Vol. 9: The History of the Keio University Athletic Association / The Birthplace of "Karatedo" / Karate Club

2022/05/11

Image: From the 1934 Faculty of Economics graduation album. In the middle row, the man in the suit is Director Masahiro Kasuya, and to his left is Shihan Gichin Funakoshi. (Collection of the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies)

The Karate Club, which originated from the Karate (written as "Tang Hand") Research Group, joined the Athletic Association in 1932 under the leadership of Shihan Gichin Funakoshi and Director Masahiro Kasuya. Tracing the history of these two figures, who played decisive roles in the club's early days, reveals that their journey overlaps with the dawn of karate on the Japanese mainland.

Karate-jutsu, which developed uniquely in Okinawa, was first formally introduced to the Japanese mainland at the First Physical Education Exhibition sponsored by the Ministry of Education in 1922. Its spread to the mainland began when Gichin Funakoshi (who later changed the kanji of his surname to "Funakoshi," hereafter referred to as Funakoshi), president of the Okinawa Shobukai, participated in the event. Born in 1868 in Yamakawa Village, Shuri, Ryukyu (now Naha City), Funakoshi served as an elementary school teacher while studying karate under Shuri masters Anko Asato and Anko Itosu, and continued teaching karate after his retirement. It was then that he traveled to Tokyo at the request of the Okinawa Prefecture School Affairs Department to participate in the exhibition. Funakoshi remained on the mainland, giving lectures and demonstrations at various locations such as the Kodokan and the Army Toyama School. Through these connections, he published his first book, "Ryukyu Kenpo Karate." This book would eventually link Funakoshi with Keio University.

Around the autumn of 1922, Masahiro Kasuya, a professor at the Keio University Preparatory Course, discovered karate through this book. He began practicing it himself, but soon felt the need for more and visited Funakoshi to become his disciple. After gaining confidence through rigorous training, he decided to bring karate to Keio University. He encouraged students to become founding members and, on October 15, 1924, established the Keio University Karate Research Group, inviting Funakoshi as the Shihan. It was the first karate organization established at a university on the mainland. Activities were held in the Judo Gymnasium during lunch breaks and were often like short courses; initially, there was a high turnover of members. Its recognition was low, and it was sometimes mocked as "home dancing." In 1927, the first public demonstration was held at the Mita Public Hall, and the following year, a storage shed at the Tsunamachi Playground was rented to serve as a small dedicated dojo.

The year 1929 became an epoch-making year when the Karate Research Group was reborn, declaring the change from "Karate-jutsu" (Tang Hand) to "Karatedo" (Empty Hand). The diary entry for April 15, the first practice day of the new academic year, states: "From this school year, we will decisively change 'Karate' (Tang Hand) to 'Karate' (Empty Hand) to remove the Chinese style. The pronunciation remains the same." From this point, the new kanji for "Karate" began to be used, and at the 5th anniversary commemorative event on October 20, member Goro Shimokawa declared the change to "Karatedo." Funakoshi also spoke of its spirit, noting that karate originates from Zen, and using phrases like "Ken Zen Ichinyo" (The fist and Zen are one) and "Technique is the end; the art of the mind is more important than the art of the technique." Thus, "Karatedo" as a martial art was born. The aim was to place greater emphasis on spiritual cultivation and character building. This was a time when the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, the pre-war governing body for martial arts, was changing the names of traditional arts from "Jujutsu," "Kenjutsu," and "Kyujutsu" to "Judo," "Kendo," and "Kyudo," and these terms were becoming popular. The transformation of Karate-jutsu into "Karatedo" followed this trend. In 1930, the club launched its journal "Kobushi." The inaugural address stated that they would analyze and critique karate with the "attitude of a calm scientist" to continuously improve it. There was a strong awareness of being, first and foremost, a "Research Group."

Later, the Karate Research Group sought to join the Athletic Association to further enhance its activities. In their application, they cited rugby, water polo, and lawn tennis as examples, positioning themselves as an entity that aligned with the spirit of the Keio University Athletic Association, which had actively adopted new sports. However, there were cautious opinions within the Athletic Association regarding their admission. In February 1932, the group was temporarily placed under the Athletic Association as the Keio University Athletic Association Intra-Juku Competitive Sports Department Karate Club. At this time, a "New Event Group" category was established within the Athletic Association for the first time, and they became its first member. In the autumn of the same year, their formal admission was approved, and the Athletic Association Karate Club was born. The Karate Club celebrated this as a "landmark event in the history of Karatedo in Japan" and pledged to uphold their daily mottos: "Wider dissemination and improvement of Keio students' physical education" and "True Karatedo begins at Keio." They were indeed active in promotion; Kasuya, who enjoyed filming, even produced and screened promotional films for karate.

In this way, the foundation of the Karate Club, the birthplace of "Karatedo," was established. Subsequently, Funakoshi's book "Karatedo Kyohan" was published in 1935, and in 1936, the Karate Club completed the 350-page "Karatedo Taisei." The opening page featured an article titled "Keio University's Mission Regarding Karatedo," pledging to spread the art to the public and improve physical education. That same year, the official notation was changed from "Tang Hand" to "Empty Hand" even in its birthplace, Okinawa. Thus, "Karatedo" originating from Keio rapidly spread and took root nationwide. These episodes from the dawn of "Karatedo" reveal the image of club members who approached karate scientifically and treated its dissemination as a sincere mission.