About British Wadokai
Gary Swift 7th Dan Kyoshi describes the lineage to British Wadokai and the philosophy behind it.
Wadoryu Karate was introduced into the UK by Suzuki Tatsuo Hanshi in the early 1960’s, under the direct guidance of Ohtsuka Hironori Meijin. Suzuki Sensei was Ohtsuka Meijin’s most senior Instructor and was given the responsibility of setting up Wado under the Japanese Karate Federation throughout the whole of Europe; the forerunner to the Federation of European Wadokai (FEW).
The organisation that Suzuki Hanshi founded in the UK was first known as the United Kingdom Karate-do Federation (UKKF), later to be known as the United Kingdom Karate-do Wadokai (UKKW). This first Wado was still guided and maintained by Ohtsuka and with the exception of the Sanbon-gumite and Ohyo Gumite, which was created by Suzuki Hanshi, was a result of Ohtsuka Meijin’s own ‘authentic’ Wado karate-do at that time.
My own Wado was a result of this direct lineage from Ohtsuka through Suzuki, and has never been influenced by any other Wado outside of the UKKW - at the time I knew of no other Wado. In 1976, during the visit from Ohtsuka Meijin to England, I trained under Ohtsuka Meijin and attempted to attend all the courses that he conducted while he was over here. Many of the techniques I learnt from him ‘first hand’ have never been changed or altered. The concept of Nagashizuki and many of the Kihon-gumite have been ingrained into me from that visit. My 4th Kyu grading was conducted by Ohtsuka Meijin, and I am privileged and honoured to have his signature still on my UKKW licence from that day.
In 1982 Ohtsuka Meijin passed away, and left behind a great legacy for all of us to follow. However, following his passing, there was split after split within the Wado fraternity and Wado took on many different directions. During that time, although I was training at one of these ’split’ groups, I also trained with the UKKW and maintained my ‘authentic’ Wado.
I was still training under the direction of Suzuki Hanshi until at the end of 1989 when I decided that I needed to move on as the politics, even within the UKKW, became too much to burden. The politics revolved, I believe (through rumours), around the Founder’s son wanting to change various aspects of his father’s Wado, which Suzuki Hanshi disapproved of (again I must emphasise, that this was the rumour that was going around the Dojo at the time).
Soon after this, Wado had another big split, this time with the parting of Suzuki Hanshi (and other Japanese Instructors) from what was then, and now, the Wado Renmei.
British Wadokai are members of the root of Ohtsuka Meijin’s original organisation, the Japanese Karate Federation Wadokai (JKF-Wadokai England), under the direction of Sakagami Kuniaki Honbucho. Sakagami Sensei himself also a product of Suzuki Hanshi and Ohtsuka Meijin, and in my view the best Wado Instructor I have the honour to train under in the UK today.
In British Wadokai we still train with the Sanbon-gumite, which are very much misunderstood today, and in many Wado schools they have even been removed completely, which is such a shame as they can reflect so much of the Ju-Jutsu aspects and principles within them (continual contact, distancing, entering, etc.).
The Ohyo-gumite, which encourages aspects of free-fighting; another very important aspect of all Wado. Again, these are often misunderstood and have been taken out by many Wado Schools. However, saying this, some schools have replaced the original Ohyo-gumite with some more up-to-date versions, which also reflect these similar concepts within them.
I have been very privileged and lucky and have learnt much from many Japanese Wado Instructors throughout my time, and I have added to the training many new aspects, such as Tanto-dori, Idori, Muto-dori, etc.
British Wadokai is what it is, ‘British Wadokai’ - no more, no less; this is from where the Wado of today has evolved.
Gary E Swift.