Ohtsuka Hironori – Father of Wado Ryu Karate
Prof. Hironori Ohtsuka was the founder of Wado Ryu Karate and a student of Gichin Funakoshi. Sensei Ohtsuka combined the Karate taught by Funakoshi with the techniques of Jiu Jitsu, shortening movements and stances, among other things.Ohtuska called his style of Karate “Wado Ryu Karate”, which literally means, “The way of peace”. In this sense, the word Wa (peace, harmony) should not be confused with nonviolence. It simply means that sometimes yielding, evading and transference are fundamentally more effective than the sole use of brute force.
Based on this realization, Grandmaster Hironori Ohtsuka established the following principles:
| Ten-i | Changing positions |
| Ten-Tai | Shifting body weight |
| Ten-gi | Applying techniques |
In Wado Ryu, a special emphasis is given to evasion. Evasive styles differentiate according to three basic rules:
| Nagasu | Breathe like water |
| Inasu | To let flow past |
| Noru | To envelope, wrap around |
Evasion is always accompanied by precise hits, targeted at vital points, and can be finished off with a throwing technique.
Click here for Wado book on the Karate Style of Ohtsuka Hironori
