International Shuriway Karate & Kobudo Society

•  OUR ART - RYUKYU KARATE JUTSU

Note that there is no requirment to change style or transfer to our art.

What is Ryukyu Karate Jutsu?

We believe the modern interpretation of karate, and its many variations, has evolved in to something quite unlike that which its original pioneers had in mind when first developed. And much of the interpretation of karate techniques has become completely unrealistic in its application concepts, which is often passed off as practical self-defense techniques.

After many years of being members of large Japanese and Okinawan karate associations, the founder of the International Shuriway Karate & Kobudo Society, Adam Carter, is no longer affiliated to any of these associations. After spending over 50 years of practice and teaching in the martial arts, he decided to finally make karate his own, to reflect HIS journey through the martial arts.

With this in mind, we decided that our karate should have a generic name with refernece to Ryukyu Tradition. Therefore, Ryukyu Karate Jutsu is a term that represents the 'old-way' (Koryu-古流) of tradition and practices. Ryukyu Karate Jutsu is not a new style in the modern sense. It is our interpretation of what karate should be with the sporting element removed, established as a pragmatic alternative to modern karate.

Ryukyu (琉球), is the name for the islands of Okinawa, the birthplace of karate, before Japanese annexation in 1879. The term "Jutsu" [術] means method or art.

The main difference in the way we practice and teach our karate, is the underlying philosophy that all our studies are based around the use and creation of techniques and principles used in actual civilian self-protection, rather than used in any sporting context.

Unlike modern karate which utilizes only punches, strikes, blocks and kicks, our training includes throws, joint manipulations, strangles, vital point strikes and ground fighting, derived from the old fighting arts of Chinese origin as handed down to the old masters in Okinawa. Our karate has elements of Shuri-te, Naha-te, Tomari-te, Hakutsuru, and Okinawan Kobudo.

The mission within the International Shuriway Karate & Kobudo Society is to help students understand the physical, theoretical and technical aspects of realistic pragmatic karate, with the sporting element removed. Principles based upon those which were created by the early karate pioneers before its modernization and the addition of any sporting rules and regulations.