karate

History of Okinawa-Te Karate

There was an era of much killing, weapons were confiscated and forbidden. The lack of weapons was the reason for the development and perfection of Okinawa-Te which is the forerunner of modern Karate. The farmers cried out, "We do not have and are forbidden the use of swords, but we must protect ourselves. We have nothing left but our hands, so we will use our hands. Substitute the edge of your hands for the edge of an axe. Use your fingers for a spear. Make each fist into a mace. Use your fingers as an arrow point. Use your leg as a ramming iron." After several decades of resorting to this bare-handed technique, the people became very proficient in the art of Okinawa-Te for the purpose of self defense. It later became known as Karate, which means "empty hands". Okinawa-Te has many unique "katas" (choreographed movements) both with and without weapons.

The Grand master Kihei Motobu, had only one arm. Because of his handicap, Motobu developed and perfected the circular block in which one hand protects both sides of the body. This is now a distinguishing feature of Okinawa-Te.

Shihan Gordon Doversola, Master of Okinawa-Te, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He became interested in Karate at the early age of seven and studied Ju Jitsu and then Karate under a number of masters w hile attending high school and later the University of Hawaii. After coming to Los Angeles, he met and became associated with the Okinawa Master, Teiken Nagusko, sho was a native of the Islands and studied under the great one-armed Master Motobu. Mr. Doversola continued studying with Teiken Nagusko winning such degrees as the Brown Belt and the much coveted Black Belt of Okinawa-Te, the highest degree and designation

MASTER OF OKINAWA-TE.

Nagusko has never been affiliated with any organization nor has he established a school of his own. When he left Los Angeles, he requested that Doversola not affiliate with any other association and keep his school independent and original. Under the leadership of Shihan Doversola, the Okinawa-Te organization has become well known and highly respected. Mr. Doversola has served as technical advisor to the movie industry, has appeared on television, and lists many Hollywood stars as students of Okinawa-Te.

The Okinawan Warriors

From the time of the Japanese conquest of Okinawa, in the seventeenth century, the Imperial forces had to contend with an extremely self-reliant, fierce, and proud people. Their hostile stubbornness would not allow anyone to break their spirit, even though the Japanese, through superior numbers, armor, and swordsmanship had conquered their homeland.

By means of guerilla warfare, the Okinawans were able to harass the Japanese troops; sue to the distance between Japan and Okinawa, the occupying forces had great difficulty in continuously replacing their materials and their steadily depleting forces. In an effort to strengthen their position and subjugate the Okinawans, the Japanese ordered the confiscation of all metals on the island. This meant all weapons, tools, cutlery, and every source of replacement, including cooking pots and pans. All forges were dismantled and removed. The Okinawans were disarmed; possession of any weapon was forbidden. The Japanese now thought they had eliminated the strength of the opposition and that their task would be considerable easier. It was - but only for a short time.

The confiscation of metal caused many problems for the Okinawans. As fighters, they felt insecure without their weapons. Also, unlike the Japanese, they were primarily meat eaters and could not butcher their animals. It was difficult to prepare their food and do their work efficiently without proper instruments. They endured these hardships for a while, but their will to resist gradually strengthened, and they finally formed a delegation to present their grievances to the Imperial forces.

The Japanese commander recognized not only the validity of the complaint, but the possible consequences if he did not compromise. He knew that the success of any occupation is largely dependent on the continuation of the occupied people's habits and ordinary functioning. It was necessary that he make some allowances that would benefit the Okinawans and at the same time enforce the original mandate. It was decided that each village would have a community knife which would be kept in an open square attached to a heave anchored chain and which would be guarded by two Japanese soldiers. This plan seemed to prove satisfactory. Since the trouble had apparently ceased, the occupying forces began to relax their guard.

But, the Okinawans did not relax. Among the old patriarchs there was discussion of old stories remembered from their youth. Some of their people had been to China and had brought back information and stories about the incredible unarmed fighters in Cathay, who were able to defeat armed and armored opponents with nothing but their hands and feet and occasionally with the use of unusual wooden fighting instruments.

After lengthy conferences, the best Okinawan fighters were selected and sent to China to learn the Chinese methods. They were to bring the knowledge home and were given authority to offer high salaries for the importation of teachers. When this was accomplished, the Okinawans began training and started fashioning the wooden instruments. In order to carve them, the trained karate fighters killed the guards and stole the village knives.

The karate training was kept completely secret and guarded against informers. Anyone suspected of being a traitor was kidnapped at night and taken in a boat with a small pig or goat about a mile offshore. There the animal's throat was slit, and it was thrown overboard. When the sharks arrived, the informer invariably lost his balance and fell into the water. It was an infallible security system.

The Japanese never discovered who the teachers were or where the students practiced. The growing resistance was almost imperceptible. Gradually, more and more guards were found dead. Their weapons were gone. The chains and knives would disappear. The impossible was being done, day by day, month by month, year by year. The reports of the military reflected a steadily growing number of murdered sentries. The islanders were developing the Chinese art to the point where their hands and feet were as good as swords for killing other men. The centrifugal force sticks ("Nunchaku" and "Tonfa") could smash to pieces military armor and the men wearing it. "Okinawa-Te" (Okinawan hands) became a consuming terror, a psychological trauma which did not end until the advent of modern firearms in the hands of all occupation troops.