arts">martial arts</a> of this kind.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>By the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s" title="1970s">1970s</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_arts_film" title="Martial arts film">martial arts films</a> had formed a mainstream genre that propelled karate and other Asian martial arts into mass popularity.</p> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Karate_Kid" title="The Karate Kid">The Karate Kid</a> (1984) is a film relating the fictional story of an American adolescent's introduction into karate.</p> <p>Some well-known stars who have related styles are:</p> <ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Van_Damme" title="Jean-Claude Van Damme">Jean-Claude Van Damme</a> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotokan" title="Shotokan">Shotokan</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumio_Demura" title="Fumio Demura">Fumio Demura</a> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shito_ryu" class="mw-redirect" title="Shito ryu">Shito ryu</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolph_Lundgren" title="Dolph Lundgren">Dolph Lundgren</a> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushin" class="mw-redirect" title="Kyokushin">Kyokushin</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Chiba" title="Sonny Chiba">Sonny Chiba</a> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushin" class="mw-redirect" title="Kyokushin">Kyokushin</a></li></ul>(from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate)Kenshuseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14710817527390359812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-57772786251120277842008-03-27T16:47:00.000+07:002008-03-27T16:55:13.984+07:00Karate<b>Karate</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">空手</span><span class="t_nihongo_norom" style="display: none;"><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>Karate</b></span></i></span><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span> or <b>karate-dō</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" lang="ja">空手道</span><span class="t_nihongo_norom" style="display: none;"><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> <i><span class="t_nihongo_romaji"><b>karate-dō</b></span></i></span><span class="t_nihongo_help"><sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Japanese" title="Help:Japanese"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="padding: 0pt 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 80%; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;">?</span></a></sup></span>)</span>) is a martial art developed from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_martial_arts" title="Chinese martial arts">Chinese</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenp%C5%8D" title="Kenpō">kenpō</a> (in particular, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Chinese_martial_arts" class="mw-redirect" title="Southern Chinese martial arts">Southern Chinese kung fu</a>) and indigenous fighting methods from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryukyu_Islands" title="Ryukyu Islands">Ryūkyū Islands</a>. It is primarily a striking art, featuring punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques, but grappling, joint manipulations, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point striking are also taught, depending on the style.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since November 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;"></span></sup> A karate practitioner is called a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karateka_%28martial_arts%29" title="Karateka (martial arts)">karateka</a><br /><br />Modern karate training is commonly divided into <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kihon" title="Kihon">kihon</a></i> (basics or fundamentals), <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata_%28martial_arts%29" class="mw-redirect" title="Kata (martial arts)">kata</a></i> (forms), and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumite" title="Kumite">kumite</a></i> (sparring). Another popular division is between art, sport, and self-defense training. Traditional karate, while used to address a broad scope of traditions, typically does not break karate into discrete components, but rather derives self defense training directly from kata and application practice.<sup class="noprint Template-Fact"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources since November 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;"></span></sup> Weapons (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobud%C5%8D" title="Kobudō">kobudō</a></i>) comprise another important training area. Modern Japanese-influenced training often emphasizes the psychological elements incorporated into a proper <i>kokoro</i> (attitude) such as perseverance, fearlessness, virtue, and leadership skills. <p><a name="Kihon_.28Basics.29" id="Kihon_.28Basics.29"></a></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline">Kihon (Basics)</span></h3> <p>Karate styles place varying importance on kihon, which typically involve the same technique (or combination of techniques) being repeated by an entire group of karateka. Kihon may also involve prearranged drills between smaller groups, such as pairs, of karateka.</p><br /><h3><span class="mw-headline">Kata (Forms)</span></h3> <p>Kata (<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%9E%8B" class="extiw" title="wikt:型">型</a>: かた) means "form" or "pattern," and is a set sequence of techniques. Characteristics of these techniques include deep stances to develop leg strength and large body motions to develop posture, cardio-vascular and upper-body fitness and power. Some kata are lengthy and complex, and thus function as training in memory skills and thoughtfulness in the midst of kinetic activity.</p> <p>Kata embodies training and demonstration of physical combat principles and may be thought of as a sequence of specific karate movements that address various types of attacks and defense under ideal circumstances.</p> <p>Kata were developed before literacy was commonplace in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa" class="mw-redirect" title="Okinawa">Okinawa</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China" title="China">China</a>, so physical routines were a logical way to preserve this type of information. The moves themselves may have multiple <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretations" class="mw-redirect" title="Interpretations">interpretations</a> and applications as self-defense techniques—there is no 'right or wrong' way to interpret them, but interpretations may have more or less utility for actual fighting. Kata by the same name are often performed with variations between styles, within schools of the same style, or even under the same instructor over time.</p> <p>There are many types of kata. Specific kata are used at all levels of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C5%AB" title="Kyū">Kyū</a> tests (or <i>gradings</i>) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_rank" title="Dan rank">Dan</a> examinations and vary between schools.</p><h3><span class="mw-headline">Kumite (Sparring)</span></h3> <p>Kumite (組手:くみて), often called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparring" title="Sparring">sparring</a>, literally means "meeting of hands," and has many incarnations. Sparring may be free sparring or it may be structured sparring. Free sparring consists of the participants taking a semi-structured stance to allow mobility and flexibility for executing techniques. Structured kumite consists of the following general stages:</p> <ol><li>Both parties prepare for an attack and a defense</li><li>The attacking side announces its attack (usually indicating the target of the attack and the technique used to deliver it)</li><li>The defending side acknowledges the announced attack</li><li>The attacking side executes the attack</li><li>The defending side executes the prescribed block (pre-defined for the announced attack)</li></ol> <p>The above may be repeated for many types of techniques and for both the left and right sides.</p> <p>Today, kumite is practiced both as sport and for self-defense training. Sport sparring tends to be one-hit 'tag'-type competition for points. Depending on style or teacher, take-downs and grappling may be involved in sparring with the punching and kicking. Levels of physical contact during sparring vary considerably, from strict 'non-contact' to full-contact (usually with sparring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armour" title="Armour">armor</a>).</p><h3><span class="mw-headline">Sport</span></h3> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gichin_Funakoshi" title="Gichin Funakoshi">Gichin Funakoshi</a> (船越 義珍) said, "There are no contests in karate." In pre-World War II Okinawa, kumite was not part of karate training.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Egami" title="Shigeru Egami">Shigeru Egami</a> relates that, in 1940, some karateka were ousted from their dojo because they adopted sparring after having learned it in Tokyo.</p> <p>Karate competition has three disciplines: sparring (<i>kumite</i>), empty-handed forms (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate_kata" title="Karate kata">kata</a></i>), and weapons forms (<i>kobudō kata</i>). Competitors may enter either as individuals or as part of a team. Evaluation for kata and kobudo is performed by a panel of judges, whereas sparring is judged by a head referee, usually with assistant referees at the side of the sparring area. Sparring matches are typically divided by weight, age, gender, and experience.</p> <p>International competition is well organized. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Karate_Federation" title="World Karate Federation">World Karate Federation</a> (WKF) is recognized by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Olympic_Committee" title="International Olympic Committee">International Olympic Committee</a> (IOC) as being responsible for karate competition in the Olympic games. The WKF has developed common rules governing all styles. The national WKF organisations coordinate with their respective <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Olympic_Committee" title="National Olympic Committee">National Olympic Committees</a>.</p> <p>Karate does not have 2012 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games" title="Olympic Games">Olympic</a> status. In the 117th IOC Session (July 2005), karate received more than half of the votes, but not the two-thirds majority needed to become an official <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_sport" class="mw-redirect" title="Olympic sport">Olympic sport</a>.</p> <p>There are other regional, national, and international organizations that hold competitions. The WKF accepts only one organization per country. The World Union of Karate-do Organizations (WUKO)<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>offers different styles and federations a world body they may join, without having to compromise their style or size. The WUKO accepts more than one federation or association per country.</p><h3><span class="mw-headline">Rank</span></h3> <p>In 1924, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gichin_Funakoshi" title="Gichin Funakoshi">Gichin Funakoshi</a> adopted the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_rank" title="Dan rank">Dan</a> system from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo" title="Judo">judo</a> founder <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigoro_Kano" class="mw-redirect" title="Jigoro Kano">Jigoro Kano</a><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate#cite_note-8" title="">[9]</a></sup> using a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo#Rank_and_grading" title="Judo">rank scheme</a> with a limited set of belt colors. Other Okinawan teachers also adopted this practice.</p> <p>In a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C5%AB" title="Kyū">Kyū</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_rank" title="Dan rank">Dan</a> system, the beginner grade is a higher-numbered kyū (<i>e.g.</i>, 9th Kyū) and progress is toward a lower-numbered Kyū. The Dan progression continues from 1st Dan (Shodan, or 'beginning dan') to the higher dan grades. Kyū-grade karateka are referred to as "color belt" or mudansha ("ones without dan"); Dan-grade karateka are referred to as <i>yudansha</i> (holders of dan rank). Yudansha typically wear a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_belt_%28martial_arts%29" title="Black belt (martial arts)">black belt</a>.</p> <p>Requirements of rank differ among styles, organizations, and schools. Kyū ranks stress <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate_stances" title="Karate stances">stance</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equilibrioception" title="Equilibrioception">balance</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordination" title="Coordination">coordination</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed" title="Speed">Speed</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force" title="Force">power</a> are added at higher grades. Minimum age and time in rank are factors affecting promotion. Testing consists of demonstration of technique before a panel of examiners. Black belt testing is commonly done in a manner known as <i>shinsa</i>, which includes a written examination as well as demonstration of kihon, kumite, kata, and bunkai (applications of technique).</p> <p><a name="Philosophy" id="Philosophy"></a></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline">Philosophy</span></h2> <p>The "kara" of Karate-do was also interpreted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gichin_Funakoshi" title="Gichin Funakoshi">Gichin Funakoshi</a> to mean "to purge [oneself] of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can [the practitioner] understand that [knowledge] which he receives." Funakoshi also believed that one should be "inwardly humble and outwardly gentle." Only through humility could one be open to Karate's many lessons, by listening and being receptive to criticism. He considered courtesy of prime importance. He believed that "Karate is properly applied only in those rare situations in which one really must either down another or be downed by him." To Funakoshi, it was not unusual for a practitioner to use Karate for real perhaps once in a lifetime, as Karate practitioners should "never be easily drawn into a fight." To him, one strike by an expert could mean either life or death. He who misuses the techniques brings dishonor upon himself. He also believed in conviction, that in "time of grave public crisis, one must have the courage...to face a million and one opponents." He believed that indecisiveness was a shameful trait.</p><p>(from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate)<br /></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">next>> History of Karate<br /></span></p><p><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>Kenshuseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14710817527390359812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087208410216739686.post-73581249417559221782008-03-27T16:21:00.000+07:002008-03-27T16:30:27.016+07:00Japanese Martial ArtsJapan is very popular about its Martial Arts (Budo/Bujutsu). There are several Japanese Martial Arts that now included in Olympic Games, such as Karate, Judo, Kenpo. Also there are more that now spread all around the world and has their own International Competition, such as Kendo, Iaido, Aikido (Shodokan Aikido), KyuDo, also Kenjutsu and IaiJutsu, and Sumo.<br /><br />Most of them are came from Samurai culture, such as Kendo (fencing), and some are from civilian such as Karate.<br /><br />Here are list of the most Popular-world-well-known Japanese Martial Arts.<br /><br />Bare Handed:<br /><ol><li>Ju-do<br /></li><li>Karate-do</li><li>Kenpo-do</li><li>Aiki-do</li><li>Jujutsu</li><li>Taijutsu</li><li>Sumo</li></ol>Using Weapons/Armed:<br /><ol><li>Kendo (Fencing)</li><li>Kenjutsu (Traditional Fencing)</li><li>IaiDo (Fencing)</li><li>IaiJutsu (Traditional Version from IaiDO)</li><li>JoJutsu (staff), ShurikenJutsu(throwing), BoJutsu/YariJutsu(stick/spear)- (most are taught in one scholl. like ninjutsu club)</li><li>Ninjutsu (Ninja)<br /></li></ol>Kenshuseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14710817527390359812noreply@blogger.com0