Kanken Tōyama

Kanken Toyama in Karate Gi circa 1934.

Kanken Toyama, was born Oyadomari Kanken in Shuri, Okinawa, Japan in 1888 (Meiji 21).

He trained under: Itosu Anko and Itarashiki primarily, and under Ankichi Aragaki, Azato Anko, Chosho Chibana, Oshiro, Tana, Yabu Kentsu[1] and Kanryo Higashionna.[1]

At 9-years-old (c. 1897), he began his karate (Shuri-te) training under Ankō Itosu, and remained a student there until Itosu died in 1915. He also studied Naha-te under Kanryō Higaonna and Tomari-te under Ankichi Aragaki.

In 1924 Toyama moved his family to Taiwan where he taught in an elementary school and studied Chinese Ch'uan Fa, which included Taku, Makaitan, Rutaobai, and Ubo. Given this diverse martial arts background, the Japanese government soon recognized Toyama's prowess, and awarded him the right to promote to any rank in any style of Okinawan karate. An official gave Toyama the title of master instructor.

In 1927, he was attacked by a swordsman belonging to a koryu school, who may have had mistaken Toyama to another Karate practitioner he had grudge with. Toyama managed to subdue the swordsman after evading his swing, catching the swordsman's arm, and ramming the swordsman onto an earthen wall and fell unconscious.

In early 1930 he returned to Japan and on March 20, 1930, he opened his first dojo in Tokyo. He named his dojo Shu Do Kan meaning "the hall for the study of the karate way." Toyama taught what he had learnt from Itosu and the Ch'uan Fa and did not claim to have originated a new style of karate. Toyama had numerous Korean born people studying Karate, including Yoon Byung-in and Yun Kwae-byung.

After World War II ended, Toyama donated hundreds of books to Okinawa Prefecture because his hometown of Okinawa was severely damaged by the war and there was a shortage of books for school children to read. Due to this achievement, the title of "Karate Dodai Shihan" was sent by Takanobu Shikiya, the first governor of Okinawa. Also, following the war, martial arts were banned by GHQ. To get around the ban and continue Karate, a handful of Toyama's highest ranking students formed a dojo named Kanbukan (Hall of Korean Martial Arts) and appointed Yun Kwae-byung (who had a special status as third country person) as its director to avoid being shut-down by GHQ.

On December 10, 1947, Toyama was assaulted by an intoxicated American soldier without warning. Toyama did not resist the attack and allowed the soldier to beat him. Eventually, the American soldier tired of beating him and ran away. Toyama was not seriously injured by the incident.

Around 1948, Toyama had a dispute with Gichin Funakoshi over the "head family of karate". Toyama, who admits to being a direct disciple of Itosu, argued that Funakoshi was only a sideline under the Itosu gate (Funakoshi was a direct disciple of Anko Asato), and that those who were not directly connected to Itosu were not legitimate Okinawa Karate. Another issue in this controversy was that Toyama was a graduate of the Okinawa Normal School, while Funakoshi was from the Hayashi course (one-year course) of the Okinawa Prefecture Normal School. Toyama argued that only those who learned from Itosu in the main course of the Normal School were the successors to Itosu.

However, Itosu began teaching at the Normal School in 1905, and even though Funakoshi was enrolled in the main course, he was born in 1870. Funakoshi could not have had the opportunity to study under Itosu. In any case, through the Toyama-Funakoshi controversy, it seems certain that there was a sense of discrimination between direct and collateral among the disciples of Itosu.

Toyama held demonstration at the National Karatedo Championships (currently the National Karatedo Championships with Armor) started by his disciples.

When the former All Japan Karatedo Federation (currently the All Japan Karatedo Federation Renbukai) was established in 1951, Shudokan became the general headquarters, and Toyama contributed to the spread of karate as a sport of Armored Karate as a master. Around this time, Tsuru Shobo published books such as "Mysterious Secret Karatedo," "Protective Training Karatedo," and "Karadodo Daihokan."

Toyama believed that "there is no school in karate" and he has maintained a non-school principle throughout his life. Kanken Toyama died on November 24, 1966 in Shuri, Okinawa.

Toyama, who admits to being a direct line of Anko Itosu, has maintained a non-school principle throughout his life, did not give the school name to his karate, and denied the existence of the school itself. The theory is that "there is no reason why the most solemn feat should have two or three different styles of feats."[2] Toyama said, "It is the usual way of karate to practice in various ways, and it is fundamentally different from the school," said all of the things that were named the school at that time. I thought that it should not be established as a school, considering it as a difference in the training of.

In his book "Karate Dodaihokan," Toyama talked about Shorin-ryu and Shorei-ryu, which were already well known at the time, by writing: "It is being told to the world as if this second class now exists, but there is no solid basis or evidence on historical facts."[3] He insisted that they were integrated in the same format.

In addition, regarding the various schools that were born in the early Showa period, Toyama himself asked questions when he met Kenwa Mabuni of the Shito-ryu and Chojun Miyagi of the Goju-ryu, and Mabuni said, "Isn't it more meaningful to give it a name, and it's also meaningful to think of your teacher?" Miyagi said, "Because people in the world are not aware of karate, the whole picture is expressed in two letters, Go and Juu. "In the end, the name of the karate is meaningless because it is a genuine Okinawan karate with no style or school."

In addition, regarding the fact that new schools were frequently born at that time, "Recently, there are some unknown karateka who have introduced a strange new name. These are people who do not know the whole picture of orthodox karate."[4]

The individuals listed below are Shudokan pupils of Toyama as listed in Karate-Do Tai Hokan.[6] The translated partial list includes the karate-do shihan and hanshi title license and high degree rank (fifth dan to eighth dan). The '*' symbol indicates persons and organizations that did not train directly with Toyama, but were confirmed as members with the responsibilities of the shihan title and high degree rank. The '?' symbol indicate partial or missing translations.

Other students awarded shihan and hanshi title license and high degree rank but not referenced in Karate-Do Tai Hokan.

• "Karate / Okute Secret" Tsuru Shobo
• "Karate Daihokan" Tsuru Shobo
• "Introduction to Karatedo" Tsuru Shobo

• List of karateka

• Ryozo Fujiwara "History of Martial Arts" Baseball Magazine ISBN 4583028148
• Kozo Kaku "Interesting History of Japanese Martial Arts" Mainichi Newspaper ISBN 4620720763
• Shigeru Takamiya, Katsuhiko Shinzato, Masahiro Nakamoto "Okinawa Karate Kobudo Encyclopedia" Kashiwa Shobo ISBN 978-4-7601-3369-7

• International Shudokan Karate home