Shudokan
Encyclopedia
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
developed by Kanken Toyama
Kanken Toyama
Kanken Tōyama was a Japanese schoolteacher and karate master, who developed the foundation for the Shūdōkan karate style....
(1888 – 1966). Characteristics of Shudokan karate include large circular motions with an emphasis on covering and its own unique kata
Kata
is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general....
.
It should not be confused with Shodokan Aikido
Shodokan Aikido
is the largest organized branch of the Tomiki Ryu founded by Kenji Tomiki（富木 謙治 Tomiki Kenji, 1900–1979). Tomiki Ryu is sometimes referred to as "Sport Aikido" because of its use of regular competitions, and although Tomiki used the name Shodokan without any reference to his own name, the...
, a competitive style of Aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
founded by Kenji Tomiki
Kenji Tomiki
was a Japanese aikido and judo teacher and the founder of aikido style Shodokan.Tomiki was one of the early students of the founder of aikido Morihei Ueshiba, and also of Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo. In 1925, the year he joined Morihei Ueshiba, he obtained 5th dan in judo...
.
History
Toyama's karate training began at the age of nine in 1897 with Itarashiki, although he studied with Yatsusune ItosuAnko Itosu
is considered by many the father of modern karate, although this title is also often given to Gichin Funakoshi because the latter spread karate throughout Japan.- Biography :...
for 18 years, until the latter's death in 1915. In 1907 Toyama was appointed "shihandai" (assistant master) to Itosu at the Okinawa Teacher's College, and he and Gichin Funakoshi
Gichin Funakoshi
was the creator of Shotokan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is attributed as being the 'father of modern karate.' Following the teachings of Anko Itosu, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1921...
, who later developed Shotokan
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
karate, were the only two students to be granted the title of shihanshi (protégé
Mentoring
Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person....
). Some people believe that Kanken Toyama outranked Gichin Funakoshi
Gichin Funakoshi
was the creator of Shotokan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is attributed as being the 'father of modern karate.' Following the teachings of Anko Itosu, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1921...
, who did not have the rank of shihandai.
In 1924 Toyama moved his family to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
where he taught in an elementary school and studied Chinese Ch'uan Fa, which included Taku
Taku
Taku can refer to:In places* Taku, Saga, a city located in Saga prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan* Taku, India, a town in India* Taku Glacier, in Alaska near Juneau* Taku River, in Alaska and British Columbia...
, Makaitan, Rutaobai, and Ubo. In early 1930 he returned to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and on March 20, 1930, he opened his first dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. He named his dojo Shu Do Kan meaning "the hall for the study of the karate way." Toyama taught what he had learnt from Itosu and the Ch'uan Fa and did not claim to have originated a new style of karate. In 1946, Toyama founded the All Japan Karate-Do Federation (AJKF) with the intention of unifying the various forms of karate of Japan and Okinawa under one governing organization.
As Toyama did not view the Shu Do Kan as a distinct style of karate, but merely a place for training, he did not appoint a successor. Thus, the organization he founded fragmented after his death in 1966, although his student Toshi Hanaue maintained the original Shu Do Kan. A few other schools based on Toyama's teachings still exist such as Doshinkan. Today, a minimal overseeing of the Toyama lineage of Karate is done by Kanken Toyama's son, Ha Toyama.
Shudokan Today
Shudokan karate today is essentially a compound system, including KobudoOkinawan kobudo
Okinawan kobudō is a Japanese term that can be translated as "old martial way of Okinawa"...
(i.e. "ancient art," referring to the specialized weapons practice of traditional Okinawan karate) and Shorin-Ryu
Shorin-Ryu
is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts. It was founded by Choshin Chibana in 1933. Shōrin-ryū combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles of Shuri-te.-History:Chosin Chibana was a top student of the great master of shuri-te, Anko Itosu...
(also known as Itosu-ha). Many other principles from other styles have found their way into Shudokan as it was Toyama's wish that Shudokan not stagnate, that it should grow in efficiency and flourish.
Many current practitioners of Shudokan Karate would concur that Toyama's wish for Shudokan is still being upheld. In the United States the art of Shudokan Karate is being taught, however different in some ways, by the American Shudokan Association (ASA) under the leadership of Morris Mack of Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
. The ASA, with over 15,000 members in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, was founded by Walter Todd and Morris Mack in the 1980s. Walter Todd was a student under Yoko Takahashi
Yoko Takahashi
is a Japanese singer from Tokyo, perhaps best known for performing , the opening theme song of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. She also performs the closing theme, an "acid bossa" version of "Fly Me to the Moon" and , the closing theme of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth...
who was a direct student of Kanken Toyama. Later, Kanken Toyama appointed Walter Todd as Shibu-cho (Branch Director) for the U.S., authorizing him to rank students in Shudokan (Toyama-Style) karate and direct the development of Shudokan in America. After Toyama's passing, his son, Ha Toyama, approved Todd's rank of eighth dan.
Walter Todd died at the age of 72 on November 26, 1999.
Influence on Taekwondo via Korean students
Of the nine schools, or Kwan's (Kan) that merged to form TaekwondoTaekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, four of those schools have lineages that trace back to Toyama Sensei through three Korean men who trained in Japan while Korea was under Japanese occupation. These three men were Kim Ki Whang
Kim Ki Whang
Kim Ki Whang , also known in the United States as Ki Whang Kim, was a Korean martial arts grandmaster. He was Chairman in the US of the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Association, Chairman of the US Olympic Taekwondo team and helped unify several Korean martial arts into the overall style of...
, Yon Kwai Byeong and Yoon Byung In. Yon and Yoon both trained with Toyama Sensei and are both listed in his student role books as "Shihan." Both these men taught a mixture of Toyama Sensei's methods along with the Chuan Fa they learned in Manchuria. The first Kwan (Kan) where they worked as teachers was the Jidokwan. Kim Ki Whang
Kim Ki Whang
Kim Ki Whang , also known in the United States as Ki Whang Kim, was a Korean martial arts grandmaster. He was Chairman in the US of the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Association, Chairman of the US Olympic Taekwondo team and helped unify several Korean martial arts into the overall style of...
received his 3rd dan from Toyama Sensei and had moved to the U.S.A in the early 1960s to teach Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
. Later, the Chang Moo Kwan, Han Moo Kwan and Kang Duk Won branched off from the first Kwan. This is according to Han Moo Kwan founder Kyo Yoon Lee as written in his book Global Taekwondo 2009, and, A Modern History of Taekwondo, by Won Sik Kang and Kyong Myung Lee (1999).