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Sparring in old karate

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 Modern Karate styles have evolved and differ significantly from how they were practiced in the past. Sparring is one of these things, many modern styles prefer a point style method (mainly Shotokan, Shito ryu, Goju ryu, Wado ryu, Shorin ryu). Sparring brings many benefits such as; pressure testing your techniques, practicing proper form, experimentation with combos, thrill of combat, etc. The Karate-ka of the past never did any point fighting, so that begs the question. How did the karate-ka of the past spar and pressure test their techniques?  Kakete demonstrated by Juhatsu Kyoda and Chojun Miyagi Older styles of Karate mainly sparred with three methods. Prearranged sparring, free sparring and Kakkidi / Kakete (lit hooked hands). These methods will look different in different styles. Primarily because Naha te and Shuri te prioritize different principles and techniques (the principles and techniques of those styles may be the subject of a future article). Kakkidi / Kakete is ...
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Timeline of Okinawan Martial arts

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 Nowadays, many different styles of Karate like Goju ryu, Shorin ryu, Shito ryu, etc exist. But what are the origins of these styles? Where did they really come from? Did all of these styles come from one person? To understand this, you would need to go back in time by a few hundred years. In this article, we will take a look at the history of Karate from an ancient indigenous martial art known as Ti to more modern full contact styles such as Kyokushin. Ti 手 - No exact year Martial arts on Okinawa began with Ti, the martial art of Okinawan kings and nobles. The origin of Ti does not have an exact date, so it's safe to say that it's been around for a long time (way before 1300's). Unlike Karate, Ti is an unrooted and "liberated" martial art. Ti consists of various stepping methods, joint locks, takedowns and also use of various weaponry. Contrary to popular belief, aspects like Muchimi (stickiness) did not originate from Ti. Unlike most martial arts today, Ti is no...
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Rare Karate styles

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This is a list of older Okinawan karate styles with their kanji and some basic information about them. These styles are part of bigger categories such as Shuri te, Naha te, Ti and Chinese boxing. Some of these styles have strict policies, so only I added in some basic information about them. I also didn't have the kanji for all of them. Touon ryu 東恩流  - Naha te Founded by Juhatsu Kyoda, a student of Kanryo Higaonna.Touon ryu consists of 6 empty hand kata and 2 weapon kata. Kyoda learned Kanryo Higaonna's full system. Kanryo's system consisted of Sanchin, Seisan, Sanseru and Bechurin. Touon ryu only passes on 3 of 4 kata from Kanryo Higaonna. Kyoda learned Seisan from Kanryo and his cousin, Kanyu, Kyoda only passed on Kanyu Higaonna's Seisan. Kyoda also learned Jion from Kentsu Yabu and Nepai from Gokenki.  Touon ryu is a much lighter and faster style in comparison to Goju ryu. Kanryo Higaonna was known for his strong kicking techniques, which are also passed on in Touon...
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Did Karate originate from Fujian White Crane kung fu?

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Karate originated from the Ryukyu Islands, in what is now called Okinawa. The Ryukyu islands were a melting pot for trade from various countries in Asia, China held a major role in the history of the Ryukyu Islands. Inheriting Chinese architecture and martial arts.  It is commonly thought that the Naha styles of Karate (Goju and Touon) originate from Fujian White Crane. The main argument for this is that the form called Sanchin (three battles) bears similarity to White crane San Zhan. Oral history recounts Kanryo Higaonna traveling to Fujian province and studying Chinese boxing under a local master named Ru Ru Ko, bringing it back to Okinawa and teaching it to Chojun Miyagi and Juhatsu Kyoda. For this article, we will compare Goju ryu and Touon ryu to Yongchun White Crane. However many Southern Kung fu styles have the form San Zhan as their base or fundamental form such as tiger boxing or southern mantis. The movements and mechanics in Goju and Touon Sanchin do not resemble that of...
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Introducing my blog

 Bujutsu Quest is a blog primarily dedicated to researching and understanding the techniques, kata and methods of Ryukyu bujutsu.  Okinawa has three main branches of martial arts; Ti, Karate and Kobudo. Ti (lit hand) is the oldest of the three and had a significant impact on the development of Karate or Tode (lit Chinese hand). Despite its influence on Karate, Ti is still quite rare and difficult to find. Antique styles of Karate are also hard to find but they still exist, some include; Touon ryu, Hanashiro-ha, Tachimura-ha, Oyadomari-ha, Kojo ryu, etc. These rarer and older styles are different to that of modern ones such as; Goju ryu, Shorin ryu, Uechi ryu, Shito ryu, Shotokan, Wado ryu, etc. Through this blog I plan on doing interviews with some Karate practitioners and writing about my own observations, style comparisons, kata, “bunkai” and history. My blog is still a work in progress (as it’s still the earlier stages). This quest of mine is certainly a lengthy one. Why do...
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