Interview/Writer : Daniel Mardon
Photographer/Translator : Yuko Takahashi

Daniel Mardon, “The karateka-therapist”

Physiotherapist and longtime martial-arts practitioner, Daniel Sensei lives in Okinawa. One of his passions is to find unique Dojo with strong personalities that will leave an imprint forever.  With his wife Yuko Takahashi, who is a great Karate historian, they let us discover many hidden aspects of Okinawa Karate…

This special series of articles proposes to explore the original spirit of Karate.  Today, the subject is: 

KARATE NO HI (Karate Day)

Each year, Okinawa Prefecture pays tribute to its ancestral Karate with two official annual celebrations. The first is imperatively held on October 25 and is called 奉納演武 (Hōnō enbu), which is translated by “Inaugural
dedication”.

The access is restricted due to the solemnity of this commemoration.  The memory of the ancestors who created Karate is honored by their lineal descendants and disciples.  This year, the ceremony regrouped, on top of the
Presidents of the 4 federations, 7 holders of the prestigious “Intangible cultural asset” award.  Therefore, 11 Sensei gave in turn a Kata-demonstration in honor of their art. 　The 7 “Intangible assets” are Kikugawa Masanari (Goju-ryu Hanshi 10th Dan), Maeshiro Morinobu (Shorin-ryu Hanshi 10th Dan), Iha Kotaro (Kobudo Hanshi 10th Dan), Nakahodo Tsutomu (Uechi-ryu Hanshi 10th Dan), Nakamoto Masahiro (Kobudo Hanshi 10th Dan),
Takara Shintoku (Uechi-ryu Hanshi 10th Dan), Higaonna Morio (Goju-ryu Chief Shihan).  The 4 Presidents are Ikemiyagi Masaaki (Goju-ryu Hanshi 9th Dan), Yagi Meitatsu (Goju-ryu Hanshi 10th Dan), Nakazato Minoru (Shorin-ryu Hanshi 10th Dan) Kobayashi, Taira Yoshitaka (Shorin-ryu Hanshi 10th Dan) Matsubayashi.

The second event is more popular and festive and is open to all, but given its international success, it is now subject to fairly strict regulations.
It is generally held on the last Sunday of October and it occupies entirely Kokusai Dori; which means “International Street” and therefore perfectly fits the intention to invite the whole world.

The name given to this event is 記念演武祭 (Kinen enbusai) and the Prefecture translates it as “Commemorative performance”.

Karateka from different styles and different parts of the world demonstrate their techniques acquired through a long and rigorous training.  This is done in mutual respect for other styles or groups. The desired message is to
convey peace and well-being…. It is therefore a festival of Kata and Kihon chosen by each Dojo that the members perform together.  During this Sunday, October 27, 2024, more than 2,200 participants took part in this marathon performance on this mythical 1.6-kilometer-long street, also called the “miracle mile”.  Right after the opening ceremony, the Kata “Fukyūgata I, II, III” were done in unison at the command of Yagi Meitatsu Sensei. Then, for the ending ceremony each group performed a “50 Seiken tsuki” for world peace commanded by Nakazato Minoru Sensei.

With a temperature of 33 C and under a burning sun, we all sweated profusely in our thick Do-Gi. Fortunately, ritual music resonated to motivate us. To a Brazilian TV production that gave me an interview, I suggested a small comparison with the Samba schools at the Rio Carnival and they indeed found a certain similarity.

Kokusai Dori/”Miracle-mile” during “Karate-Day”. Yagi Meitatsu Sensei is the Master of ceremony.

Higaonna Morio Sensei watching his disciples in action.

Red carpet with Shimabukuro Zenpo and Yagi Akihito Sensei.

Kata Bassai Dai with 2 Friends (Fuad & Moncef Sensei)

What does “Karate-Day” represent?

Okinawa [more precisely the ancient kingdom of the Ryukyu], has represented for 700 years [or more according to some experts], the land and the synthesis of several forms of martial arts probably inherited from the “Silk
Road”… The evolution of these different systems including the ancestral 手(てぃー) “Tè-i” and the more recently imported 唐手(とうてぃー) “Tō-Tè-i” (Hand of China), caught the interest, particularly in certain parts of the world.  We know of the migrations from Tomari port to Hawaii and to South America at the end of the 1800’s. This has also been the case with Japan and particularly after the invitation of Gichin Funakoshi and his son
Gigo/Yoshitaka to Tokyo in the 1920’s.  This aroused the interest that we know among the government authorities of Imperial Japan. Okinawa probably became motivated to participate in this new boom for Karate.

At 4:00 pm on October 25th 1936, took place the famous historical meeting organized by the newspaper Ryukyu Shinpo and led by Nakasone Genwa; a Karateka-journalist-politician who was influential at the time.

A group of 19 persons, including 8 Karateka, leaders of the various trends, as well as eleven representatives of the Prefecture, were brought together to try to define the best attitude to adopt towards the evolution of Karate.

It was decided during this meeting that the ideogram 唐 “Tō” (China); which represents the first of the two Kanji of 唐手 “Tō-Te” (China-hand) would be changed to 空 “Kara” (empty) while keeping 手 “Te” (hand).  Thus, the new name became 空手 “Kara-Te” (empty-hand).

It is also during these series of meetings that the Karate-Gi was adopted for all styles and that the value of the maxim “Karate ni sente nashi” (There is no first attack in Karate) was reaffirmed.  If this rule of conduct was not directly inspired by Funakoshi Sensei, he is the one who put together those four well-chosen words.

From this special day, 空手(or からて) became the official label for Karate.
Nowadays, “Karate Day” also inculcates new values of peace and consideration that should be used before force. The concept of “nuchidu takara”, meaning in Uchinaaguchi that “life is a treasure and that we must respect everything that lives around us”, is a powerful message delivered to us.

Today’s Okinawans believe that their ancestors helped to create a bridge from their home to the world, through their travels, their exchanges and perhaps also through their Karate.

Voices from the Masters and voices from the archives… When and by whom “Karate Day” was inspired?

The role of the reporter should not be limited to reporting legends and usual stories, nor to bring lies to history. The history of Okinawa Karate greatly varies due to the lack of official writings, errors in translation or omission. This is why Yuko Takahashi and I sometimes spend weeks on a single article, in order to satisfy our publisher and our readers. A real investigation is at work.  Lucky to have access to both Japanese and American archives [which are sometimes more detailed], we can provide quite detailed and accurate information. Through the very frequent and friendly relations we have with Shimabukuro Zenpo Sensei, we were able to meet and sympathize with Mr. Hamakawa Ken, 84 years old, who was for a long time the editor and the Karate specialist of the famous “Ryukyu Shinpo”. The very same newspaper which was at the origin of the legendary meeting of October 25, 1936.  He is the man who has spent his life to “reunite what was dispersed” in order to make Okinawa Karate better and he has a determining role in Karate since the 80’s.

When I ask Hamakawa-san if he is himself a Karateka, he humbly answers that he has never been anything other than a “servant” for Karate!  His wife, disciple of Higa Minoru Sensei, is still today Kancho of a very active Dojo.

Mr. Hamakawa recalls that it was in the eighties that he discovered a dusty file which mentioned a vague project of 武 “bu”(war), 芸 “gei”(art), 祭 “sai”(festival) from the tourism office…

He talks with his colleagues at the newspaper and proposes to take back this idea of “Karate Festival”.  He begins by making an appointment with a person of high authority in the Karate of that time; Master Nagamine Shoshin
(1907-1997).  This Karate legend Sensei has served as a police officer and later as the mayor of Naha, but above all he is the one who created the first two of the four federations still existing today. Nagamine Sensei likes the idea and asks him to also go discuss it with other influential masters like Yagi Meitoku, Higa Yuchoku and Uechi Kanei.  Only Uechi Kanei could not receive him, because he was not feeling well.  In April 1989, after long efforts, Ken Hamakawa is happy to hold the first 武 芸 祭 Bugeisai in the brand new Convention center in Ginowan.  2000 Karateka participated and it was a huge success.  Eight other festivals of this kind were held and it is said that they would have permitted for Okinawa Karate to be popularized to the point of being invited to the J.O. in Atlanta in 1996.

In July 1996, the delegation to the Atlanta J.O. led by Nakazato Shugoro Sensei also included the presence of Ken Hamakawa and Shimabukuro Zenpo Sensei (who also was a member of the board of the “Rengokai”).

With Yagi Meitatsu, Master of ceremony.

With Nakahodo Tsutomu & Higaonna Morio Sensei.

When did the “Karate Day” project start?

It should be noted that with the Bugeisai success, which was only an occasional festival, Mr. Hamakawa had decided to create in 1990, a group named “Konwakai”. During the years, Mr. Hamakawa has proposed 7 projects such as; 1)“Intangible Cultural Property”, 2) hosting traditional Karate world Championships, 3)”Karate Day”, 4) construction of a “Karate Kaikan”, 5) development of a “Karate Mecca”, 6) teaching theory through a “Karate University”, 7) yearly designation from Japan of “Living National Treasures” for artists. Today, 1-2-3-4 have been realized.

Number 3 [Karate day] had the intention to propose a special annual day to put on the calendar to celebrate Karate. Mr. Hamakawa wanted to choose a date based on historical facts and found 3 dates corresponding to 3 historical Karate events.

-1) The day Karate will become a prefectural designated “intangible cultural asset”.
-2) The day the new spelling 空手 for Karate first appeared.
-3) The day the name Karate was officially unified as 空手(empty hand)

The second proposal was the most interesting, but several controversies took place.  It was said that Funakoshi Gichin Sensei had used this Kanji a lot in his poetry, but that Hanashiro Chōmo Sensei (1869-1945) first used the characters “empty hand” in 1905.

The third was therefore adopted. The members spent days leafing through newspapers from the Meiji period to the prewar period and digging through documents in the public archives. The deciding factor was an article from the Ryukyu Shinpo on October 26, 1936 (Showa 11) The head of the research team, Tamayori Hidemi, found in the archives the following:  “The name was unified to “Karate” and a promotion association was formed!  All the masters in the prefecture were invited to a roundtable for a lively discussion.” The article states that in order to promote the future development of 唐手 “Tō-Te”, it was agreed that the name should be unified and adopted as ‘空手“Kara-Te”.

The Rengokai (federation created by Hamakawa Ken from the Konwakai in 1993) decided that October 25 [the date the name was agreed in 1936], would be designated as “Karate no Hi”.  On January 29, 2005, at the “Regular New Year’s Gathering,” they announced their intention to petition the prefecture.

Mr. Hamakawa put together a draft resolution, prepared several documents, including a petition to the assembly and a “Karate Day Declaration Draft,” and submitted the petition on March 14.  Finally, on March 29, 2005, “Karate Day” was resolved and proclaimed at the prefectural assembly plenary session.

It was also through the Konwakai, the Commemorative Events Committee, and the Ryukyu Shinpo that the “Hōnō enbu” (Inaugural dedication) has been celebrated religiously since 1992 at Shuri Castle.

First time “Karate no hi” is held in open-air (2011). Shimabukuro Zenpo Sensei was the Master of ceremony.

With Mr. Hamakawa Ken & Yuko Takahashi Sensei.

The real and unique photo in the world of the legendary October 25, 1936 meeting-day. In fact, 19 people were presents and 8 Karateka were attending; Kyan Chotoku, Hanashiro Chomo, Motobu Choki, Oroku Chogi, Kyoda Jyuhatsu, Miyagi Chojun, Gusukuma Shinpan, Nakasone Genwa.

This photo that is mistaken for being “meeting-day” was in fact taken March 28 1937… 7 Karateka are presents; Kyan Chotoku, Yabe Kentsu, Hanashiro Chomo, Miyagi Chojun, Gusukuma Shinpan, Maeshiro Choryo (secretary), Chibana Choshin, Nakasone Genwa.

Nakasone Genwa’s book reveals all the details about these events. What, where, when and why. The mistaken photo of March 28, 1937 was taken in fact during a work meeting to create “Kihon-Gata and Fukyu-Gata”.

Mr. Hamakawa Ken still writes books and is an amazing source of info and anecdotes.

Shimabukuro Sensei’s direct participation

Shimabukuro Sensei remembers well this great idea that had developed in the mind of the members of the group Konwakai… A popular 武 芸 祭 “Bugeisai”, could go very well hand in hand with the more solemn “Hōnō enbu”.

Shimabukuro Sensei explains their idea with a lot of common sense: – “In Japan, there are many days devoted to many things, including simple things like fruits or vegetables… Why Okinawa Karate could not have a Karate Day…???”

If “Karate Day” was finally approved March 29 2005, a lot more needed to be done.

It was decided that Hamakawa Ken would continue to present the concept to the Prefecture while the Karateka members of the committee would look at the technical parts and the implementation on the ground.

The administration and bureaucracy being what it is, it took more work and patience to get a green light on the ground.  It is important to know that any organization operates with a hierarchy that is controlled by men and that Karate is no exception…

In 2010 Shimabukuro Sensei became the Director of the “Karate no hi committee”.  Rather than a festival confined in a closed place, he envisions a large street event where the entire population could come.  He knows it will not be easy, but he goes to the authorities, to the police and visits the merchants in order to get permission from all of them.  His ambition is big, because he wants to bring together the four federations that tend to work separately.  His dream finally came through when, in 2011, the first official 記 念 演 武 祭 (Kinen enbusai) is invited on the immense courtyard named “Kumoji Palette” right across from the Prefecture.  Note that the name “Bugeisai” (Festival of the art of war) was replaced by 演武祭 “Enbusai”; 演 (demonstration) 武 (war) 祭 (festival), which better translates by “Kata festival”…

In 2012, it is the Prefecture that hosts the event and for 2013 it takes place at Shuri castle.  In 2014, Shimabukuro Sensei becomes the President of the Rengokai, in addition to his position as the Director of the “Karate Day” committee.  Since 2014, it has been Kokusai Dori that hosts this event. In 2016, Shimabukuro Sensei, still “Master of Ceremony”, led this open-air course that attracted a record number of participants.

3973 Karateka perform the same kata in unison, which culminates in a record-breaking participation rate and a Guinness World Record.

The “Hōnō enbu”, although having a longer existence (1992) will only become world-famous after the opening of the “Karate Kaikan” in 2017.  It has since been hosting this event every 25th October.  Hamakawa Ken tells us that the choice for the “Shurei no Yakata” (the outer Dojo of the Karate Kaikan) is not a coincidence. Its positioning allows to celebrate the event with a view on Shuri castle…

Shimabukuro Zenpo Sensei always has good stories.

Governor Tamaki Denny is also a great Karateka and is always on the front-line.

Daniel Sensei’s conclusion:

It took 15 years from the time Mr. Hamakawa made his proposal for “Karate Day” in 1990 to the final 2005 prefectural resolution…But it took several more years to finalize it!
Immense thanks to Mr. Ken Hamakawa and Shimabukuro Zenpo Sensei for their kindness, patience and friendship.  Without them, we could never have traced the story with so many details (which we cannot all carry in this short article).  I now understand better why Zenpo Sensei wants to say that Mr. Hamakawa is the father of “Karate no hi”.  However, I have also learned that Shimabukuro Zenpo Sensei has been a very important actor for the realization of the project.  Thanks to both of them for having this annual celebration.

With my friend Filippo Gaspardo Sensei from Italy.

With Yonesato Yoshinori & Kuramoto Masakazu Sensei.

With the French delegation.

Yuko Sensei/journalist takes great pictures and amazing interviews.

Brief historical reminder of the Okinawan federations:

(“Renmei” means “Federation”)

-1959 – Creation of “Okinawa Karatedo Renmei”.
-1967 – Dissolution of the OKR in favor of the creation of the “Zen Okinawa Karatedo Renmei” (All Okinawa Karatedo Federation).
-1981 – Split within the “All Okinawa Karate Do Federation” and creation of a 2nd federation; the “Okinawa Prefecture Karatedo Renmei”.
-1982 – Creation of a 3rd federation; the “Okinawa Karate Kobudo Renmei”.
-1990 – Ken Hamakawa creates a group named Konwakai.
-1993 -Creation of the 4th federation; the “Okinawa Prefecture Karatedo Rengokai” from the Hamakawa Ken’s group Konwakai.
-2005 -A meeting proposes the unification of the 4 federations.
-2008 -Creation of a unified Karatedo organization named “Okinawa Dento Karatedo Shinkokai” (Association for the promotion of traditional Okinawan Karate) and which governs Okinawan Karate since that day.

Zenpo Sensei & Mr. Hamakawa Ken, the 2 “fathers” of “Karate no hi”.

See you soon…

With Brazilian Producer Adriano Ruivao and his charming team of professional film makers.

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Daniel Mardon; the Karateka-Therapist 

Creator of Aromapressure® method and physiotherapist with a valid US license, Daniel Mardon was born in Paris.   One of his specialties is to teach and to perform lymphedema and subcutaneous tissue-damage care, after radiotherapy for cancer patients at medical institutions and subcutaneous tissue-circulation stimulation before and after surgery.
He was also a therapist for two famous soccer teams in Paris.    Since 2005, he has focused on producing top-class hotel spas in Japan, as well as physiotherapy education and awareness-raising activities for health care professionals.  Author of several books, among his major publications includes “The Physiology and Bodywork of Physical Therapy ” (Published by BAB Japan) and DVD “Daniel Mardon Aromapressure® Method ” (Pony Canyon). He regularly appears on television and radio shows, and has featured in numerous media publications.

『身体療法の生理学とボディワーク』（The Physiology of Somatic Therapy and Bodywork）
Co-written by Daniel Mardon and Yuko Takahashi
On sale now on the BAB Japan website!