Here some basic guidelines that I have used as checklist to weed out these “pseudo” Japanese / Okinawan karate schools:
The Style - First, we need to clarify the word “Karate” is purely a Japanese dialect. Therefore, if the name of the "Karate" style is a mixture of Japanese, Korean, Chinese terminology and calling this art “Ai Wu Ka Ju Kwon Tae Do Fu Karate” then there is a plausible 100% chance that it isn’t.
Often times, pseudo karate masters would use legitimate “style” name in front of their “fabricated” art. While there are no surefire ways of weeding out these wannabe’s , there are however literatures that you can read to determined the origin of certain karate styles. If the “fabricated” karate style is not listed I would question it with caution.
One particular literature is The Bugei Ryuha Daijiten. This book is a compilations catalog of Koryū Bujutsu (old styles ) and Gendai Budō (modern styles) of Japanese and Okinawan martial arts. The authors Watatani Kiyoshi and Yamada Tadashi has spent all their life compiling this valuable martial arts resource.
The “Grandmaster’ Credential - A visiting Okinawan karate sensei was shocked to see that there are more 9th and 10th Degree black belts here in the state than there are in Okinawa or Japan. He jokingly commented that there must have been some sort of massive clandestine migration of karate masters from Japan and Okinawa in the middle of the night.
The fact is that any real 9th Dan and 10th Dans ranks are honorary ranks bestowed by the Japanese Government and the Okinawan Prefecture. Ask this "sensei " his credential, and watched the floodgates of “excuses” pours out of this “grandmaster” mouth why he can’t produced such credential. If he is able to present a documentation, There is a plausible possibility is that his rank is given by an organization with no with no link nor recognition from Japan or Okinawa.
The truth of the matter is that anyone can be a 10th Degree Black Belt Grandmaster. The criteria is purchase a belt from the nearest martial arts supply store. Come up with your own ligit sounding japanese name for your style. You are now a grandmaster !
5000 years lineage claims - Whew ! That’s like saying that I am the direct descendant of Leonidas from Sparta ! A normal person can surely see how absurd this claim is. The truth of the matter is that karate is less than 100 years old. Even the keikogi (uniform) we wear is no more than 80 years old.
Inheritor Of the secret art from Okinawa - if you get a non-japanese or non-okinawan native claiming to be an inheritor of an secret fight art from the orient. Run !!!! No Okinawan or Japanese fighting art ( Gendai Budo or Koryo) has ever been handed down to a foreigner outside of Japan or Okinawa.
