Tote-jitsu the Okinawan Roots of Japanese Karate and Taekwondo

Tote-jitsu is the parential art of both Taekwondo and Karate-do. Tote-jitsu is the original the martial art of Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyu Islands are also known as Okinawa.

Most of the martial arts of Ryukyu’s developed around three of its main cities: Shuri, the Capitol of Okinawa; and the two seaport cities of Tomari and Naha.

The martial arts were called “Te,” or hand (as in the techniques of hand-to-hand combat). There were three distinctive variations of Okinawan martial arts broken down regionally. The styles were named Shuri-te, Tomari-te and Naha-te after their respective cities.

Currently Tomari-te no longer exists having been absorbed by Naha-te and Shuri-te. The two propriotory kata’s, Wahshu and Rohai are still practiced today and are an example of what Tomari-te must have been like.

The martial arts were also known as Chinese hand or Tote-Jitsu. “To” (pronounced toe as in big toe) is a Chinese character that ambiguously can mean both China and void. The term void is often translated as empty and is what created the confusion as to whether Tote meant China-hand, or Void-hand.

The term void is a Buddhist term that means: vast and boundless, spaciousness, unity, emptiness, absence of distinction, nothingness, oneness, etc…. The Japanese have another word, kara, which also expresses emptiness or void.

Gichin Funakoshi who strove toward for self-mastery, believed that the term “kara” or void better described the ultimate outcome of martial arts training which was oneness with the all mankind. So he changed the name of the martial art he taught and practiced from Tote-jitsu(the title of his first book) to Karate-do.

NOTE:
This explains why in Korea some styles were called Tangsoo, the translation of Tote (Chinese hand) while other styles were called Kongsoo or Karate (Void/Empty hand).

It all begins in China "As to the Origins of Tote, there are many theories, however I am inclined to believe that this art was taught by Chinese men since there were many contracts made between Ryukyu and China from ancient days."

Choki Mutobu 1871-1944 from his Book "Okinawan Kempo" Published 1926
Click here to read the entire article about Tote-jitsu, the Masters that carried it to Japan and their Korean students that were to become the Fathers of Taekwondo.

In the spirit of wisdom,

Childan Sam Naples
Grandmaster Chun Taekwondo Jidokwan
Taekwondo-4self-mastery