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Karate-do
JIKF
teaches the Heiwa-do style of traditional Japanese karate-do.
Karate
Most
people have heard of "karate". Many people can tell you, "It's
a martial art using punches and kicks."
The need for self-defense is as old as man. The physical movements that
became the basis for modern karate originated as man's imitation of the
tactics used by animals in what is now India, more than 2000 years ago.
In those times of early civilization, survival depended on the ability to
defend oneself and one's property from others who simply wanted it for
themselves. Moves from the most powerful and cunning animals were adapted to
the human form and adopted as a means of defensive advantage.
These forms of self-defense spread through China
to the island kingdom
of Okinawa, where the
people applied them to their own native self-defense system called te
(literally, "hands"). It was the birth karate, but for social and
political reasons, it was fighting system that was practiced in secret and
given only to a select few by the its teachers. Things slowly changed, as the
three kingdoms of Okinawa (Shuri, Naha,
Tomari) developed their own systems (Shuri-te, Naha-te, Tomari-te). More than
100 years ago, Okinawa became a prefecture
of Japan, and later the art spread
to mainland Japan
where it was embraced and formalized. One Funakoshi “Shoto”
Gichin, born in Okinawa, is considered the
"father" of modern karate-do for his efforts in popularizing the
art.
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The word "karate" is used by many other schools as a
marketing tool because karate is the most popular martial art in the world
today. However, these schools often teach other martial arts like Taekwondo
from Korea or
kick-boxing from Thailand.
JIKF is your source for authentic traditional Japanese karate-do.
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Karate-do
In
these modern peaceful times, however, karate was no longer required for
day-to-day survival. Still, practitioners found that karate training improved
their health, focused their minds, and strengthened their spirits. Training
continued with a new focus on karate as way to create a healthy individual
who was a strong member of family, community, and society. The Dō
(pronounced "doh", meaning "way") suffix was added to
emphasize the art as a way of life, thought and action. Karate the fighting
system became the art of Karate-do, the "way of the empty
hand".
By the middle of the 20th century, this art had spread throughout America,
bringing the benefits of karate-do training to our modern Western world,
where it was popular despite sometimes being at odds with cultural norms of
materialism, convenience, and tendencies to favor style over substance. Or
perhaps it was popular because of these differences.
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Traditional Japanese karate-do will have at least these
things:
- Traditional values of
respect, effort, patience, honesty, and discipline
- Focus on building the body,
mind, spirit
- Conservative changes in
technique that favor substance over style
... that make it different from many modern Western or
so-called "Americanized" forms of karate.
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Heiwa-do
Otsuka
Hironori was one of Funakoshi's finest students and already an expert in the
art of Shintoyoshin-ryu jiu-jitsu (a grappling and throwing system) when he
began his karate-do training. Otsuka founded one of the four "big
schools" of karate-do in Japan, the Wado-ryu or the "school
of the way of harmony", so called because of the focus on blending and
redirection techniques from jiu-jitsu that use an opponent's own force
against him.
Hirano Kiyohisa began training with Otsuka and his top-tier instructors in
1950. He traveled from Japan
to Hawaii
on a tour to promote karate-do outside of his native country. There he
established himself as a head instructor for the Wado Kai (Wado
Association). He soon incorporated Japan
International Karate
Center.
This independence allowed Hirano to develop his own teaching program,
based on Wado, with the help of instructors from other major schools.
Post-war Hawaii
offered a trove of karate expertise on which to draw. While upholding the
precepts and principles of traditional Japanese karate-do, the technique and
syllabus was no longer strictly tied to tradition. Changes were made
conservatively and tested over time for their fit into Hirano's overall
framework, using lessons from the Shotokan, Goju-ryu, and Shito-ryu karate
schools to enhance his style of Wado.
After decades of evolution and success, Hirano's style was was named Heiwa-do
(hay-wah-doh) or the "way of peace and harmony". The name
recognized both its Wado roots and Hirano's contribution to the art.
Heiwa-do style technique is characterized by its total commitment to each
move, used to end conflict as quickly as possible and restore harmony.
Heiwa-do philosophy espouses ideals that promote harmony with oneself and
society. The focus on harmony between one's body, mind, and spirit is
manifested in the training program's focus on building strong fundamentals
through repetition and building on these solid foundations with each new rank
or level.
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JIKF is part of the Japan International organization and operates
under the personal guidance of Hirano Soke, its founder, and Hanshi David
Pope.
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