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Martial Arts Gear
Sensei Masatoshi Nakayama 1913-1987 The original teachings of Nakayama Sensei, who was Gichin Funakoshi’s most loyal student and head of the famous Japan Karate Association (JKA) of old, are the cornerstone of the FBSKUI. It would be very hard to follow the Shotokan of Gichin Funakoshi today, though the basic principles are the same. Nakayama Sensei moved the system on, making it the most popular dynamic style in the world. Unfortunately, in the early days of Shotokan coming to the west, techniques were changed in order to make them easier for the westerner to understand, with a view to teaching the correct form of the techniques once an understanding had been gained. This was a grave mistake, as in many cases the techniques were never corrected, and karate-ka ‘perfected’ various ‘training’ techniques. Through the years as Shotokan grew and more senior instructors emerged, the original techniques of Shotokan seemed to have been forgotten or in some cases never learned in the first place. An example is found in the use of basic blocks. Some instructors just do not understand the technical use or the application, such as their use in attacking or defending. Another example is the use of front stance, in its narrow form (not shoulder width apart), which is very prominent in Nakayama’s kata. For certain kata movements, Nakayama taught to pivot on the heels when, for example, moving from kiba dachi to zenkutsu dachi – a technique alien to some senior instructors today
