Kenmpoka,
Thank you for the input. I would like to add a clarification and some more information, so please excuse me for delving into a passion of mine, the historical roots of karate.
I stated:
There was a period when Funakoshi taught a more complete Itosu curriculum that included both Itosu versions. Mabuni did this as well in Shito Ryu. But eventually, Funakoshi came to the conclusion that the practice of all these kata just did not make sense, and he pared back significantly.
You replied:
Funakoshi came to the mainland with 15 kata only and later on added his three Taikyoku kata that he devised with his son Gico Funakoshi and Ten No kata. After the war more forms were introduced to the curriculum. Again Gico and a few seniors were sent to Mabuni sensei to learn such Kata as Bassai Sho, Kanku sho, Jiin, Nijushiho, Gojushihos and Unsu and others such as Sochin, Wankan Tomari(version) were adopted and rearranged from other sources by Gico. Itosu Rohai II & III were combined to form Meikyo.
It was not my intention to speculate on which kata Funakoshi brought from Okinawa to Japan. While there are numerous sources that describe the 15 you mention (Egami, and others), we will probably never truly know just what knowledge he had in the early 1920s when he moved to Tokyo. There are however, several historical sources that indicate that while in Japan, Funakoshi practiced and taught kata that were not part of this original 15. Where and when he learned them is unclear, though there has been plenty of speculation that he learned some or all from Mabuni.
Patrick McCarthy and others have written on this subject. In McCarthy's analysis,
http://seinenkai.com/art-mutsu1.html, he provides several references to Funakoshi performing and teaching some of these kata that were not part of his initial curriculum. McCarthy states:
"In the "Fifty Year Anniversary" publication of "Keio University Karate Club", it describes Funakoshi teaching Gojushiho 1 Feb. 1929 and his assistant, Ohtsuka Hironori, teaching Unsu (10 May) the year before. If this is true, then it is apparent that Funakoshi Sensei brought more than 15 kata with him from Okinawa. (However, there's also one more issue to consider which supports the rumor he learned the kata from Mabuni .PM)"
You mentioned that Funakoshi sent his students to Mabuni to learn. While there were undoubtedly trips taken just by his students, it is probable that Funakoshi and Mabuni met as well. First, there is historical evidence in photographs. It is also likely that with so few Okinawans living in Japan, Funakoshi and Mabuni might have enjoyed spending time with each other. By the time Mabuni arrived in Osaka around 1927, he had probably known Funakoshi for nearly 25 years. It is almost certain that the two had trained together under Itosu in the very early part of the century. (One source says Mabuni didn't miss a single day's training with Itosu from 1902, when he started, until 1909. There is even a picture reportedly of the Itosu, Funakoshi and Mabuni.
http://seishinkaiturkey.s5.com/Eng/History/karatehistory.htm)
Perhaps more important in the development of their relationship is their heavy involvement in the groups that were active in promoting karate in Okinawa prior to Funakoshi's departure for Tokyo. Assuming they spent time together in Japan, it is probable that Funakoshi might well have learned kata from Mabuni. In his text
Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts Volume 2, Patrick McCarthy discusses Mabuni's reknowned knowledge of Okinawan kata. It would be surprising to me indeed if these two great pioneers of karate didn't share a great deal in the art they both so cherished and spent their lives propogating.
But I think that some have taken this argument too far. There have been claims that Mabuni taught Funakoshi the Pinans. But in Nagamine's text,
Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters, he puts this one to rest when he states that Funakoshi was teaching Naihanchi and Pinans in his elementary school, probably around 1917.
While there seems to be ample evidence that Funakoshi might have learned kata from Mabuni, there is also the likelihood that he might have known more than the 15 mentioned that he brought to Japan in the early 1920s. There are sources that state that Funakoshi himself trained with Aragaki, who had taught Mabuni the kata Nijushiho, Unsu and Sochin. (One source is:
http://www.shitokai.com/aragaki.html.) And although I do not have
My Way of Life with me at the moment, it is my recollection that Funakoshi states in that text that he studied with Aragaki. He most certainly states that Itosu brought him to many masters to learn, and it is certainly conceivable that he learned kata in the process.
One last point. In any discussion of what kata Funakoshi brought to Japan versus what he included in the Master Text, it is clear that there is a whole series of kata missing. Funakoshi certainly knew kobudo kata and there is evidence in the historical record that he taught at least some kobudo when he was younger. (e.g. Gochoku Chitose states he learned bojutsu from Funakoshi while in grade school. -
http://www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/karate/bio.html) But as he aged, Funakoshi apparently decided to stop teaching kobudo and focus on empty-hand kata.
I do confess to a speculation in my original statement above regarding what Funakoshi taught. I have no direct knowledge that he taught Bassai Sho. Based on my reading of the historical record, some of which I have shared above, it has been my assumption that Funakoshi taught much beyond the original 15 kata. Whether or not he actually taught Bassai Sho will probably never be known. I was typing fast when I wrote that sentence, and in retrospect I should have said "There was a period when Funakoshi taught a more complete Itosu curriculm that
probably included both Itosu versions." Mea culpa on the sloppy scholarship. But there is no doubt that Bassai Sho was part of the curriculum being taught in Funakoshi's system prior to 1952 when Mabuni died. That is why it has survived as part of the JKA syllabus.
I am not sure that there is any historical record as to who Funakoshi learned kata from. We know he studied intensively with Azato and Itosu, and spent some time studying under other masters, including Matsumura. But I am not aware that he has documented which kata he learned from which masters. There is some evidence that he might have learned Naihanchi under Itosu (ten years studying, no less) but I am not sure what other historical sources there are for the rest of Funakoshi's curriculum. If anyone knows of a reference, I would be grateful if they would share it.
