Secrets In Karate - What Can We Learn From Kata?

Much is made of the secrecy of traditional Japanese karate teachers and the fact that their most effective techniques were partially or fully held back from all but the most trusted, skilled and Japanese students. To a point this is almost certainly true. I know one person today who trains under a senior Japanese instructor and he is certainly not in possession of complete transmission.

Why is this? Historical accounts suggest that there was great rivalry between schools and even earlier families who would require their best techniques to be firmly held within the chosen group. After all, 70 years ago or more, hand to hand combat was a matter of survival not there for academic interest, hobby or 'sport'.  It was a way of life and a matter of survival and maintaining status. There were also historical reasons why the Okinawans would not trust outsiders like the mainland Japanese, Chinese or Westerners. However, there had been relationships with all these outsiders for hundreds of years through trade and political alliance that would have led to the sharing of skills such as martial arts. In this way karate developed from older Chinese and possibly Indian forms. Also progress and political need led to the development of modern karate down a route different from the older forms - Funakoshi developed simple forms for school children to promote health and popularize karate practice which fitted the agenda of the Japanese government of the time. These forms did not contain the lethal moves or complexity of kata he himself had learnt as a boy. Again, moving forward the three distinct Okanawan styles of Shuri/Naha/Tomari-Te were combined and developed along more academic lines, developing body kinetics to increase power. Also differing styles have evolved and there has been the development of sport karate and multiple gradings/belts to make it more widely acceptable to the West. Along the way, the original forms while not necessarily better, have been partially lost. While I would be keen to see development of any activity for the sake of improvement, it is nice to know what went before. Additionally, the thought that we may be missing the best bits is really tantalizing. Added to that the thought that the knowledge may somehow have survived in part and be out there...

One of the sad things is that it is obvious that any effective fighting system as used by people in the old days would have been much more diverse (and possibly complex) than modern karate. After all, a major part of time would be dedicated to it - hours every day. These people would have started training before puberty and continued lifelong. For example, where are the weapons in modern karate? Where is the use of pressure points (not just the odd one or two)? Where are the adaptations for women who back in the day of Samurai were taught to defend themselves and their children while the men were off fighting? If present at all in modern karate, it is only to a minor degree.

One source of information that is open to us is kata - old kata. Within them may be the traces of some of these techniques, although very much open to interpretation now with no first hand guide. Another is the oldest forms found in China and India.