Wado-Ryu Karate-Do

There are many greater authorities of Wado-Ryu than me so I do not intend going into the history and philosophy of the style here, however I will give a very brief and general outline for those who know less than I do.

Wado-Ryu is the first purely Japanese style of Karate. Founded in the early years of the 20^th century by Hironori Ohtsuka, it is one of the most, if not the most complex forms of Karate, comprising a mix of traditional Karate striking techniques combined with locks and throws from Ohtsuka Sensei’s early training in JuJitsu. Ohtsuka was recognised early on as a Martial artist with very special qualities and was in fact Granted Menkyo Kaiden (acknowledgement of full transmission) in Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu by Master Tatsusaburo Nakayama before beginning Karate under Ginshin Funakoshi, the founder of modern Karate. Students from other styles will I hope forgive me for describing Ohtsuka Sensei and his style in such glowing terms, it is difficult to follow this style without being both very impressed by it and proud to have him as our founder.

Wado-Ryu is described as a ‘soft style’ of Karate. This is misleading, as while it may look like little effort is being used, in fact it is a very subtle but effective fighting style. The grading syllabus builds up from basic striking and body movement techniques to using the full range of Wado principals of Inasu, Nagasu and Noru. Students begin by learning basic moves that allow them to progress onto more complex techniques in pairs to understand and practice these principals. Whilst we do not train with weapons, Karate translates as ‘empty hand’ (how to fight without weapons) the influence of sword work can be seen in many of the movements. We do on occasions use the sword and the syllabus includes knife defences. Traditional Kata is also an important aspect and great emphasis is placed on this.

As mentioned earlier the style does not place any real emphasis on ‘sport’ fighting, though we do practice sparring a lot as students become more skilled. We do not use pads or mitts so a degree of skill is required before venturing into this aspect.

Mark Harland July 2004