BUSHIDO KARATE CLUB
Over the summer it was announced by the International Olympics Committee that KARATE has been added to the
Sports Programme for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – so look out for a Greenbank student winning Gold.
In its current form, karate is less than 200 years old. However it has roots that date back thousands of years. The art originated on the island of Okinawa (Japan) and in its early form was heavily influenced by ancient Chinese martial arts, collectively known as kung fu.
The history of Okinawan Karate can be traced back to the late 17th century when a ban on weapons was imposed by the samurai rulers of Japan. This meant that all training by early masters, had to be done in secret and as weapons could not be carried on the island, self-defence tended to revolve around empty handed techniques.
At the turn of the 20th century, Anko Itosu gained permission to end the shroud of secrecy for those who wanted to learn martial arts and began teaching Karate in Okinawan schools. This led to further expansion by one of Itosu’s students, Sensei Gichin Funakoshi, who introduced the art to Japan in 1922.
Towards the end of his life, Funakoshi was instrumental in forming the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) which set about making karate a world martial art by sending out its best instructors to teach it all over the globe. Today, karate is practiced by millions of people right across the world.
Over the next few months we have courses for our instructors to keep up with the latest coaching methods and also our Association course for our students. In addition it is the start of the competition season and we look to enter more students at various events.
Finally we will be starting a new beginner’s class and if you know of anyone who would like to join our great Association please pass on my details.
Best wishes,
John
Bushido Karate Association Chairman
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