What Karate lost, when it lost it's teeth.

Although Karate today is a relatively new Martial Art, it's roots lie in much older practical combative techniques.  However, it's effectiveness in this direction was firstly reduced by Itosu Anko for introduction into Okinawan schools, and the likes of Funokoshi Gichin for it's introduction into the Japanese mainstream of martial arts.  This was confirmed as the desired route of progress for Karate at the "meeting of masters" in 1936.   Apart from the Itosu Anko part, this is all documented is a conversation published by Iain Abernethy:

How did we lose the Bunkai?

This was to try to give Karate a future at a time that it was losing popularity, but resulted in budo versions that were superficial in fighting content.   The intervention of World War two just about completed the job, as again indicated the article, because many of the old masters passed away during the conflict, including Motobu Choki.  The ones that were left mostly continued to espouse the budo version of th art, and most of the documentary evidence which survived was of those styles.  So the practical content was mostly lost.

One of the few honourable exceptions was Motobu Choki, who first in 1927 (Okinawan Kenpo - Karate Jutsu: Kumite <Motobu / Shahan>) and then 1932 (My Art and Skill of Karate <Motobu / Quast / Motobu>), took time to provide some documentary evidence of what he felt was being lost.  This included:

Use of Makiwara
Paired drills
Kumite

Apart from saying why they were important, he even provided evidence of the paired work he was referring to, plus photographs of the techniques.  According to Iain Abernethy, he was only one of two people known to do this, and the other person's work appears to have been lost. 

 In the two books, you see descriptions of how to receive and redirect stikes, to open up your opponent for your own strikes.  Plus you see techniques that are undeniably effective but were removed from Budo karate such as knee strikes to vital areas and strikes and grabs to the groin.  Here are a few examples, 

Where your opponent punches with his right hand, move slightly to the side, receive and redirect with your right arm (soto uke) and strike with your left fist.  The picture below shows a body strike, but can also be done to the head.

Image from: https://romanwestfehling.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/kihon-kumite-und-kata-die-3-saulen-des-karate-do/



Where your opponent grabs you from behind. drop your weight and open your arms slightly (ala Naihanchi Nidan), twist slightly and stretch behind, to grab your opponent's testicles.

Photo’s from Iwai Tsuko’s “Motobu CHoki & Ryukyu Karate 2000, page57 (read from right to left). Description from “Motobu Choki – Karate My Art”, translated by Patrick & Yuriko McCarthy, page 100. - via attached link

Other drills included trapping both arms and executing a knee strike to the groin; blocking and trapping the right arm with the left, stepping in with the right leg and grabbing the testicles, or striking to the ribs with the right elbow; etc.

It was this kind of practice that was lost to Karate by the introduction of the budo forms, and in part due to the intervention of World War II.  In conclusion, as a result Karate had lost many of it's teeth.