23/06/2026
In January 1927, Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, visited Okinawa for four nights and five days to observe karate. On the final day of his stay, January 7, at Naha City Public Hall, he witnessed Motobu Chōki’s board-breaking demonstration and was deeply impressed by its power.
Seven months later, in a lecture delivered at Tokyo Higher Normal School on August 1, 1927, Kanō made the remarks shown in this image. This seems to be the only known case in which Kanō, in his writings or lectures, openly acknowledged the true worth of karate and of a karate practitioner. Motobu’s demonstration seems to have had no small influence on Kanō’s later study of atemi.
If you are interested in the historical connection between Motobu Chōki, Kanō Jigorō, karate, and atemi, please read the related article below:
Motobu Chōki's Influence on Kanō Jigorō: Karate, Atemi, and Seiryoku Zen’yō Kokumin Taiiku
https://www.patreon.com/MotobuNaoki/posts/motobu-chokis-on-118390915?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
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