Shotokan's Secret

[PlasmaShock]

in my opinion, its all in the hips baby!

[jeff5]

I thought it was a good book and interesting read. I can't say I agree with everything he said.

One point is about Funakoshi not knowing the bunkai or how to break the kata down. If Itosu was training him and others to take over as royal guards, he had to be teaching them the bunkai and meaning of the katas, and having them train and research them. If the king came back and Funakoshi and others didn't know the applications, it would have taken them more time (years probably), to really learn and understand them and they wouldn't have been able to do their job.

I think its more likely that after the king died and Itosu decided to let Karate be taught to the public (and in schools), that there was an agreement not to show the more dangerous and brutal bunkai.

Interesting book though!

[juey palancu]

It is well known that Funakoshi DID know a lot about bunkai and that he emphasized it a lot. Sensei McCarthy, a modern bunkai master, always credits Funakoshi's knowledge of applications.

The story about Itosu deciding not to teach the "secret", "brutal", "maiming", or "killing" applications of karate sounds a lot like mythology, and I, for one, would bet it is.

ossu

[bushido_man96]

Maybe he called them secret, brutal, etc. in order to keep some things from getting away that he felt would be advantageous for him not to divulge.