A

B

C

Chūō

Chūō is one of the central wards of Tokyo, historically associated with commerce, publishing, and administrative activity. Its proximity to academic and cultural institutions made it an important area for intellectual exchange in modern Japan.

D

E

Engaku-ji 円覚寺 

Engaku-ji is one of the principal Zen temples of Kamakura, founded in 1282. It played a key role in the transmission of Zen Buddhism and became a reference point for intellectuals and martial artists interested in discipline, meditation, and ethical cultivation.

F

G

H

Hiroshima

Hiroshima is a Japanese city forever marked by the atomic bombing of 1945. In the context of postwar Japan, it symbolizes destruction, reconstruction, and the ethical questioning of violence—an unavoidable background for martial traditions after the war.

Hombu-dōjō — 本部道場 

The central dōjō or official headquarters of an organization. 

I

J

Japan

Japan is the cultural and historical framework within which Karate-Dō was reinterpreted and systematized in the 20th century. Its educational institutions, social reforms, and martial traditions shaped the evolution of karate from Okinawan practice to national discipline.

Jimbōchō

Jimbōchō is Tokyo’s historic book district, known for publishers, bookstores, and academic exchange. It represents the intellectual environment in which martial arts texts, philosophy, and pedagogy circulated.

K

Kagoshima

Kagoshima is a southern Japanese city historically linked to the Satsuma domain. It played an important role in Japan’s modernization and military tradition during the Meiji period.

Kamakura

Kamakura was the seat of the Kamakura shogunate and remains a major center of Zen Buddhism. Its temples and intellectual climate deeply influenced Japanese concepts of discipline, austerity, and the martial path.

Kantō

The Kantō region encompasses Tokyo and surrounding prefectures. It became the political, educational, and cultural center of modern Japan, and the primary stage for the institutional development of Karate-Dō.

Keio University

Keiō University is one of Japan’s most prestigious private universities. It played a significant role in the introduction of modern martial arts into academic settings.

Kodokan

The Kōdōkan, founded by Jigorō Kanō, is the headquarters of Jūdō. It provided a model for how martial arts could be systematized and integrated into education, influencing the acceptance of Karate-Dō in Japan.

Kumamoto

Kumamoto is a historic city on Kyūshū, known for its castle and samurai heritage. It represents the regional martial culture of southern Japan.

Kyushu

Kyūshū is Japan’s southernmost main island. Its proximity to Okinawa and historical openness to external influences made it culturally significant for martial traditions.

Kyoto

Kyōto, the former imperial capital, is a center of classical Japanese culture. Its traditions of art, ethics, and discipline influenced the philosophical framing of martial paths.

L

M

Mejiro

Mejiro is a residential and academic area of Tokyo. It is associated with early dōjō locations and the quiet, non-commercial practice of martial arts.

Myogadani

Myōgadani is a Tokyo neighborhood near several universities and training halls. It became associated with academic life and martial instruction.

N

Nagasaki

Nagasaki is a historic port city that long served as Japan’s window to the outside world. Its openness symbolizes cultural exchange and transmission.

Nagoya

Nagoya is a major industrial and cultural center. It played a role in the regional spread of martial arts during the early Shōwa period.

Naha

Naha is the capital of Okinawa and a central location in the history of karate. Many key figures lived, trained, and taught in or around the city.

O

Ōita (大分)

Tipo: Lugar
Ubicación: Isla de Kyūshū, Japón

Ōita es una prefectura japonesa situada en la isla de Kyūshū. Aunque no corresponde a una persona, la región es relevante en el contexto cultural y marcial japonés por su proximidad a Okinawa y su participación indirecta en los intercambios históricos entre el Japón continental y las tradiciones okinawenses.

Okinawa

Okinawa is the birthplace of karate. Its unique history, shaped by indigenous culture, Chinese influence, and Japanese annexation, defines the roots of the art.

Osaka

Ōsaka is one of Japan’s largest cities and an important hub for commerce and education, contributing to the dissemination of martial arts.

P

Paysandú, Uruguay

Paysandú is one of the most important cities in western Uruguay, the capital of the department of the same name, and a significant cultural, historical, and tourist center of the country. It is located on the eastern bank of the Uruguay River, opposite the Argentine city of Colón (Entre Ríos Province), and is connected by the General Artigas International Bridge.

The city was founded in October 1756 during the colonial period and later gained prominence as a town prior to Uruguay’s independence. On June 8, 1863, it was officially granted city status.

Paysandú has played a notable role in national history. Its traditional nickname, “La Heroica” (The Heroic City), derives from the resistance shown by its inhabitants during the siege of 1864–1865, one of the most significant episodes in Uruguay’s historical memory.

With a population of over 81,000 inhabitants, Paysandú is an important industrial, commercial, and educational hub in the region, supported by a diversified economy that includes manufacturing, agriculture, and services.

From a tourism perspective, Paysandú offers a wide range of attractions:

• Guaviyú Hot Springs and Almirón Hot Springs – popular thermal resorts offering relaxation and recreational facilities.

• Plaza Constitución and the Perpetuity Monument, key historical landmarks in the city center.

• Historical museums and cultural sites that narrate the city’s development and heritage.

• Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Benedict of Palermo, an emblematic church rebuilt after the conflicts of the 19th century.

• Parque Artigas Stadium and 8 de Junio Stadium, important local sports venues.

• The surrounding area is also ideal for enjoying river landscapes, ecotourism, and traditional festivals such as Beer Week, along with an active cultural life featuring fairs, performances, and open-air events.

Paysandú combines history, nature, and culture, offering a diverse experience for visitors interested in heritage, relaxation, and outdoor activities.

Q

R

Ryogoku

Ryōgoku is traditionally associated with sumō wrestling. It represents Japan’s long-standing relationship between martial practice and public culture.

Ryukyu Kingdom

The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent state encompassing Okinawa — abolished in 1879, when it was formally annexed by Japan.
It is the political and cultural context from which karate emerged.

S

Shuri

Shuri was the royal capital of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. It remains a symbolic center of Okinawan history and karate tradition.

Suidobata

Suidōbata is a small area in Tokyo associated with early training spaces and student life.

T

Takushoku University

Takushoku University played a significant role in the early organization and spread of Karate-Dō through its student clubs.

Tokyo

Tokyo is the political and cultural center of modern Japan. It was the main stage for karate’s transformation into Karate-Dō.

Tsuboya

Tsuboya in 1881

In 1881, Tsuboya was a living craft district, located on the immediate outskirts of Shuri and Naha, known primarily for its pottery tradition (yachimun). It was not a place of passage, but a place of craft and repetition: stone kilns fired with wood, open workshops, courtyards where pieces were left to dry, and narrow streets marked by smoke, clay, and the smell of slow-burning fire.

Life in Tsuboya followed older rhythms, largely untouched by the political changes beginning to arrive with the Meiji era. Artisans worked in silence or with few words; knowledge was transmitted through observation and practice rather than explanation. As evening fell, the district settled early. Light faded quickly, and only a few oil lamps marked human presence among long shadows and the distant sounds of the sea.

It was a discreet, functional place, with no ambition to be a center or a frontier, yet deeply connected to Okinawa: Tsuboya pottery was present in homes, temples, and everyday life. Like Tōde at the time, it did not seek a name—it simply existed and served.

Tsuboya today

Today, Tsuboya is part of the urban fabric of Naha, preserved as a historic and cultural district. Its main streets, such as Tsuboya Yachimun-dōri, are carefully maintained and host workshops, galleries, museums, and small shops dedicated to traditional Okinawan pottery.

Although it is no longer a district of constant production as it was in the nineteenth century, Tsuboya retains its artisanal identity. Historic kilns have been restored, wooden houses coexist with modern buildings, and the area now welcomes visitors seeking to understand an essential part of Ryūkyū culture.

If in 1881 Tsuboya was a place where knowledge was passed on without words, today it is a place where that knowledge is explained and shared. Its function has changed, but not its root: it remains a space where tradition is preserved not as a relic, but as a conscious, living practice.

U

V

W

Waseda University

Waseda University is one of Japan’s leading academic institutions and an important site for martial arts clubs and intellectual exchange.

Y

Z

Zoshigaya

Zōshigaya is a quiet residential area of Tokyo, historically associated with students, teachers, and postwar reconstruction.

About the Author

Milton Chanes is an author and researcher whose work is deeply connected to education, technology, and traditional martial arts. His writing combines historical rigor, practical experience, and a critical perspective on how knowledge, values, and traditions are transmitted—and transformed—over time.

Through his books, Chanes explores Karate-Dō not only as a martial discipline, but as a path of human development, ethical reflection, and cultural responsibility.

👉 [More about the author]

Walking Upright does not seek to provide definitive answers. Instead, it offers a path: to observe carefully, to understand deeply, to question honestly, and above all, to remain upright—in practice, in teaching, and in life.