| Abstract: |
The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of Karate in Japan.
The author is planning to investigate this in order for Karate to become
established as a leading Budo in Japan.Karate is a Budo that originates, and
was developed, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. People who practice Karate do not
use weapons, but instead their whole body. Punches, kicks and defense are the
three basic movements of Karate. In 2016, Karate was chosen as a new Olympics
sport for the games to be held in 2020 in Tokyo. It is said that there are
more than 130,000,000 Karate fans all over the world. Though Karate is
spreading across the world, the actual situation of Karate in Japan is not
clear. In Okinawa Prefecture, 81.8% of junior high schools offered Karate
classes in 2012. However, with Okinawa Prefecture as the exception, it is very
rare for junior high schools in Japan to give Karate classes. Instead, people
take lessons in private Karate schools.There had been no investigation of the
perception of Karate in Japan, except for in Okinawa Prefecture. Therefore,
the author conducted an opinion poll among university students. The
participants were 30 freshmen in a university in Western Japan. The results of
the questionnaire showed that very few young people were interested in Karate.
In addition, most students were not able to recognize even the basic elements
of Karate.The author then created a 20-minute presentation about Karate for
the students. The lesson covered the history of Karate and what Karate is
about. A video of the scene in which Karate is being practiced also formed
part of the lesson.According to the post-lesson questionnaire, student
interest in Karate increased. They wanted to know more about Karate, and
wanted to watch the Karate match. The results showed that perception was
significantly altered, even by the presentation alone. It seems that one of
the reasons why students were not interested in Karate is that they had little
opportunity to understand what Karate is.It would appear that Karate is not
firmly established in Japan, except for within the Okinawa Prefecture. The
author suggests that Karate organizations in Japan should try to increase
awareness of Karate all over Japan. They should also offer more opportunities
to enjoy practicing and watching Karate.Reference: Tetsuhiro Hokama, The 7
Samurai of Okinawa Karate, Ryukyu Shimpo Co., 2015. |