Here is an older video recapping some of the throws (and variants) found in Morinobu Itoman’s 1934 book, “The Study of Karate Techniques”. Itoman was a police officer and wrote the book with a view to helping follow officers:

“I was a police officer and my life was focused on keeping order in the streets … I made use of my karate when on patrol and realised my follow officers could benefit from it”

When we were exploring these throws, we moved away from Itoman’s focus on criminal violence to also look their use in consensual fighting. Any method that deliberately places you on the floor is not suitable for non-consensual violence (self-defence) due to the inescapable fact that it places you in an extremely vulnerable position (see this video: https://youtu.be/apahr0ujVJU). Such methods are nevertheless very effective for one-on-one consensual fighting and, in my view, should also be part of karate practise.

It is possible and beneficial to study the methods of both consensual violence and non-consensual violence. The problem only occurs when the distinction between the two becomes blurred. The distinction was made clear in practise, but it is not explicitly spelled out in this quick clip. This clip was not intended to be instructional in nature but is instead a recap for those who were present. Viewers therefore need to be mindful of the appropriateness of these methods for any given context.

All the best,

Iain