Shotokan Karate - A Precise History - Questions

[Sho-ju]

Harry Cook wrote a book titled Shotokan Karate - A Precise History. Anyone read it? Here are a list of question that the book gives answers for and I would like to know the answers but can not afford the $75. (I'm Canadian it would cost me exchange as well.)

 

http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Shotokan/Pages/Shobooks.htm

 

Here's a couple of questions for Shotokan karateka.

 

• Did the JKA really practice Shotokan karate?

 

• Which instructors actually trained with Gichin Funakoshi?

 

• How were the Shotokan bunkai lost?

 

• Why are there so many errors in Shotokan Kata?

 

• Does modern Shotokan come from Gichin Funakoshi?

 

• Why does Shotokan no longer teach traditional weight training, xxbody conditioning and weapons as they once did?

 

• Why has so much been done to suppress the true history of xxShotokan

 

• Why are there so many forms of Shotokan

 

• Who is praticising the karate of Gichin Funakoshi

 

• How big is Shotokan's debt to Shorin Ryu

[Shotokan_Fighter]

im getting that book

[G95champ]

• Did the JKA really practice Shotokan karate? Yes and No. I think the early JKA was set up arround Shotokan but has came to included several other forms.

 

• Which instructors actually trained with Gichin Funakoshi? Nishyama, Okazakia, and Ohshima (sp) on all of them but those are the 3 big names I am aware of.

 

 

 

• How were the Shotokan bunkai lost? Where they lost? I think most are still there if you look for them.

 

 

 

• Why are there so many errors in Shotokan Kata?

 

Whats wrong? I know well have saw about a dozen differant versions of Bassai Dai. Who's to say this one is right and that one is wrong differant styles and schools teach everything a bit differantly. Yeah there is a speed, form, idea Fuankoshi taught but he was not right or wrong. As long as each school is conistant with its kata I don't see this being a big problem.

 

 

 

• Does modern Shotokan come from Gichin Funakoshi? Yes and No. Yeah Funakoshi was the guy who laid the ground plans for it. However WWII changed a lot of his thoughts. Early Shotokan taught a lot more throws such as in Judo. Its still got those moves in it but they are not emphisised as much as they were early on. Add to things always change with time for the good or bad.

 

• Why does Shotokan no longer teach traditional weight training, xxbody conditioning and weapons as they once did? I don't know that it ever taught weapons. I may be wrong. As far as weight training lots of focus is put on the LOW stance and Isometric moves. So I don't think I would say we don't focus on it.

 

• Why has so much been done to suppress the true history of xxShotokan? I don't konow that it has. IMO what has been done is a lot of McDojo type schools claim the name Shotokan but don't know much about it.

 

 

 

• Why are there so many forms of Shotokan?

 

Again I don't know that they are. Unless your refering to like the JKA, ISAK, FSKA, etc. All still have the same root base just some differant views on kata.

 

 

 

• Who is praticising the karate of Gichin Funakoshi? Im some respects I think we all are. Funakoshi felt we would make the MA ours one day. Kind of like Lee and his style without style. On a more specific answer those who read and study his books espically Karate Do Kyohan.

 

 

 

• How big is Shotokan's debt to Shorin Ryu? Most of the early kata are hard kata and have ties to Goju Ryu. However Funakoshi did train under many people and it is said that Shotokan is a mix of Goju's Hard and Shorin Soft. So 50/50 I guess.

 

Hope that helps