| TODE SAKUGAWA (1762-1843) |
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Recognized as one of the most important
figures in the history of Karate, Satunushi "Tode" Sakugawa was
among the first to blend elements of the original Okinawan art
of te with Chinese boxing (tode) to initiate the development of
what we know as Karate today. |
images copyright©2006 Robert Teller |
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MACHU HIGA (1790-1870)
Like many of the leading martial artists of' his time,
Machu Higa served as a bodyguard for the Ryukyuan royal family for which he
was awarded the title Peichin, signifying membership in the Okinawan Shizoku
(equivalent to the Japanese Samurai class).
Higa was an expert in bojutsu, saijutsu, tonfajutsu, and a pioneer in
the early development of Karate. According to some historians, among his
students was Ufuchiku Kanakushiku (Sanda Kinjo).
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SOKON "BUSHI" MATSUMURA (1798-1890) |
| The father of Okinawan Karate, Sokon "Bushi" (Warrior)
Matsumura was the first to systemize Shuri-te from which the
various Shorin-ryu styles have come down to us today. Born into a prominent family in Shuri, Matsumura was a good scholar and athlete. He learned the fundamentals of te as a young boy (customary for upper class youths of the time) and later, according to many historians, began his formal martial arts training under Tode Sakugawa. From Sakugawa he is said to have learned use of the bo and the kata Kusanku. While serving as a bodyguard and martial arts instructor to the last three Ryukyuan kings, Matsumura made a number of official visits to China and Japan where he studied Chinese boxing and Japanese swordsmanship. Following retirement from service to the royal family, Matsumura taught Karate in Shuri. Among his many noteworthy students were Itosu Yatsutsune, Kentsu Yabu, Chomo Hanashiro, Gichin Funakoshi, Chotoku Kyan, and Nabe Matsumura. Sokon Matsumura is credited with having originated or having developed important variations of many of the Shorin-ryu katas practiced today: Chinto, Wansu, Passai, Seisan, and others. |
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KOSAKU MATSUMORA (1828-1898)
Like Sokon Matsumura of Shuri-te, the Karate that
developed in the vicinity of Shuri, Kosaku Matsumora was a leading
practitioner, developer, and teacher of Tomari-te, the Karate that developed
around Tomari village. Although Tomari-te has not survived as a distinct
system, many of its katas and techniques are incorporated within the
Shorin-ryu styles of today.
It is believed that Matsumora learned the principles of Chinese boxing
from a Chinese hermit who'd been shipwrecked on Okinawa and lived in a cave
near Tomari. Some historians believe he may also have learned techniques
from a student of Tode Sakugawa.
Among Matsumora's students, who went on to influence new generations
through students of their own, were Choki Motobu and Chotoku Kyan.
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Perhaps the greatest teacher in the history
of Karate, Yasutsune "Anko" Itosu simplified many of the ancient
katas, created several new ones of his own, and pioneered
teaching methods that would revolutionize the art by making its
study easier and less dangerous for future generations. For
this, he is recognized as the father of modern Karate. |
images copyright©2006 Robert Teller |
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SANDA KINJO - UFUCHIKU (1841-1926)
Born in Shuri, Sanda Kinjo was a pioneering Karate and
Kobudo expert who served as personal bodyguard to the last of Okinawa's
reigning king's, Sho Tai, until the king's fall from power in 1879.
Following his service with the royal family, Kinjo was appointed
Ufuchiku (police commissioner) of Shuri and taught his techniques to the
police force while slowly developing and perfecting his own system known as
Ufuchiku Kobujutsu.
Upon his death, Ufuchiku passed stewardship of his system to his senior
student, Shosei Kina.
KANRYO HIGASHIONNA (1851-1915)
Like Yasutsune Itosu with whom he was good friends,
Kanryo Higashionna is regarded as one of the most influential Karate
instructors in Okinawan history. As a leading developer and master of Naha-te,
Higashionna laid the foundation for Goju-ryu which was subsequently
formalized by his senior student, Chojun Miyagi.
Kanryo Higashionna (also spelled Higaonna) was born in Naha to a very
poor family. He learned the basics of te as a youth and began studying tode
at the age of 16 under a local teacher named Arakaki. At the age of 22, he
went to Fuchou, China where he remained for somewhere between 10-16 years
mastering Chinese boxing. Upon his return to Okinawa, he began teaching his
art while continuing to develop it into what became known as Naha-te.
Higashionna is credited with introducing and popularizing the kata
Sanchin on Okinawa, as well as the Sanchin method of breathing.
Among Higashionna's most important students were Chojun Miyagi, founder
of Goju-ryu, and Kenwa Mabuni, founder of Shito-ryu.
NABE MATSUMURA (1850?-1943?)
Little is known of Nabe Matsumura except that he was a
prominent Karate master of his time and that, as the grandson of the great
Sokon Matsumura, he became successor to the family system when Sokon died
thereby serving as a link between the old masters and those of the present
day.
Though born of an upper class shizoku family, Nabe Matsumura was reduced
by poverty as an adult to pulling a rickshaw for a living. He was also
employed to guard the city of Gaja and its neighboring farmlands against
thieves and poachers.
Nabe Matsumura taught very few students the most important of whom was
his nephew, Hohan Soken, who began training under him at the age of 13.
Matsumura drilled Soken in the basics of Karate and Kobudo for ten years
before finally revealing to the young man, at the age of 23, the secrets of
the Hakutsuru (White Crane) kata-a soft form that incorporates deceptive
body-shifting and fosters inner Dower not related to muscular strength.
YABU KENTSU (1865-1945)
A prominent Shorin-ryu master, Kentsu
Yabu was known for his fighting ability. It is said that he never lost a
fight, beating even the great Choki Motobu in a famous challenge match.
Yabu began his Karate training under Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura and later
continued under Matsumura's top student, Yasutsune Itosu. His classmates
under these two teachers included such future masters as Chomo Hanashiro,
Gichin Funakoshi, and Chotoku Kyan. Yabu was one of the first ever to teach
Karate in the Okinawa school system (under Itosu's supervision) and, in
1927, traveled to Hawaii where he taught Karate for almost a year before
returning to Okinawa.
During the Sino-Japanese war (1894-95), Yabu fought on the Chinese
mainland as a sergeant in the Japanese army. From this experience came his
ferocious fighting style as well as the nickname "The Sergeant" which
remained with him for the rest of his life.
Though Yabu was never defeated, he never hurt an opponent except in war.
Among his students was Shigeru Nakamura, founder of Okinawa Kempo.
CHOYU MOTOBU (1867-1930)
Choyu Motobu, the first-born son of a ranking lord and a
descendent of the Ryukyuan King Sho Shitsu (reigned 1648-1669), was trained
in go-ten-te (palace hand), the secret martial art of the royal family which
had been handed down within the Motobu family from father to first-born son
for eleven generations. it was a soft art incorporating many throws and
grappling techniques and lacking formal stances, blocks, and katas.
Born in Shuri, Choyu Motobu served as a martial arts instructor to the
last of the Okinawan kings, Sho Tai, who reigned from 1848 until 1879 when
the Japanese deposed the Ryukyuan imperial family. Choyu's own first-born
son had died early, his second-born had no interest in preserving the art,
so, with the end of the Okinawan royal lineage, Choyu broke with tradition
and taught his system to a family outsider, Seikichi Uehara, who named it
Motobu-ryu.
CHOMO HANASHIRO (1867-1944)
Another Shorin-ryu master, Chomo Hanashiro was a
classmate of Kentsu Yabu, Gichin Funakoshi, and Chotoku Kyan under Bushi
Matsumura and Yasutsune Itosu.
Like Yabu, Hanashiro was one of first to teach Karate in the Okinawa
public school system under Itosu's supervision. It was during this time that
he taught Shigeru Nakamura at the Prefectural Number One School.
As a Karate practitioner, Hanashiro was known for his strength and
flawless technique. As a teacher, he was known for his emphasis on
fundamentals. His favorite kata was Jion.
GICHIN FUNAKOSHT (1868-1957)
Called the father of Japanese Karate, Gichin Funakoshi
founded Shotokan, one of the most popular styles of Karate in the world
today.
Born in Shuri, Funakoshi began his Karate training under Yasutsune Asato
and later Yasutsune Itosu, both students of the great Sokon "Bushi"
Matsumura. Funakoshi himself also occasionally trained with Matsumura.
Unlike most Karate masters of the time, Funakoshi was well-educated and
brought a refined, philosophic approach to Karate that attracted the
attention of intellectuals and educators on the Japanese mainland. In 1922,
he gave a demonstration at the Butokuden (Martial Virtues Hall) in Kyoto
after which he remained in Japan to spread his art. At the age of 53 he
embarked upon what he came to consider his destiny.
In his teaching, Funakoshi emphasized basic technique, kata training,
and perfection of the individual through "do" or "the way". He is credited
with the famous saying: "Karate ni sente - There is no first attack in
Karate."
CHOTOKU KYAN (1869-1945)
A legendary master even during his own lifetime,
Chotoku Kyan was an important teacher who fathered a long line of Shorin-ryu
styles.
Kyan was born in Shuri and learned the basics of
Karate from his father. Around the age of twenty, he sought additional
instruction from a number of prominent masters including Sokon "Bushi"
Matsumura and Yara Chatan of Shuri- and Kokan Oyadomari and Kosaku Matsumora
of Tomari-te. Nicknamed "Chan Mi-gwa" (small-eyed one) because of his
permanent squint, Kyan was small and thin but became an expert in techniques
such as side-stepping and bodychanging that would be most advantageous for a
small man.
Kyan taught Karate at his home, at the Okinawa
Prefectural Agricultural School, and at the Kadena Police station. Among his
students were Shoshin Nagamine, founder of Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu; Zenryo
Shimabukuro, who carried on Kyan's art; and Tatsuo Shimabuku, founder of
Isshin-ryu.
Kyan's favorite katas were Passai, Chinto, and
Kusanku. He was known for his evasive tactics and, though often challenged,
was never defeated in a fight.
CHOU MOTOBU (1870-1944)
Choki Motobu is perhaps the most controversial of all
the great Karate masters. He first gained notoriety as a bully and a
braggart, and, though in later life he adopted a more humble attitude, he
was never able to outlive his earlier reputation.
Like his brother Choyu, Choki Motobu was born in Shuri, but, being his
father's third son, was never taught the family's martial arts system.
Instead, he picked up the basics of te by peeking through dojo fences and
trained himself on the makiwara. He lifted rocks to develop strength and
earned the nickname "Saru" (monkey) for his exceptional leaping ability. He
also practiced fighting by brawling in the streets every night with anyone
who'd accommodate him. Though he briefly trained with Itosu and Kosaku
Matsumora, his over-aggressiveness caused both associations to be
short-lived.
Late in life, Choki underwent a profound change in attitude. Seeking the
true meaning of Karate-do, he dedicated himself to a serious study of kata
under Yabu Kentsu, one of the few men who'd ever beaten him in fighting.
Choki's favorite kata was Naihanchi which he claimed was the only kata
required for a mastery of Karate. He remains best known for his kumite
however, and, up until his death, other masters sent their students to him
specifically to learn his free-fighting techniques.
Choki Motobu's famous students include Shoshin Nagamine, founder of
Matsu bayashi-r y u; Shigeru Nakamura, founder of Okinawan Kempo; and Tatsuo
Shimabuku, founder of Isshin-ryu.
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Choshin Chibana was
born on June 5, 1885, at Tottori-cho in Shuri City, Okinawa. He
began his karate training with Yasutsune "Ankoh" Itosu in 1900 with
whom he studied until Itosu's death on January 26, 1915. |
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CHOJUN MIYAGI (1888-1952)
A Karate pioneer and innovator, Chojun Miyagi built
upon the Naha-te of his teacher, Kanryo Higashionna, to develop his own
style: Goju-ryu.
Born the son of a wealthy shop owner in Naha,
Miyagi began his training at age It under Ryuko Aragaki through whom he
later met Higashionna. He began training with Higashionna, at age 14 and
stayed with him for 15 years until the master's death in 1916. Shortly
before Higashionna, died, Miyagi followed in his footsteps by going to China
to study Kempo for a year.
After Higashionna's death, Miyagi began to take on
students and develop Higashionna's karate into his own style blending in new
elements he'd learned in China. He taught at the Prefectural Police School
dojo, at the Naha Courthouse, the Prefectural Physical Culture Association,
the Prefectural Teachers' Training College, and at numerous colleges and
universities on the Japanese mainland. In addition, he taught in Hawaii and
in Shanghai.
During a demonstration at the Butokuden on the
Japanese mainland in 1937, Miyagi named his style Go-ju, meaning hard-soft.
Miyagi created the katas Gekisai ichi and ni and
the kata Tensho. Among his top students were Jinan Shinzato, Meitoku Yagi,
Eilchi Miyazato, Seikichi Toguchi, and Seiko Higa. Though he lost
everything, including three children, in an air raid on Naha in WWII, he
continued teaching Karate until his death.
KENWA MABUNI (1890-1952)
Among the first Okinawan masters to teach
on mainland Japan, Kenwa Mabuni founded Shito-ryu, one of the four main
styles of Karate studied in Japan today.
Born into the shizoku (samurai) class, Mabuni
began training at the age of 13 under Shuri-te master Yasutsune Itosu Naha-te
master Kanryo Higashionna.
Mabuni combined elements of the two styles to form
Hanko-ryu (half-hard style) which he later renamed in tribute to his
teachers, using the Chinese character shi ("ito" in Itosu) and to ("higa" in
Higashionna), to form Shito-ryu.
Mabuni taught throughout Okinawan and, in 1929,
moved permanently to Japan where he taught regularly at Japanese
universities and police departments.
SHIGERU NAKAMURA (1892-1969)
Founder of Okinawa Kempo, Shigeru Nakamura was a
living legend and one of Okinawa's all time great Karate masters.
Born in the northern town of Nago, Nakamura
learned the basics of te from his father who, unfortunately, died when
Shigeru was only ten. He then trained under his uncle and his uncle's good
friend, Choki Motobu. From Motobu, Nakamura learned free fighting and the
kata Naihanchi.
Nakamura studied under Kentsu Yabu and Chomo
Hanashiro, two of Itosu's students, at the Prefectural Number One School,
and, upon entering the Prefectural Teachers' Training College, was able to
study with Itosu himself.
Eventually, Nakamura opened his own dojo, simply calling his
style Okinawa-te as he disliked the idea of Karate being divided into
separate styles. Later, in an attempt to unite all Okinawan Karate and raise
its status to that of Japanese kendo and judo, he formed the Okinawa Kempo
Association and served as its president. Though the association disbanded
upon Nakamura's death, his students retained the name Okinawa Kempo for
their style.
TATSUO SHIMABUKU (1908-1975)
Another important innovator, Tatsuo Shimabuku developed Isshin-ryu to
correct what he felt were deficiencies in the Karate styles he had studied.
Born in Shuri, Shimabuku began his study of the martial arts under Choki
Motobu. Shortly thereafter, Shimabuku also began training with Chotoku Kyan
and, within a few short years, had become highly proficient in Shorin-ryu.
Still eager to learn, he then sought out Goju founder and teacher Chojun
Miyagi with whom he trained for another several years.
As his reputation grew, Shimabuku began teaching students of his own.
With the bombing of Okinawa in WWII, Shimabuku lost everything he owned and
Red to mainland Japan where he worked as a farmer and continued to train
privately. It was during this time that he first thought about his own
Karate style.
After the war, Shimabuku returned to Okinawa and resumed teaching Karate
to a small group of students. As he taught, he combined what he felt were
the best elements of Goju-ryu (as learned from Miyagi) and Shorin-ryu (as
learned from Kyan) to found Isshin-ryu in 1953.
Isshin-ryu, meaning "one-heart" system, is one of the most popular
styles practiced in the United States today.
ZENRYO SHIMABUKURO (1909-1969)
A bulwark against the tides of change, Zenryo Shimabukuro strived to
preserve the classic Karate of Chotoku Kyan and, in so doing, became one of
the most respected masters of modern times.
Born in Shuri, Shimabukuro began training under Chotoku Kyan at the age
of 24 and remained with him until Kyan's death in 1945. After WWII,
Shimabukuro opened a dojo in order to preserve Kyan's teaching. One of his
early students, a member of the US Army, arranged for Shimabukuro to teach
Karate to US Paratroopers, many of whom took Shimabukuro's Karate back to
the United States.
In 1960, Shimabukuro became president of the Okinawan branch of the
All-Japan Karate-do Federation, though, due to internal politics, the
Okinawan branch withdrew and formed the Okinawan Karate-do United
Association of which Shimabukuro remained president. In 1967, the All-Okinawan
Karate-do Federation was formed with the aim of preserving karate as a
cultural tradition, and Shimabukuro served as vice president of this
organization.
Shimabukuro named his dojo the Seibukan which means Holy Art School.
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Shugoro Nakazato was born in Nahn-city Okinawa
on August 14, 1919. While attending normal school in Osaka Japan
in 1935, he began his study of Karate at the age of 16 under the
instruction of Ishu Selichl. Nakazato studied under Sensei Ishu
for 6 years. During the war, he was in the Japanese Calvary. |
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