THE ANCIENT JAPANESE MARTIAL ARTS: JUDO & KARATE

Marta & Víctor Jones at Tokyo Skytree

Yesterday, The Jones visited Tokyo. Since they arrived to Japan, some days ago, the family hasn't visited the capital deeply and they wanted to see important sights like Tokyo Skytree, the Rainbow Bridge and the Shibuya Crossing. 

In Shibuya, The Jones visited the Daikanyama Karate School, one of the most important schools of this martial art and fascinated by it, they decided to visit the Kodokan School of Judo, to learn a little more about another important martial art. Japan is the cradle of Karate and Judo but it's also the cradle of forty-eight more martial arts. 

The Grandma wanted to visit Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita an old friend very popular since Karate Kid became a movie success in 1984.

More information: Lonely Planet

First, The Jones visited Tokyo Skytree, a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 metres in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world, displacing the Canton Tower,and the second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa, 829.8 m.

Some Jones inside Tokyo Tower

The tower is the primary television and radio broadcast site for the Kantō region; the older Tokyo Tower no longer gives complete DTT broadcasting coverage because it is surrounded by high-rise buildings. 

Skytree was completed on Leap Day, 29 February 2012, with the tower opening to the public on 22 May 2012. The tower is the centrepiece of a large commercial development funded by Tobu Railway and a group of six terrestrial broadcasters headed by NHK. 

More information: Tokyo Skytree

Next, the family went to Shibuya Crossing, the world's busiest pedestrian crossing which represents the towering neon lit Tokyo that travelers expect. The traffic lights at the crossing have a 2 minute cycle. 

Eli, Merche & Paqui Jones at Shibuya

Cars from various directions eat up more than half of the time. Thousands of pedestrians all cross at the same time from five directions. When the crowds meet in the middle chaos ensues. It's a spectacle that's repeated every two minutes all day and most of the night until the crowds finally thin out after midnight when Shibuya stations closes.

Eli Jones was very excited because she wanted to visit the small statue of Hachiko,the famous dog which, back in the 1920s, came each day to meet his owner after work at Shibuya Station. His owner died but Hachiko continued to come each evening to the Station to wait. This continued for around ten years.

More information: The Culture Trip

Finally, The Jones visited the Rainbow Bridge, a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba waterfront development in Minato.

Ana & Joaquín Jones near Rainbow Bridge

It was built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries,with construction starting in 1987 and completed in 1993. 

The bridge is 798 metres long with a main span of 580 metres. Officially called the Shuto Expressway No. 11 Daiba Route - Port of Tokyo Connector Bridge, the name Rainbow Bridge was decided by the public. 

The towers supporting the bridge are white in color, designed to harmonize with the skyline of central Tokyo seen from Odaiba. There are lamps placed on the wires supporting the bridge, which are illuminated into three different colors, red, white and green every night using solar energy obtained during the day.

More information: Yabai

Japan, not only a mega-busy city that thrives on electronics 

and efficiency, actually has an almost sacred appreciation of nature. 

One must travel outside of Tokyo to truly experience the 'old Japan' 

and more importantly feel these aspects of Japanese culture. 

Apolo Ohno

Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practices, which are practiced for a number of reasons: as self-defence, military and law enforcement applications, mental and spiritual development; as well as entertainment and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage.

Although the term martial art has become associated with the fighting arts of eastern Asia, it originally referred to the combat systems of Europe as early as the 1550s. The term is derived from Latin, and means arts of Mars, the Roman god of war.

Jigoro Kano

Judo, which means gentle way, was created as a physical, mental and moral pedagogy in Japan, in 1882, by Jigoro Kano. It is generally categorized as a modern martial art which later evolved into a combat and Olympic sport. 

Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the objective is to either throw or takedown an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke. 

Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet as well as weapons defenses are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms, kata, and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice, randori. A judo practitioner is called a judoka.
 

The philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for other modern Japanese martial arts that developed from koryū, the traditional schools.

More information: Thoughtco

The early history of judo is inseparable from its founder, Japanese polymath and educator Jigoro Kano. He studied English, shodō -Japanese calligraphy- and the Four Confucian Texts. When he was fourteen, Kano began boarding at an English-medium school, Ikuei-Gijuku in Shiba, Tokyo. 

The culture of bullying endemic at this school was the catalyst that caused Kano to seek out a Jujutsu dojo, at which to train.

Judokas

Early attempts to find a jujutsu teacher who was willing to take him on met with little success. With the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, jujutsu had become unfashionable in an increasingly westernised Japan. 

Many of those who had once taught the art had been forced out of teaching or become so disillusioned with it that they had simply given up. Several years passed before he finally found a willing teacher.

In 1877, as a student at the Tokyo-Kaisei school Kano learnt that many jujutsu teachers had been forced to pursue alternative careers, frequently opening Seikotsu-in, traditional osteopathy practices. 

More information:  World Judo Day

Kano was referred to Fukuda Hachinosuke a teacher of the Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū jujutsu. Fukuda is said to have emphasized technique over formal exercise, sowing the seeds of Kano's emphasis on randori, free practice,in judo.

On Fukuda's death in 1880, Kano chose to continue his studies at another schools and in February 1882, Kano founded a school and dojo at the Eisho-ji, a Buddhist temple in what was then the Shitaya ward of Tokyo. Two years later, the temple would be called by the name Kōdōkan which means place for expounding the way and Kano received his Menkyo, certificate of mastery. This is now regarded as the Kodokan founding.

More information: International Judo Federation

If there is effort, there is always accomplishment.

Kano Jigoro

Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts called hand, under the influence of Chinese Kung Fu, particularly Fujian White Crane. 

Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, and palm-heel strikes. Historically, and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital-point strikes are also taught. A karate practitioner is called a karateka.

Gichin Funakoshi

The Ryukyu Kingdom was annexed by Japan in 1879. Karate was brought to Japan in the early 20th century during a time of migration as Ryukyuans, especially from Okinawa, looked for work in Japan. It was systematically taught in Japan after the Taishō era. 

After World War II, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there.

Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate, is generally credited with having introduced and popularized karate on the main islands of Japan. 

In addition many Okinawans were actively teaching, and are thus also responsible for the development of karate on the main islands. 

More information: History of Fighting

Funakoshi was a student of both Asato Ankō and Itosu Ankō, who had worked to introduce karate to the Okinawa Prefectural School System in 1902.

Karatekas

In Karate-Do Kyohan, Funakoshi quoted from the Heart Sutra, which is prominent in Shingon Buddhism: Form is emptiness, emptiness is form itself. He interpreted the kara of Karate-dō to mean to purge oneself of selfish and evil thoughts. For only with a clear mind and conscience can the practitioner understand the knowledge which he receives.  

Funakoshi believed that one should be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle. 

Only by behaving humbly can one be open to Karate's many lessons. This is done by listening and being receptive to criticism. He considered courtesy of prime importance.

More information: World Karate Federation

 Karate aims to build character, improve human behavior, 

and cultivate modesty; it does not, however, guarantee it.

Yasuhiro Konishi