| To give a generalized answer as to the differences between Okinawan karate and Japanese Karate, it is watered down. Part of this was due to Funakoshi's approach. He brought karate from Okinawa to Japan though it had already been slightly watered down when it was put in the schools in Okinawa, and more so in the schools in Japan, from what I understand. Then again, at many martial arts school, even more 'traditional' ones, there is not the necessity of self preservation as there was in the times prior to Funakoshi and his contemporaries. The threats of today are not exactly the same as those in the past, so certain aspects of training change with the times. We are unlikely to need to defend against katana-weilding samurai, so there is little need to include a full sword defense curriculum. As such changes have crept in, many schools have had their curriculum watered down over time. As Okinawa is the birth place of karate, it stands to reason that it has the most traditional, unchanged curriculum. |