Book Review: Karate-Do: My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi

Towards the end of my two and a half years of Isshin-ryu training, I was working towards my brown-belt exam. Basically, when one achieves the brown belt, he will spend the next twelve months perfecting everything he has learned in the 30 months he wore one of the six lower-ranking belts; the goal, of course, is the achievement of the black belt (which is where one truly BEGINS the study of true karate).

During this period, the student also has to study much philosophy and history of not just Isshin-ryu, but many other Asian martial arts. One of the prerequisites to earning Sho-Dan (black belt) at my dojo, Wheeler's School of Isshin-ryu Karate and Arnis, is to read the autobiography of Master Gichin Funakoshi entitled "Karate-Do: My Way of Life". This is the story of an incredible man who devoted almost all of the ninety years he lived on Earth to learning, teaching, and promoting the art he loved so much.

The Man

Master Funakoshi was born in the Okinawan capital of Shuri, in the district of Yamakawa-cho. The year was 1870, an era of great social upheaval in the Imperial Japanese Empire, and the Meiji government was doing away with traditional Japanese ways and adopting a more Western ideology. As the son of a samurai, he was born into the shizuko (privileged) class, which supported adherence to the old Imperial cultural mores.

As a child, Funakoshi was sickly and frail, and his parents feared he might not live too long. When he was but a boy, it was suggested that he practice the Art of Karate-Do in order to strengthen his body and mind. As he progressed, his hunger for mastery of the Art grew, and by the time he reached manhood, he was strong, vigorous, and outgoing.

As Funakoshi came of age, the Meiji government mandated that if any citizen wanted to practice a profession such as medicine or teaching, they had to conform to the new cultural norms set forth by the Meiji. When he was 21, he infuriated his family by cutting off his topknot, a long-revered hairstyle symbolizing strength and virility in ancient Japanese culture. He did so not so much for rebellion, but because it was mandatory in order for him become a teacher at the Peer's School.

He was over twenty when he married, and his work as a teacher barely supported his extended family of ten. He speaks very highly of his wife, listing all the contributions she made to the Funikoshi household (like weaving cloth and growing the family's vegetables), but never mentions her name. He also barely eked out any time to train, but continued to learn the Art diligently, even though it never made him a single sen (smallest subdivision of the yen).

All through the autobiography, the reader can sense the pride with which he writes about the ancient traditions of the samurai, which he readily admits are considered antiquated and even eccentric by many younger Okinawan and Japanese. For instance, there are certain words he would never utter, such as the Japanese words for "socks". He revered the traditions in which he was taught, and honored them right up until his death in 1960.

He chronicles many random events in his life, including helping police capture an escaped robber and rapist, as well as living through a war with Russia, and both World Wars. He even recounts the squandering of his grandfather's vast estate by his alcoholic father. The main thing he states repeatedly about his life, however, is the omnipresence of Karate; it was truly the barometer that made him a truly strong, yet very humble individual, a man who refers to his own written story as "little more than the ravings of a very old man".

The Art

As I stated earlier, young Funakoshi was a frail youth, and it was the physical strength and mental discipline that Karate formed within him that he credits with saving his life. It bears mentioning that towards the end of the 19th century, the practice of Martial Arts was banned in the Japanese Empire (for many of the same reasons gun control measures are enacted in fascist governments).

It was during this time, as an adult, he trained further in the martial arts, under his childhood sensei: Master Itosu and Master Azato. Because the practice of martial arts was punishable by death, he had to sneak off to their homes in the middle of the night, guided only by a dimly lit lantern. Neighbors would see him sneak home after each session, and so was his fear of getting caught, he would rather let them all believe that he was visiting a brothel before admit he was studying Karate.

Eventually, the ban was lifted, and he continued his studies with many other sensei, such as Yorin Kanna, master swordsman and expert in Kendo, Master Kiyuna, who with his bare hands could debark a live tree, Master Toono of Naha, Okinawa's best-known Confucian scholar, Master Niigaki, who was a wellspring of common sense, and Master Matsumora.

His story is also full of admonishments against those who would misuse Karate. He chronicles the examples of foolish Karateka who learn the Art only to commit violence against others, and their eventual downfall; one particular case was a black belt student of his who tried to use his Karate on a stray dog outside of the dojo, only to get bitten for his efforts.

Keeping in character with his humility and his respect for Karate, he reminds the reader that the Art is only to be used in self-defense, and only in imminent danger. He makes this point repeatedly, like how the wise man avoids danger, and does not intentionally look for trouble, just to use his Karate. Likewise, he warns women that, although they can easily disable an attacker, they should not intentionally put themselves in a position where they might get raped, and then have to rely on their skill to get them out of trouble.

One of his main ambitions was to export the teaching of true Karate-Do to the West, especially the United States. He states in his book that the so-called karate taught in the U.S. in the early twentieth century was little more than what Okinawan elementary school students used as daily exercises during school. In the end, it was Funakoshi who introduced true Karate-Do to the West.

The Myths

Gichin Funakoshi also debunks many myths about Karate, including my favorite; the stripping of flesh from a living human. On page 10, he begs a so-called "expert" to demonstrate the technique on him, only to burst into peals of laughter when the man doesn't even leave the tiniest bruise on the Master.

Another myth he exposes is the Nukite (gouge) that can be built up strong enough to remove ribs from a man's body, which he says is impossible. He also debunks such martial arts myths as a man's grip capable of being developed to the point where he can crush a stone with his bare hands.

He also speaks with disdain about so-called Karateka who insist on perpetuating such myths. He goes on to state that, while it is true that an "adept" can break solid boards with a single blow, that there is nothing extraordinary about such moves, and insists that anybody with the proper training can accomplish such things.

This book is a testament to a true Karate master; a wise and humble man who could easily brag and grandstand about his many accomplishments, but instead chooses to be as honest and meek as any man could be. I recommend this book to anybody, even those who aren't interested in the Art, because Funakoshi's life has many lessons to teach, whether in nineteenth century Asian history, or just the life lessons learned by a very articulate, astute teacher, who considered himself a student primarily, in an incredible ninety years well lived!