Karate in the 1960s and 1970s

[equaninimus]

I just finished re-reading Peter Urban's The Karate Dojo and an struck by some of the interesting errors.

 

-The distinct "Americanization" of many stories (Foreign student marries local girl and makes good, Small town guy defeats big sity slicker, etc...)

 

-The gross misrepresentation of facts (Funakoshi, who married a local "Japanese" girl, 7 foot tall illiterate smelly peasant Motobu, who never left Okinawa).

 

-The presentation of questionable stories as fact (for example, many of the stories about Yamaguchi seem irregular).

 

What was the zeitgeist of the era? What did people think about Karate? Waht did the public "know," and what did you "know" prior to beginning?

 

So, to all those like SMR and Shorinryu Sensei who were practicing in the "good old days," sit back, have a Kirin, and be longwinded, please. [/u]

[tommarker]

I'd love to hear some old school stories. Please!

[Rich_2k3]

Karate really came into being with movies like the Karate kid; although a classic film, it did create some myths about karate, like only practicing kata to win a tournement and the old "painting fences" routine, in which u are turned into a karate master, very good daniel san !

 

Of course Bruce Lee and the huge amount of kung fu movies that were pumped out in the 70's and 80's really brought martial arts into the western world, but unfortunatly it was portrayed wrongly, ppl think karate is all about board breaking and running up walls, and knowbody has a clue which art is which, i hate it when ppl call karate kung fu and vice versa.

 

So I blame hollywood, its turned martial arts into some sort of super power and made ppl think that all martial artists, jump around screaming breaking boards and chopping the air, u know what I mean little men who take on gangs of thugs and kill them one by one with a single chop, its pathetic. I think back in the 70's and 80's karate had more respect, despite hollywood, nobody knew exactly what it was, but they knew it was somthing awesome and that they wanted 2 do it (Bruce Lee helped to portray what martial arts were about and the movie the karate kid although flawed carried many positive meanings.) Nowadays ppl think karate and martial arts are a joke, except for boxing and kickboxing; for some reason they seem to carry more respect. Maybe its because they are alot more westernised, which is sad, because they are mearly sports and dont have the same depth as true martial arts. Ignorence destroys martial arts but I think its getting better, ppl are starting to understand the true power of martial arts and in a world that is becoming more and more violent, self defence plays a bigger role. The 70's and 80's were the big break for karate and martial arts and I think the true meaning is slowy returning.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Well, as one of the "old farts" in on the forum , this was my perception of karate and the martial arts through the 60's-80's.

 

I think my first real exposure to the arts was either the TV series "KungFu" with David Carridine, or "The Green Hornet" with Bruce Lee. I really don't remember which came first.

 

I'll never forget in the pilot for "KungFu" where Chang (Carradine) kicked that knife out of that cowboys hand and it stuck to the ceiling. Man, did THAT make an impression on me!

 

Growing up in a town of 12,000 people in North Central Montana, there wasn't much of an opportunity to participate in the arts. We basically had two choices in the early 70's. A Hawaiian Kempo school, and a TKD school. Both of the instructors were TERRIBLE people and frequently went out to the bars picking fights, beating their chests, and generally not behaving as good martial artists (IMHO). I chose neither at that time because I didn't like what I saw.

 

When I was a junior in high school (1969-70), we had a new Spanish teacher that was rumored (never proven though) to be a karate black belt. He made hand gestures often that could have been taken, if you were thinking about karate at the time, as various subtle hand movements.

 

Then in 1971, "Billy Jack, starring Tom Laughlin came out. Oh baby, was I hot to learn the arts then!!! But again, there were only those two jerks available to learn from, and I wasn't going to go there.

 

In the fall of 1972 I was drafted (yes, really drafted!) into the US Army. In the Army's infinite wisdon, they chose NOT to send my skinney, 6'6" 200 lb buttocks to VietNam (ahhhhhh...I was so disappointed! ), but rather to West (back when there was a East and West) Germany instead. While there, a friend of mine that held a brown belt in some sort of karate (I never found out which one) and I would get together now and then and play karate a bit. It was fun, but looking back, I really wonder if he had much real training. At the time however, it was all good.

 

Bruce Lee was at his height during the early/mid 70's and there were frequently movies of his shown at the post theatre. This further sparked my interest in learning something, but again, there was little opportunity to do so where I was at.

 

When I was discharged out of the Army in the fall of 1974 I returned to my small town in Montana to find that still, there were only the two jerks teaching. I was disappopionted, but what was a guy to do?

 

One day just after New Years (1975), I called a good friend of mine and asked if he wanted to cruise around town and drink cheap beer (our usual past time). He told me he would, but after his karate class was over. I, of course, asked him which of the two jerks he was learning from, and he told me there was a new guy in town...Sensei Dennis Miller, who was teaching an Okinawan system. I asked my firend if he thought it would be OK if I came and watched, so I did.

 

As I went into the duplex apartment where Dennis was holding his class in the living room and was introduced to him by my friend. Dennis told me to take my shoes off and get in line, but I said "I just wanted to watch". I'll never forget what he said to me that changed my life so much since that day.

 

"If you're interested enough to watch, then you're interested enough to try it."...which I did.

 

My friend had to quit a few weeks later, and I'm still at it and trying to get it right nearly 30 years later! lol

[Rich_2k3]

Good story.

[WolverineGuy]

Thank god for old farts. Awesome story man.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

*blushing here as I take my walker out to the kitchen for a glass of milk of magnesium*

[stl_karateka]

Good story Shorinryu Sensei --- thanks for sharing

[Red J]

I think my first real exposure to the arts was either the TV series "KungFu" with David Carridine, or "The Green Hornet" with Bruce Lee. I really don't remember which came first.

 

I'll never forget in the pilot for "KungFu" where Chang (Carradine) kicked that knife out of that cowboys hand and it stuck to the ceiling. Man, did THAT make an impression on me!

 

Green Hornet was before KungFu.

 

Bruce Lee planted the seed for the KungFu series but it was determined that America was not ready for a leading Asian man. Asians were regulated to stereotypes, which Bruce Lee vowed to change, which he did when he returned to the states. (AMC ran a pretty good documentory last year and there was also a biographical movie that was produced in the early 90s that was entertaining as well. The movie had some historical accuracy with the Ed Parker tournament but it also had some creative license as well.)

 

I just purchased the original KungFu pilot (for four dollars at a North Carolina flee market) that has that bar scene in it. I couldn't wait to watch it again. I used to love watching that show with "Young Grasshopper" when I was a kid.

 

Thanks for the sharing.

[delta1]

If you want to know what 'karate' was like in the late 60's and early 70's, get ahold of some of the old Bruce Tegner books. That is what many of us 'old pharts' cut our teeth on. I look back at some of that now and shake my head, but it was 'state of the art' back then (unless you were lucky enough to be near a Parker Kenpo school, which was still growing and changing then). I wish I still had those books, just to go back and look at them. I really wish I could have studied with Ed Parker. Other than that, there was pretty much Judo and TKD. Other arts were either little known or unavailable. And everything was "karate".

 

As already said, The Green Hornet, Kung Fu, Billy Jack and Bruce Lee were the major influences that brought the martial arts into the public eye. Casius Clay, later Mohamed Ali, was ther premier fighter. Anyone remember his "fight" against the Japanese Karate guy? It was supposed to prove which was better, boxing or karate. All it proved was the karateka (I don't even remember who it was) could roll into a ball and Ali could grab ahold of the ropes, and they could both make a lot of money doing it (not to mention either angering or disgusting half the world).

 

I'd say Bruce Lee was by far the biggest influence. I remember a lot of guys who never took martial arts buying 'chuks and beating themselves silly while making 'whoooaaaahheeeee' noises! They'd come at you like they were going to attack, trying to look cool or intimidating. But all you had to do was stand there and laugh- before they got close enough to do anything they generally hit themselves in the head hard enough to daze themselves! It was a real hoot to antagonize them.

 

Reality arts were pretty much WWII combatives. I recently found my old copies of 'Get Tough' and 'Kill or Get Killed'. Still good info, and still effective for quickly learned arts.

 

Ah, well- them was th' days that was!