Karate was once considered the ultimate strength in martial arts.
When did we begin to question the truth in the title of the 1970's Kyokushin movie "The Strongest Karate"? They were once such potent words that awoke a passion among adolescents.
Are there any men in their 40's whose hearts don't beat faster when they hear the title of that Kyokushin movie or"Ichidai the Karate Fool"the manga of the same era or title or names like"Bruce Lee"or the flying knee kick made famous by Tadashi Sawamura.
What this generation has in common is the belief planted in their minds as youth, that martial arts is the only way to gain strength.
There are many choices, for some it is Karate, for others it is Chinese Kung Fu or kick boxing, but whichever it is the belief that strength comes through punches and kicks is unshakeable.
This striking phenomenon can be understood by looking at the style of heroes before and after 1970. Before 1970 heroes had pro wrestler type supernatural techniques. However, from around the time of Rider Kick the heroes became the fighters with a martial arts background.
Although it isn't written in any history book, this was an upheaval in the national consciousness regarding fighting sports more important than anything before it.
It was this historical shift in thinking that laid the foundations for the belief that Karate was the ultimate strength.
There is probably no need to say how much strength and passion words like these held for men of that era. In a sense it was good that young people could be concretely shown an ideal type of strength. A desire to improve driven by the belief that if you work hard you will succeed was symbolic of the pop culture of that era.
However this unwavering belief was formed under the influence of a society experiencing an economic boom. Around the time the bubble collapsed in Japan, the Berlin wall came down in Germany and other news shook the established mindset, a crack was formed in the simple conviction of Japanese youth that if you work hard you will succeed.
It is no coincidence that the same thing happened to belief in the power of martial arts at this time. Needless to say what followed then was the rise of a style of Karate that included punches to the face and of fighting sports such as Jujutsu.
For those trained in Karate without punches to the face, K-1, kickboxing and other rules that include punches to the face are hard fights.
Even those who have mastered face punches are defenseless in a Jujutsu ring once they have been pulled down.
The belief that karate was the strongest of martial arts began to crumble. And for a young person, to have such a belief destroyed is a hard blow.
Not only did young people lose the belief that they could become strong they also lost the idea that if they worked hard they would succeed. As a result, while it wasn't as dramatic as the postwar ideological it has quietly but deeply permeated the thinking of today's youth and because of this it is difficult to handle.
What they need now, is a belief they can hold onto even if they are labeled fanatics.
Karate fanatics will create history
The messages in "The Strongest KarateÓ and" Ichidai the Karate Fool" are the same. To continue believing and continue doing one thing is a prerequisite to becoming strong.
If you do that with karate you will become strong. Non-contact karate, karate where protectors are worn, full contact karate and glove-rule karate all originate from a form of martial arts that included bare-fisted strikes to the face.@If from this point on we focus on pursuing a form of karate that allows bare fisted strikes to the face, it is a natural progression.
Here there is a split in ideology. Many people believe that punching the face is dangerous so they have concentrated on developing techniques such as throws, wrestling, and joint manipulation. This probably is another way to developed strength.
However those who don't learn punching and kicking first cannot expect to really develop wrestling and throws.
These varied perspectives are damaging to karate and it pains me to see the turmoil in the martial arts world and the confusion among young people.
However I am happy to see that in the karate world there are karate fanatics working hard each day in the belief that karate is the ultimate strength. First Keishukai tried fighting with bare fisted punches to the face and even took on Myanmar. FSA Kenshinkan held the Absolute tournaments that allowed strikes to the eye, kicks to the groin, punches to the face and throws. Mumonkai has worked on improving their counter attack to bare fisted punches to the face. Rishin Juku and Shien Juku continue to fight with bare hands. Those who uphold the tradition of bare handed fighting and those organizations who have come together for the Chaos-Madmax tournament are all pure, heroic, karate fanatics.
There are many dissenters but even those who won't dare to fight a dangerous fight can still support combat karate. However, someone must open the door to this kind of fighting or combat karate won't command people's respect as the ultimate strength.
If it's not a real fight then there is no respect. A fight that includes bare-fisted punches to the face, a fighter that dares to face the challenge of a fierce enemy. That is something we honestly hope to see.
Karate will become still more powerful. The fight to take back the title of most powerful has already begun.
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KARATE FANATICS FIGHTS TO RECLAIM 
