Behind Karatejutsu, a research born from practice
My name is Matteo Muratori. I was born in Cesena in 1977, and I am, first and foremost, just a Karate enthusiast, like so many others.
I started practicing Karate in 1989, when I was thirteen, focusing mainly on Shōtōkai under the guidance of Paolo Borghesi and Claudio Giorgetti. Today, I hold a 3rd Dan in Shōtōkai, a style in which the highest rank is 5th Dan.
Over the years, my Karate has been influenced by many people, starting with my main Shōtōkai teacher, Paolo Borghesi. Among these people, master Vinicio Antony holds a special place in my journey, and I try to spend time with him whenever I have the chance, during his visits to my country.
I have also studied Koryū Uchinādi, earning the rank of Shodan under the invaluable guidance of Marco Forti sensei.
Professionally, I hold a degree in Information Science with a focus on numerical and computational studies, and today I run a small IT company specialized in vector graphics for embedded systems. Alongside my work and professional practice, I have for years pursued a personal interest in historical research, with a particular focus on the life and legacy of master Gichin Funakoshi.
My relationship with Karate
For me, Karate is something very close to a way of life. Just as a normal person breathes without even realizing it, Karate has become for me that very act of breathing: something natural that accompanies life without needing to be constantly stated.
Over the years, I have learned not to view stylistic differences as a limitation. I firmly believe in sharing and cross-pollination across martial arts, not as a loss of one’s identity, but as an opportunity to enrich it.
Studying different traditions, engaging with practitioners and teachers from different backgrounds, observing what we don’t know, and recognizing what we can learn from others is, for me, all part of the same journey.
Sharing and cross-pollination, without prejudice, with the awareness that we can and must make our own contribution and, at the same time, continue to learn from everyone.
Why Karatejutsu
Over time, practicing Karate has led me to take an ever-greater interest in its history and, above all, in the sources through which that history can be reconstructed.
So I devoted myself, as a hobby, to studying old books, articles, and documents, and I also tried my hand at translating short passages from Japanese texts and historical materials related to Karate.
An increasingly significant part of this research has focused on the life and legacy of Gichin Funakoshi, leading me to translate and study Ryūkyū Kenpō: Karate, published in 1922.
Karatejutsu emerged from this research: from the desire to return to the sources, compare the documents, and distinguish, as far as possible, what belongs to the original accounts from what has been elaborated and reinterpreted in subsequent years.
The project does not aim to “offer” a new version of Karate, but rather to create a space where it is possible to revisit what has been written, examine what has been documented, and let the sources speak for themselves as much as possible.
Closing thoughts
The research continues through documents, sources, and comparative analysis. Karatejutsu stems from a simple question: what else can we discover by returning to the sources? Explore the Archive →