Original subtitles

Is it an art of self-defense?

Or a sport based on combat?

Karate is known worldwide for its roots in Japan.

Spiritual development is part of the package.

But must practitioners really train like their lives depend on it?

And what is the ultimate aim of mastering techniques that can deliver the cuticle?

The answers lie in understanding the true meaning of strength in the martial arts.

Bushido, a union of body and mind.

Also, welcome to Samurai Spirit.

I'm your host Nicholas Pitts.

On today's show, I'm introducing you to Karate.

Of course Karate is my style of preference.

And 20 years ago when I first came to Japan as an 18 year old skinny little kid,

this is where I started.

This is the home with Ojo for the Kyok Shin and the whole world.

And we're back here just to find out exactly what that spirit of Ouse is.

Nicholas Pettis knows a thing or two about fighting.

20 years ago, he came to Japan from Denmark to

study karate, leaving behind his family and friends.

He committed himself to intensive training,

driven by a determination to become strong.

It worked.

He soon began winning tournaments.

And in just four years became the European champion of the Kyok Shin School of Karate.

He went on to compete in mixed martial arts and the

wind of the Japanese Grand Prix champion champion.

This is the main dojo.

This is where Nicholas studied karate's way of overcoming opponents.

He was a live in apprentice, training day in and day out, and

karate master, Masatatsu Oyama.

Oyama found in what has become one of the

world's most widely practiced styles of karate.

Kyok Shin karate, techniques capable of killing with a

single world, made him a legend as was his last pupil.

When I was 14 years old, I got into a street fight

with a kid that was a couple years older than me.

And I didn't know exactly what had happened.

I just remember getting kicked in the head and running away.

I got so scared that I actually ran away.

And after I ran away, I was hiding in someone's

garden, not to get my ass kicked anymore.

I was thinking I don't like this feeling.

The emotion of being so scared that I actually ran away was so overwhelming that

I decided that time that I needed to get strong.

And for some reason in my head, the word karate popped up and it taught me.

It kind of said, you know, if you want to get strong, you can do karate.

Nicholas's initial motivation was like that of many karate students.

He wanted to become strong.

He concentrated on ways of defeating opponents.

The spiritual aspects of karate were just enough to vote.

But that was them.

Now, he's determined to discover the samurai spirit in karate.

Karate has practiced in over a hundred and seventy-five countries.

More than fifteen million people are involved with it in one form or another.

It's the most widely known of Japan's martial arts.

But karate actually comes in a number of styles.

One of them uses protective gear.

The aim is to score points by delivering strengths to certain parts of the body.

Another style for goes the gear, but avoids injury by making little or no contact.

There's full contact karate.

Another

karate in which contact is beside the point.

The practitioner's concentrate on the form.

One of its main adherence was in the same school as Nicholas.

Before I started my journey on to find out what the true karate really is,

there's one kind of guy that I have to meet.

And he runs a dojo over here.

I haven't actually seen him for ten years, but we used to fight together.

This is us.

This is Kazumi Kazumi Kazumi.

Kazumi Kazumi Kazumi won the All Japan Championship

five times, a record that still stands.

Since retiring from competition, he's modified his style and opened his own dojo.

The former undisputed champion has met, but he's still intense.

It's revered as the strongest karate practitioner anywhere.

So when he speaks about how his approach has changed, people pay attention.

When the Kazumi son that I know from 20 years ago, or 15 years ago, was probably

the all-time strongest fighting champion in the full-context style karate in Japan.

And you were definitely a pinnacle that we were all aiming to get to.

What did you feel towards practicing and fighting in tournaments back then?

When I was competing, I only thought of winning.

But I also felt that karate was more than a sport, and that there must be something

to it that went beyond just coming out on top.

Over the years, I began to have serious doubts about what I was doing.

Even though I had put together a winning record, I started

to think seriously about the significance of karate.

I wanted to know what is karate, really.

I began to question what I was doing, the way I was approaching this martial art.

I now think karate is all about kata.

Kata means form.

It refers to the detailed patterns of movements that are

practiced alone to master the techniques of each school.

Kazumi now sees form as the source of substance of karate, its essence.

I believe that mastering the techniques of karate is the point.

And for that, you have to practice kata, the origin of all techniques.

As we all know, some people emphasize the competitive aspect of karate.

For them, winning is enough.

They may see it as everything.

My advice to them is go find a different dojo.

The reason I say that is competing in a match is artificial.

It's a situation that's made just for that purpose, not drawn from everyday life.

I think it's important to incorporate karate

into your life in a way that enhances your being.

Nikulus has always practiced karate with a

single-minded aim of defeating his opponent.

And Kazumi was once the supreme champion of that very approach.

His change of heart challenges the foundations of what Nikulus knows.

Maybe someone else is due for a change too.

Okinawa is the cradle of karate.

The strong spiritual and mental aspects of traditional

karate are still very much alive in these islands.

It's the perfect place to search for the essence of this martial art.

Okinawa is about 1,600 kilometers from Tokyo.

It's the far west of Japan.

The tropical environment makes it a popular vacation destination.

Until about 130 years ago, Okinawa prospered

as the Ryukyu Kingdom independent of Japan.

It still maintains a distinctive culture.

It has close ties with that country.

The original

Okinawan style of karate differs from the type

that Nikulus has practiced for many years.

This will be his first encounter with karate from Okinawa.

First up, the Okinawan Goju-yu Dojo.

Hi, my name is Niklas Perez.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Okinawa.

The Suhiro Hokama is a karate historian and researcher and an instructor.

Okinawa Goju-yu karate has branches in 32 countries.

I'm here today to learn about the Okinawan style of karate.

Oh, yes, please, welcome.

And I'm hoping you can teach me.

Yes, okay.

You are very famous karate and champion, and I know you.

And please, today, join us to karate, Okinawan karate, okay?

Yes, I would be honored to try.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, sir.

Okay, welcome.

Although they belong to different schools, karate gives them a common bond.

Nikulus receives a warm welcome.

After warming up, they do some knuckle push-ups.

Strengthening the knuckles is the first step in karate training.

The

most basic technique is the second, simply, four-fist strike.

A powerful punch carries immense destructive force.

This Japanese cypress board is three centimeter thick.

But sake and sticky goes right through it, even when the board's not mounted.

Through training, the fist becomes a reliable weapon.

This dojo practices a form of knuckle development that's new to Nikulus.

The students punch iron plates, as well as the floor.

If

you find what is going to do, they're building their bodies into this structure

when it seems you're walking in a knuckle, shitting metal plates.

It's part of their body, hammered into something, and look at this.

They keep at it, and at it.

That's not an expression we see in Nikulus wear very often.

Strengthen the bone by striking the bone, not the flesh.

That requires some toughening up.

Stretching bone against bone gets the job done.

But if you're not used to it, this kind of workout can be pretty painful.

This was my first encounter with the Okinawan karaoke.

Through their relentless training, the fist becomes

a destructive weapon that can kill one bloke.

I've heard about this type of training, but never done it.

Why do we have to, in the Okinawan karaoke, train the body so hard?

The makiwara wooden board is essential to karaoke training.

At our dojo, the floor also serves as a makiwara.

We beat the floor with our fists.

It's important to toughening the knuckles because

you need to use them in various techniques.

Different techniques call for different movements and different striking surfaces.

You need to be able to come up with the right

technique for whatever your opponent throws your way.

At our dojo, kids start breaking boards from the age of four.

Getting them to do this with punches and kicks

makes them aware of their power of destruction.

As a result, they avoid attacking people.

They realize the harm they could cause.

Karate training is very physical, but it also develops the mind and the spirit.

This is Karate.

It's a paradox.

On one hand, Okinawan karate fosters a reluctance

to engage in combat for fear of hurting someone.

On the other hand, people endure rigorous

physical training that enables them to do damage.

Nicholas is seen inside of karate.

He's never encountered.

His next visit is to a dojo at the school that's reputed to

have the harshest training methods of all Okinawan karate.

Who lets you to you?

That's the reason.

My name is Nicholas.

Instructor Shigeru Takamiaki has been added for more than half a century.

He's 75, and shows no sign of waiting.

A single blow for him is enough to kill.

Okay, everyone.

At his command, the jackets come off.

Attention.

Prepare for sunching.

Fast-controlled strikes arrive in perfect order.

The sound of controlled breathing fills the air.

This movement is essential to Okinawan karate.

Sunching.

It involves tensing the entire body to focus energy and channel it.

Some aspects of sunching training are beyond imagination.

An average pressure would keel over if struck by even one of these blows.

They land all over the body.

They're well-trained.

Otherwise, it would be impossible.

Striking and breaking down the muscles makes them come back even stronger.

Being on the receiving end of punches and kicks

makes students learn with their bodies and minds.

Eventually, they develop the ability to withstand pain.

Excuse me.

Can I ask you a question?

You were doing the kata sunching while bathing kicked and punched at the same time.

Didn't it hurt you?

Well, I've done a lot of training.

But when you're focused, you don't feel the pain.

Some people say no pain, no game.

But here, the rule is first, pain.

Then, gain no pain.

That was the first time to do the sunching kata.

I've done it similarly.

And in my own style, a long time ago, but I've

never been hit and kicked like that while doing it.

And it makes the kata become real.

Like, it comes alive.

You have to do everything 100%.

You know, there's no shortcuts in this car style.

I'm loving it, really.

I'm really loving the whole concept of how they feel about their

karate and building their bodies into indestructible machines.

It's just become as strong as you can at any means it takes.

And it's really, really good.

I'm loving this car.

See how the tire service has been worn down?

The rim is coming apart.

This was done with fingertips.

With your fingers?

Yes, yes.

Both hands, the toes too.

Both hands and the toes.

I actually need to replace this tire.

They don't last long.

This helps to toughen the fingertips.

Let me show you how powerful the technique is.

There's a hand chop.

And now the fingertips.

Like that.

I actually think he could have punched the hole in my arm if you want.

It's dangerous.

Yes, very.

That's why it's prohibited.

In competitions.

The technique is called nuki te.

A strike delivered with toughen fingertips is far more damage than a punch.

If attacked with a knife, many karate practitioners resort

to nuki te as a more devastating method than a punch.

Corontin Master computes a thick board or a soft piece of paper with his fingertips.

Next, free sparring.

Everyone wears thin gloves.

A strike to the body anywhere but the groan is fair game.

Speed is the key to a devastating blow.

Wow, look at the speed of you guys stepping in.

The distance is shortened to next to nothing.

In a flash.

Now Nikos becomes the target.

This isn't the way he learned karate.

Oh man, do you guys see that?

Tell you what, it's all different.

It's almost as different as plain tennis versus soccer or something like that.

So I had to adjust for whatever these guys do to get the points.

But the speed is different, the timing is different, the distance and everything.

But great experience, great experience.

Like all of the styles of Okinawan karate, the karate

taught in this dojo reflects the principle of non-combat.

But something inspires the intense training.

It's the kata.

Kata are said to embody the basic principles of karate.

The significance of kata becomes apparent when practicing with a partner.

Kata are defense techniques applied against an imaginary opponent.

They'll work with real opponents too.

They're beautiful to watch, but that's not the point.

Kata are made to be used.

They're ready when needed.

All of the kata are designed for the purpose of defense only.

That's true no matter what school of karate one falls.

In Japanese, the principle is expressed in the phrase karate ni santinashi.

There is no first attack in karate.

Avoidance of confrontation is the bedrock of Okinawan too.

Kata puts the idea into action.

In times gone by, sunrise drew their swords in a crisis.

What would a karate practitioner do?

This woman was attacked while studying abroad.

She was forced to use karate to defend herself against a huge adversary.

Ideally, one would never have to use karate techniques against people outside the dojo.

Unfortunately, I found myself in a situation in which I had no choice but to do so.

Even though her motives were pure, she still feels some remorse.

We asked the karate master why.

Isn't it what the techniques are for?

Why is that?

In a way, the dojo is where you master the techniques of killing.

The more you learn, the more apprehensive you feel about killing.

Why then do we learn techniques that aren't to be applied against an opponent?

The rationale is similar to that of nuclear weapons.

The more advanced the weaponry, the more we realize the danger.

I may be going overboard, but the underlying principle is the same.

It all comes down to how much control you have over yourself.

Whether you've developed the ability to maintain composure at all times.

The only way to maintain that kind of presence of

mind is through training with lethal techniques.

A lack of composure results in the escalation of conflict.

The straw

supports the principle of non-combat.

Once you've become a lethal weapon, you realize one

karate is gaining favor around the world.

Increasing numbers of practitioners are embracing the approach.

An instructor from across the globe are coming

to Okinawa to master karate as it's taught there.

You

never get angry for your legs to control your anger.

Everybody gets angry at some point.

But with karate, your legs control your anger.

So you don't necessarily have to fight.

Mastering that principle from training the combative spirit is the Okinawan way.

It's a gift to anyone willing to cultivate it in his or her own life.

One and only aim in practicing karate was to become a fighting champion.

I wanted to get the better of my opponent every time.

But in Okinawa, the cradle of karate practitioners see things differently.

They train to acquire lethal skills in order to avoid combat.

Once you have an arsenal of effective skills, you need

strong self-control to keep yourself from using them.

Nicholas visited a school founded by one of the leading proponents of self-control.

Another

dojo is Yasuhiro Kurema.

He places top priority on mastering the kata.

Students come to understand the true meaning of karate through their practice.

I now understand that in this dojo, kata is the main thing that you do.

If you don't do any fighting, how can you prove to other people that you are strong?

Okinawan karate is not about overcoming one's opponent.

Training provides a means of defense.

One should never initiate an attack.

One's true enemy lies within one's self.

A person should be able to control anger.

Okinawan karate is all about self-control and endurance.

So we have to ask, what is the limit of endurance?

Do you ever get to demonstrate your strength against an opponent?

The answer to that is probably never.

But what if someone attacks you?

For how long can you wait to do something back to this person?

If you feel that your life is in danger, for example?

You should wait until the verge of death.

Anything before that is premature.

Chor Shin Chibana was the founder of Shorin Liu

Karate, the style of karate practiced at Uima's dojo.

Chibana became known for superhuman strength in both body and mind.

His reputation was so large that it was believed that

anyone who could defeat him would gain instant fame.

One day, a bunch of thugs decided to find out for themselves.

Chibana, however, refused to retaliate and

refrain from using karate to defend himself.

The thugs beat him, making a bloody mess of his face and breaking his teeth.

But Chibana did nothing, saying that he was in no danger of dying.

Eventually, it was the thugs who relented and apologized.

This exemplifies his willpower.

It's about the endurance of mind and spirit.

If Chibana had put his mind to deflecting the

kicks, he could have broken his attack his legs.

But he felt that defending himself would just lead to further conflict,

so he decided against adding to the violence.

Developing the body expands the tolerance of

pain, but what really counts is self-control.

That was Chibana's message.

Not everyone can attain that degree of self-control, but

if you lose your presence of mind, you end up fighting.

If we all could endure more and control our anger, conflict would just fall away.

I shivered when I first heard this, but I wondered

whether I would have been able to reach that level.

True strength has nothing to do with muscle power

or mental determination to defeat an opponent.

It's about maintaining presence of mind at all times.

The former president of the Shrodin Leeu

Association learned the lesson from Chibana himself.

You must never hurt or kill an opponent no matter what.

That's why you need to have the courage to apologize.

Responding to your opponent's anger offers no solution whatsoever.

If you're strong in body, mind and spirit, you can

afford to step back and give way to your opponent.

You have to train until you reach that level.

Relentless training creates strength and compassion.

Avoiding conflict is the ultimate victory,

but only the strongest are able to achieve it.

Even if someone tries to pick a fight, you should be able to maintain your

presence of mind and even apologize if that's what it takes to avoid a confrontation.

Responding to an attack is the last resort.

You should only fight when there's no other means of escape.

But to do that, you need the courage to hold

back and defuse the situation before it worsens.

Nicholas gave training a try at...

This

is a place where Qatar is king.

Practicing the Qatar allows students to master lethal techniques while developing.

It's very simple.

Karate is all about Qatar.

I think it's important to incorporate karate into

everyday life so that it enhances your being.

Be the greatest strength of all.

Then what's the purpose of devoting years to the

practice of one of the most lethal of all martial arts?

The answer, according to Kazumi, is found in the Qatar.

Nicholas might not have been able to understand the message, but now he gets it.

Here's one of the basic Qatar of shooting the new karate.

As a teacher, what do you find the most difficult

to raise the young kids up to become proper karate?

As an instructor, I hope the students will become good at karate.

I also hope that karate will provide them with a gateway to the world.

I'm very aware of my responsibility to offer proper guidance.

If I don't do that, the danger exists that

students might use karate to threaten or to kill.

So conveying the true meaning of karate is essential.

The spirit of karate monsters and their

techniques is not unlike samurai and their swords.

Even the sharpest blade will rust and become blunt if not tended to.

That's why samurai took great care of their swords and trained daily.

But outside of training, swords were drawn only

as a last resort to fight for justice and honor.

No matter how high a samurai's level of swordsmanship, he was expected to exert

self-control to avoid unnecessary use of his weapon.

The say is true of karate.

A karate master possesses the skill to kill with a single blow.

That's exactly why confrontation is to be

involved in the karate techniques held back.

The sheath of a samurai sword is the self-control exerted by a karate practitioner.

The weapon is kept but not brandished.

And that is the true lesson that karate has to teach.

The strength of self-control and endurance.

Thank you for joining me today on Samurai Spirit.

On today's show about karate, I could have introduced

you to my own style and I would have discovered nothing.

Instead, as you saw, we went back to the roots to find out what karate really is.

For on the show, I realized that even after 20 years of

experience, I feel like I have only still scratched the surface.

And I've realized that the spirit of the more traditional

styles is about gaining the patience not to fight.

With great strength comes great responsibilities and understanding.

The self-control and understanding of the potential damage that

can be inflicted upon others or the tools taught in karate.

But in the end, peace and harmony are what true karate ka strive to achieve.

Peace!