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(MK) You were also highly influenced by Master Yoshitaka Funakoshi. Can you please tell us about him and how he changed Karate-Do?
(MH) Well, like Egami he couldn’t believe in the so-called special power of karate. Therefore he chose a way that was completely opposite to that of his father: confrontation karate, kumite sparring was his primary aim. He chose to experiment and accept any form of attack (in the course of which he had indeed quite a few accidents!). But it was through this process that he developed such training exercises as Ten-no-kata, Ippon kumite, sanbon kumite, etc.
On an other hand he never ignored kata but simply reconsidered it in view of a greater reality, which led him in fact to change some elements.
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(MK) You have previously said that Master Funakoshi’s approach to karate was somewhat ‘Gymnastic’ rather than fighting. How do you think Master Funakoshi changed karate as a Martial and fighting art because of this approach?
(MH) O’Sensei’s karate was really “gymnastics karate”, and it was an opinion shared by many in Okinawa. But personally he sincerely thought that such was the true nature of karate, and he must be respected for this.
In fact the real initiator of change in Shotokan karate was Yoshitaka, something that at the time none of us was really conscious of.
(MK) Do you think karate has widely lost its functionality because of Master Funakoshi’s approach?
(MH) What I express here is of course my personal opinion. But I do believe that what people constantly refer to as “real karate” is a myth that did not exist.
Okinawa’s karate was basically kata and no one had in fact seen proof of this mythical or idealised karate so often mentioned. Even kumite then was nothing but bits of kata arranged for sparring and nothing more. And everybody in Okinawa, including Master Funakoshi, believed this was all there was to it.
But then, when O’Sensei taught us in Japan, most students weren’t satisfied with what they were getting, and they started developing their own ideas. Consequently many different opinions and evolutions appeared, some mixing Jiu-Jitsu or other things to satisfy their needs. But again I repeat, none of this was O’Sensei’s fault.
(MK) Master Egami and many of his peers did extensive research into the significance of relaxation in karate; research you yourself have been incredibly interested in. Would you please explain to us what your research has revealed and could you please talk us through your understanding of it?
(MH) As I said before, Master Funakoshi only taught kata, and many could not understand what was the meaning or use of it all. So, gradually, they started putting a lot of unnecessary tension or strain into the moves, believing that this way they would achieve greater power.
But when Mr Egami taught at the Nakano school he saw rapidly that it did not work as claimed in reality. Full power of the body could only be achieved with a relaxed body.
You know that ice is hard, but it can be broken by something harder. When it is changed into water it can be used to create steam and then achieve enormous power. So, do not give your body the rigidity of ice.
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Interview mit Mitsusuke Harada
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