We as a society like to romanticize the past but they were real people who had real problems like us all. They brought a lot of good into this world and they should be celebrated

Been practicing martial arts for over 36 years and I still love it! No one martial art is better than another, it’s what you put into it!

It's true. Gishin didn't even want free sparring. He only wanted step sparring. It was his son Gigo who introduced high kicks, additional kicks, free sparring, and lower stances.

That's something that has always bothered me. Throughout my martial arts journey, I've always studied the history, mythology, philosophy and legends... And most are just that, myth and legend. People talk about 'traditional' training style, which are what we can the way in which arts like Karate and Taekwondo are taught... but these arts, in the way we know them, are only about a century or less old... not the 'down through the ages' way that people believe they are studying a thousand year old system. Wing Chun, though there is question about the specifics of its origin, 'white crane gung fu' which purportedly became fukien and then was studied in Okinawa and became the root of tode-te, and hence kara-te, and Chen taijiquan, which have birth to Yang family taijiquan, and from there all other 'tai chi' styles, are maybe a couple centuries old... none of this thousand year old secret system crap. People get so caught up in the myth and legends, they forget to study the art as an art. Or they try to talk about the BEST system, and don't look at application, context, and in most cases rule sets. This can be very frustrating as a scholar that is also a practitioner.

Awesome video! Well-researched and informative!

Great episode. Very informative

My favorite myth in BJJ is the lineage of being right up to Mitsuyo Maeda. Choque and Opening the Closed Guard does a great job exposing this. There is also the problem with the BJJ creation myth how it was made and modified. and yes I'm a proud BJJ practitioner of 10 years but I think the truth is more interesting than the myth that is told.

Great content as always.

Good job researching!

Yet another amazing video. Seeing the martial arts masters as human beings instead of legends makes them a lot more relatable. It makes me enjoy my practice of karate even more.

These videos are excellent. Thank you sir.

Great video! Many thanks :)

Good job on Shotokan info.

This is like the story of Preying Mantis, it was the 4th gen who coined this term, and decided to solely focus on the fancy speed techniques. They also split and named three new styles for almost no reason other than competition and marketing. By the 5th gen the original meaning of hook hand was lost, as 1st gen used Shuaijiao influences.

And not just style; but work able attack and counter attack that works without to much effort that you are not tired out; but win without being winded out for the battle soft and hard to get the battle over !...

This is awesome! I may have to get a shirt or two or three. I know these just came out and it's going to be a bit like asking a new mother to pop out another baby, but I would love for the next batch to include Huo Yuanjia. My grandmaster studied under someone that had learned at Jing Wu, and part of the curriculum that I was brought up in was lifted directly from theirs.

Love the videos, brother. I'm a martial artist myself and I have greatly enjoyed my time studying Shotokan over the years. One suggestion: if you ever release new designs for these shirts, go with something different for Funakoshi Senei. That picture looks comical, at best. I feel the kneeling image of Funakoshi that we all know and love would be a much better choice. Just a suggestion. Be well. 👊

Great video mate. Just wondering if you were gonna do a mas oyama shirt also?

Hi can you direct me too exactly where you got the information about the black belts coming from Japanese Swimming Arm Bands. I can't find any reference to this online or in books.

Very interesting.

I think, Funakoshi love his martial art style, otherwise, he did not taught it to others. His students named his karate style Shotokan. It was not Funakoshi who named it. Me think that while Funakoshi was alive and teaching Karate, he might just refer to his karate as Okinawan karate or a particular Okinawan Te style.

Very good. Though I would say Gigō Funakoshi influenced of kendo & iaido along with his untimely death had a huge impact on Shotokan that you’ll see in the raising split between Shotokan & the Shotokai that became more apparent around Gichin’s death later.

Great video, Please do a video on General Choi Chong Hi

No, Funakoshi was not disapproving Gigo's approach to Karate. Not really. Funakoshi himself clearly stated in "Karate-Do Kyohan" that Karate was at the brink of extinction (following the Meiji restauration because of the abolition of the Yukatchu class; Karate was an art of the nobility). In his mind Karate would have to change from a martial art into a workout routine for the general health and sport with proper rules and protection gear - Judo and Kendo being the references. The Dai Nippon Butokukai also had clear demands for approving Karate as an official japanese martial art, like uniforms, a rank system, competition and being distinct from other approved martial arts. This is actually how modern Karate has been formed to be the way it is today. But... Though Funakoshi knew that competition was a demand by the Dai Nippon Butokukai, he did not promote or condone kumite for a long period of time and he did not like the idea of competition. But this was exactly what the young karateka were after - including Gigo Funakoshi. There were several testimonials about this fact, including Mitsusuke Harada's (Karate Master - The Life and Times of Mitsusuke Harada). Anyway, the poem does refer to the fact that Karate was nearly gone and needed a new impulse to be saved.

I have yellowbelt and allways in life ideas of shotokan often come back to sort the ideas great big thankx for

Principles and philosophy of those grandmasters are necessary to know to become a person and martial artist

I like you and Chadi’s channel the most. Oh yea and many of the BJJ channels also. Adam Chan is great also and some Silat also.

How are the tees printed? Are they screen printed or Lazer?

Mas Oyama has some Myth or 2. As does Frank Dux ☺

Cool shirt ideas ! Shotokan was one of my two main styles the other is Wing Chun some say Traditional Wing Chun. 🦉 Ole School Karate is almost unheard of these days. ⚖️⚔️⚖️ Unfortunately and I didn't a little Shorin Ryu 😊

Is there a Kyan t shirt?

A friend of mine had a drawn picture of the old man. I doubt if he has it up anymore.

I have Miyagi now I must get Uechi,these are amazing!!

Will you being doing one on Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shito-Ryu karate?

I studied shotakan karate under John Slocum in New York City in the 1960s. It was brutal, and many students left to study elsewhere. Now in my late seventies, I have been assaulted numerous times in the streets of a violent city and have won all of them. Unfortunately, the style he taught was very effective but did not protect one’s own body- particularly the joints and ligaments when hitting or kicking others. Nevertheless, he should be recognized as one of the leaders of American shotokan karate

I order the Goju founder shirt last time.

I need a Funakoshi shirt

Shirts won’t shop to my residence in Nova Scotia.😔

How to strike both first and last when beneath the shadow of the gun

I need a shirt of Nai Khanom Tom would be great.

Don’t forget Nai Khanom Tom, Bruce Lee, Helio Gracie and Don Inosanto.

We need a Motobu Choki shirt

Hi there I was just wondering if there would be an announcement for the shirts I would love to get a few especially if y’all are going to have the Shito Ryu Karate master/founder Kenwa Mabuni I would love to order some for myself, sensei’s’ and Hanshi Best regards and God Bless

I read a book written by Ip Man’s son, Ip Chun. He said Wing Chun was about to be trapped in an arranged marriage. But we’ll probably never know. Are you gonna make a shirt or any other merch with Shigeru Nakamura on it? I’ll be your best friend.

3:45 hall of what???

You are propagating truth less the arrogance of those who fear being seen as nothing. Please keep spreading honorable facts over inaccurate lure. We think we know because we are told, when we get old we realize how much we have been told we were in fact sold.

Who was the last samurai who brought karate to the western world?

Add a Chosin Chibana shirt and I would buy it...

Yip Man is responsible for the popularization of Wing Chun, and was one who had a vast amount of knowledge, but he had Seniors And Contemporaries who very likely had the same teachers and a few other influences to their teachings. The folk who practice what is called Traditional Wing Chun call other systems modified Wing Chun. Both are good although I have a great respect for the one known as Traditional by Gm William 'Billy' Cheung of Australia they even claim he had a hand in helping train the young Bruce Lee and was the person who introduced him to the system. 🦉 Yin Yang ☯️ ✊🥋🤜🤛🥋👊

What´s abaout Wado Ryu Karate? One of the best styles.

Make a shirt with Aikido's Morihei Ueshiba and Wado Ryu's Hironori Otsuka.

No white-belt-Zach shirt?

I am pretty sure that the poem by Funakoshi that you quote about the decline of the art was written by him as he was on a ship on the way to the mainland for the first time in 1922. Long time before Gigo made any changes to the art. He mentions this in one of his writings, but I can't remember off hand which one.

Gichin Funakoshi was knwn as Shoto. Shotokan was the name of the Dojo. Shtokai was the name of the group, the group of Shoto. Today's Shotokai follows Gichin Funakosh teachings. Shtokan follows Gigo's style.

😶‍🌫️👍💪

I'm starting too think Funakoshi encounter with Choki Motobu has something too do with this. Every encounter against Motobu made him think otherwise about his own art. Just a n inference.

Hello, are you ever going to have a online program to learn karate from you and whoever your associates are? I would like to be a student someday.

What if what you teach is the heart and soul of martial arts rather than a specific style?

I read somewhere, that Kano wanted to know which students know enough to be thrown by him for demonstration, these students where awarded Black Belt... so when he enters the dojo, he directly known who "will not die" when thrown around.... maybe untrue, but makes complete sense to me :-)

i don't know if gichin funakoshi was against his son he surely left JKA disagring with the purpose the were using karate!.

HOLD ON... how is Ip Man are "father" of Wing Chun?

Lishuwen

What no love for us Uechi-Ryu karateka!.. is it because of my ugly hands or is it the weird look of my fingers! Lol I'm assuming my style coming oh or or his student that killed that guy to the styles shame 😂 😅

I don't think Ip Man belongs in the ranks of people like Kano and Funakoshi, not even a little bit.

I wouldn’t say Ip man is the face of wing chun; that would be offensive to the founders and Other Master’s that reached more advanced levels of development in the art and besides that there are many lineages. I’m saying that because, I met many a good practitioners that came from good back grounds. My lineage is that of the fut Sao wing chun and it’s legendary among the wing chun lineages. It’s rear to meet any of the advance practitioners because, our Grand Master was very secretive.. Training with him remind me of the movie ( Five deadly Venomens) because, of the secrecy and you never met all of his students in one place. Some time we met by chance. His name was Henry Leung. Right now I only know one individual I have been in contact with off and on and he’s out in Jersey. He however, has been in direct contact with some of the older brothers of that system. Just in case if someone read this comment and are from that family greetings family. I know when you come from such a family you have to authenticate your self. I was very young back when I met Grand Master Henry and I would either rearly be instructed by him directly in Motto street in the first place I met him in the 90’s, in the the hidden I trance in the bottom of the herbal store floor in the cellar. Then he moved to a different area down Motto street and we trained behind another Herbal store where I met Angel one of Grand Master’s older students. Angel was the one that taught me a lot and I stayed in touch with him most of the time. Then I met James Kama, Santos, a gentleman by the name of Michael and many others I can’t remember there names. I remember santos use to challenge other systems of martial arts and talk about there differences. It was a great experience. I miss Grand Master because, there was a few times I got sick and he treated me with herbs and acupuncture. He also had his own mix of dit da jow that he made, that he learn the the 9 finger monk that taught him the wing chun system he knew. He also had a wine he made out of herbs that helped with when we practiced nei gong. Yea but, I just had to comment about what was said about Yip Man being the face of wing chun .. There are many lineages and Fut Sao was one of the highly tested ones that was developed by being so called pressure tested in the shaolin Monastery. My teachers, teach was known as the 9 finger Monk from shaolin. You can look it up and read a little about him and my teacher. I eventually may start training again. I would advise Adam Chan. I think he’s awesome and would love to learn from him or get in touch with my elder brothers from fut Sao. They don’t teach as a school so it may be difficult. Being that Adam has a school it would be easier and also his method of teaching is very similar. However, one of the differences I know about, is fut Sao has a fourth form called Siu Ba wah, which is like learning to use wing chun in a pak wuah format. Instead of just fighting linear you fight circular; it also has joint locks… Like I said this lineage had a longer evolutionary period in the monastery… oh yeah some of the brothers have developed that nip lik power or pong jing from it because, well I must respect Grand Master and my elder brothers, so I will leave it at that. However, pong jing is not just solely belonging to Tai chi. Wing chun has Nei gong also.

es bueno pero tenia defecto daba las patadas muy altas y como boxeo regular y de yudo nada de nada

So this was about others not shotokan

Funakoshi was the death of real Karate.

I was buried with my white belt.

Funakoshi wanted a monopoly on Karate. It is a good thing he failed in his bid for power and control.

Shotokan is a legit martial art. I don’t understand, why it’s even an issue. All Okinawa arts are completely legit😀

Yo don't take this as a fat shame... But how is it that black belts let themselves get so fat? As a black belt myself, I don't know if I could stand not being able to move as athletically as I used to because of my own poor choices. Fat karate black belts are so common now they're almost a stereotype 😂 Since martial arts are no longer needed so much for actual combat, I think the goal post should be shifted toward using them as a means for improved health and well-being as a form of physical activity. If karate is supposed to improve one's self control, how does someone let themselves eat so much they are able to offset the calories burned from training and actually gain weight?

Karate is life and it saved mine! Was dead on life support for two months the Dr were going to Harvest my organs were flushing them a Dr I was told two hours before the harvest op tried to get me to respond which I did but only when he said can you kick my hand which I replied my feeding him my big toe Uechi-Ryu style lol he told me latter it hurt him for a week plus dad told me I was stuck in a breakfast pose permitly Hahahahah Sanchin saved my life

Dude .... for god's sake SLOW DOWN!!! You talk too dam fast!!! sheesh

Shotokan and shotokai are not the karate of Funakoshi.