Anko Itosu

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Anko Itosu (糸洲 安恒, Itosu Ankō, Itosu Yasutsune in Japanese^?) is considered the father of modern karate although the same title is sometimes given to Gichin Funakoshi (mainly because Funakoshi actually made karate known throughout Japan.) Itosu's year of birth is dated in various sources to 1830, 1831, or 1832, and he died in 1915.

While he certainly did not invent karate himself, his codification of the forms learned from his master, Sokon Matsumura, and the wide dissemination of his teachings to masters of the various traditions that had developed, make it a benchmark for any bona fide karate instructor to be able to trace his lineage of teachers back to someone who at least for some period studied with Itosu.

Itosu's style of karate came to be known as Itosu-ryu in recognition of his skill, mastery and role as teacher to many.

Master Itosu trained a great number of eminent karate men, including Choyu Motobu(1857-1927),Choki Motobu(1870-1944),Kentsu Yabu (1866-1937), Chomo Hanashiro (1869-1945), Gichin Funakoshi(1868-1957), Moden Yabiku (1880-1941), Kanken Toyama (1888-1966),Chotoku Kyan (1870-1945), Shinpan Shiroma (1890-1954), Anbun Tokuda (1886-1945) and Kenwa Mabuni(1887-1952).

Anko Itosu served as a secretary to the last king of the Ryūkyū islands until Japan abolished the Okinawa-based native monarchy in 1879. In 1901 he was instrumental in getting karate introduced into Okinawa's schools, creating and introducing the Pinan forms ("Heian" in Japanese, "Pyung Ahn" in Korean) as learning steps for students, because he felt the other forms ("kata" in Japanese, "hyung" in Korean) were too difficult for school children to learn. The five pinan forms were created by drawing from two older forms: kusanku (Korean: kong sang koon) and chiang nan (Korean: jae nam). Itosu is also credited with taking the large Naihanchi form (tekki in Japan) and breaking it into the three well-known modern forms Naihanchi Shodan, Naihanchi Nidan and Naihanchi Sandan.

In 1908 Itosu wrote the influential "Ten Precepts (Tode Jukun) of Karate," thus reaching beyond the shores of Okinawa to the heart of Japan itself.

[edit] Ten Precepts ("Tode Jukun") of Karate

In October of 1908 Anko Itosu realized that it was time for karate to reach beyond the shores of Okinawa to the heart of Japan itself. At this point he wrote his famous letter of Ten Precepts (Tode Jukun) of Karate to draw the attention of both the Ministry of Education as well as the Ministry of War. A translation of that letter:

Ten Precepts of Karate

Karate did not develop from Buddhism or Confucianism. In the past the Shorin school and the Shorei school were brought to Okinawa from China. Both of these schools have strong points, which I will now mention before there are too many changes:

1. Karate is not merely practiced for your own benefit: it can be used to protect one's family or master. It is not intended to be used against a single assailant but instead as a way of avoiding a fight should one be confronted by a villain or ruffian.
2. The purpose of karate is to make the muscles and bones hard as rock and to use the hands and legs as spears. If children were to begin training in Tang Te ('China Art' or 'China Hand') while in elementary school, then they will be well suited for military service. Remember the words attributed to the Duke of Wellington after he defeated Napoleon: "The Battle of Wateloo was won on the playing fields of Eton."
3. Karate cannot be quickly learned. Like a slow moving bull, it eventually travels a thousand miles. If one trains diligently everyday, then in three or four years one will come to understand karate. Those who train in this fashion will discover karate.
4. In karate, training of the hands and feet are important, so one must be thoroughly trained on the makiwara (striking post). In order to do this, drop your shoulders, open your lungs, take hold of your strength, grip the floor with your feet and sink your energy into your lower abdomen. Practice using each arm one to two hundred times each day.
5. When one practices the stances of Tang Te, be sure to keep your back straight, lower your shoulders, put strength in your legs, stand firmly and drop your energy into your lower abdomen.
6. Practice each of the techniques of karate repeatedly, the use of which is passed by word of mouth. Learn the explanations well and decide when and in what manner to apply them when needed. Enter, counter, release is the rule of releasing hand (torite).
7. You must decide if karate is for your health or to aid your duty.
8. When you train, do so as if on the battlefield. Your eyes should glare, shoulders drop, and body harden. You should always train with intensity and spirit and in this way you will naturally be ready.
9. One must not overtrain; this will cause you to lose the energy in your lower abdomen and will be harmful to your body. Your face and eyes will turn red. Train wisely.
10. In the past masters of karate have enjoyed long lives. Karate aids in developing the bones and muscles. It helps the digestion as well as the circulation. If karate should be introduced beginning in the elementary schools, then we will produce many men each capable of defeating ten assailants. I further believe this can be done by having all students at the Okinawa Teachers College practice Karate. In this way after graduation they can teach at the elementary schools that which they have been taught. I believe this will be a great benefit to our nation and our military. It is my hope you will seriously consider my suggestion.

Anko Itosu, October 1908