20/11/2022
"At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, I felt that what we showed the world, on this unique occasion, was not the most beautiful image of karate. We have seen good athletes, but in a real fight, you don't move like that. Look at the two Kendoka: they don't jump, they stand in a natural position and when one of them sees an opening, it cuts with one blow. This is the spirit of real fighting. The way of moving that we have seen, these displays of joy or disappointment, are not the essence of Okinawa karate. We also saw hard-working technicians, but the katas should be as fluid as water... We changed the form and spirit according to the conditions of the competition. However, how many exercisers are motivated by playing sports? A small percentage. The others practice karate in its traditional dimension. When Jigoro Kano, the creator of judo, met Gichin Funakoshi and encouraged him to come to Tokyo, at that time there were other karate experts who were more impressive and stronger. But Kano did not favor them. He saw that Gichin Funakoshi had dignity and an attitude that seemed exemplary to him. After the Olympics, this is the advice I gave to the Japan Karate Federation: return to the spirit of Funakoshi. It is the mind that comes first." - Master Masao Kagawa
Photo from: https://www.nj.com/hudson/2010/10/karate_championships_demonstra.html
