Analysis of Genuine Karate 2: Sociocultural Development, Commercialization, and Loss of Essential Knowledge

by Hermann Bayer PhD

Overview

Genuine Okinawan Karate was developed as a fighting tool.

Non-Okinawan Karate are for other purposes.

Karate practitioners, scholars, and everyone caring about Asian martial arts and its culture will enthusiastically appreciate this eye-opening work.

Dr. Bayer substantiates further how the art Karate was used to prepare a nation (Japan) for total war, how it was deliberately industrialized into a worldwide Japanized Karate-Do inflation, and how its following transformation into athletic showmanship destroyed the art’s unity and distinctiveness.

The author endorses Karate-Jutsu as a genuine Okinawan martial art even as foreign knowledge and skills from India (speculated) and from China (proven) were integrated― and he explains the imitative social mechanism used to turn this local fighting art into a symbol of national identity.

Since martial arts were initially understood as a moral code-neutral tool, like a weapon, this happens to contradict the modern understanding of Karate being a peaceful art with inherent non-violent values. In truth, moral codes or guidelines on how to use this tool were developed separately, not within the art.

A new “back to the roots” Karate-Jutsu movement gains importance and establishes a counterculture to Karate-Do’s industrialization, helping to integrate some neglected reminiscences of Karate-Jutsu back into Karate-Do. Such a development brings Japanized Karate-Do versions closer to their martial origins, whereas pure Karate-Jutsu will be preserved as a point of reference by a group of dedicated curators.

Contents include:

• Okinawa is the birthplace of Karate-Jutsu and Japan is the birthplace of Bu-Jutsu.
• How Karate and Budo were used for Japan’s war preparations.
• Senpai seniority was the social mechanism to integrate Karate into Japan’s martial arts tradition.
• Consequences of an ancient fighting art being turned into athletic showmanship.
• In Sports-Karate there is no more Kata in Kumite, and there is no more Kumite in Kata either.
• The modern misconception of avoiding a fight by all means.
• The path toward mastery in Karate.
• Sensei correct your errors and blunders, you have to correct mistakes yourself.
• Today’s Karate-Jutsu movement is the counterculture to Karate-Do’s industrialization.
• Karate’s market structure in the 21st century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594399251
Publisher:	YMAA Publication Center
Publication date:	07/04/2023
Series:	Martial Science
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	220
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Hermann Bayer, Ph.D. Degrees in economics, sociology, and psychology, Hermann has worked in academia (scientist and campus dean) and as a CEO in the private sector (Germany). He immigrated to the USA in 2005.

Hermann’s karate training began in Europe (1981) with Japanese karate-do until he transitioned to Okinawan karate in the USA (2016). He has spent considerable time with renown Japanese, Western, and Okinawan karate teachers, all the while researching the core essence of the style they represent. Hermann Bayer resides in Virginia Beach, VA.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Structure of the Text, Research, and Analysis

Content and Structure

Methods and Analysis Used

Quantitative and Qualitative Research Characteristics   

Chapter I: Avoiding a Fundamental Misunderstanding: Why Different Terms Are Needed for Today’s Different Karate Variations

Classic Okinawan Karate Jutsu

Traditional Japanese Karate-Do

Modern Sports-Karate

Chapter II: Did Karate-Jutsu Originate in Okinawa or in China? A Contribution to Historic Reasoning in Martial Arts History

Throughout History Foreign Knowledge Is Integrated into Existing Ideas

China Is the Birthplace of Ch'üan fa,

Japan Is the Birthplace of Bu-Jutsu,

Okinawa Is the Birthplace of Karate-Jutsu

Is the Presented Reasoning Plausible?

Summary Chapter II

Chapter III: Japan’s Assertion of Okinawan Karate―How a Sub-Cultural Intangible Heritage Is Used as a National Cultural Symbol

Okinawa’s History Creates Unique Socio-Cultural Conditions

Assertion of a Sub-Cultural Symbol as a National Cultural Symbol

1. The First Reason For The Japanization of Okinawan Karate: Japan’s Preparations for War
   1. Karate and Budo as Means to Create an All-Embracing Warrior Spirit
   2. Karate as Means to Secure the Human Raw Material for Japan’s Armed Forces and to Demonstrate Socio-Cultural Superiority
2. The Second Reason For The Japanization of Okinawan Karate: Japan’s Cultural Integration Efforts
   1. Conformity and Group Orientation in Japanese Culture
   2. Senpai Seniority as Social Mechanism to Integrate Karate into Japan’s Martial Arts Tradition

Summary Chapter III

Chapter IV: The Metamorphosis of an Ancient Fighting Art into Athletic Showmanship

Commercialization of Sports-Karate and Its Consequences

1. Consequence One: Loss of Essential Knowledge
   1. Offensive Moves Changed into Defensive Ones
   2. Systematic Knowledge About Nerve Strikes And Grappling Came to Be Patchy
   3. Excurse: A Psychological Perspective of Sensei Itosu’s Motivation to Teach Karate to Kids
2. Consequence Two: The Unity of Kata and Kumite Separated into Unconnected Sport Disciplines
   1. Kumite’s Changed Purpose in Sports Karate
   2. Kata’s Changed Role and Purpose in Sports Karate
3. Consequence Three: The Modern Misconception of Avoiding a Fight by All Means
   1. Karate-Jutsu’s Initial Moral Code
   2. Modern Alterations
   3. Violence against Women, Karate-Jutsu and Karate-Do (by Dr. Joyce Trafton)

Summary Chapter IV

Chapter V: The Path to Mastery in Karate-Jutsu―Growing into Higher Levels of Understanding Karate-Jutsu

Three Core Components of Mastery

1. Advanced Stage of Holistic Perception and Insight
2. Advanced Level of Knowledge and Understanding
3. “Automatic” Application of Insight and Knowledge

Milestones on a Path towards Mastery

“Inductive” vs. “Deductive” Learning Karate-Jutsu

Sensei Correct Errors and Blunders, Mistakes You Have to Correct Yourself

No More True Mastery in Today’s Changed World?

Summary Chapter V

Chapter VI: The Outlook―What Happens to Karate in the 21st Century?

‘Arts and Crafts Movement’ as Counterculture to Industrialization Offers a Historic Blueprint

Today’s Karate-Jutsu Movement Is the Counterculture to Karate-Do’s Industrialization

1. Postwar Industrialization and Commercialization of Japanese Karate-Do
2. ‘Back to the Roots’ Karate-Jutsu Movement as Countercultural Response

The Resulting New Market Structure

1. Sports-Karate Remains the Prevalent Type
2. Karate-Do Perpetuates Japanization’s Lasting Impact but Will Improve with Additional Karate-Jutsu Incorporations
3. A Group of Dedicated Karate-Jutsu Curators Will Secure the Art’s Genuine Points of Reference

List of Abbreviations

Explanation of Asian Terms

List of Photos and Graphs

References

Index

Bibliographical Note