AnkÅ Asato
Asato Anko (Japanese安 里 安 恒, sometimes the customer reading Asato Yasutsune; * 1827 in the Kingdom of Ryukyu, † 1906) was a master of the early karate in Okinawa.
He and Itosu Anko are the two main teacher Funakoshi Gichins, the father of modern karate and founder of the style ( Shotokan - Ryu ). Funakoshi is also the main source of the information which we are now about Asato known. Many articles that have been written recently about Asato are clearly the descriptions Funakoshi based
Life
Funakoshi learned Asato know when he attended the same school class along with his son. He later called him " one of the greatest experts of Okinawa in the art of Karate. " Following Funakoshi's descriptions of the Asato family to the class of Tonochi, a hereditary title of Local Government Management Board, and Anko was therefore had the powers of the Asato village between the towns of Shuri and Naha where he not only practiced karate, but also as a clever scholar, skilled rider, archer and swordsman ( he practiced Jigen - ryū - kendo ) was known.
Assessment
In an article written in 1934 Funakoshi he describes that Asato and Itosu had learned together under Sokon Matsumura Karate. He also tells how Asato and Itosu defeated a group of twenty to thirty attackers and how Asato in his home village troublemakers turned a trap. In his autobiography of 1956 Funakoshi are several anecdotes about Asato again, including stories about Asatos political skill in the implementation of the instruction to cut the traditional topknot Japanese men (pp. 13-14), Asatos victory over yōrin Kanna, he unarmed against armed with a sharp blade Kanna won ( pp. 14-15 ); Asatos demonstration of the finger joint ( ippon -ken; p. 15), as well as Asatos and Itosu's random, friendly test of strength in arm wrestling (p. 16).