THE ART OF KARATEDO - NO MORE?

Any art, which people follow, has to be connected to its roots. The place where the art developed and flourished is where the roots lie. If the roots are not understood the art merely becomes a bad imitation of the original. For example the Indian classical dance forms like, bharat natyam, kathak or kathakali, would loose all its meaning if taught in Japanese or European language. Imagine if these art forms are made into a sport form. Imagine if these art forms become an expression of violence. If the guru-shishya parampara is abolished and the masters are called by their first names, will the silent communication of the art be possible? They will no longer be an art form.

Karatedo is also an art, which is why it is called a martial art and not a martial system. So are Kung fu, Taekwondo, Judo, and etc. different forms of martial arts that developed and flourished in their respective regions. Thus they follow a lineage and tradition, without which the art loses their meaning and purpose.

I believe a Karate-do association in the world needs to be connected to its Japanese counterparts if they exist. I have known many westerners and know how informal things are; they even call their parents by their name. I remember in my talks with some Indian groups, they no longer counted or gave instructions in Japanese, they would even call their Sensei (teacher) by name. Taking that direction, I believe they are in danger. There are also others who say they teach Taekwondo and teach in Japanese language. They are not aware of the roots of TaeKwonDo being in Korea.

The Chump Norris Stuff

If we are learning a Japanese Art, we are not free to choose what we like and discard that which we don't. We must follow a strict tradition, small things like that quickly can become bigger and after very little time, a generation or two of students, it becomes the clown circus karate as is in USA and other place in the world. A general chaos with star and stripe karate-gi, Budweiser patches, trophies, tournaments and the general Chump Norris stuff that has helped to pull Karate down into a deep pit, a moral downfall and a horrible reputation in the eyes of the public. If the traditional masters were depressed of the state of Karate in the mid-fifties, what would they think of the present state! They would be surely horrified.

One day I was unlucky enough to turn the TV to one of the sports channels and coincidentally, the Professional Karate Association was in the process of holding a tournament.. What it really was a team of second rate boxers, on a boxing ring, that were obliged by the rules to, from time to time, send a second rate kick to the opponent. Merely another form of kick-boxing, I was flabbergasted, and they have the shamelessness of calling that karate?! Things like that can only happen when there is no respect for the original art, no respect for the creators. Can anyone take them seriously when they say they practice karate? No.

I know there were also other so-called "Masters" involved in the creation of competition but I am mainly concerned about those related in some way to Traditional Karate. They are not practicing Karate-do or Karate; they are practicing sports martial arts. I am writing this comment only because they have tricked people into believing they are practicing Karatedo.

I personally believe sports martial arts have a limited lifetime. It's just a matter of time before people understand that they are empty, the true depth in the practice appears when you forget about being the best compared to others and try to be the best you can be compared with yourself. Time will go by and you will become stiff and loose your original strength, stamina and speed. There will be no more competitions. Then, is Karate to be limited to your first 30-40 years? No, surely not,

The Art has nothing to do with boosting your ego, rather it helps to understand the ego. All the masters and true practitioners of the art practice virtually till their last days, and they feel alive. This is possible without competition once you can grasp the profoundness beyond the surface of Karate. If you are as I, just beginning the trip, you just have to believe and trust those that have shown you the tools for the journey. As a student of Karate-do you can not consider yourself on the right road if you practice only sports karate, competitions or are obsessed with being the best Karateka on the face of the Earth. Even today there are many traditional practitioners who are opposed to competitions and sports sparring.

Well, I hope I have gotten my point across. What the general public has ended up relating to karate is not karate; they are sports martial arts and in no way related to real Karate-do practice. Participants of the traditionally derived karate should reconsider their direction, many don't know that competition is not part of karate as was taught and established originally. Today sports martial arts can be considered a fragment of the art, but not the art itself. It's time to receive another version of the story and decide who is practicing the art.

I am talking about the fact that a majority of teachers used the prestige and the name "Karate" to establish non-Karate groups and sports organizations.

In fact, not many people are aware that sports Karate was created out of a necessity. During the world war, many Japanese karate Masters were killed in action. Those who survived foresaw the doom of the 'art'. They also saw the economic depression. The basic fact remains that any art and science which are for ‘inner’ cannot survive in a poor society, where the priority for individual is to satisfy his basic physical needs. They retained the peripheral glamour of the art for entertainment. The intention was to retain the memory of the art in the minds of the people. When the times improve the art would gain flourish, and its application can be appreciated. A materially and intellectually rich society the automatically will feel the need for higher and subtler sciences of spirituality. Unfortunately, the dilution of the essence, today continues to be taught as sports. From the purpose of self realisation to be expounded as an art of violence and now shredded to be taught as sports is a reflection of the human intellect in modern times.