The word karate is composed of the Japanese words kara (empty) and te (hand). According to legend, karate originated about 1500 years ago in China. Gishin Funakoshi Sensei, the pioneer of karate, brought this practical combat system in 1916 from Okinawa, where residents were not allowed to wear weapons. When he demonstrated this Okinawan fighting system in Tokyo in 1922, he was so impressed by the strict discipline and etiquette of judo that he decided to integrate this into his school. This was the start of modern day karate.

Nippon Karatedo Genwakai has its roots in Gensei-ryu. This style was introduced around 1944 by Seiken Shukumine. Shukumine’s top students Tsugumasa Nangou, Tadaya Iwaya developed a ' better ' and more scientific style of karate, which they called Genwakai (1962). "Nippon Karatedo Genwakai Netherlands" has been around for more than 30 years in our country and is led by Shihan Akio Kobayashi (7th dan).

Genwakai karate is a form of budo and is trained as pure self-defence without weapons. The goal is to use a single technique to disable an opponent. By learning particularly effective techniques, the body itself is transformed into a weapon. The karateka is particularly robust and is able to optimally defend themselves with "fighting spirit".

Almost all parts of the body (hands, feet, knees, elbows, shoulders etc.) can be used to perform a self-defence technique. Together they form the karate weapons.

There is only one way to use these weapons in a proper and effective manner and that is to constantly repeat basic techniques during the training sessions. The body will learn to move without effort and in a natural way. This brings body, mind and spirit in balance.

Kata is a fight against one or more imaginary opponents.

Kata training is very important for karate, without kata there is no karate. Kata contains all the elements for creating a good fighter. A karateka must train the kata indefinitely to reach for perfection, this takes years. On Okinawa they have a saying, that it takes 3 years before one is able to master a kata.

The ultimate aim of karate is not defeat or victory, but the improvement of the character of the practitioner (Gishin Funakoshi). Karate is a martial art that can be used only as a self-defense and as a saying goes: In karate there is no first attack. Another saying is: A fight avoided is a fight won.

During the annual Dutch Genwakai Championships, you will be given the opportunity to test your level in the field of bogu kumite (fight with protection and helmet) and kata (fight against one or more imaginary opponents). Genwakai karatedo is a full-contact style which uses the bogu to come as close as possible to the true budo. Winning or losing is not important. The goal is to perform at your best and use pure karate techniques. The protection makes sure you can hit your opponent at full power but without adverse physical effects.