Martial arts, politicised and co-opted by the state. Part 1.
A look at how the fighting arts have historically interacted with state politics.
In this post:
· Can we really separate the martial arts from the political environment?
· Examples from China and Japan.
· Itosu’s political pitch to the school board. Just what was he inferring?
· Does the Olympic movement have a dark side?
By their very nature as either military of civilian martial training systems the martial arts have always been, at some, point inextricably woven into the structure of the state. The idea that training in these systems in the current times as a kind of pastime or sport for individuals to engage in at their whim or leisure is pretty much a modern phenomenon.
I came across this through researching some ideas coming out of Cardiff University and specifically a podcast (link at the foot of this post) issued by Dr Peter Katz, titled, ‘Does my forward stance look a little fascist? On Meiji-Era Karate and Embodied Politics’.
Doctor Katz cites an example where someone asks him whether he would think twice about engaging in anything to do with the home-grown Russian martial art of Sambo wrestling, in the light of Russia’s pariah status because of the invasion of Ukraine? It’s an interesting thought. I also found myself wondering about that other Russian military export, the martial art of Systema?
And then to extend the idea…
Would anyone find themselves equally agonised over Krav Maga, developed for the IDF (Israeli Defence Force) in 1955? Would it create some kind of political sensitivity among certain individuals given the current climate?
A whistlestop tour through a few basic examples.
Worldwide and going way back into history some aspects and branches of the martial arts have achieved a kind of cultural capital and value to the state. Usually, it is when they have enough of an elevated status to appear on to the National radar of the politicians and power-brokers to be seen as ‘useful’. Whether that is to bang the drum of national identity or other less innocent reasons.
For the sake of brevity, I am going to avoid a deep dive into these themes, but instead sketch out the outlines.
A Chinese example.
Essentially, in the early 20th century Mao’s Cultural Revolution wanted to ditch everything to do with the past, this was done violently and emphatically.
One aspect of the older cultural heritage was the Chinese martial arts. Many of the important masters saw the writing on the wall and either just disappeared or hot-footed it to the safety of Shanghai, Hong Kong or Taiwan (Robert Smith writes about the Chinese masters he encountered in Taiwan particularly). It is said that the most famous masters were rounded up and executed.
It seemed that the Communists soon realised they’d thrown the baby out with the bathwater and hurried to ‘rescue’ or ‘reform’ the wonderful physicality of the martial arts and appropriate it for the state. Thus was born a state-sponsored mix of martial arts, acrobatics and Chinese circus, it was all packaged up with the assistance of some of the remaining masters (probably the Maoists), they gave it several names, but personally whenever I see those acrobatic circus style, super-stretched Chinese performers I can’t help but wonder about what tradition they are from. I will park it there – politics is always tricky.
Japanese example.
The above-mentioned Dr. Katz, being a Shotokan guy, in his podcast lecture, made clear reference to the militarisation of Japanese karate during the imperial build-up of the 1930’s and beyond.
Itosu’s ‘Precepts’.