Otsuka Hironori’s martial arts evolution Part 4.
The germ of an idea. The fertile soil for Wado karate to grow.
This post is the most recent in a string of biographical essays looking at the life of Otsuka Hironori. The first two examined his early influences, while the following studies attempted to look at master Otsuka as a martial artist.
To read the essays in full (rather than just as a ‘taster’) please become a paid subscriber, for the modest monthly price of what would be equivalent to a cup of coffee.
In this instalment:
Influences from other Okinawan karate masters.
‘Proto-Wado’ what it might have looked like.
Naihanchi, just what is it?
The competitive format.
The split between the embryonic ‘Shotokan’ and Otsuka Sensei.
Header images: Funakoshi Sensei in ‘Kingu’. Funakoshi ‘throwing’ Otsuka Hironori and portrait image of the older master Otsuka.
Disclaimer.
My theory is that any idea is better than no idea, but the reality might be that we have no real chance of working out the complexities of how master Otsuka formulated his Wado. So, everything here is speculation, but it is speculation based on elements of recorded history, interviews, anecdotes and (most dangerous of all) guesswork.
Other influences.
The early karate days.
It has been inferred from a number of sources that at some point master Otsuka became disillusioned or frustrated with Funakoshi Sensei’s teaching of kata; that idea needs treating with some caution, but it’s fair to say that he felt a need to consult other Okinawan karate masters about their interpretation of kata, to supplement or boost his own understanding. To me, this seems the responsible thing to do, particularly if you have access some real experts who have also uprooted to mainland Japan; as was the case with Motobu Choki and Mabuni Kenwa. We know that both Otsuka and Konishi helped with the sponsorship of the two masters and spent time training and consulting with them to clarify and develop their knowledge. It has also been said that Funakoshi himself held Mabuni in high regard, particularly based on his knowledge of the Okinawan kata.
Motobu Choki.
As an Okinawan, Motobu is an interesting character; outwardly a rough-mannered person seemingly ill-suited to Japanese culture, but he has been unfairly characterised, with his detractors seemingly keen to bash his reputation for political reasons. Fairly recently his descendants felt a need to put the record straight. While it is true that he was not a man to shy away from a fight and was unafraid to speak his mind about other karate master, (his contemporaries and past masters), he was actually Okinawan aristocracy and higher born than his most immediate rival Funakoshi Gichin, who he had no time for at all.
Konishi (L) and Motobu.
Otsuka Sensei found himself drawn into the rivalry between Motobu and Funakoshi, and in one often told incident, found himself put to the test by the mischievous Motobu.
A challenge.
As the story goes; Motobu challenged Funakoshi to use his karate to ‘break the grip’ or ‘deal with’ the situation of being seized by a skilled judoka. Funakoshi had effectively been ambushed, he couldn’t back down.
Motobu was sometimes photographed in the company of a burly judo guy, one wonders if this was indeed the judoka in question? If so, he would have towered over the tiny Funakoshi. One version suggests that Funakoshi tried (and failed) to break the judoka’s grip by using his standard blocking techniques; another version says that Funakoshi was hurled against a wall. Whatever happened Motobu compounded the humiliation by then asking Otsuka to deal with the same challenge. Well, Otsuka was supremely skilled in the grappling arts and had no trouble turning the tables on the bigger judo guy. ‘You couldn’t do it, but your student could, what does that say about you?’ It’s a harsh reality.
The ultimate slap in the face.
The rivalry was made worse by the mischief of a Funakoshi supporter who worked for a popular magazine/newspaper ‘Kingu’.
Apparently, the pugnacious Motobu could not resist the braggartly challenge of a western boxer who said he would take on ‘all-comers’ in an open bout. Step forward the middle-aged heavily built Motobu. The boxer couldn’t believe his luck, this was going to be a walk-over, until he found himself laid out by Motobu in very short order. Naturally, this became big news and a matter of national pride, Kingu got hold of it and in the absence of photos had their illustrator do a couple of pictures. Whether innocently or with malice, the only illustration he had to hand was from Funakoshi’s kata book so his images showed Funakoshi defeating the boxer (no names were offered). Motobu was allegedly incandescent with rage that his moment of glory was stolen by a jumped-up provincial school teacher!
A fanciful image from Kingu. Funakoshi in a pose from kata.
How big an influence was Motobu?
There has been much speculation about Motobu’s influence on Otsuka’s ideas, but again, I would say, proceed with caution. Some people are far too keen to graft Motobu’s technique wholesale on Otsuka’s Wado Ryu. I don’t think it can be done, the main reason being that for any ‘grafting’ to occur it would have to be superimposed over Otsuka’s Proto-Wado. To explain…
Proto-Wado.
I have said it before but I reiterate; Wado Ryu did not spring forth fully developed in Otsuka’s brain; in very much the same way that his restless mind would not allow him to fix on the idea of a ‘finished and complete Wado’.