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| Isamu Kamagata (鎌形 勇), a grandmaster who unfortunately ain't be known by many people |
Karate had been hold in two disciplines: One the one hand, the discipline Kata (形) and on the other hand, the discipline Kumite (組手).
But on this article, I wanna elaborate another aspect, to be more exact, a public figure by whose courtesy Karate had become olympic:
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| The logo of the Japan Karatedō Federation (in Japanese: 全日本空手道連盟 , Zennihon karatedō renmei, often abbreviated as: 全空連, Zenkūren) |
Kamagata had set two goals: On the one hand, making Karate to an Olympic sport (and he archived it as he worked toward it) and on the other hand, unifying all Karate style directions. Cuz throughout the course of history, many styles having been evolved to different directions had been emerged. Therefore, Kamagata is aiming to make the karate styles being more uniform.
At this juncture, I'm gonna incorporate something personal because (right know, it's gonna be more interesting) I've met Kamagata in person before. He's a wicked person and in touch with the common man as well. I practised karate from November 2009 to Summer 2017 and as my former karate club has been strongly affiliated with Kamagata since the 1950s, it came about that I could also encounter him at close quarters twice: The first time was on October 2013 and the second time was in October 2015. But for this article's purpose, I highlight the latter.
But before I'm gonna go into it, I wanna give an overview about the four main karate styles being officially acknowledged by the World Karate Federation (WKF) beforehand:
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| Hironori Ōtsuka (大塚 博紀) |
This style is characterized by the economic movements and the defensive techiques being primarly used for detouring the foe's attacks instead of blocking them.
One of the most famous practitioners of the Wadō-ryū is, for instance, the British actor and stuntman Joe Robinson (1927-2017, real name: Joseph Robinson).
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| Left: Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍) Right: Gigō Funakoshi (船越 義豪) |
The deep stance making the dynamic and powerful movements possible as well as the large distance to the foe during a fight (whereby there're close combats as well) are two of the significant characteristic of the Shōtōkan. Amongst that style's most famous pracitioners, there're, e.g. the Belgish actor Jean-Claude van Damme (*1960, real name: Jean-Claude van Varenberg); the Brazilian MMA fighter Lyoto Machida (*1978) and the US-American actor Wesley Snipes (*1962).
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| Kenwa Mabuni (摩文仁 賢和) |
This style embodies a combination style aiming to unify the various roots of karate. For example, the powerful stances as wells as the physical power like in Shōtōkan but also the breathing power and the hard-soft characteristics like in the Gōju-ryū.
Concerning the most famous practitioners of the Shitō-ryū , there's, for example, the US-American actor Chuck Norris (*1940, real name: Carlos Ray Norris) who can also use the Korean martial arts Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwon Do and moreover, became the first Western man having been graduated with the 8th Dan in Tae Kwon Do.
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| Chōjun Miyagi (宮城 朝順) |
Examples of the Gōju-ryū's most famous practitioners are the Kanadian martial artist Harold Howard (*1958) as well as the US-American actor Michael Jai White (*1964) who can also use the Shōtōkan style.
Throughout the course of history, many further sub-styles arised from the four main styles which are officially acknowledged by the WKF. The style which I've learned and thus which is teached by my former karate club is a sub-style arised from the Gōju-ryū.
Of course, there's also the American Freestyle Karate but as it'd only go beyong this articles constraints, I'm rather gonna go into it in the PS below.
And now, I'm gonna elaborate on the two goals of the karate grandmaster Isamu Kamagata while embeding that one encounter in October 2015 in this context:
1) The goal of making karate to an Olympic martial art
On October 2015, a kinda Q&A took place on my former karate club in whose course you could ask Kamagata any questions all about the Olympic Games in Tokyo and also about karate in general. In said Q&A, Kamagata announced the plans and the abovementioned disciplines' respective procedure concerning the holding of karate as Olympic sport.
Enclosed an explanation about the disciplines for the people who ain't aware about them:
A kata (形, literal meaning: form) is a specified series of a variety of moves, with stepping and turning, while attempting to maintain perfect form. It's considered as a practise form being composed of stylized combats wherein you fight against imaginary foes (unless the kata is performed with a partner). Enough said about that.
Kumite (組手, literal meaning: grappling hands) is the term of combats being holded as training fights or competition fights. In this context, it means the latter. Basically, it's about applying all techniques you've learned in a fight. But of course, it ain't to be confused with street fights.
Concerning kumite, it's regulations in the Olympic Gamens have also be announced in that Q&A, e.g. there're not only judges but also cameras for ensuring that everything is OK during the fight. Furthermore, it was indeed revealed that there's a scoring system as well. Conversly, it don't go the way it's with an MMA fight in the UFC or the like.
2) The goal of making the karate styles and style directions more uniform
Conerning said unification, Kamagata signified that the karate styles and style directions have meanwhile more equal than about a decade ago. Since c. 6 years have passed since that Q&A, the karate styles and style directions ought to have become more equal.
Conclusion: All in all, Isamu Kamagata is a paramount example that it's worth doing your utmost to let your dreams come true. After all, he had yearlongly worked toward it. Indeed, he's forerunner for the karate's implementation in the Olympic Games and the continual unification of the karate styles being meanwhile more uniform compared to the past one and a half decades.
The takeaway from this success story: Most people overestimate what they can achieve in the short term and underestimate what they can achieve in the long term.
Furthermore, I'd like to meet him again some day cuz at that time when I met him twice I couldn't speak Japanese but meanwhile since I can speak Japanese, I'd be able to talk with him in Japanese if I saw him again.
And now, I ask you: Did you already know Isamu Kamagata, let alone, about his goals? Or have you even met him?
Don't hesitate writing it in the comment section below.
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As a little bonus, I shortly introduce three more famous karateka from Japan you should know:
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| Shō Kosugi (born 1948) how he looks like nowadays |
Here is a scene from the movie Black Eagle where Kosugi and van Damme fight each other:
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| Tatsuya Naka (born 1964) |
Despite having played some roles in certain Karate movies, especially in the movie Black Belt (2007, original title: 黒帯、Kuro-obi) but unlike Kosugi, he's not a main-professional actor but a normal Karate instructor.
Naka also possesses a YouTube channel being called kuro-obi world wherein he upload many videos all about karate but also videos wherein he tries other martial arts as well: kuro-obi world
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| In some of his videos, Yusuke Nagano also reacted to various famous martial arts movies, e.g. the Karate Kid movie series and the Ip Man movie series |
永野悠亮
) is a Japanese karate instructor who conducts the anglophone YouTube channel Karate Dojo WaKu. In the course of it, he uploads e.g. explanation videos and training videos all about Karate.→ Here is said YouTube channel: Karate Dojo waKu
As part of this, he had also uploaded a video about the various karate styles, their respective evolutions as well as their respective characteristics:
Yusuke also appears in the video Day in the Life of a Typical Japanese University Student from the YouTube channel Paolo from Tokyo where he studied at the Keio university in Tokyo at that time but he had been already a karate instructor at that time:
→ Here is said video of Paolo where Yusuke is featured: Day in the Life of a Typical Japanese University Student
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| Robert A. Trias (1923-1989), the inventor of the American Freestyle Karate |
PPS: Here you can go to my other articles from the rubric "Landeskunde":
