In the contemporary collective imagination, Karate is almost universally identified as the striking art par excellence: geometric stances, sharp blocks, direct punches, and spectacular kicks. The modern sporting format, with competitions focused on the timing of touch or the formal precision of kata, has also reinforced the notion that Karate is confined exclusively to medium- and long-range exchanges.
However, tracing back to the historical roots of this discipline reveals a much broader, more pragmatic, and multifaceted picture. Traditional Karate was not conceived solely as a striking system, but rather as a comprehensive self-defense method in which joint locks, close-quarters combat, and throwing techniques (nage-waza) played a central role.
A snapshot from 1935: Waseda university
One of the most fascinating visual records of this technical breadth is a photograph taken in 1935 at the Waseda University Karate Club in Tōkyō.
The image captures a group training session: on the far left stands master Gichin Funakoshi; in the center of the dōjō, a practitioner is being thrown overhead via a shoulder lift (kata-guruma); on the right, two students practice ground-control techniques (ne-waza) under the watchful eye of Gigō (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi, the master’s talented third son.
This scene clearly demonstrates that in the 1930s, the study of close-quarters grappling, breakfalls, and ground control was an integral part of martial practice.
Funakoshi’s teaching and the weaving metaphor
In that very same year, 1935, Funakoshi published his pivotal work, Karate-Dō Kyōhan. In its pages, he clearly detailed the relationship between striking techniques and throws:
« Originally, hardness and softness were one and the same. This is why Karate does not consist only of striking techniques like punches, kicks, and thrusts, but also of throwing techniques and joint manipulation [ 逆手 / gyaku-te ]. There are many methods and variations for executing throws and gyaku-te. For the benefit of beginners, I will show only a part of them and provide some illustrations with brief descriptions for reference. If you take this as a starting point and study the basic kata [ using these examples as 緯 / the horizontal weft and the 基本型 / kihon-gata as 經 / the vertical warp ], you will attain a state where you can receive [ 受け / uke ], throw [ 投げ / nage ], and defeat [ 倒し / taoshi ] the opponent without conscious effort »
The poetic metaphor chosen by Funakoshi relies on two kanji rich in meaning:
- 經 / Kei (warp or vertical thread): in a traditional loom, this represents the threads stretched lengthwise, the fixed, supporting foundation. This character appears in words denoting “classics” or foundational scriptures (such as sutras). In Karate, the kihon-gata (fundamental forms) represent this immutable structure, the backbone of the art.
- 緯 / I (weft or horizontal thread): this is the transverse thread that weaves across the warp, binding points together and giving thickness to the cloth. It represents practical application, adaptability, exceptions, and circumstantial movement: precisely what throwing techniques and joint locks embody.
The three pillars of every throw
The effectiveness of a takedown does not rely on lifting weight through brute force, but rather on the rigorous application of three dynamic principles:
- 崩し / Kuzushi (breaking balance): the indispensable prerequisite. Attempting a throw against a well-rooted opponent rarely succeeds. Kuzushi is achieved by pulling, pushing, or twisting the opponent’s center of gravity. In Karate, a key method involves atemi (preparatory strikes): a sudden open-hand slap, a foot stomp, or a body blow may not be intended as a knockout blow, but rather to disrupt the opponent’s neuromuscular control. The moment their focus shifts to absorb or respond to the strike, their posture breaks down and balance is lost.
- 作り / Tsukuri (preparatory entry): once balance is disrupted, the distance must be closed. This involves stepping inside the opponent’s center of gravity and positioning your own center beneath their compromised balance axis. This stage requires maximum sensitivity and timing: entering the opponent’s guard momentarily exposes you, making it crucial to execute it only when their posture has already been compromised.
- 掛け / Kake (execution): the culmination of the technique. If the previous two stages have been timed correctly, the throw requires minimal muscular effort: the opponent falls almost naturally, aided by rotation and gravity.
Rediscovering the complete fabric
Hidden within the movements of classical kata are hip throws, leg reaps, and joint locks. Rediscovering nage-waza in Karate does not distort the art or borrow unnaturally from other disciplines; it simply reconnects the warp with the weft, restoring to this martial art the integrity and depth with which its masters originally conceived it.