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After the Second World War karate, like other martial arts, had acquired a sudden international popularity as a result of the interest taken in them by the American forces occupying Japan.

The number of schools multiplied ; but at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, the Japanese judokas were beaten by a foreigner ( Dutchman Anton Geesink ), an upset that had a dramatic effect on all Japanese martial artists.

For Egami, it proved that the process of rationalising the martial arts had emptied them of substance.

Assisted by Hiroyuki Aoki, he began to collect and transcribe the katas, the historic heritage of karate.

This led them to contemplate the use of the body and how it expresses force.

They realised that while certain theories current in martial arts circles were erroneous or even useless, others, though neglected, were real treasures.