Within the martial arts industry there remains a growing conflict between traditionalists, occupied with upholding the 'original' karate-do, for example, and modernists, who conform to 'popular culture'. The intensity, with which these views collide, highlights the simplicity of the issue. The ‘evolution’ of martial arts throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has created ‘arts’ which are fundamentally different to their roots. The display of martial arts in ‘forms’ has become focused on entertainment, a sharp contrast to orthodox kata which originally existed as a means of passing on tradition and understanding. Students make up their own forms, and are judged in competition not on practicality but aesthetic appeal. Many traditionalists denigrate this approach on the grounds that it rejects the purpose for which martial arts such as karate-do were founded. However, one must realise that the ‘forms’ we have now are their own art, an art which is entirely fitting in our entertainment focused twenty-first century. It is also important to note that forms do not infringe on traditionalist kata, where competitors remain judged on technique and accuracy. The arts have contrasting purposes, and are therefore judged separately. So why do we face a continual traditionalist versus modernist debate? The problem seems to be that these ‘new’, modern arts are not wholly appreciated as individual entities, entirely separate from their traditional sources.
There exists a multitude of common hypothesis regarding the development of Karate-do prior to the twentieth century. Some argue that the art's fighting traditions were founded by oppressed peasants in Okinawan, suggesting that many of the techniques allow the use of implements common to their daily laborious lives. Others suggest that Karate-do developed as a result of the 1507 weapons ban by King Sho Shin which forced landowners to find new ways to defend their property. Further theories root the art within law enforcement personnel who were banned from carrying weapons following invasion of Okinawa by Satsuma in 1609. Traditionalists argue that Karate-do should remain in contact with these origins. Whichever ‘origins’ one is to accept, it seems the key is defence and mastery. This explains the heavy affiliation orthodox karateka attempt to maintain with self defence and technical accuracy to original models.
In addition, there is a continual emphasis on karate-do as a ‘way of life’ as famously taught by Gichin Funakoshi who brought Okinawan Karate to Japan. More than kicks and punches, traditional karate-do teaches us how to live in the world, taking us on a path toward spiritual enlightenment. To forget this, is to become what Funakoshi termed a ‘mere technician’. For traditionalists, this is exactly what ‘forms’ competitions have become. Yet what they fail to realize is that ‘way of life’ has changed. In Okinawan, whether as a means of uprising, defense or enforcement, karate-do was key to the everyday lives of its supposed practitioners. Self defence is, of course, continually paramount in today’s society, allowing orthodox karate to continually ‘belong’, but, with the popularity of programmes such as Britain’s Got Talent, one can hardly argue the potency of ‘entertainment-value’ that also now resides in our society. Forms, then, can be seen as equally explicit of a ‘way of life’, and nonetheless moral. Forms showcase the determined, the passionate, the talented who strive towards technical mastery. That it is a new, modern technique is not, in any way, a discredit to the art.
On a recent visit to the The Martial Arts Show in Birmingham NEC I witnessed modernist versus traditionalist controversy first hand. A group of my friends left outraged after watching The Martial Arts Display Team perform a series of traditional forms which evolved into a mix of MMA and body-pop street dance. Such elements, they believe, do not belong and should certainly not be intertwined with traditional forms which are, in their nature, primarily orthodox. It seems that my friends had bought their tickets expecting to witness only demonstrations of the traditional arts that they practice. It is both this expectation, and this prejudice which must be eradicated from the martial arts industry. Given its name, ‘The Martial Arts Show’, and that the team are a display team, it should not be surprising that their performance is aimed at audience entertainment rather than orthodox discipline.
What’s more, my friends’ ‘outrage’ at what traditional forms have become is totally unjustified. Among the many theories relating to the origins of karate-do, some cite the influence of Chinese arts, brought to Okinawan by the ‘Thirty-six Families’ of Chinese immigrants who settled in Kuninda. From this, karate-do enlists the theory that one has much to learn from his fellow pupils, no matter their art or its origins. The Martial Arts Display Team’s use of body-pop, for example, within their form is explicitly demonstrative of this theory. In an entertainment infused society, within an art that is focused on audience enjoyment, it is important to learn from the success of disciplines which have become strikingly similar in their entertainment approach, such as street dance. This approach cannot be belittled as it is wholly traditional within martial arts. The ‘new’ arts which this approach creates, however, must be accepted as entirely separate from their original roots before traditionalist criticism may be settled.
While modern forms do not embody the same values as orthodox kata, they are no less honourable. The development of our society has led to the creation of new martial arts, as opposed merely to the evolution of traditional ones, both of which must be accepted as individual, and equally important within twenty-first century England. Study the pictures displayed. Half will fit easily into the ‘exciting’ category, while the other half will not. This provides a perfect example of the clarity which divides the entertainment-focused modern martial arts (displayed here in Tricking) and the traditional orthodox arts (exampled here in Shotokan Karate), a clarity which must be accepted within our martial arts society.
Eleanor Keighley
2nd Dan Shotokan Karate
