History of Wado

The name Wadō-ryū has three parts: Wa, dō, and ryū. Wa (和)means "harmony," dō (same character as
tao, 道) means "way," and ryū(流) means "school" or "style". Harmony should not be interpreted as
pacifism; it is simply the acknowledgment that yielding is sometimes more effective than brute strength.

The founder of Wadō-ryū, Hironori Ōtsuka, was born on 1 June 1892 in Shimodate, Ibaraki Prefecture,
Japan. In 1898, Ōtsuka began practicing koryū jujutsu under Chojiro Ebashi. From 1905–1921, he studied
Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu under Tatsusaburo Nakayama. In 1922, he met Gichin Funakoshi and began to
train under him. In 1924, Ōtsuka became one of the first students promoted to black belt in karate by
Funakoshi. To broaden his knowledge of Karate, Ōtsuka also studied with other prominent masters such
as Kenwa Mabuni of Shitō-ryū and Motobu Chōki. In 1929, Ōtsuka organized the first school karate club
at Tokyo University. Eiichi Eriguchi coined the term 'Wadō-ryū' in 1934.

In 1938, Ōtsuka registered his style of karate with the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai under the name of
"Shinshu Wadoryu Karate-Jujutsu." Soon after, however, this was shortened to "Wadō-ryū" (和道流). In
1938, the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai awarded Ōtsuka the rank of Renshi-Go, followed in 1942 by the rank of
Kyoshi-Go. It was around this time that Tatsuo Suzuki, founder of the WIKF, began training in Wadō-ryū.
In 1944, Ōtsuka was appointed Japan's Chief Karate Instructor In 1946, Ōtsuka awarded Tatsuo Suzuki
the rank of 2nd dan.

Around 1950, Jiro Ōtsuka (the founder's second son) began training in Wadō-ryū while in his adolescent
years. In 1951, Ōtsuka awarded Tatsuo Suzuki the rank of 5th dan, the highest rank awarded in Wadō-
ryū at that time. In 1952, the Wadō-ryū headquarters (honbu) was established at the Meiji University
dojo in Tokyo. In 1954, its name was changed to Zen Nippon Karate Renmei (All Japan Karate
Federation). In 1955, Ōtsuka published "Karatejutsu no Kenkyu," a book expounding his style of karate.
In 1963, he dispatched Suzuki, along with Toru Arakawa and Hajimu Takashima, to spread Wadō-ryū
around the world.

In 1964, the Japan Karate Federation (JKF) was established as a general organization for all karate styles.
Wadō-ryū joined this organization as a major group. In 1965, Ōtsuka and Yoshiaki Ajari recorded onto
film much of the legacy of Wadō-ryū karate. In 1966, Ōtsuka was awarded Kun Goto Soukuo
Kyokujujutsu (comparable to a knighthood) by Emperor Hirohito for his dedication to the introduction
and teaching of karate. On 5 June 1967, the Wadō-ryū organization changed its name to "Wadōkai."

In 1972, the President of Kokusai Budō Renmei, a member of the Japanese royal family, awarded Ōtsuka
the title of Meijin. In 1975, Suzuki received his 8th dan, the highest grade ever given (at the time) by the
Federation of All Japan Karate-dō Organizations, and was named Hanshi-Go by the uncle of Emperor
Higashikuni.

In 1980, as the result of a conflict between Ōtsuka and the Wadōkai organization over personal
withdrawals from the organization's bank accounts, he stepped down as head of the Wadōkai. Eiichi
Eriguchi took over his place within that organization. On 1 April 1981, Ōtsuka founded the "Wadōryū
Karatedō Renmei." (Renmei means "group" or "federation.") After only a few months, he retired as head
of this organization. His son, Jiro Ōtsuka, took his place. On 29 January 1982, Hironori Ōtsuka died, and
in 1983, Jiro Ōtsuka succeeded him as grandmaster of Wadō-ryū. The younger Ōtsuka changed his name
to "Hironori Otsuka II" in honor of his late father. In 1989, Tatsuo Suzuki founded the third major Wadō-
ryū organization, "Wadō Kokusai" (Wadō International Karatedō Federation; WIKF). (Kokusai means
"international.")

From one point of view, Wadō-ryū might be considered a style of jūjutsu rather than karate. It should be
noted that Hironori Ōtsuka embraced Shotokan and was its chief instructor for a time. When Ōtsuka first
registered his school with the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai in 1938, the style was called "Shinshu Wadō-ryū
Karate-Jūjutsu," a name that reflects its hybrid character. Ōtsuka was a licensed Shindō Yōshin-ryū
practitioner and a student of Yōshin-ryū when he first met the Okinawan karate master Gichin
Funakoshi. After having learned from Funakoshi, and after their split, with Okinawan masters such as
Kenwa Mabuni and Motobu Chōki, Ōtsuka merged Shindō Yōshin-ryū with Okinawan karate. The result
of Ōtsuka's efforts is Wadō-ryū Karate