About this article. This piece is written for mejiro.info. Intended readers: high-school students who practice karate, or are simply interested in it, and who are wondering whether they might pursue karate-related research at university. Purpose: to explain what it means to study karate as an academic subject, and to map out the paths available. Reading time: about 20–30 minutes.
A note on names and terms. Japanese personal names are given in the traditional order, family name first (e.g., Funakoshi Gichin), as is conventional in Japanese studies. Long vowels are marked with macrons where helpful (e.g., karate-dō). Key Japanese terms are explained on first use, and a short glossary appears at the end. Where a concept may be unfamiliar to non-Japanese readers, a brief explanation has been added in brackets.
Introduction
Karate is one of the most widely practiced unarmed martial arts in the world. Estimates of how many people practice it vary by source: figures range from around 60 million (in the karate introduction on the IOC’s olympics.com) to more than 100 million (a figure citing a KPMG study referenced by the World Karate Federation, WKF). At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021), karate was contested as an additional sport at the Nippon Budōkan in Tokyo.
And yet, despite how many people train in it, the idea of studying karate as an academic subject is still not widely known. History, thought, bodily technique, competition, business, regional culture — karate is an extraordinarily rich research subject that can be approached from the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences alike.
This article is for high-school students who currently practice or are interested in karate, and who are thinking, “I’d like to do karate-related research at university.”
1. Is the Karate You Know “Traditional” or “Full-Contact”?
Let me begin by asking you something. The karate you usually practice — or that you see on television and in videos — which of these is it closer to?
- The “sundome” style, in which punches and kicks are pulled up just short of contact (“point-stop”: controlled, non-contact striking)
- The “full-contact” style, in which practitioners strike each other directly, without protective gear
The former is traditional-style karate (lineages such as Shōtōkan, Wadō-ryū, Shitō-ryū, and Gōjū-ryū; the Japan Karatedo Federation [JKF] and the World Karate Federation [WKF] are the international governing bodies), and the latter is full-contact karate (which began with the Kyokushin Kaikan and gave rise to offshoots such as Shinkyokushin, Ashihara Kaikan, Enshin Kaikan, and Seidōkaikan).
In addition to these, there are many other lineages:
- Okinawan traditional karate (Gōjū-ryū, Uechi-ryū, Kobayashi-ryū, Matsubayashi-ryū, and others, rooted in the three lineages of Naha-te, Shuri-te, and Tomari-te)
- Protective-gear and face-contact rule sets
- Non-competitive “martial” karate (lineages that emphasize the study of classical technical principles rather than competition)
What I want to stress here is this: even when they are all called “karate,” the content of training and the underlying values can be completely different from one lineage or organization to the next.
You may have seen people on social media argue — a traditional-style competitor saying “full-contact neglects kata,” or a full-contact practitioner saying “sundome isn’t realistic.” But when you look at karate as a researcher, these very differences of standpoint become objects of study.
The starting point of research is not “which side is right,” but rather why several different “karates” exist, and what each of them values.
If you train at a traditional-style dōjō (training hall), try watching some full-contact matches sometime — and vice versa. Realizing that “there is a karate I don’t know about” is the first step into research.
2. What Kinds of Karate Research Are There?
When you hear “karate research,” you might picture explanations of history or technique. But actual scholarship is far more varied. Here are seven representative approaches.
① The Historical Approach
A body of technique once called te (“hand”; in the Okinawan reading, tī) in Okinawa came to be written as tōde (唐手); was adopted into Okinawan school physical education in the early 1900s; was publicly demonstrated on the Japanese mainland in 1922 by Funakoshi Gichin (whose surname was earlier written 富名腰 and later 船越, both read “Funakoshi”); and spread around the world after World War II. The historical approach reconstructs this process from newspapers, magazines, photographs, public records, and oral testimony.
Leading researchers in Japan include Kadekaru Tōru (who wrote his doctoral dissertation at Waseda University, The Creation and Development of Okinawan Karate: Tracing the History of Its Name), Kinjō Hiroshi (From Tōde to Karate, Nippon Budōkan, 2011), Hokama Tetsuhiro (A Chronological History of Karate-dō), and Takamiyagi Shigeru, Shinzato Katsuhiko, and Nakamoto Masahiro (Encyclopedia of Okinawan Karate and Kobudō, Kashiwa Shobō, 2008).
② The Budō-Studies and Budō-Thought Approach
This area tackles bigger questions: “What is budō (the martial ‘Way’; see glossary)?” and “Why is karate called a budō?” Comparison with other budō — jūdō, kendō, kyūdō (archery), aikidō, naginata — is central.
The works of Nakajima Tetsuya (associate professor, College of Education, Ibaraki University; Theories of Budō in Modern Japan, Kokusho Kankōkai, 2017), Uozumi Takashi (specially appointed professor, the Open University of Japan; former professor, International Budo University), and Sōgawa Tsuneo (professor emeritus, Waseda University) offer perspectives from which to put the history of karate in a wider context.
③ The Kinesiology and Sports-Science Approach
This approach measures punches and kicks using force plates (devices that measure ground reaction force), three-dimensional motion capture, surface electromyography (EMG), and inertial sensors, then analyzes them through mechanics, physiology, and neuroscience. Laboratories at institutions such as the University of Tsukuba, Nippon Sport Science University, International Budo University, and the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya are at the center of this work.
There are also many themes that connect directly to the competitive arena: reaction time and distance management in sparring, and injury epidemiology (especially the risk of head trauma in full-contact styles).
④ The Cultural-Anthropology and Sociology Approach
This is research that observes the small society of the dōjō from the inside, over time. It deals with teacher–student relationships, etiquette, gender, generation, and the relationship between the local and the global. Overseas studies such as Loïc Wacquant’s Body & Soul (an ethnography of boxing) and Greg Downey’s research on capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art and dance) serve as methodological reference points.
⑤ The Education and Physical-Education Approach
Since martial arts became compulsory in Japanese junior-high-school health and physical education in 2012, karate has been discussed as one of the available options. Educational research — “How does karate contribute to children’s character formation?” or “How should it be designed as school physical education?” — still has plenty of room for newcomers.
⑥ The Business and Sports-Management Approach
A dōjō is a classic subscription-based membership business. Monthly fees, churn rates, local siting, brand chains, certified-instructor systems — these themes are continuous with research on fitness clubs and yoga studios. The relationship between the WKF and the IOC, and the history of schisms within the Kyokushin Kaikan, can also be studied as questions of organizational theory and governance.
⑦ The Okinawan Studies and Area-Studies Approach
Karate is a cultural heritage of Okinawa. It cannot be discussed apart from the history of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the Satsuma invasion, the Meiji-era “Ryūkyū Disposition” (the 1879 annexation of the kingdom into Japan), U.S. military administration, the 1972 reversion to Japan, and the identity politics of present-day Okinawa. Centered on the University of the Ryukyus, the Okinawa Prefectural Library, the Okinawa Prefectural Archives, and the Okinawa Karate Kaikan (in Tomigusuku City) serve as research bases.
Areas with little existing research are precisely where the opportunities lie. Beyond those listed above, there are many under-researched themes: the representation of karate (in film, manga, and video games), the history of emigrant karateka, the histories of full-contact organizations, the history of female karateka, and the history of equipment (uniforms, protective gear, and the makiwara striking post). “There is no prior research” is not a reason to give up — it is a reason to step in.
3. The Appeal of Karate Research
Why is researching karate interesting? Here are just three reasons.
① You can turn “what your body knows” into words.
The discomforts and discoveries you have felt in training can be translated into words supported by historical sources, data, and concepts. The more you have practiced karate, the more deeply you can enjoy this work.
② A single subject lets you move between the humanities and the sciences.
Researching history, observing in the dōjō, measuring movement with sensors, analyzing the management of an organization — few subjects let you learn in such a cross-disciplinary way.
③ The “received wisdom” is not yet fixed.
Compared with jūdō or kendō, the scholarly study of karate is still thin, which means that even young researchers can say something new if they go back to the primary sources.
4. Choosing Where to Go (Part 1): Universities and Faculties for Research
There is no such thing as a “Department of Karate Studies.” What you will be looking for is a university with a research group (a kenkyūshitsu — a laboratory or seminar led by a particular professor) that fits your approach. Here are some representative options.
Physical Education and Sports Science
- University of Tsukuba (School of Health and Physical Education / Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences): The center of sports and budō research in Japan, with strong researchers in budō theory, the history of physical education, and kinesiology.
- Waseda University (Faculty / Graduate School of Sport Sciences): Sports history, budō history, sports sociology, and biomechanics, with a track record in the history of Okinawan karate.
- Nippon Sport Science University: Makes it easy to combine competitive-sports research with budō studies.
- International Budo University: A specialist budō university where you can study budō studies, budō history, and kinesiology systematically.
- Tokai University (Department of Martial Arts, School of Physical Education): One of the few universities with an independent “Department of Martial Arts.”
- National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya: A national university of physical education (in Kagoshima Prefecture), strong in sports science and biomechanics.
Approaching Karate from the Humanities and Social Sciences
- University of Tokyo (College of Arts and Sciences / Graduate School of Arts and Sciences): The science of human movement, the cultural theory of sport, and representation studies.
- Kyoto University (Faculty of Letters / Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies): Theories of body culture, cultural anthropology, and East Asian studies.
- Keiō University, Ritsumeikan University, and Kansai University: Sports sociology and media studies. At Kansai University, the budō-history researcher Professor Alexander Bennett, who is from New Zealand, can supervise budō research in English.
- Ibaraki University (College of Education): Associate Professor Nakajima Tetsuya (modern budō theory).
- University of the Ryukyus (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences / Faculty of Global and Regional Studies): The home base of Okinawan studies, Ryūkyūan history, and area studies — the strongest candidate if you want to study karate in the context of Okinawan culture.
- Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts: Ryūkyūan performing arts and the study of body culture.
Tips for Choosing a Research Group
Far more important than the name of the university is how well you fit with the professor who will supervise you. Once you have a university in mind, try the following.
- Use syllabi and researcher databases (KAKEN, researchmap, and CiNii Research — public databases of Japanese academic researchers and their publications) to find faculty who have written papers on karate, budō, or sports history.
- Read one or two of that professor’s papers.
- If you can, ask them a question in person at an open campus or an admissions consultation.
Hardly any university professor will react badly to a high-school student who can say, “I read your paper on ◯◯, and it made me interested in ××.”
5. Choosing Where to Go (Part 2): If You Want to “Keep Practicing” Karate at University
Many of you will want to keep training yourselves, alongside your research. There are broadly three ways to do this.
A. Continue at Your Current Dōjō
The simplest option. If you don’t need to move away for university, you can keep training without changing your routine. If you do move, check in advance whether there is a branch dōjō of the same lineage in the area you’re moving to. Lineage websites and the dōjō-search pages of head organizations are useful.
B. Continue Through a University Club (Athletic Association or Circle)
Universities have “karate clubs” (karate-dō-bu) that cross lineage boundaries. Many belong to the All Japan Student Karate-do Federation, which offers an environment for aiming at national tournaments under traditional-style rules. Full-contact circles and clubs are increasing too.
Examples of universities with strong or historic karate clubs:
- Keiō University Karate Club: Founded in 1924 as the “Karate Study Group” (with Funakoshi Gichin invited as instructor) and recognized as an athletic-association karate club in 1932. One of the earliest university karate clubs on the Japanese mainland; Keiō’s own materials describe it as “the first university karate club in Japan.” It marked its 100th anniversary in 2024.
- Waseda University Karate Club: Its forerunner was founded in 1931 at the Waseda University First Higher Institute (a precursor preparatory school), and it was officially recognized in 1933 as a karate study group under the instruction of Funakoshi Gichin. It carries on Shōtōkan karate.
- Takushoku University Karate Club: A traditional Shōtōkan-ryū stronghold.
- Kokushikan University Karate Club: A perennial contender at the All Japan Student Karate Championships.
- Teikyō University Karate Club: Among the national top tier for both men and women.
- Nippon Sport Science University Karate Club: One of the leading physical-education-university clubs in competitive karate. It also maintains exchanges among physical-education universities, such as its regular dual meet with International Budo University (the “Nichibu-sen”).
- Tōyō University, Kindai University, Osaka Sangyo University, Senshu University, Hōsei University, Meiji University, and Chuo University also have well-established karate clubs.
- Tokai University Karate Club: An environment in which competition and budō studies are easy to combine.
- Ritsumeikan University Karate Club: Founded in 1935 as a “karate-dō club.” Having received instruction in Gōjū-ryū (from Miyagi Chōjun), it is the birthplace of Gōjū-ryū karate-dō on the Japanese mainland.
- Kansai University Karate Club: Founded in 1938.
Full-contact circles and clubs, as well as protective-gear karate competitive bodies, also exist at many universities. If you already know which organization or lineage you want to join, be sure to check whether your prospective university has a club or circle that matches “your karate.”
C. Train at a Dōjō or Branch Outside the University
If the level of the club doesn’t suit you, or if it practices a different lineage, you can also attend a branch dōjō or a neighborhood dōjō in the area. This suits those who prefer a calmer environment — training alongside working adults and children — without being bound by university club culture.
One thing to watch out for. University clubs with a strong competitive orientation can be demanding in terms of training volume, mandatory tournament participation, and seniority hierarchies. Before you choose, sort out for yourself what you want: to get stronger, to keep practicing, or to engage with the dōjō as a research field site.
6. What You Can Do While Still in High School
Finally, here are five things you can do now if you want to go on to karate research.
- Start by investigating the history of your own lineage or organization using primary sources. Read the writings of your lineage’s founder, or your organization’s bulletin and official website. It’s fascinating to check how far “what your teacher told you” matches “what is recorded in writing.”
- Encounter the “karate you don’t know.” If you do traditional-style karate, watch full-contact matches; if you do full-contact, watch traditional-style kata competitions — and watch Okinawan karate videos too. Jotting down what feels strange will plant the seeds of future research topics.
- Look at back issues of newspapers and magazines. Back issues of specialist karate magazines such as Gekkan Karate-dō (Karate-dō Monthly) and JKFan can be found in libraries and secondhand bookshops. Just reading issues from 10 or 20 years ago reveals how the karate world has changed.
- Become a little more conscious of your English reading skills. Karate research in English — both papers and books — is growing rapidly. Cardiff University’s journal Martial Arts Studies is available free online, so try dipping into one paper on a theme that interests you.
- Practice forming “small questions.” Rather than a huge question like “the history of karate,” practice posing questions within reach — “How have my dōjō’s monthly fees changed over the past 20 years?” or “How does one movement in a particular kata differ from lineage to lineage?” This builds the skill you’ll need to write a research proposal one day.
Closing
Karate is something you practice, but it is also something you can investigate, think about, and put into words. It does not yet have the scholarly depth of kendō or jūdō — but turned around, that means it is a field open to those who are about to enter it.
Going on to university is a chance to stand at that entrance. For anyone who thinks, “Someday I want to be able to put my experience of moving my body in the dōjō into my own words,” karate research can be a richly rewarding path.
I hope this article can serve as a map for that first step.
Want to go deeper? This article is a version of a more detailed research-introduction guide for undergraduate and graduate students, reworked for high-school readers. If you find yourself wanting to know more — about research methods, reading lists, and where to study abroad — please turn to the longer guide as well.
A Short Glossary of Key Terms
- Te / tī (手): “Hand”; the older Okinawan name for the indigenous fighting techniques that preceded the term “karate.”
- Tōde (唐手): “Tang/Chinese hand”; an early written form of “karate” reflecting a perceived Chinese influence. Later replaced by 空手.
- Karate (空手): “Empty hand”; the standardized modern writing, adopted in the 1920s–30s.
- Karate-dō (空手道): “The way of the empty hand”; karate understood as a dō (a “Way” of self-cultivation), paralleling jūdō and kendō.
- Kata (型 / 形): Prearranged solo forms that encode techniques; the core method of transmission.
- Kumite (組手): Sparring, ranging from prearranged to free.
- Sundome (寸止め): “Stopping an inch short”; controlled, non-contact competition striking, characteristic of traditional WKF-style karate.
- Full contact: Competition with actual impact; punches to the face are generally prohibited (Kyokushin and its offshoots).
- Budō (武道): The Japanese martial “Ways” (jūdō, kendō, karate-dō, and so on), which emphasize self-cultivation alongside technique.
- Kobudō (古武道): In the Okinawan context, the classical weapons arts (sai, tonfa, nunchaku, bō, and others) practiced alongside karate.
- Dōjō (道場): The training hall, and by extension the community that trains there.
- Karateka (空手家): A karate practitioner.