the swordsman. Continuing his search for other martial arts, he returned to China to master Shorinjiryu kempo.
During World War II he worked as a Station Master in Manchuria, at the same time teaching karate. At the end of the war, when the Japanese were evacuating Manchuria under pressure from the Allied Forces, he saved the lives of countless civilians working in one of the two stations he was supervising. These station employees had been bombed and were in shock. A suspension bridge was thrown over a deep precipice but no one dared to venture on to it. Shinan Kori Hisataka helped them cross the bridge one by one, carrying some who had become almost hysterical with fear, after having knocked them down. He credited this act of composure and bravery to his years of training in karate which had given him complete control of himself, allowing him to keep this placid state of mind called "heijoshin" when others were overcome by fear and hysteria. This event was of immeasurable importance in displaying to him the virtues of karate. So much so that upon his return, to find his country demoralized and disheartened by the aftermath of war where people living in poor conditions of health and without food, he undertook to help them rebuild their lives and a better society.
With the systematic and scientific method of karatedo he had developed over the years, and by the disciplining of mind and body, he assumed this undertaking. He founded the Kenkokan School of Karatedo in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu, naming his art Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo after his two main sources of inspiration: Shorinryu karate, and Shorinjiryu kempo, placing the suffix “do” on karate to emphasize that it is a "way" of reaching the highest mental state.
In addition to this greater emphasis on the spiritual development of the individual, Shinan Kori Hisataka has introduced into karatedo a number of other innovations:
a) In basic techniques, he has placed a greater emphasis on the use of the feet, and in particular the heel, which is more solid than the toes. The whole body is put into action when executing a technique in a follow-through fashion.
b) This also led to the use of the vertical fist (tate ken) which is stronger, natural and also safer for the wrist.
c) Also, stress is placed on the practice of yakusoku kumite, where two or more karatedo practitioners execute a sequence of prearranged offensive and defensive techniques. This type of kumite is one of the best forms of training in karatedo, as it teaches the most effective techniques of attack and defense against actual opponents.
d) The use of protective equipment (bogu) which allows karatedo students to really test their techniques in a safe way and without having to hold back their blows.
e) The practice of weapons (buki-ho) is an integral part of Kenkokan Karatedo, along with karate-ho, the art of empty-hand fighting. These two facets are inseparable in Kenkokan Karatedo, weapons being an extension of the arm and their practice having the same virtues as the empty-hand practice, as well as helping to "bring to life" the karate techniques by displaying the actual clear-cut degree to which the limbs are true weapons.
All these points will be treated in more detail in subsequent chapters.
6. Prelude of Karatedo Training
a. Place of Practice and Equipment
The dojo is the place of practice for karatedo. Dojo literally means “training" or "learning" place, (jo) means place, (do) the way. Its name comes from Buddhism where it designated a place of worship. Later it came to denote a place for the practice of martial arts. It is not necessarily a closed practice hall or gymnasium but any area where one trains one's mind and body in the way of karate. As such a dojo should be respected almost as a temple, and one should always observe a correct attitude and act with proper decorum. Anything which disturbs the concentration of karatedo should be avoided. Smoking should be prohibited and spectators should observe the silence. An atmosphere of mutual respect and of mutual aid between the students, who are in fact helping each other develop themselves, should reign in a dojo.
The front wall of the dojo, called shomen, is the place of honor. In most dojos there is a picture of the founder of the school hanging on the wall. In Japan, where Shintoism is the main religion, the shomen is a kind of altar called a Shinzen “the place of god." The instructors sit on the shomen's left side, joseki, while the students sit on the opposite side in descending order of rank from the shomen.
The karatedogi is the training outfit for karatedo; it consists of a jacket (uwagi) and trousers (zubon) made of white canvas and a belt (obi), the color of which indicates the rank of the student. The lower ten ranks (kyu) of non-black-belt holders (mudansha) are divided into the following belt colors: white, ranks 10 and 9; yellow, 8 and 7; orange, 6 and 5; green, 4 and 3; and brown, 2 and 1. The upper ten ranks (dan) of black-belt holders (yudansha) all wear the black belt for ranks (dan) 10 to 1; though on special occasions, ranks 6,7, and 8 wear a ceremonial red belt with white stripes, and ranks 9 and 10 wear a red belt, symbolizing their respective levels of achievement. Junior students (under age 14) are ranked in the same way but half of their belt remains white while the other half indicates their rank; on becoming seniors, they are reclassified.
On special occasions, advanced instructors may also wear the hakama’ the black pleated traditional trousers worn by the samurai of old. The hakama is worn over the trousers of the karatedogi with the obi on top.
The karatedogi was originally the underwear worn by monks. Its white color was a symbol of purity. The belt ranking system has been derived from the monks' ranking system according to the surplice (kesa) worn around their necks.
How to wear the karatedogi
The karatedogi must be large enough to allow complete freedom of movement. The jacket must completely cover the hips and its sleeves must cover more than half of the forearms. The trousers must be long enough to cover more than half of the calf, and the belt long enough to be wound twice around the hips, tied with a square knot, and leave about one foot hanging down on each side of the knot. The trousers must be pulled on first with one end of the drawstring passed through the loop in front before tying them up at the waist.
The jacket is then put on with the left flap coming over the right flap (this enabled the samurai to draw their swords more easily). The strings on each side of the jacket must be tied. To put on the belt, hold the middle in front of your navel and wind it twice around your hips; tie it up with a square knot, after having pressed the loose end under the first turn of the belt so as to avoid constricting the stomach when someone pulls on your belt.
In Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo as in the Koshiki Karatedo competition system, the preferred dogi is the authorized Supersafe karatedogi, which is plain white in color, with red and black stripes along the sleeves and down the legs of the trousers. Alternatively, a totally white dogi can be worn. The dogi should have no further designs, except that the mark of the training style can be worn on the left chest, and that of the World Koshiki Karatedo Federation can be worn on the right sleeve. Names can be written on the right flap of the jacket and on the upper left part of the trousers. Belts can be marked with the names of the person and the school.
To undress, take off the belt first, then the jacket and trousers. The karatedogi should then be folded in the following way: lay the jacket on he ground and put the trousers inside; fold in the sleeves of the jacket, and then fold in about one third of each side of the jacket. Fold the jacket and trousers once lengthwise and once again in the other direction. Hold the belt in its middle and tie it around the karatedogi with about one-third of it open so that you can pass your arm through to carry it.
In Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo and the Koshiki Karatedo competitive system, protective equipment is used for practice and in competition. Known as Supersafe anzen bogu, this gear was developed by Master Masayuki Kukan Hisataka at the request of the Technical Research Committee of the World Union of Karatedo Organizations in order to provide a greater level of safety and realism to karatedo training.
Supersafe gear consists of the men, or face guard, the do, which protects the chest and stomach, and the kin ate, which protects the groin. The men is made of durable translucent material allowing for complete vision while offering protection for the face. The do is made of fiberglass with padding to stop skin abrasions. The equipment is light and flexible, affording maximum protection without hampering movement.