The table contains a comparison of karate styles. Some of the distinguishing features are listed, such as lineage, general form of stances, the balance of hard and soft techniques, and the number and names of kata forms.
The four major karate styles developed in Japan, especially in Okinawa are Shorin-ryu, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Goju-ryu; many other styles of Karate are derived from these four. [1] The first three of these styles find their origins in the Shorin-Ryu style from Shuri, Okinawa, while Goju-ryu finds its origins in Naha. Shuri karate is rather different from Naha karate, drawing on different predecessor influences. Shito-ryu can be regarded as a blend of Shuri and Naha traditions as its kata incorporate both Shuri and Naha kata. [2]
The formal application within the four major karate styles are as follows:
Some later styles of karate have been derived from blending techniques from the four main branches, while others have added techniques from other martial arts. For example Kyokushin, which is an extremely hard style derived from Shotokan and Gōjū-ryū, involves much more breaking and full contact, knockdown sparring as a main part of training. [3]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(June 2022) |
Styles | Origin | Derived From | Hard and soft techniques | Stances | Representative Kata | Number of kata | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chitō-ryū | Okinawa | Shōrei-ryū or Naha-te, Shōrin-ryū | both elements exist but more soft than hard | natural | Shi Ho Hai, Seisan, Ro Hai Sho, Niseishi, Bassai, Chinto, Sochin, Tenshin, Ro Hai Dai, Sanshiryu, Ryushan, Kusanku, Sanchin | 15 kata not including kihon and Bo kihon/kata | |
Genseiryū | Okinawa | Shuri-te and possibly Tomari-te. | both, but mostly soft | deep/natural | Ten-i no Kata, Chi-i no Kata, Jin-i no Kata, Sansai, (Koryu) Naifanchi, (Koryu) Bassai, (Koryu) Kusanku or Koshokun (dai) | 64 | |
Gōjū-ryū | Okinawa | Fujian White Crane and Naha-te. | both | deep/natural | Sanchin, Tensho, Gekisai Dai/Sho, Seipai, Saifa, Suparinpei | 12 | |
Gosoku-ryu | Japan | Gōjū-ryū, Shotokan | both | deep (beginner), natural (advanced) | Gosoku, Rikyu, Denko Getsu, Tamashi | 46 including weapons kata | |
Isshin-ryū | Okinawa | Gōjū-ryū, Shōrin-ryū, Kobudō | both, fast & hard | natural | Seisan, Seiunchin, Naihanchi, Wansu, Chinto, Sanchin, Kusanku, Sunsu | 15 including weapons kata | |
Kyokushin | Japan | Shotokan, Gōjū-ryū | extremely hard | natural | Sokogi, Pinan + ura, | 33 | [3] |
Motobu-ryū | Japan and Okinawa | Shuri-te and Tomari-te | both | natural | Naihanchi (shodan and nidan), Shirokuma, Seisan, Passai, Ufukun, Motode (ichi and ni), Kasshindī (san, yon, go) | 11 | |
Shindō jinen-ryū | Japan and Okinawa | primarily Shuri-te like Shitō-ryū, but also Naha-te and Tomari-te | both | deep/natural | Shimpa, Taisabaki 1-3, Sunakake no Kon | More than 60 counting all kobudo kata | |
Shitō-ryū | Japan and Okinawa | Shuri-te and Naha-te | both | deep/natural | Pinan, Bassai Dai, Seienchin, Saifa, Rōhai, Nipaipo | 94 | [2] |
Shōrin-ryū | Okinawa | Shuri-te, Tomari-te, Chinese martial arts | both, primarily fast & soft | natural | Fukyu, Pinan, Naihanchi, passai, kanku, seisan | 21 | |
Shotokan | Japan and Okinawa | Shōrin-ryū and Shōrei-ryū | 70% hard, 30% soft/fast | deep (formal) and natural | Taikyoku Shodan, 5 Heian, 3 Tekki, Bassai Dai and Sho, Jion, Empi, Kanku Dai and Sho, Hangetsu, Jitte, Gankaku, Sochin, Nijushiho, Chinte, Ji'in, Meikyo, Wankan, Unsu, Gojushiho Dai and Sho | 27 | [2] |
Shūkōkai | Japan | Gōjū-ryū & Shitō-ryū | 60% hard, 40% soft | natural | Pinan, Bassai Dai, Seienchin, Saifa, Rōhai | 44 | |
Uechi-Ryū | Fuzhou, Fujian Province & Okinawa | Huzun Quan kung fu [4] Naha-te | half-hard, half-soft | mainly natural | Sanchin, Seisan, Sanseirui | 8 | |
Wadō-ryū | Japan and Okinawa | Shindō Yōshin-ryū Jujutsu, Tomari-te, Shotokan and Motobu-ryū | both, primarily soft | mainly natural | Primary: Pinan, Kushanku, Naihanchi, Seishan, and Chintō. Secondary: Jion, Wanshu, Jitte, Rohai, Bassai, and Niseishi [5] | 15 | |
Shorin-ryu Shorinkan | Okinawa | Kobayashi Shōrin-ryū | 90% Hard 10% Soft | Beginner deep and higher belts also deep | Pinan Nidan ,Pinan Shodan, Naihanchi Shodan,Saifa/Jion, Annan, Basadai, Godusiosu | 8 |
Karate (空手), also karate-do, is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).
Gōjū-ryū (剛柔流), Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawa styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries, the Bubishi. Gō, which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks; jū, which means soft, refers to open hand techniques and circular movements. Gōjū-ryū incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum, combining hard striking attacks such as kicks and close hand punches with softer open hand circular techniques for attacking, blocking, and controlling the opponent, including joint locks, grappling, takedowns, and throws.
Shitō-ryū (糸東流) is a form of karate that was founded in 1934 by Kenwa Mabuni. Shitō-ryū is synthesis of the Okinawan Shuri-te and Naha-te schools of karate and today is considered one of the four main styles of the art.
Isshin-Ryū is a style of Okinawan karate created by Tatsuo Shimabuku in approximately 1947/1948. Isshin-Ryū karate is largely a synthesis of Shorin-ryū karate, Gojū-ryū karate, and kobudō. The name means, literally, "one heart method". In 1989 there were 336 branches of Isshin-ryū throughout the world, most of which were concentrated in the United States.
Shōrin-ryū (少林流) is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts and is one of the oldest styles of karate. It was named by Choshin Chibana in 1933, but the system itself is much older. The characters 少林, meaning "sparse" or "scanty" and "forest" respectively and pronounced "shōrin" in Japanese, are also used in the Chinese and Japanese words for Shaolin. "Ryū" means "school". Shōrin-ryū combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles of Shuri-te.
Shōrei-ryū is a style of Okinawan karate and is one of the two oldest karate styles, alongside Shōrin-ryū. It was developed at the end of the 19th century by Higaonna Kanryō in Naha, Okinawa, Japan.
Tatsuo Shimabukuro was an Okinawan, Japanese martial artist. He is the founder of Isshin-ryū style of karate.)
Chōjun Miyagi was an Okinawan martial artist who founded the Gōjū-ryū school of karate by blending Okinawan and Chinese influences.
The Pinan (平安)kata are a series of five empty hand forms taught in many karate styles. The Pinan kata originated in Okinawa and were adapted by Anko Itosu from older kata such as Kusanku and Channan into forms suitable for teaching karate to young students. Pinan is the Chinese Pinyin notation of 平安; when Gichin Funakoshi brought karate to Japan, he spelt the kata name as Heian, which is the onyomi of 平安. Pinan or Heian means "peaceful and safe". Korean Tang Soo Do, one of 5 original kwan of Korea, also practice these kata; they are termed, "Pyong-an" or "Pyung-Ahn", which is a Korean pronunciation of the term "ping-an".
The karate kataSeisan (十三) literally means '13'. Some people refer to the kata as '13 Hands', '13 Fists', '13 Techniques', '13 Steps' or even '13 killing positions'; however, these names have no historical basis.
Kenwa Mabuni was one of the first karateka to teach karate in mainland Japan and is credited as developing the style known as Shitō-ryū. Originally, he chose the name Hanko-ryu, literally "half-hard style", to imply that the style used both hard and soft techniques. Finally, Mabuni chose Shito-ryu, the first characters of the names Itosu and Higaonna, his two primary teachers.
Chitō-ryū (千唐流) is a style of karate founded by Dr. Tsuyoshi Chitose, (1898-1984). The name of the style translates as: chi (千) - 1,000; tō (唐) - China; ryū (流) - style, school, "1,000 year old Chinese style." The character tō (唐) refers to the Tang dynasty of China. The style was officially founded in 1946.
Chintō (鎮東) is an advanced kata practiced in many styles of karate. According to legend, it is named after a stranded Chinese sailor, sometimes referred to as Annan, whose ship crashed on the Okinawan coast. To survive, Chintō kept stealing from the crops of the local people. Matsumura Sōkon, a Karate master and chief bodyguard to the Ryūkyūan king, was sent to defeat Chintō. In the ensuing fight, however, Matsumura found himself equally matched by the stranger, and consequently sought to learn his techniques.
Shōbayashi Shōrin-ryu (少林流) is a style of Okinawan Shorin-ryu karate founded by Eizo Shimabukuro. Eizo Shimabukuro (1925-2017) dropped the Chatan Yara no Kusanku and the Oyadamari no Passai he learned from Chotoku Kyan and he added Kusanku Sho and Dai and Passai Sho and Dai of Yasutsune Itosu lineage. It is said that Eizo Shimabukuro learned these Itosu kata as well as Pinan Shodan to Godan and Naihanchin Shodan to Sandan from Choshin Chibana. However, in his book "Okinawa Karatedo Old Grandmaster Stories" Eizo Shimabukuro says that Chibana was too old to teach and so Chibana referred Shimabukuro to his senior student, Nakazato, for instruction. Eizo Shimabuku also added two kata from his time in Goju-ryu with Chojun Miyagi. These kata being Seiyunchin and Sanchin. At one time Shimabuku taught Shorin-ryu and Goju-ryu side by side.
Shorin-ryu Seibukan, also known as Sukunaihayashi, is one of the many Okinawan Shorin-ryu styles of karate.
Shinpan Gusukuma, read as Shinpan Shiroma in standard Japanese, was an Okinawan martial artist who studied Shōrin-ryū karate as a student of Ankō Itosu. Gusukuma also trained under Higaonna Kanryō in the Naha-te style. Gusukuma went on to establish Shitō-ryū with Kenwa Mabuni.
Arakaki Seishō was a prominent Okinawan martial artist and master of Tōde who influenced the development of several major karate styles. He was known by many other names, including Aragaki Tsuji Pechin Seisho.
Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long history of trade and cultural exchange, including Japan, China and Southeast Asia, that greatly influenced the development of martial arts on Okinawa.