How many ryus of karate are there?

[Andrew WA]

I always seem to hear about another ryu I have never heard of. Let me see if I can name them all.

shotokan ryu
ishin ryu
shoto ryu
shito ryu
gojo ryu
wado ryu

what else?? Is okinawan ryu one or not? I dont know much about the japanese. How many other ryus are there? Whats the differences of them?

[Andrew WA]

oh I forgot kyokoshin ryu.

What else is there?

Is anyone going to answer me?

[zhorner]

what about shorin ryu

[Toudiyama[NL]]

Matsubayashi ryu
Kobayashi ryu
Shobayashi ryu
Itosu ryu
the list goes on and on
In Japan and Okinawa more than 50 ryu
Differences from small to huge
2 main streams, one based on Nahate and one on Shurite
In Nahate related styles you will find muscle tension and deep breathing (ibuki, nogare)
Shurite, more on speed
Common denominator in all the Nahate schools are the form as is the case for all Shurite schools
Not that they have all the same forms but some are general for all.
For Nahate that is Sanchin Kata, for Shurite that would be Naihanchi or Kushanku
Because some styles like Shotokan changed over time, the differences can be huge even between a parent style and its offshoot (just look at Wado's Rohai Kata and Shotokans Meikyo kata)

[Andrew WA]

What does ryu mean anyway? Style?

WHat about kai? Is that something? I dont know japanese terminology.

That is amazing that there is so many different kinds of karate. It must be hard to tell differences. Are they all based on one thing or just different ideas all together?

[Toudiyama[NL]]

Ryu means river and school where in Japan Ryu is a family school and a Ryu ha is the one where the headmaster isn't a decendant of the founder

Kai means organisation thus Kyokushin-kai is the organnisztion of Kyokushin Karate


Kan means hall thus Shotokan is the hall of Shoto or Kyokushinkaikan is the hall of the organisation of kyokushin karate

Back to Ryu, on Okinawa, there are at least 3 styles of shorin ryu which in fact I already mentioned earlier

Matsubayashi
Kobayashi
Shobayashi

difference is mainly in the kata curriculum

Same is true for Goju ryu on Okinawa, at least 3 different schools

In Japan it is a bit different, not so much what specific kata are in the curriculum but a totally different approach to karate, new styles were founded on principles some on physical others on spiritual
For instance both Konishi founder of the Shindo Jinen ryu and Ohtsuka founder of the Wado ryu were experimenting with Kumite because Funakoshi karate didn't have that ( at least he didn't teach it)
For Wado there is also the yield rather than hard block ( or more general body movement is very important)
Because Funakoshi didn't teach bunkai along with the Kata, they are less important in Wado than the Kumite

Like Konishi and Ohtsuka, a lot of the founders of new styles in Japan were high ranked in other martial arts already and you will see that influence in their styles

Now in the west there were also quite a few ryu founded but Of most I have the feeling that the reason for founding a new school was either political ( hunger for power) or financial

And this closes the history lesson for today

[millie]

ryu means family

a family develope s efectiv tech
protects ' records and improves tech
passas on to the next generation but not everything
the journey is after all more important than the destoination