Analysis of the Okinawan Bubishi

ANALYSIS OF THE OKINAWAN BUBISHI Fernando P. Câmara (Lectured in October 25, 1997) The The Ok Okin inaw awan an Bubi Bubish shii is supp suppos osed edly ly a comp compililat atio ion n of teac teachi hing ngss on the the Whit White e Crane/Monk Boxing systems, that is, selfdefense techniques where the weapons are the empty hands. Books about selfdefense, exercises, and forms were commom in China in the end of XIX Century as nowadays, and many people, as nowadays, learn about empty hand sefdefense by these books. In the Okinawan Bubishi, the White Crane and Monk Boxing system are melted in an unique improved fight method, and we doesn´t know if it was originally a published book or a handmade manual of some school that were copied by students. We doesn´t also if this text was written or compiled in Southern China or in Okinawa. The Okinawan Bubishi is an assembly of techniques, kata, strategies, vital points, popular medicine and ethic/moral code for martial artists. This compilation shapes the theory and practice of the Traditional Karate-do (originally "Tode-jutsu", an Okinawa term for Chinese Kempo). Chojun Chojun Miyagi Miyagi (found (founder er of Goju-r Goju-ryu) yu),, Kenwa Kenwa Mabuni Mabuni (found (founder er of ShitoShito-ryu ryu), ), Gichin Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan), Gogen Yamaguchi (founder of Japanese Goju-Kai), among others, had a copy of Bubishi and divulged it in popular books of karate. Although many writters especulate that Higaonna, Itosu and other grandfathers of modern karate had copies of Bubishi nothing proves this thesis, and the witness of Mabuni are not conf confia iabl ble e due due to the the tend tenden ency cy of the the firs firstt mast master erss of mode modern rn Age Age of Kara Karate te in surrounding the karate in a mist of legend and myth to hidden his true source, the chinese Quan Fa. On the other hand, with rare exceptions most of the karate´s history was wrote by amateurs without training in historical methodology of research, based on legend, suppositions, and absence of trustly documentation. Okinawan karate (formely Tode-jutsu) were an informal civilian art of self-defense, health improvement and stamina development adapted to Okinawan culture, that was strongly influenced from chinese literature, arts, medicine, agriculture, religion and trading. In the 1920-1930 years a strong interest on the origins of this empty hand fight art led men like Chojun Miyagi, Kenwa Mabuni, Juhatsu Kyoda, Chomo Hanashiro, Choyu Motobu, and others to begin informal researches researches about chineses chineses origins origins of Okinawan Okinawan karate. These men had a cultural formation more elaborate (most of early masters of karate were illiterate or unlearned men) and were influentiated by sociocultural forces of the japanese educational educational system of Meiji Restoration Restoration.. It was precisely precisely in this period that the chinese chinese origin originss of karate karate was active actively ly researc researched hed,, and a chines chinese e master master was partic particula ularly rly important in this enterprise: Wu Xiangi or Wu Hsien Kuei, best knowed as GOKENKI, a chinese white crane master living in Naha. Gokenki was a close friend of Miyagi, Mabuni, Kyoda, Matayoshi, Hanashiro, Kana Kinjo, and others future masters, and gave instructions to them. Gokenki was a respectful nickname, a title given by the people that means "great ou very honorable master" (this nickname is equivalent to "Ryuryuko"...). There is perhaps a significative relation between Gokenki and the Okinawan Bubishi. We know that Miyagi made several trips to China, some of them with Gokenki, that introduces him to some important Quan Fa masters and helped him to find books on chinese martial arts. Goju-ryu is a system developed and organized by Miyagi starting

from Higaonna’Sanchin Higaonna’Sanchin exercise and developed developed from chinese theories and techniques techniques that he (Miyagi) researched actively, and in this enterprise he was strongly influentiated by Gokenki insights. To’on-ryu of Kyoda is the only style that preserves the insights from Higashionna, but also with strong Gokenki influence, from whom Kyoda obtained and introduced in his system the White Crane kata Nepai (in 1932). The Okinawan Bubishi, as was said above, is a compilation and not a unique text. So, we can can find find dive diverg rgen ence cess abou about, t, for for exam exampl ple, e, clas classi sififica catition on of vita vitall poin points ts.. One One classification is based on acupuncture theories without convincent evidences; other is based only on observation observation and experience, experience, and a third relates effects effects that we only can accept if produced by spears and not by the hand attacks, no matter how the hand had been training (strong hands cannot to smash a kidney or perfurate a liver or the gut; for  this the spears was invented... and make the job easier). On the other hand, the techniques and strategies for unarmed combat teaching in the Okinawan Bubishi are very efficient, a true treasure for the karate masters. Miyagi, for exemple, used this insigh insightt from from Bubish Bubishii to review review the Higash Higashionn ionna a kata kata and introdu introduce ce others others kata to complete the Goju-ryu curriculum. The medicine section of Okinawan Bubishi is confuse and supersticious, for example, the childish theory about "sichen", that is derived from astrological theories. Sketches on acupuncture meridians are presented without practical directions and vital points are present presented ed togeth together er herbal herbal medici medicine ne refere reference ncess (moxa? (moxa?). ). Nowada Nowadays ys this this sectio section n of  Bubishi has perhaps an interest for folkloric and historical researches on popular chinese medicine, but IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND AN IRRESPONSABLE ACT TO TRY USE IT. Karate instructors need to learn First Aids and reanimation techniques on medical/nursery supervision to apply them in his dojos and competitions. Sanchin and Paipuren Okinawan Bubishi is a system based on a martial Qi Gong, but when we read the description of the basic moviments of this exercise we realize that the anonimous author  refers to Sanchin exercise with the name Paipuren, but this kata is not the Shito-ryu or  Whooping Crane´s Paipuren kata currently knowed in Hakutsuru Kempo circles. George Alexander and Ken Penland in their translation of Bubisih detected this fact and uses the word Sanchin instead Paipuren, and it is possible that the old name of Sanchin of the Bubishi´s school was Paipuren. However, both Sanchin and Paipuren are basic form (hsing) destinated to body development and control of Ki that can be different kata in different schools. Sanchin, Paipuren, and other tension/breath kata allows the student to concentrate his energy without any wasting and direct it to any part of the body to strike or for healing. The "martial" Qi (or Jin) is acumulated in the tanden (dan tien) when it is symbolised by a Tiger; from there it can be to all hsueh (kyusho)points of the body, and in this movement it is symbolised in a Crane; finally, it is spit out in an energic action, being symbolised in a Dragon. Paipuren is translated as "sequence of eight steps", and this term belongs to the chinese esoterism and is related to mutations (a dynamic symbol for represents the eternal cyclic changes of the Nature, that with the heavens and man forms an unity) represented in the eight trigrams (Be Gua). We can realize that Paipuren kata is linked with this wisdom and its practice involves a deep meaning.

from Higaonna’Sanchin Higaonna’Sanchin exercise and developed developed from chinese theories and techniques techniques that he (Miyagi) researched actively, and in this enterprise he was strongly influentiated by Gokenki insights. To’on-ryu of Kyoda is the only style that preserves the insights from Higashionna, but also with strong Gokenki influence, from whom Kyoda obtained and introduced in his system the White Crane kata Nepai (in 1932). The Okinawan Bubishi, as was said above, is a compilation and not a unique text. So, we can can find find dive diverg rgen ence cess abou about, t, for for exam exampl ple, e, clas classi sififica catition on of vita vitall poin points ts.. One One classification is based on acupuncture theories without convincent evidences; other is based only on observation observation and experience, experience, and a third relates effects effects that we only can accept if produced by spears and not by the hand attacks, no matter how the hand had been training (strong hands cannot to smash a kidney or perfurate a liver or the gut; for  this the spears was invented... and make the job easier). On the other hand, the techniques and strategies for unarmed combat teaching in the Okinawan Bubishi are very efficient, a true treasure for the karate masters. Miyagi, for exemple, used this insigh insightt from from Bubish Bubishii to review review the Higash Higashionn ionna a kata kata and introdu introduce ce others others kata to complete the Goju-ryu curriculum. The medicine section of Okinawan Bubishi is confuse and supersticious, for example, the childish theory about "sichen", that is derived from astrological theories. Sketches on acupuncture meridians are presented without practical directions and vital points are present presented ed togeth together er herbal herbal medici medicine ne refere reference ncess (moxa? (moxa?). ). Nowada Nowadays ys this this sectio section n of  Bubishi has perhaps an interest for folkloric and historical researches on popular chinese medicine, but IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND AN IRRESPONSABLE ACT TO TRY USE IT. Karate instructors need to learn First Aids and reanimation techniques on medical/nursery supervision to apply them in his dojos and competitions. Sanchin and Paipuren Okinawan Bubishi is a system based on a martial Qi Gong, but when we read the description of the basic moviments of this exercise we realize that the anonimous author  refers to Sanchin exercise with the name Paipuren, but this kata is not the Shito-ryu or  Whooping Crane´s Paipuren kata currently knowed in Hakutsuru Kempo circles. George Alexander and Ken Penland in their translation of Bubisih detected this fact and uses the word Sanchin instead Paipuren, and it is possible that the old name of Sanchin of the Bubishi´s school was Paipuren. However, both Sanchin and Paipuren are basic form (hsing) destinated to body development and control of Ki that can be different kata in different schools. Sanchin, Paipuren, and other tension/breath kata allows the student to concentrate his energy without any wasting and direct it to any part of the body to strike or for healing. The "martial" Qi (or Jin) is acumulated in the tanden (dan tien) when it is symbolised by a Tiger; from there it can be to all hsueh (kyusho)points of the body, and in this movement it is symbolised in a Crane; finally, it is spit out in an energic action, being symbolised in a Dragon. Paipuren is translated as "sequence of eight steps", and this term belongs to the chinese esoterism and is related to mutations (a dynamic symbol for represents the eternal cyclic changes of the Nature, that with the heavens and man forms an unity) represented in the eight trigrams (Be Gua). We can realize that Paipuren kata is linked with this wisdom and its practice involves a deep meaning.

In his practical aspects, Sanchin or Paipuren develops the principles that are uniques in the Quan Fa. These principles can be resumed in the following elements: 1. The kata is a training for learning the correct mode of breathing (with tanden). Incorrect mode of breathing (toracic breathing) is a factor for predisposition for many diseases and wasting of vital energy; 2. The kata is also a training for correct the posture (back straight but without tension, in a natural mode) that is necessary for efficacy of martial techniques. On the other  hand, incorrect incorrect posture posture of vertebral spine is also cause of backaches, backaches, headaches, headaches, and difficult of mental concentration; 3. The kata teaching the correct basis for martial work: feet become rooted in the soil and the energy become naturally concentrated in the center of the body (tan tien), so, it can burst out in an powerful action (a strike, a punch, a block); 4. Tha kata teach the essential kamae: martial artist can strikes the center of the body and at the same time protect the center of his body. Furthe Furtherr develo developme pment nt of techni technique ques, s, strate strategie gies, s, etc, etc, are codifi codified ed in advanc advanced ed kata. kata. Bubishi describe these kata but there are not figures about them. These are Hakutsuru (Hakaku), Useishi (Gojushiho), Niseishi (Nijushiho), Nepai (Nipaipo), and four kata from Rakkan Ken (Lohan Quan) system. In the Mabuni´s Bubishi there is a kata represented only in 34 figures without legends or description. Tensho and Rokishu Many authors refer the Rokishu (six hand techniques) of the Okinawan Bubishi as the source of Miyagi’s Tensho kata, but there is no correlation between Tensho movements and the Rokishu shown in the current versions of Okinawa Bubishi, neither there is similarity to correlate Rokishu to Happoren kata as intended by some authors. However, the similarity between Tensho techniques and the Kakufa kata is very close, and it is probable probable that Tensho be a personal personal adaptation adaptation of Kakufa, Kakufa, a kata that Miyagi knew and taught before the 40 years. The section on Rokkishu in the knowed Okinawan Bubishi is a representation of six open hand techniques. These hand techniques are elementar techniques without special importance. In my opinoon, this text is a spurious insertion put in place of the true Rokkishu or perhaps may be a key to remember the basic techniques found in some Rokkishu not illustred or described in the book. The origin original al Miyagi Miyagi's 's Tensho Tensho develo developed ped moveme movements nts of hands hands like like rollin rolling g ball ball and influenced the performance of goju kata and is typical of White Crane kata, but modern Goju tend to forgot this style when approach to sportive performance and competitions. Present Tensho is different from old Tensho because it became a "hard" kata. The principal reason that led the first goju masters to modify this kata was, perhaps, because it were very soft and looked feminine (Miyagi were moked as "feminine" when performed thisa kata), and the machism cultived among the young male japanese did not aprove this kata. As result, modifications were introduced in the kata that finished it in exercises for the wrist. The 48 techniques of Quan

Mast Master erss like like Mabu Mabuni ni and and Yama Yamagu guch chii Goge Gogen n gave gave grea greatt impo import rtan ance ce to the the most most treasured teaching of the Bubishi: the 48 illustrated kata techniques (article #29) showed two persons fighting (Mabuni reproduced only 28 figures in his book of 1934, perhaps because he realized that these techniques were the most important of all). These techniques resume the essential of the system and most of secret bunkai of the Koryu Kata. Understanding and training these techniques are the knowledge that all true masters of karate could have. There are many controversies about the true interpretation of these figures, however, some of them are obvious to whom knows the principles principles of practical practical Ju-jutsu, Ju-jutsu, and may be a clue to the chinese origins of Japanese Ju-jutsu (figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 18, 21, 22, 24, 29, and 38). On the other hand, many of these techniques can be easily identified in the chinese kata used by Miyagi to establish the foundation of the Goju-ryu system and also in other old Okinawan kata. This show the importance that the Bubishi has in the development of Goju-ryu system. We can, for example, easily identify in many figures bunkai of Goju kata and some old traditional Okinawan kata (my reference is the Alexander/Penland translation, because the figures are the originals): * Seipai movements are very evident in figures 11, 13, 20, 40, and 43. * Figure 26 is characteristic in the Goju Seisan, and figure 27 can be easily identified as a typical movement of the Pangainoon Seisan. * Figure 34 shows clearly the first movement of Niseishi. * Figure 39 is an unique technique of Kururunfa. * Figure 18 shows a throwing known in Tode-jutsu and that can be found in Wanduan, Kururunfa, Niseishi, and Sanseru. * Figure 42 is a typical technique found in Shisochin kata. * Figure 46 is a typical technique used in Seiyunchin and Suparimpei. * The last movement of Suparimpei can be seen in figure 16. * Figure 10 is a variant technique of Saifa kata. * Figure 48 is clearly the first movement of the White Crane kata Hakucho, Hakaku, Kakufa. * In figure 14 we can see a typical technique of Kusanku, and in figure 8 the opening movement of the old Takemura´s Kusanku (sometimes refered as Azato-no-Kusanku). Elements of the Quan Fa method that arise from Bubishi can be seen when we examine carefully this 48 figures. Figures 25 (mawashi-uke tora-guchi), 32 (crane fist chudan soto-uke), and 37 (closed fist chudan uchi-uke) seem to exist only to remember the basic blocks used by the scho school ol repre represe sent nted ed in the the Bubi Bubish shi.i. The The joda jodan-u n-uke ke bloc blockk occu occurs rs in figu figure ress and and is performed with both hands (augmented or as X-block). Here it is used to defend a strike above the head or a hair grab. This block is naturally naturally completed with a front kick in the groin of the adversary. Hand strikes used along the 48 figures are performed with four fingers (nukite), one finger (ippon-nukite), crane bunched fingers (kakushiken), palm hand (teisho ate), punch (seiken or hiraken?), hammerfist (kentsui), elbow (ushiro hijiate), chokes with fingers and squeeze of testicles and biceps with the fingers. Training of the fingers should be encouraged in that system. Front kick is the only kick showed and the kicker always loose (figures 5, 12, 21, 26. NOTE: figures 21 repeat figure 12). This show us that

KICKS WERE NOT CONSIDERED GOOD TECHNIQUE in that school, and perhaps it were used only as a complement of some defense techniques. We have also figures where the purpose is to call the attention for specific painful points and how it should be manipulated. These are showed figures 14 (insertion of triceps above the elbows), 16 (armpits), 30 (side of the thorax), and 40 (intercostal space below niples). Vital points showed along the 48 figures are testicles, throat, eyes, jaws (side), and carotids (see figure 31). There are not strikes to back, legs, or arms in the 48 figures. This is an example that "36 kyusho" or "sichen" doctrines were not important, WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS IF THE TECHNIQUE WORKS OR NOT. Finally, the most dangerous technique showed in the Bubishi´s 48 figures is as is easy to break the neck of someone in a close fight (figure 4 and 7, the later is a repetition of the first). What are the Quan styles of Bubishi? The Okinawa Bubishi is considered as a text on White Crane Kenpo, however, in the opening of the book we are informed that this system of boxing was created by a woman and incorpored in the Tiger Boxing by a strong and skilful man fighter, Zeng Cishu. So, the system is apropriately a Tiger/Crane system. In fact, a picture (article #28) illustrates this principle: first, the image of a woman, of the possible creator of White Crane, in a classical Hakutsuru-No-Kamae and at the side the image of a man in the tiger posture of  the opening of the Gojushiho kata. Both figures are preceeded by other (article #27) the opening posture of the Niseishi kata, belonging to the White Monkey Boxing. On the other hand, the Monk Boxing style is explicity cited and described along the text. So, Okinawa Bubishi could be an amalgam of at least four style: White Crane Boxing, Monk Boxing, White Monkey Boxing, and Tiger Boxing. However, we probably need to add more one style to satisfy the esoteric chinese numerology (Five Ancestor/Elders mythology), and so, we could have added the Druken Boxing that also is cited in the text as a very efficient style. Perhaps may possible that the Bubishi be a system based in a synthesis of five great Shaolin styles, such as the Five Ancestors Boxing, that was created from these five system but having the White Crane as its cornerstone. The female archetype It is common in the chinese martial arts legends about a woman as founder or improver  of a martial art style. The Bubishi celebrates a woman as the creator of White Crane Boxing, Fang Jiniang. She was a girl with basic martial skills received from her father  Fang Siushu, a master of Monk Boxing, but he was betrayed and murdered in a dispute for control of Yongchun village, and Fang Jiniang was obseded thenceforth to revenge her father. However, she was a fragile woman and knew that she needed a strong and skilfull man to complete her plane. She associated to a famous Tiger Boxing fighter, Zheng Chisu, and proves to him that the body changes, feintes, poking vital points, etc, could transform his style in a invencible boxing system. The Tiger Boxing fighter was convinced of superiority of White Crane method when constated that he did not obtain hit Fang Jiniang. However, she have not sufficient force to break him. So, he joining the Hard principle (Yang, Go) of tiger to the Soft principle (Yin, Ju) of crane arising an

improved Quan Fa. This was the union of Yang/Yin principles, that is symbolised also as an Alchemical Wedding. In the Bubishi Quan Fa system, this union or "marriage" is embodied in Paipuren or  Sanchin (its other name). It is told that Zeng Cishu training during three years Paipuren/Sanchin and became an invencible master. This beautiful history teach us nothing more that be only Yin or only Yang was not good and made any martial arts imperfect and full of weak points. Power and force are not sufficient to be a good fighter, is necessary to add body changes, feints, circular  movements, to become a complete fighter, a true martial artist. These principles are very rooted in the chinese culture, medicine and philosophy. Fang Jiniang is the Yin principle that generate internal powerful energy to Yang principle or brute, external force, symbolized in Zeng Cishu. Yin is also the circular, body-changing, feints techniques, that is, the soft principle; Yang is the force, the hard principle. Both principles need to be balanced to art become perfect. In an Jungian perspective Fang Jiniang is the Anima archetype. The source of collective unconscious, or the source of ancestral knowledge mediated by this archetype, that can appear in an intense, mystical or "psychoid" experience (for example, the dream that Shimabukuro Tatsuo, the founder of Isshinryu Karate, that give to him an insight about a godess between water and fire. I believe that this experience is the only initiation to become "by natural right" a true Grandmaster). It is possible that Bubishi celebrates in its pages this experience from some Shaolin master. The anima can be also shared for  several individuals engaged in a same spiritual quest, and can manifest itself in many equivalent symbols, for example, a White Crane. Miyagi's Goju-ryu and the Okinawan Bubishi The occurrence of these 48 figures in chinese kata found in Goju and Uechi systems point us to a specific school of Quan Fa in Okinawa, more specifically in Naha. Miyagi in his 1934 panflet "Karate-do Gaisetsu" (see translation in P. McCarthy, Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts, vol 2, Tuttle, 1999) tells us that the Goju-ryu system was originated from a Chinese Kempo school that stablished in Naha around 1828. He doesn´t refer to his master, Higaonna Kanryo, as the originator of Goju-ryu, but a Chinese school stablished in Naha since 1828. We know some prominent masters of this school: Sakiyama, Aragaki Seisho, Kojo Taitei, Nakaima, and Higaonna, among others unknown masters. The misterious Ryu Ryu Ko (or Torin Ryu Ko) could be one of the advisers of this school, along with Iwah, Wai Shin Zan, and others. Thus, Higaonna is not the source of all Goju-ryu kata, but the Quan Fa school of Naha where Miyagi researched and collected most of the Goju kata (Kyoda Juhatsu, direct disciple of Higaonna, told that this master taught only Sanchin, Seisan, Sanseru, and Bechurin). In the famous 1936 meeting of Okinawan karate masters (see translation in P. McCarthy, Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts, vol 2, Tuttle, 1999) Ota Chofu says: "We have heard that local masters have not studied in China", and Miyagi answer to him with these words: "I heard that Matsumura studied in China". These words are very eloquent because he not mentioned his master, Higaonna, and we conclude that surely this master did not learn karate in China, but in Naha and probably with Aragaki Seisho and Kojo Taitei.

I believe that Miyagi knew the Bubishi origins and that he gave us clues that this book resumed the mysterious Quan Fa school that established in Naha around 1828, according the above mentioned panflet. This can explain his veneration by this book and the importance of the master Gokenki in his researches. This can explain also why Kyoda Juhatsu completed the Higaonna system with the introduction of kata Nepai (learned from Gokenki) and also why Mabuni introduced Nipaipo (his revised version of  Gokenki's Nepai), Hakucho and Paipuren (all from Gokenki) in his system. These kata link the karate of these masters to the Bubishi. Comments of the Bubishi's editions used in this article 1. Bubishi's translation of George Alexander and Ken Penland is more realistic when compared to the original text (Bubishi, Yamazato Pub, 1993). The McCarthy´s translation is adapted to the researches made by this karate expert and historian (The Bible of Karate - Bubishi, Tuttle, 1995). 2. Other important versions of Bubishi (only in japanese) are the Tokashiki Iken's version and the Ohtsuka Tadahiko's version. Ohtsuka interpretations of 48 figures was redrawn in a modern fashion by Roland Habersetzer (Bubishi, Éd. Amphora, Paris, 1995). 3. Figures of Mabuni´s Bubishi are the same of the Alexander/Penland version, however, the order of 28 figures in the Mabuni´s reproduction is different. Mabuni´s reproduction appeared in the second volume of his "Goshin-jutsu Karate Kempo", Tokyo, October 1934 (the first volume was published in March 1934). There is no translation of these very important books. HOHAN SOKEN - The Life of a Grand Master  George

W. Alexander, Ph.D.

Grand Master Hohan Soken (1889-1982) was born on May 25, 1889 and was the founder of the Matsumura Seito (Orthodox) style of Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate. He was born in Gaja Village, Nishihara City, Okinawa Prefecture. According to Master  Soken, in an interview conducted on September 10, 1978, his style is derived from Bushi or Warrior Matsumura (1809-1889). Bushi Matsumura was one of the most renowned martial artists of his time. King Sho Tai gave him the title "Bushi" meaning warrior in recognition of his abilities and accomplishments in the martial arts. He eventually became the chief martial arts instructor and bodyguard of the Okinawan King. According to Hohan Soken Sensei, Matsumura Orthodox is not the only authentic Shorin Ryu style. Bushi Matsumura had more than a dozen dedicated students. Each one learned his methods and expanded on them. However, Matsumura autudi or the Matsumura family lineage of Shorin Ryu was passed on from Matsumura Sensei to Nabe Matsumura his grandson, who lived from (1860-1920). Master Soken began training in karate at age thirteen in 1902 under his Uncle Nabe Matsumura. According to Hohan Soken, “ When Bushi Matsumura died he left the 'hands' of his teachings to my uncle, Nabe Matsumura who was also known as Nabe Tanmei or old man Nabe.” Tanmei is a title that means respected old man in Okinawa.

Soken sensei had to work in the fields as a youth despite his samurai heritage. This was due to a political reorganization in the Ryukyu Islands and all of Japan as a result of the Meiji restoration. The reorganization did away with the age-old feudal system that existed in Okinawa for hundreds of years. The Emperor Meiji instituted this change in 1871 and forced the daimyo (feudal lords) to give up their estates in favor of a geopolitical organization based on the prefecture system. Therefore, young Soken received his martial arts training at night or early in the morning. All of his training was conducted secretly. According to Soken Sensei, “In the old days training was always done in secret so that others would not steal your techniques.” Back then, a master of the martial arts did not have a large following of students. According to Soken sensei, “Ankoh Itosu (1830-1915) had less than a dozen students and he was one of the greatest of teachers at the time. My uncle had only one student, and that was me.” Master Soken has also been quoted a saying, “According to my uncle he only learned from Bushi Matsumura and only taught me what he had learned. So it can be said that Matsumura Orthodox is an 'old version' with no modern influences or  sport applications.” After ten years of basic training under Nabe Matsumura, Soken began learning the secret techniques of the white crane or hakutsuru. This was in 1912 when he was twenty-three years old. According to Soken, this was a secret technique or training methodology that was confined to the Matsumura family. Master Soken also trained for a while with Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1953), the founder of  Shito Ryu Karate and Gokenki, a Chinese tea merchant living in Okinawa. Gokenki, Soken and Mabuni along with several other Okinawans all trained together as a group. Gokenki’s style was hakutsuru kenpo (white crane fist style) and he was from the Fukien coast of China. Master Soken also studied traditional weaponry under Komesu Ushi-noTanmei and later under Mantaka Tsuken. Tsuken is known for the bo form called Tsuken-bo, which was Soken sensei's favorite weapons form. Tsuken is also pronounced Chikin in the Okinawan Hogan dialect. Master Soken also learned the sai, tuifa, kama, nunchaku, kusarigama and suruchin. In 1924 Hohan Soken moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to find his fortune. He learned to speak Spanish fluently and worked as a photographer and later worked in the dry cleaning business. He taught a few students in Argentina and gave numerous demonstrations throughout the country. Master Soken then returned to Okinawa in 1952. At first he did not teach karate. But eventually, he began to teach a few family members and then opened up a small dojo. Master Soken initially called his karate by the Okinawan dialect or Hogan name Machimura Sui-de or in Japanese, Matsumura ShuriTe. In 1956 he officially changed the name of his teachings to Matsumura Orthodox Shorin Ryu Karate-do. However, he still maintained and trained in the old ways. Because of  this, he did not join the new organizations that were being formed at the time. Soken taught many Americans. However, his most senior Okinawan student was Fusei Kise.

Soken Sensei taught other Okinawans such as Seiki Arakaki (c.1922-1987), Yuichi Kuda (1928-1999), Chojun Makabe, Isamu Teruya, Kosei Nishihira, etc. THE MATSUMURA KATA The kata that Soken Sensei taught were pinan shodan, pinan nidan, naihanchi shodan, naihanchi nidan, patsai-sho and dai, chinto, gojushiho, kusanku, rohai ichi-ni-san, and the hakutsuru. According to Master Soken, “Hakutsuru is my favorite kata that I demonstrate--because it is easier to do. When I was young, the best kata was the kusanku. This is the Matsumura kusanku--the older version that is not done much now.” Master Soken also commented that the most important Matsumura kata is the kusanku kata. According to Soken sensei, "Sometimes we would practice the kusanku with kanzashi (hairpins) held in the hands--this was a common method of fighting. The hairpins were symbols of rank and many Okinawans carried them for decoration [to hold their topknots in place] and for protection. Therefore, they were expedient as selfdefense weapons. A unique feature of the Matsumura Shorin Ryu style is the teaching of the white crane or  hakutsuru kata, although white crane techniques are woven throughout most of the kata of the style and are especially evident in gojushiho and kusanku. However, the hakutsuru kata is one of those elusive and esoteric kata of karate. According to the Hohan Soken, the white crane style was learned by Bushi Matsumura while he was in China. He then brought the style back to Okinawa in the 1860’s. From then on, the system was a secret style only taught to immediate members of the Matsumura family. The white crane style was passed on from Bushi Matsumura to Nabe Matsumura, his grandson, and then to Hohan Soken, Nabe’s nephew [his sister's son]. Hohan Soken did teach the white crane to some members of the ryu. These people were not family members but were a chosen few. Keep in mind the concept of a hereditary ryu is a closed social nexus, like a family or a clan. Its membership is restricted to blood relatives, whereas a ryu ha is a group that practices the same style but its members are not necessarily related. Usually anyone can get into this social group, like a bowling league or a “self-defense” studio. The family blood lineage of Matsumura Shorin Ryu seems to have been broken though. It is my understanding that Hohan Soken’s son was a "Sake Joe" and his grandson now lives in New York City and has no interest in karate. The Matsumura white crane system is still in existence and being taught today, but it is rare and still underground. The hakutsuru technique manifests the Chinese concept of the soft fist as opposed to the power-oriented native Okinawan techniques. The soft fist is defensive and relies on speed and evasion as its primary tactic. Therefore, the Matsumura family style has both the power-oriented linear Okinawan technique as well as soft circular Chinese techniques. A perfect combination! Finally, there is the Matsumura no hakutsuru kata itself. The kata is taught in two forms, a sort of sho (minor) and dai (major) format. The sho version of the kata has the same embusen (pattern) as the dai version but it is simplistic in its techniques. The dai version of the hakutsuru kata is very elaborate with many intricate hand techniques that make use of the wing (hane) of the crane. The wing is used in blocking to trap, cover or repel a blow. This evasive soft-blocking maneuver  takes the form of a crane posture in the kata. This crane posture features an outstretched arm position (White Crane Spreads its Wings) used mainly for blocking. In

conjunction with this maneuver, a crane stance is assumed, with one leg raised off the ground. This is where balance becomes essential. The hakutsuru kata features a unique low level kicking sequence delivered from this posture and many of its movements are based on the naihanchi, rohai, chinto, gojushiho and kusanku kata. From this one-legged crane position two rapid-fire kicks are delivered to an opponent’s groin and knee consecutively with the same leg. In addition, spearfinger thrusting to vital points is the main means of attack and counterattack taught within the framework of the kata. Its intricate and complex movements make the performance of the Matsumura no hakutsuru kata unique among karate kata. It certainly deserves to be the secret kata of  the ryu. However, a source of confusion with regard to the orthodoxy of the performance of the kata has contemporary practitioners of this style in a quandary. The confusion arises in that there is limited source material [8mm-film footage] depicting Soken Sensei's version of the kata and the fact that Soken taught his art differently to his various students. In fact, he often tailored his teachings to his student's biotype and personality. MASTER SOKEN'S TRAINING METHODS Soken’s instruction in the white crane technique emphasized balance training. One training method that he practiced was to perform the hakutsuru kata on a pine log in a river. In Master Soken’s own words, “Initially, I learned the form on the ground and then I had to perform it on a log laying on the ground. For the advanced training the log was put into the river and tied down so as not to float away. I was then instructed to perform the kata while balanced on the log. It was very difficult and I almost drowned several times by falling and bouncing my head off the log." He further stated, "We would cut the leaves off the banana tree and place them on the ground. He [Nabe Matsumura] would then have me do exercises to develop balance. If the balance was not good, I would fall and since the exercises were always vigorous, a fall could seriously hurt you. We would train twice a day. Early in the morning we would train on striking objects and conditioning to prepare one for the day. After working hard in the fields, we would have nightly training in two-person techniques and conditioning like present-day kotekitai (arm pounding). We had to toughen our legs and hands like iron, then they became true weapons. During the late hours we would practice the kata of Matsumura." In October 1999 the author conducted an interview and trained with Nishihira sensei, one of Soken's top students. Nishihira is a virtual clone of Hohan Soken both in physical characteristics and techniques. Nishihira sensei said Soken always emphasized blocking with the fleshy portion of the arm [sometimes referred to as a double bone block] so that both bones of the forearm, the radius and the ulna, were used in blocking. During our  training session Nishihira kicked me in the groin at least eight times to get his point across about the effectiveness of the Matsumura style (See: Okinawan Karate Voyage). It was painful and humiliating but the information we were looking for was obtained first hand so to speak. Training with Nishihira sensei was like looking through a window into the past and seeing what Okinawan "village" karate looked like a hundred years ago. It's totally different then the karate taught in Naha today, which is becoming much more sport oriented. Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito Karate-do, as Soken Sensei stated, is an old style with many secrets. As Soken sensei got older he felt that it was important to pass on these "secrets" to the dedicated students or they would be lost. According to Soken Sensei,

“There are many secrets in karate that people will never know and will never  understand. These ideas are really not secret if you train under a good teacher who knows his style.” Hohan Soken was a highly respected Grand Master in Okinawa. He retired from teaching in 1978. However, for many years he was the oldest living karate master  actively teaching. He has been quoted as saying, “Karate training has no limits.” His legacy was to bring karate from a bygone age into the modern era. He helped pass on the legacy of Matsumura Shorin Ryu. Perhaps his life is reflected best in his own words. The following death poem is his final conversation with one of his students in November  of 1982. I have taught you all I know. There is no more I can teach you. I am a candle whose light has traveled far. You are my candles to whom I have passed on my light. It is you who will light the path for others. Today I see around me the lights of Shaolin. The flame of tomorrow. My task is done, soon my flame will end. Teach the true spirit of karate-do and one day you may enter the Temple of Shaolin. Hohan Soken’s light was most certainly passed on to a candle to help light the way for  others. Soken Sensei was instrumental in passing on a martial arts legacy from Bushi Matsumura and Nabe Matsumura to his students and to future generations. The legacy of Matsumura Shorin Ryu continues.

Nishihira Sensei (R) and George Alexander with the sign from Hohan Soken's dojo.

MAKIWARA & TAMASHIWARA "The Lost Art of Breaking" by George W. Alexander, 9th Degree Black Belt The word Makiwara means a target or a striking device that is made specifically out of  sheaved rice straw. The word tamashiwara means breaking or testing of strength by breaking various types of objects. The training methodology of the makiwara and the concept of the test of strength has long been used in Okinawa as part of karate’s curriculum. There is however one special type of tamashiwara technique. This is called shi-ho-wari breaking in four different directions with the last board breaking before the pieces of the other broken boards hit the floor. Difficult, yes, but not impossible, as great speed and a tremendous amount of focus is required to perform this amazing feat. The makiwara is of utmost importance in developing one's hands, feet and other striking areas. It will strengthen the fist and the other striking surfaces and eventually refine them. The common misconception by most students in their early years of training is that they must beat their hands on inanimate objects to develop huge calluses and knuckles. The subject of makiwara and tamashiwara is almost a complete science in itself. Makiwara discussions among karateka invariably are a subject of controversy. Each style of karate and each individual will have a singular opinion as to the best way to utilize the makiwara. Developing with it empirically is, in the final analysis, the best. The makiwara forces one to develop his kime (focus) to a high level. Kime is the focusing of physical and mental energy into a single point at a split second in time followed by an immediate relaxation of muscular contractions. It is a highly cultivated dynamic force in which the summation of joint forces come together at a specific time. Physically the large and small muscle groups contract exactly at the same instant. Mentally ones mind must not deter or be distracted even for a millisecond otherwise ones total focus of body and mind cannot be used together to create the ultimate impact of the specific technique. An excellent simile is that kime is to a punch or kick as gunpowder is to a bullet. In everyday language it can be said that a person who has kime has the ability of a knockout punch. Kime is not the sole property of karateka alone as modern day boxers most certainly understand this intrinsic energy. Some people believe that certain people are born with this power, but no matter where it comes from kime is the essence of karate. A modern practitioner and advocate of the makiwara is Sensei Mike Reeves. Mike is the World Breaking Champion and three-time Guinness Book of Records

all-time breaking champion. He punches the makiwara over one thousand times everyday. In addition to his strength-training regime, he swears makiwara training is the source of  his tremendous breaking power. Results don't lie. The fact is Sensei Reeves won the World Championship and broke 400 boards in one minute! Sensei Reeves says, "For  every strike, for every block there is a point of impact. In karate, we prepare ourselves for this eventuality by conditioning our bodies and minds." The makiwara in a good karate dojo is of utmost importance in the development of kime. It must be the very best available. It must be able to withstand the strongest punches and kicks. It must be flexible enough in design to accommodate the white belt but yet strong enough to challenge the black belt. A good makiwara in a karate dojo will set an example for the beginners when they see the seniors striking the makiwara with terrific force. These students will eventually come to realize the value of the makiwara and either build one of there own or begin conscientiously using the one at the dojo. Any student who is serious about developing as a martial artist will use the makiwara daily, as it embraces the spirit of karate training. It is important to realize that the fist along with the wrist is what is developed when striking the straw pad. The wrist and the fist will never develop properly without awareness of making the fist hard through concentration on every muscle in the hand and the sinew in the wrist. Many karate students will waste a great deal of time if they don’t understand that it is the mind that contracts the muscles in the hand to form the fist. A “Fist of Iron” is the result of mentally concentrating on the contraction of every single muscle in your hand, wrist and forearm as well as all the supporting muscle groups from the legs on up during your  makiwara training. The phrase “ones own iron will, will win out in the end” is one you should contemplate when training with the makiwara. This shows the relationship between karate and Zen. So in essence, the makiwara is used to train your mind as much as your punch or kick, so that it becomes as hard as steel but yet as flexible and light as the straw that makes up the makiwara pad. It is the intensity of the concentration that develops ordinary men and women into what a real black belt is, in a real karate dojo. The main method of developing this attitude is the use of the makiwara. Your mind overcomes the pain and the desire to quit and when you overcome these obstacles you become a psychologically stronger person. Over training in any one area is just as profitless as under training. The makiwara eventually becomes a very personal possession and when used properly develops one’s body into a powerful weapon. There are also psychological benefits from makiwara training. You are able to unleash built up anger and frustrations and as well as your own hostilities and emotional rage. Consistent and careful training with the makiwara often leads to mental state of blissful earnestness, wherein one can literally meditate while punching the straw pad. Some have asked why a straw pad? The Okinawan karate masters I have interviewed about the makiwara believe that straw has chemical properties in it to help heal the hand and the wounds that will invariably happen.

Although there is no proof to this fact, I can attest to the fact that striking a straw makiwara is less brutal and it offers a resistance more similar to hitting a body then does a simple leather pad. Hemp rope is also often used as a striking surface. The only problem in using a straw pad or wound hemp rope in the dojo is the obvious problem that modern diseases that can be transmitted through our body fluids. Therefore, unless you change the straw pad every time a new person uses it you run the risk of  transmitting disease. Hence the leather pad has become in vogue as it can be changed very quickly. Additionally, hitting and twisting at the same time against a leather-covered makiwara seems to produce the more ominous looking calluses on the knuckles. Alternatively, hitting a rubber pad will not produce as much of a callous but will strengthen the muscles and sinew associated with building hand strength and the ultimate goal of producing a strong fist. Interestingly, Maasaki Ueki, one of Shotokan’s instructor’s in the 1960s used to rub hand lotion on his knuckles to prevent them from callusing after punching the makiwara. A common misconception is that the makiwara should be stiff. Actually, it should be flexible so that force is transmitted forward when it is struck and not back into the shoulder, which could result in an injury. I can remember many a young macho black belt coming into my dojo and testing my makiwara. Afterwards they would invariably say, "My makiwara is much stiffer than this one." I would always respond with, "Oh really! Let me see you hit it a thousand times." The point being it is better to hit something flexible with more repetitions than hit something really hard only once or twice. A suggested routine for beginners is to hit the makiwara about ten times a day with each hand until you can build this up to at least 50 times a day. Remember there is no hurry and this is something that can and should take a couple of years at least to develop. There is no quick easy method of developing the makiwara and itsbenefits. To overcome the boredom of training on the makiwara, you can train using a partner. Oftentimes this will stimulate you to keep going as the competitiveness in us as well as our own ego will make us keep going. TAMASHIWARA There are many feats of breaking that have become legendary like the ones of Master  Mas Oyama who reportedly was able to knock out a bull with a single reverse punch. Reputedly, he did this more then once. Sensei Mike Reeves, who was mentioned earlier, can break four hundred boards in one minute! Other karate legends have smashed hundreds of pounds of ice with a single blow. And other feats of strength that include breaking rocks, bottles, bricks, boards and concrete have all become synonymous with karate. Oh! You’re a black belt! Can you break a board? This is the usual query from those outside the art. However, what is often missed by the uninitiated is that tamashiwara training is also very useful in developing one’s confidence. When you are able to overcome inanimate objects by smashing them with a single strike something that ordinary people are unable to do you will attain a new found sense of confidence, which hopefully will carry over into your everyday life. Another benefit of tamashiwara is that it gives the practitioner a way of testing or  measuring his power and the progression of this power. He is able to see that in the beginning he could break only one board; then possibly after a year or so he is able to break two boards. After another year or so and after consistent and intense training he can possibly break three or four boards. The strength it takes to break one board is the

same amount of power to break one rib so can you imagine the damage that could be created by someone who is able to break three or four boards with a single punch or  kick. It can be said that a makiwara is a tremendous method of developing the power of your  karate techniques to the fullest. And that by practicing tamashiwara feats you are able to test these techniques without injuring someone. The true power of karate lies in the proper use of these age-old tools. George W. Alexander, 9th Dan is the president of the International Shorin Ryu Karate Kobudo Federation and is the author of Okinawa Island of Karate, The Bubishi Martial Art Spirit and Warrior Jujitsu. He can be contacted at (423) 338-4972. SIDE BAR #1 TOP 10 SAFETY TIPS WHILE TRAINING WITH THE MAKIWARA: 1. Make sure that your wrist is straight. 2. Make sure that you hit with the first two knuckles only. 3. It is not necessary to hit it with full power in the beginning. 4. Makiwara Training takes years to develop. Do not be in a hurry. Your body and mind will tell you when to go harder. 5. Make sure the pad whether it be straw or leather does have some padding on it to prevent breaking the skin open. 6. Make sure that the post is flexible enough to give enough of a cushion when hitting it. This will prevent a shoulder injury. 7. Remember to use Dit Da Jow, Zen Gu Shui or any other medicine designed for toughing the skin. 8. Do not lock your elbows out at the end of the punch. 9. Do not drive the shoulder too far forward when punching. 10. Lock your back leg solidly upon impact and simultaneously tense the abdominal and chest muscles. The latt and deltoid muscles must also be locked down upon impact. Side Bar #2 TOP TEN TRAINING TIPS 1. Remember to train both left and right sides equally. 2. As a beginner it is a good idea to use a sponge on the striking surface and graduate up to hemp rope. 3. Train a wide variety of techniques not just a punch. 4. Training with a partner is a good idea as it will motivate you both to keep up with each other. 5. The goal is not to break the makiwara but rather to condition your hands

and body so that you technique will be stronger and more effective. 6. Train after class is over. This way it is a supplement to your training. 7. Pick a certain number of times you will hit the makiwara every time you use it. In the beginning maybe only 25 times with each technique and graduate up to 50 times. 8. Remember to stay focused on the makiwara mentally. 9. Each time you hit the makiwara remember to tense up and focus your body. 10. Consistency is the best way to develop your skills on the makiwara. Master Chotoku Kiyan - Okinawan Karate Legend George W. Alexander  Okinawa, Japan is the birthplace of karate and this small island has produced many karate legends. One of these karate legends was Chotoku Kiyan. Kiyan was born in Shuri, Okinawa in December 1870 as the third son of Chofu Kiyan. His father was a descendent of the Ryukyu King Shosei and served as a retainer to the last Ryukyu King-King Sho Tai. Kiyan, also pronounced Kiyabu, was born a frail child but through martial arts training he developed a strong constitution and improved his health. Kiyan began training in karate under his father when he was eight years old. He was known in Okinawa as Mi-gwa Chan or “small-eyed Kiyan” because his eyes were small and weak. Despite this handicap, he became a great master. In fact, he was one of the most knowledgeable masters of his time. When he was twenty years old he studied Shuri-Te (Shuri hands) from Sokon Matsumura (1797-1889) and Anko Itosu (1830-1915); and Tomari-Te (Tomari hands) with Oyadomari Peichin (1831-1905), Maeda Peichin (18421909) and Kosaku Matsumora (1820-1898). The two distinct genre of Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te that Kiyan studied differed both in style as well as in geographical classification; however, the differences of style were actually only surface differences since both Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te are derived from the same Chinese martial arts traditions and indigenous Okinawan fighting techniques (see Okinawa Island of Karate, Yamazato Publications, p. 32.). Shuri-Te was the style of  karate practiced in and around the city of Shuri where the king and members of the nobility lived. Sokon Matsumura was responsible for organizing the Shuri-Te system and carrying on the teachings of the this martial art. Tomari-Te was practiced in Tomari village and was closely related to Shuri-Te. This village is located near the ancient capital of Shuri and was mostly populated by farmers and fisherman. Tomari-Te was an offshoot of Shuri-Te and was propagated by Chokun Makabe (b.1785) and Kosaku Matsumora (1820-1898). Eventually these systems became stylized. Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te combined to form the Shorin Ryu (young forest) style. By the time he was thirty years old Kiyan had garnered a reputation as an accomplished karate man and was well known throughout Okinawa. Kiyan’s teachings combined elements of both the Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te styles. The Shorin Ryu system he passed on to his students reflected this mixture. Kiyan’s teaching influenced many modern Shorin Ryu masters. This makes him an important transitional figure in the history of  Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te. He is mainly responsible for blending Tomari-Te back with Shuri-Te. His students originally called his teachings Mi-gwa-Te but later his style became known as the Sukunaihayashi branch of Shorin Ryu.

Kiyan traveled a good deal. During his martial arts career he journeyed to Japan and Taiwan. He also visited one of Okinawa’s off-lying islands and learned the Tokumine Bo Kata there. Tokumine Peichin was an Okinawan lord who had been banished from Okinawa and developed this kata. Although some authorities believe the Tokumine No Kon kata to be simply another version of Chatan Yara No Kon. Kiyan lived in Shuri until he was about thirty years old and than moved to Kadena where he opened his dojo. At one time in his life, Kiyan lived in the village of Yomitan where a karate man named Yara taught him the Kusanku Kata. Yara of Yomitan was a descendent of Chatan Yara who developed the Chatan Yara sai, bo and tonfa kata. An interesting legend passed on about Yara is that one of his training methods was to run down wild boar and after an exhausting chase he would then kill them by kicking them to death. In addition to Kusanku kata, which was his favorite, Kiyan learned other kata. From Sokon Matsumura he learned Seisan, Naihanchi and Gojushiho. From Kosaku Matsumora he learned Chinto and Oyadomari taught him Passai. Also, Maeda Peichin taught him Wansu and Ananku meaning light from the south he learned while in Taiwan. Kiyan later developed his own versions of Chinto and Passai and his way of performing Ananku is considered the orthodox version. He even learned tree fighting which is linked to the Okinawan monkey dance Saru Mai. Even though Kiyan was very slim, he excelled in the use of the bo or Okinawan staff and kicking techniques, especially jump kicking. The kicking techniques of Okinawan Shorin Ryu karate favor low level targets. From a combative standpoint, kicks to the torso, groin and legs have proven to be most effective. The kicking techniques occur in the kata primarily as short range attacks used when close to the opponent. However, Chotoku Kiyan was noted as a kicking specialist in Okinawa. He is known to have successfully used jumping or aerial kicks. One anecdote which mentions his jumping ability tells how he would jump from a barge floating on a river up to the bridge overhead. One of his training methods was to put on a pair of wooden geta, the traditional wooden shoes of Japan, and jump in the air inside his dojo and split the geta in half by kicking a beam in the ceiling. It is also said that Kiyan could sit in seiza, the Japanese formal sitting position, and then leap straight up from this position and kick the ceiling. He had his students practice their kata in the dark to get their eyes used to fighting in the dark. He had them practice on uneven slippery terrain to achieve better  balance. Because of his reputation, Kiyan was often challenged by others. He fought many actual fights but was never defeated. Kiyan was highly adept at body shifting. Since he was a small man, he used this type of evasive maneuver known as taisabaki to defeat his opponents. His technique was to never backup but rather to surprise his opponents by rapidly moving forward or side stepping to block and counterattack immediately. Several stories about Kiyan’s martial exploits have been handed down. One story indicates that he supposedly killed a famous strongman from Gushikawa village by the name of Taira (Tairaguwa). It is said that he accomplished the feat by jumping from a tree and killed him by breaking his neck. Taira was no mere peasant. He was known as an expert with the kama, a sickle used in the harvesting of rice. Stories of his feats of  strength are legendary in Okinawa. He was unusually strong for his size and was known as the Samurai of Gushikawa. A student of Sokon Matsumura, Taira never propagated a

school of his own and some say he was a bully. He concentrated instead on perfecting his own technique. Another story proposes that Kiyan killed or at least subdued four outlaws in a fight. The reason this occurred was because the outlaws were robbing people at night along a road between Shuri and Naha known as Saka Shicha. The townspeople asked Kiyan to deal with the outlaws since the local police could not control them. Kiyan agreed and patrolled the road every night. Finally one night the outlaws appeared and said to Kiyan “Do you want your money or your life”. Kiyan handed the outlaws some change he had and then hit the outlaw in front of him with a double nukite (spearhand) dropping him to the ground. He then turned around and kicked the man behind him also knocking him to the ground. The other two outlaws became afraid and ran away. Kiyan told the outlaws laying on the ground who he was and that he would fight them anytime. The outlaws said they had had enough and that they would give up their lawless pursuits. Saka Shicha, the road to Shuri, became a safe road to travel again. Many people were fearful of Kiyan after this but he was also highly respected for dealing with the outlaws. It should be kept in mind that often in a village, the karate man functioned as a police officer and an enforcer of justice. Early in his career, Kiyan had two top students. They were Ankichi Arakaki (1899-1927) and Taro Shimabukuro (b.1906). Arakaki was born in Shuri, Okinawa at the turn of the century. He began studying karate at a very early age. His first instructors were Chomo Hanashiro and Shinpan Gusukuma. He later studied with Chosin Chibana and Kiyan. Arakaki was enthusiastic about karate and dedicated to training. He was blessed with a natural athletic ability. His excellent coordination allowed him to master the kata and many difficult techniques. One of his training methods was to walk on his toes to develop himself in kicking with the toes. He was known to have killed a sumo wrestler by kicking him in the stomach. Taro Shimabukuro was from Tomari village and a boyhood friend of Arakaki’s. Arakaki and Shimabukuro accompanied Kiyan almost everywhere and were inseparable from their teacher. Kiyan enjoyed rooster fighting very much. In fact, he often entered his own roosters in these fights. Another anecdote reveals more of Kiyan’s abilities as a martial artist. On one occasion he attended a cock fight and carried his own rooster  under his arm. His students, Arakaki and Shimabukuro decided to use the occasion to test their master’s skill. While at the cock fights, both Arakaki and Shimabukuro created a commotion and started a fight with several men there. As soon as it started they ran off  and hid in some nearby bushes. Kiyan came over to see what was happening and where Arakaki and Shimabukuro were. The enraged men then attacked Kiyan. Kiyan fought with the men and defeated them all. What was unique about the engagement was that all the while Kiyan was fighting, he maintained a firm grip on his rooster with one arm and consequently used only the other arm and his feet to defend himself. Arakaki and Shimabukuro watched the whole fight from their hiding place and were amazed at his composure and fighting skill. Kiyan was smart and he was able to expand on what he had been taught. He experimented with various strategies and training methods. He contributed much to the development of Shorin Ryu karate. He learned that “speed enhances power” and emphasized the use of speed in his personal training thus tailoring his techniques to suit his own physique. He believed that if attacked one must dodge (taisabaki) the attack at the precise moment the blow is about to strike. At this moment the opponent’s defenses

are down and his vital points are exposed. He suggested that by using this principle a smaller man could defeat a larger man. He also believed that no matter how powerful a strike is if it does not hit the target it will be ineffective. Thus evasion and counterattack and the use of accuracy in striking were Kiyan’s foremost strategies. Chotoku Kiyan was also noted as a specialist in makiwara training. In ancient Okinawa, martial artists used various makeshift training devices to polish the skills developed through kata practice. The makiwara or straw-padded post is one such training device. This most ubiquitous and essential training device is unique to Okinawan karate. Kiyan is said to have developed over fifty ways of punching and kicking the makiwara. The makiwara was a simple device used for developing atemi or striking power in the various techniques of karate. This included such techniques as the backfist, elbow strike and knifehand as well as front kicks and round kicks. An added benefit of this type of training was the hardening and toughening of the body parts used in the various techniques of  karate. Kiyan used two types of makiwara in his training, a standing wooden post embedded in the ground which stood about chest height for punching and a hanging makiwara for  kicking. The standing makiwara was covered with rope padding made out of native materials i.e., sheaved rice straw. Kiyan would strike this makiwara to develop strength and accuracy and to toughen his body parts such as his fists, feet, shins and forearms. Kiyan would also kick the hanging makiwara repeatedly to develop his leg strength. This type of makiwara also used a sheaf or a bundle of cut rice stalks bound together. He also emphasized in his makiwara training the development of both sides of the body equally. A major point in the modern history of Okinawa is the devastation which occurred on the island in 1945 during World War II. The last large scale amphibious operation of World War II was carried out on Okinawa. This operation began on April 1, 1945 and after 82 days of bitter fighting American forces gained control of the island. The Japanese forces were concentrated mainly on the southern end of the island. The 100,000 Japanese troops there were commanded by Lt. General Mitsuru Ushijima. The northern half of the island was cleared by US Marines with relatively little resistance. However, as marine units advanced to the south, heavy Japanese resistance was encountered. Those Okinawan civilians who were not conscripted into military service by the Japanese were trapped between advancing American forces and the defending Japanese Army. Finally on June 19th, the marines who had distinguished themselves in other battles throughout the pacific, reached the southern coast in conjunction with US Army units and the island was secured. Unfortunately, many karate masters died as a result of this fighting. Among them was Chotoku Kiyan. It is said that he died of starvation as a result of a food shortage created by the disruption of the war. An interesting story passed on to us from this time tells us something of the sensei/deshi (teacher/student) relationship and the dedication of  Zenryo Shimabukuro to his teacher, Chotoku Kiyan. Zenryo Shimabukuro was another one of Kiyan’s top students. Zenryo originally called his style of karate Shorinji Ryu, named after the famed Shaolin Temple of China. Although, it later became known as Seibukan which was the name of the dojo he established in Jaguro, Okinawa in 1962. During the battle of Okinawa in 1945, Kiyan

was in a weakened condition due to lack of food. He was starving, emaciated and could not walk. Zenryo Shimabukuro kept him alive and ahead of the advancing troops by carrying Kiyan on his back. They would hide in the daytime in caves and only move at night in order to avoid detection. In this way they survived the battle. However, Kiyan finally died on September 20, 1945. Kiyan felt strongly about the code of Bushido, the way of the samurai. He felt that every martial artist must follow it totally and the ultimate goal was to master the samurai’s philosophy. He was a perfectionist and disciplinarian in both his own training and his teaching. He believed that self discipline and social order and justice went hand in hand. He was quoted as saying “ Mastery of karate does not depend on the learners physical constitution, but mainly on constant practice”. He believed that effort to continue practicing was the most significant element necessary to succeed in the mastery of the martial arts. However, his most famous expression was “Fight with your back straight”. This meant not only to maintain a good fighting posture but implied that a strong mental constitution is necessary in the martial arts. His many students included: Taro Shimabukuro, Ankichi Arakaki, Zenryo Shimabukuro, Shoshin Nagamine, Zyoen Nakazato, Chosin Chibana, Tsuyoshi Chitose, Tatsuo Shimabuku and Eizo Shimabuku. Anko Itosu At the very beginning of the twentieth century, 1901 to be exact, another Okinawan Karate master named Anko Itosu (1830-1915) began teaching karate in the public schools as part of the physical training curriculum. As the traditional village style was felt to be too dangerous to teach to young children, Itosu removed dangerous techniques and simplified the kata. In 1908 he wrote a letter for the Prefectural education department concerning introducing karate to all Okinawan schools and later to spread to Japan proper. This letter can be considered to be the beginning of modern karate-do philosophy. In this letter are the ten principles of Itosu. The letter reads as follows: Tode (tode means China hand. It originally referred to any karate fighting style on Okinawa) did not develop from the way of Buddhism or Confucianism. In the recent past Shorin-Ryu and Shorei-Ryu were brought over from China. They both have similar  strong points, so before there are too many changes I should like to write these down. 1.

Tode is primarily for the benefit of health. In order to protect one’s parents or  one’s master, it is proper to attack a foe regardless of one’s own life. Never  attack a lone adversary. If one meets a villain or a ruffian one should not use tode but simply parry and step aside.

2.

The purpose of tode is to make the body hard like stones and iron; hands and feet should be used like the points of arrows; hearts should be strong and brave. prepared for the military service. When Wellington and Napoleon met they discussed the point that “tomorrow’s victory will come from today’s playground”.

3.

Tode cannot be learned quickly. Like a slow moving bull that eventually walks a thousand miles. If one studies seriously every day in three or four years one will understand what tode is about. The very shape of one’s bones will change.

4.

In tode the hands and feet are important so they should be trained thoroughly on the makiwara. In so doing drop your shoulders, open your lungs, take hold of  your strength, grip the floor with your feet and sink your intrinsic energy to your  lower abdomen. Practice with each arm one or two hundred times.

5.

When practicing tode stances make sure that your back is straight, drop your  shoulders, take your strength and put it in your legs, stand firmly and put the intrinsic energy in your lower abdomen, the top and bottom of which must be held together tightly.

6.

The external techniques of tode should be practiced one by one, many times. Because these techniques are passed on by word or mouth, take the trouble to learn the explanations and decide when and in what context it would be possible to use them. Go in, counter, release; it is the rule or torite. (Lit. releasing of  hands.)

7.

You must decide whether tode is for cultivating a healthy body or for enhancing your duty.

8.

During practice you should imagine you are on the battle field. When blocking and striking make the eyes glare, drop the shoulders and harden the body. Now block the enemy’s punch and strike! Always practice with this spirit, so that when on the real battlefield you will be naturally prepared.

9.

Do not overexert yourself during practice because the intrinsic energy will rise up, your face and eyes will turn red and your body will be harmed. Be careful!

10.

In the past many of those who have mastered tode have lived to an old age. This is because tode aids the development of the bones and sinews, it helps the digestive organs and it is good for the circulation of the blood. Therefore, from now on, tode should become the foundation of all sports lessons from elementary schools onward. If this is put into practice there will be many men who can win against ten aggressors.

The reason for stating all this is that it is my opinion that all students at the Okinawa Prefectural Teachers’ Training College should practice tode, so that when they graduate from here they can teach the children in the schools exactly as I have taught them. Within ten years tode will spread all over Okinawa and to the Japanese mainland. This will be a great asset to our militaristic society. I hope that you will carefully study the words I have written here.

Anko Itosu, October 1908 (This is certainly a misquote. Napoleon and Wellington never met. I believe this really refers to a quote by Wellington after the Battle of Waterloo where he defeated Napoleon, the quote is: “This battle was won on the playing fields of Eton”). At the very beginning of the twentieth century, 1901 to be exact, another Okinawan Karate master named Anko Itosu (1830-1915) began teaching karate in the public

schools as part of the physical training curriculum. As the traditional village style was felt to be too dangerous to teach to young children, Itosu removed dangerous techniques and simplified the kata. In 1908 he wrote a letter for the Prefectural education department concerning introducing karate to all Okinawan schools and later to spread to Japan proper. This letter can be considered to be the beginning of modern karate-do philosophy. In this letter are the ten principles of Itosu. The letter reads as follows: Tode (tode means China hand. It originally referred to any karate fighting style on Okinawa) did not develop from the way of Buddhism or Confucianism. In the recent past Shorin-Ryu and Shorei-Ryu were brought over from China. They both have similar  strong points, so before there are too many changes I should like to write these down. 1.

Tode is primarily for the benefit of health. In order to protect one’s parents or  one’s master, it is proper to attack a foe regardless of one’s own life. Never  attack a lone adversary. If one meets a villain or a ruffian one should not use tode but simply parry and step aside.

2.

The purpose of tode is to make the body hard like stones and iron; hands and feet should be used like the points of arrows; hearts should be strong and brave. If children were to practice tode from their elementary school days, they would be well prepared for the military service. When Wellington and Napoleon met they discussed the point that “tomorrow’s victory will come from today’s playground”.

3.

Tode cannot be learned quickly. Like a slow moving bull that eventually walks a thousand miles. If one studies seriously every day in three or four years one will understand what tode is about. The very shape of one’s bones will change.

4.

In tode the hands and feet are important so they should be trained thoroughly on the makiwara. In so doing drop your shoulders, open your lungs, take hold of  your strength, grip the floor with your feet and sink your intrinsic energy to your  lower abdomen. Practice with each arm one or two hundred times.

5.

When practicing tode stances make sure that your back is straight, drop your  shoulders, take your strength and put it in your legs, stand firmly and put the intrinsic energy in your lower abdomen, the top and bottom of which must be held together tightly.

6.

The external techniques of tode should be practiced one by one, many times. Because these techniques are passed on by word or mouth, take the trouble to learn the explanations and decide when and in what context it would be possible to use them. Go in, counter, release; it is the rule or torite. (Lit. releasing of  hands.)

7.

You must decide whether tode is for cultivating a healthy body or for enhancing your duty.

8.

During practice you should imagine you are on the battle field. When blocking and striking make the eyes glare, drop the shoulders and harden the body. Now block the enemy’s punch and strike! Always practice with this spirit, so that when on the real battlefield you will be naturally prepared.

9.

Do not overexert yourself during practice because the intrinsic energy will rise up, your face and eyes will turn red and your body will be harmed. Be careful!

10.

In the past many of those who have mastered tode have lived to an old age. This is because tode aids the development of the bones and sinews, it helps the digestive organs and it is good for the circulation of the blood. Therefore, from now on, tode should become the foundation of all sports lessons from elementary schools onward. If this is put into practice there will be many men who can win against ten aggressors.

The reason for stating all this is that it is my opinion that all students at the Okinawa Prefectural Teachers’ Training College should practice tode, so that when they graduate from here they can teach the children in the schools exactly as I have taught them. Within ten years tode will spread all over Okinawa and to the Japanese mainland. This will be a great asset to our militaristic society. I hope that you will carefully study the words I have written here.

Anko Itosu, October 1908 (This is certainly a misquote. Napoleon and Wellington never met. I believe this really refers to a quote by Wellington after the Battle of Waterloo where he defeated Napoleon, the quote is: “This battle was won on the playing fields of Eton”). Shinjo Choken Shinjo Choken is a “Dai Jo” or an important figure in Shorin Ryu’s history. He is one of  the earliest known practitioners of Shuri-Te. He was active in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s. It has been handed down that after Shinjo Choken another martial artist by the name of Tode Sakugawa (1733-1815) became prominent in Okinawa. In fact, he is considered to be the first true teacher of Okinawan Karate. Sakugawa’s martial art was a mixture of Shuri-Te and Chinese Kenpo. Kenwa Mabuni

The Founder of Shotokan?

By D. Chambers

Everyone knows the founder of Shotokan karate is Gichen Funakoshi (1868-1957) but Kenwa Mabuni (1893-1952) is often not given credit for the many contributions he made to modern karate and the Shotokan style. In fact, Mabuni sensei brought many of 

Okinawa's unique kata to Japan that were later added to the Shotokan system. There is no question that he made a substantial contribution to the Shotokan style.

Karate Comes to Japan

In 1917, Gichin Funakoshi traveled to Kyoto, Japan and demonstrated the art of  Okinawan Karate at the Butokuden for the Dai Nippon Butokukai, The Greater Japan Martial Virtues Association. This was the first time karate had been demonstrated in Japan. This was done in order to stimulate interest in the art in mainland Japan. In 1922, he made a second trip, this time to Tokyo, at the request of Japanese officials and formally introduced karate to the Japanese mainland. Therefore, he is credited as being the father of Japanese karate.

Karate was not accepted at first in Japan. Funakoshi Sensei and others spent a decade promoting the art before it became popular. Perhaps this initial resistance was due the fact that a plebeian art such as karate was perceived to be less effective than the martial arts of the samurai, i.e. jujitsu and kenjutsu. Realize too that in Japan, Okinawa was thought of as the “country” and Okinawan farmers and fishermen were thought of as little more than hillbillies. However, eventually karate caught on at various Japanese universities and began to spread all over Japan and karate grew in popularity. Eventually, Funakoshi sensei’s group became known as the Shotokan style of karate and the Japan Karate Association (JKA) was formed.

Funakoshi began learning karate as a boy from Master Yasutsune Azato (1827-1915) one of Okinawa’s leading karate masters at the time. Azato had been a student of the great Bushi or warrior Matsumura of whom many legends are told in Okinawa. Azato encouraged Funakoshi to study under other karate masters and learn all he could. On Azato’s introduction Funakoshi trained with Anko Itosu (1830-1915) and others of the Shuri-Te style and Kanryo Higashionna of the Naha-Te style.

Funakoshi originally brought fifteen kata to Japan with him. In addition to his kata syllabus, he formalized techniques and nomenclature and added a spiritual essence to the art. However, Funakoshi would send his senior instructors to Mabuni sensei and he would teach them kata that were not included in Funakoshi's syllabus. These kata were rohai (meikyo), wankan, chinte, unsu, sochin, nijushiho (niseishi), gojushiho, jiin and bassai sho. They would then take these kata and Shotokanize them!

Mabuni began training in karate as a young boy in Okinawa. He was the seventeenth generation descendant of the famous Okinawan samurai family named Onigusikuni.

Mabuni was very proud of his samurai heritage. He began studying Shuri-Te at age thirteen from Itosu. He first learned the naihanchi kata from Itosu. Itosu was over seventy years old at the time. Mabuni was weak as a boy but Itosu encouraged him to keep training. Mabuni trained very hard and learned "twenty three swift fists" or kata from Itosu. Mabuni ultimately became very adept at karate. An interesting story handed down is that when Itosu died; Mabuni was so grief stricken that he stayed by Itosu's grave for  one year. He practiced the kata that Itosu had taught him every day at the gravesite. Mabuni did this to show his devotion to his master.

Mabuni also studied kempo from a Chinese man named Gokenki who was living in Okinawa. Gokenki was a tea merchant from Fukien Province, China. Mabuni learned a form of Shaolin white crane (hakutsuru) from Gokenki. This form is preserved in the Shito ryu style today and is known as hakucho. Gokenki also taught Mabuni the kata nipai (nipaipo) and paipuren. Mabuni then studied Naha-Te with Kanryo Higashionna and Arakaki Seisho. He perfected the sanchin kata under Higashionna and Arakaki taught him unshu, sochin, and niseishi kata. All these kata were eventually brought into the Shotokan system as taught by Mabuni. Mabuni later combined the teachings of Itosu and Higashionna and called his system of karate Shito Ryu. Around this time it was thought that it was necessary to name each style in order to differentiate one master's teachings from another's. The word Shito is a combination of two characters. The first character (shi) represents ito from Itosu's name and the second character (to) represents higa from Higashionna's name. He spent a great deal of time studying and teaching in Okinawa before he came to Japan. Mabuni taught the Okinawan police departments.

Initially, Mabuni made several trips to Japan from Okinawa. Then he spent about a year  in the Tokyo area. At this time he taught the senior members of Funakoshi's group including Nakayama and Obata the advanced Shito Ryu forms. This was during 1927 and 1928. He also taught Yasuhiro Konishi and helped him establish his style known as Ryobukai. Then in 1929, Mabuni moved to Osaka and began teaching at various universities and police departments. He taught at Kansai University, Doshisha University and Kansai Gakuin University. He established a dojo in Osaka called the Japan Karatedo Kai that attracted a large following in that area of Japan.

When Funakoshi introduced karate to mainland Japan in 1922 he taught the following kata: pinan 1-5, naihanchi 1-3, passai, wanshu, chinto, seisan, jutte, jion, and kusanku. These kata became the basis of Shotokan and Japanese karate. Later, the following kata were added to the Shotokan system: rohai (meikyo), wankan, chinte, unsu, sochin, nijushiho and gojushiho, jiin and bassai sho. Although in the literature of the Shotokan system they never say where these kata came from! In 1927 and 1928 Mabuni taught these kata to the senior members of the Shotokan group [it wasn't called Shotokan until 1936] in Tokyo when Funakoshi, Konishi and Mabuni were training altogether and sharing ideas. Around this time there was an impetus to organize an All Japan generic style of karate under one organizational banner. Kanken Toyama who had organized the All Japan Karate Do Federation fostered this. However, the establishment and formalization of this group failed. Typically, as is often the case with Japanese karate

organizations, each group went their separate ways deciding that they would each maintain their own unique stylistic and organizational integrity, no doubt motivated by an elitist attitude within their respective groups.

Mabuni's kata repertoire of his Shito Ryu style combined Shuri-Te, Tomari-Te and NahaTe lineage kata into a set that used kata from all three sources. Mabuni taught an amazing number of kata. All in all there were over sixty kata in his seito or orthodox Shito Ryu style. Some authorities say this is too many kata and is more than necessary to be an accomplished fighter and teacher of a combative martial discipline. However, Mabuni saw himself as a preserver of these forms. He was certainly one of the most prolific kata practitioners of all time. He gave a glimpse of his kata system in his book that he published in the 1930s. However, Funakoshi on the other hand felt that only fifteen kata were enough to provide an overall training methodology and were a sufficient number to comprise as a complete training regime. This is exemplified by Funakoshi's book Karate Do Kyohan that contained the orthodox kata of the system that included only fifteen as opposed to sixty plus kata in Mabuni's system. Although, Funakoshi along with his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) were to make their own changes to karate. They lengthened the stances, added the sidekick, and made changes in certain kata movements. Funakoshi changed the names of the kata. He modified the original kata of  the Okinawan art to adapt it to the Japanese culture. One way he did this was by changing the older Okinawan names of the kata to names with a clearer meaning to the Japanese. He also changed the meaning of karate from Chinese hand to empty hand in 1936. The change served to disassociate the art from its Chinese origins and influence. Japan was at war with China by 1937 and this change was politically necessary.

Although Funakoshi and Mabuni had some of the same teachers, Mabuni also had teachers that Funakoshi did not. They were different ages and studied under the same masters but because of age differences they studied at different times. This accounts for  the difference in knowledge level of kata and bunkai. Some critics of Shotokan say the level of understanding of bunkai or practical application in the Shotokan style was lacking. In other words, they had no deep or advanced understanding of the practical techniques and meaning of the kata movements beyond a cursory level.

Some authorities say Mabuni moved to Osaka in 1929 out of respect for Funakoshi. Since the affiliation of Funakoshi's and Mabuni's karate groups [and others] didn't work under the auspices of the All Japan Karate Do Federation. In addition, some members of  Funakoshi's group ostracized Mabuni. However, Funakoshi himself never showed any disrespect or ill will towards Mabuni. Ultimately, Mabuni was not given the recognition he deserved as a substantial contributor to the development of the Shotokan system of  karate. Certainly the literature of the JKA (S) does not mention him. Although not the founder of Shotokan karate as the title of this article intimates, he was the founder of the highly technical and comprehensive style of Shito Ryu Karate. Finally, Mabuni sensei

was a conduit and preserver of many of Okinawa's unique karate kata that today form the basis of Shotokan's advanced repertoire of kata.

Mr. D. Chambers is an Englishman, martial artist and freelance writer. He can be contacted in Los Angeles, California at (310) 248-3633. Shotokan

THE KARATE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS

Ray Dalke Interview By Don Warrener 

"We got real serious after Frank Smith got his jaw broken by Enoeda." You were there? What really happened! "Yeah, you bet I was there. I was sitting right there at ringside when Enoeda swept Frank's front leg and then using the same foot he roundhouse kicked him right in the face as he went down. After Frank went down all I saw was blood. It was a great technique but it sure gave us a wake up call and after that everything changed. Frank got serious, very serious after  that in fact we all got serious and realized that this isn't a game anymore and that is how we played it after that. You know when we went to class we never new if we were going to live or die it was very serious from there on in."

These are the exact words of Ray Dalke one of the few American Karate Legends. In a recent interview Dalke told it all, the truth about the karate school of hard knocks. After forty plus years few people have stuck it out but he has and in this interview you will learn why the Japanese Karate Masters lost control of Karate in America and now in Europe as well. You may be shocked!

DW - How long have you been training and where did you start? RD -Over forty years, three years of judo and dabbled in other styles as well as a little kenpo with Ed Parker before training in Shotokan Karate. I formally

started with Dan Ivan. Dan Ivan would take us down to Ed Parker's. Dan was my first instructor, things back then were pretty open.

DW- Who did you train with after Dan? RD- Nishiyama all these years.

DW -What year did you start training with him? RD- Early 1961.

DW- What was your 1st impression when you saw Nishiyama? RD- Back then it was a different time and you looked at people differently. He was just something very special and I had heard about karate and how you could kill someone with a karate chop or something. He was more of a novelty than anything. He was someone you could look at and realize he could really do you in bare handed. I was looking for self-defense with Dan Ivan and not realizing it was Shotokan or anything cause back then we didn't know about styles. Then I saw Nishiyama perform and I was not quite sure about him, as he could not speak English. It was broken English and I couldn't understand what he was saying. I thought that zenkutsu dachi and kiba dachi were all the same so instead of trying to understand him I just copied him. Then as his English got better he was better able to explain the dynamics. Then prior to this Nishiyama and Dan Ivan had split up and Nishiyama Sensei had opened up a dojo through Oshima. I knew as soon as I started karate that it was something I would never stop.

DW - How was the training with Nishiyama back then? RD - It was savage. It was really brutal. Really brutal! Because Nishiyama was the main man back then and several top guys would come and train with us. Okazaki would come and train, Yaguichi, Mikami, Enoeda,

Shirai, Kanazawa these were our training/sparring, partners. Kase was more of an instructor but not at first. We got a chance to get after these guys and they were not very gentle men. I trained with them all including Sensei Oshima. I picked Nishiyama as my sensei. I was looking for some direction and he seemed to be the right man to guide me. He was intelligent, a deliberate man with no hesitation. He carried himself as an athlete and as someone special. We never sparred with the man he just had our respect and that will never change. Even big Frank Smith, I don't care what he says, that will just never change. We just trusted his word. It was a different time back then and there was also a big difference in terms of the whole of American philosophy. We were going through the Berlin crisis. We had the Cuban crisis. We were  just out of World War II by about 10 years or so. I just missed everything barely and we were getting into Vietnam and you know put the Americans in a corner and boy oh boy watch out. Things were just different back then--a different society. I don't think the karate has changed it's still the same. The people have changed so the message has to be a little different now.

DW-What is your opinion of kick boxing, UFC or Muay Thai? RD - Well I think that they are all good sports if that is what you want to do and get hammered around. But I like boxing and collegiate wrestling not so much the pro wrestling but some of those guys are serious and huge. I  just can't imagine fighting Shaqille O'Neil at 315 pounds 7'2 or something like that. It is wonderful to get old because you realize that you better  pick a fight with someone you can whup like that old lady over there. There wouldn't be any amount of money that would get me to fight those guys. I don't want to take anything away from those guys but to defend myself  against them is a different thing and I wouldn't hesitate a second, because if I new it was going to happen I would be way ahead of them. I think that is what karate has taught me, the final thing is to be really deliberate and believe me I won't hesitate even a second.

DW - Today people refer to karate as a sport. Do you agree with that? RD - No not real karate. If it was just kick/punch then you would have to

stop training at 35 or 40 years of age. No real karate is self-defense. They have these new rules out well let me tell you I would hate to be ipponed by Frank Smith once and then have to go another 3 or 4 minutes with him. I tell yeh that someone is going to get seriously hurt. Well that is sport but you know competition has become so subjective and you got these referees saying whether it was good enough or not. When we fought in the sixties it was contact but I don't want to exaggerate but it really was a rough go. We had legs broken, teeth knocked out, fingers broken, ribs broken but this was not real contact. I look at these guys who do this tough man contest and UFC. These guys are really tough and they are the guys I keep my eyes on in a bar  and if they get really rowdy I am going to go home and have a beer if not it  just might be "bang" and we will get something really going on. But that is not what I think decent people should be doing and saying. I don't want to fight and roll around on the ground, but that is what these type of guys are doing if they aren't fighting in the ring they are fighting in bars and they are looking for  someone to give them a go but this is what I have trained my whole life to avoid and I can't do this by just being a fighter. I am a karate-ka who practices the whole art including the philosophy.

DW - You have been training now for 40 years do you think that the western world karate has caught up to the Japanese karate? RD - Oh yeah. We caught up to them in 1967 and 1969 big time. Nishiyama's students caught them and when they brought in this guy to fight ten of us and he couldn't get through us and that was the JKA grand champion. The idea was that they would bring in one guy to beat ten Americans (the Los Angeles team) and that wasn't going to happen and I really felt sorry for the Japanese champion cause he really got beat, beat badly. It was the late 60s or early 70s right around in there. Physically, technically we are as good as they are but culturally and socially we are not there. We are not

even close to them and their history and their Musashi's and their great heritage and all these types of things we are just not even close to them.

DW - How important do you think the bunkai of the kata is? RD - Well there is so many different interpretations of bunkai, oh my God that is one of the things I learned when I went to the JKA Instructors school. It is like every instructor has a different interpretation to the technique...let me put it this way Sensei Nishiyama rarely ever taught bunkai in fact I can't remember when he did teach it.

DW - The guys who have been training for as long as you have mention that the Japanese don't like to give up the control thing. How do you guys feel about that? RD - Well that caused a lot of pain in the USA in the past and Europe is now experiencing that. You know there is a top and we don't want to be the top but with all the years we have done this we don't want to be at the back of  the bus we are somewhere in the middle. The problem is that the Japanese, I think, never expected us to stick around as long as some of us have. You know forty years or so. I think they figured we would stick around for five, eight or ten years and then quit. This has forced some of us to form our own small groups where we are prepared to share the top with each other. On the other hand, I look at Sensei Nishiyama and he sees me in class and I am 62 years old and he says I am looking pretty good and he never said that before and that is what I have always striven for, to get that nod of approval. I don't give that nod very often to my students but I do give it when they deserve it and I am prepared to share the top with them if they deserve it.

If some guy has done karate for 25 years he is no amateur and he deserves recognition. Lesley Safar was Okazaki's top student and he left and said you know Sensei you just don't want to share. And you know it always comes back to another thing called money and that is a pretty important thing especially when you are a professional and you have a wife and family. If it is an international organization and I am an 8th dan or 9th dan and that says I have a lot of experience and then I deserve a piece of the gate as well as them. I underwent their training and I broke my body and I wouldn't have been the person I am now without it. But I don't just credit them for it; I also credit myself for hanging in there. They will not share with us, we get crumbs while they get the big portions...but what was really not fair  was when they brought in junior instructors and put them in front of us and that is when some of us just said wow! I have been training twice as long as this guy and your putting him up as my Sensei? Don't do that and look at us as equal to a junior Japanese, and that is pretty hard for a guy like me to chew and it was really hard for a guy like Frank Smith who is really ego motivated and it is  just too bloody bad that a guy like that quit karate fifteen years ago because when he had something to say he kept his mouth shut. But I didn't, I said what you guys are doing is wrong. I told Okazaki Sensei that I don't want to drive the bus but I don't want to sit at the back of it either. I paid my dues and spent my time yet you want me to bring in Mr. Yaguichi to test my green belts. What the hell are you doing? Who pays my rent? It boils down to business.

DW - What did he say to that? RD - Ah... "You don't understand the politics." I said Ok; you do it but I want a promise from you in writing that when I can't pay my rent next month you will pay. He said, "No, No you are supposed to run your own business." Well Then, I can't do it and that is when we had our parting of the ways with both Mr. Nishiyama and Okazaki and that is exactly what has happened with Leon Sells and Mikami the same way. They won't let him test and he has been training damn near as long as me and Mikami kicked him out because he gave a couple of black belt tests. Greer Golden, the guy I went through Instructor  training school with thinks he is Japanese but he is not. He will learn one of these days. He is 67 years old and he is my sempai by five years and he can test up to 3rd kyu

brown belt because he wasn't a nice boy. Try that on. It is business but the Japanese make all the money.

DW - Yeah Italy is starting to have a problem. RD - Yeah Spain is having a problem too.

DW - Well Falsoni in Italy figured it out years ago with Shirai. Both Falsoni and Spartaco Bertoletti. RD - You know that is Ok and in fact I hope that Sensei Nishiyama is a multimillionaire but don't stop me from becoming a millionaire. Don't stop me from growing.

DW - After all these years of practice what is the meaning of practicing karate do? RD - Well I think it all changes. I think what you start with and what you end up with is two different things. I think that age has everything to do with it. You know in the beginning it takes on a shallow look, you know its about kicking, punching and beating someone up. When I trained at Dan Ivan's we would train and then go to the bar and then try out some of these techniques and sometimes they did work and sometimes they didn't and you would get your ass kicked. Then as the years go along you try to change yourself and the technical takes over and then you have the strong years. When I was in my 20s you just couldn't tire me out and I would train eight hours a day and then in my 30s, I felt extremely strong and they were my strongest years. Then in my 40s, I pushed away from being the instructor  and started to relax a bit more and my body became really flexible and almost to the point that my body felt like I was doing Tai Chi.

DW - My last question is "What have you learned through karate?" RD - That is a good question. I will tell you what it has taught me. It has taught me patience, a virtue of Japanese culture. I remember I asked Nishiyama when I could take a test and he would say "A little more, a little more--You Wait. You know 25 years later a little wait but it really has taught me patience and it's like a snake just waiting and then when you go...go all the way. Nothing ends in the first round and it has been a wonderful thing for me it has allowed me to talk to people that I wouldn't have talked to. It really has given me a way to my life and it has given me a direction to my life. It has taught me that you got to just hang in there because there was a lot of tough times and a lot of  kicks in the groin and there are times that you just got to stand up for yourself and you don't have a lot of friends and sometimes those friends are so far behind you, you can't see them but you just got to hang in there and keep going!

DW Thank you so much! Sokon Matsumura

Sokon Matsumura, also known as Bushi (Warrior) Matsumura and Shuri Matsumura (1797-1889), was one of the most renowned martial artists of his time. He was known as a master “par excellence” and the organizer and founder of Shorin Ryu Karate. Matsumura is responsible for carrying on the teachings of the old Shuri-Te martial arts. Matsumura chose the name Shorin Ryu (Shaolin Ssu in Chinese) as the name of his Ryu because it is related back to the Shaolin Temple in China, renowned for its fighters. Although some authorities believe that Anko Itosu (1830-1915), Matsumura’s student, is actually responsible for adopting the name Shorin Ryu.

Matsumura was recruited into the service of the Sho family (Royal family of Okinawa) and eventually became the chief martial arts instructor and bodyguard for the Okinawan King. At some point in his career, approximately 1830, he went to China and studied the Shaolin style of Chinese Kenpo (fist method) and weaponry. It is also known that he traveled to Foochow in Fukien province, China on numerous occasions as an envoy for  the Okinawan King. After his return from China he organized and refined the Shorin Ryu system of Okinawan Karate.

Matsumura is credited with passing on the kata or formal exercises of Shorin Ryu Karate known as Naihanchi I & II, Passai Dai (Matsumura no Passai), Seisan, Chinto, Gojushiho (fifty-four steps of the Black Tiger), Kusanku (the embodiment of Kusanku’s teaching as passed on to Tode Sakugawa) and Hakutsuru (white crane). The Hakutsuru kata contains the elements of the white crane system taught within the Shaolin system of  Chinese Kenpo. Another set of kata, known as Chanan in Matsumura’s time, is said to have been devised by Matsumura himself and was the basis for Pinan I and II. Matsumura’s Ryu has endured to the present day and the above mentioned kata are the core of Shorin Ryu Karate today.

Matsumura was given the title “Bushi” meaning warrior by the Okinawan King in recognition of his abilities and accomplishments in the martial arts. In fact, Matsumura fought many times but was never defeated. His martial arts endeavors, specifically the organization of Okinawan Shorin Ryu system has been the progenitor of many contemporary karate styles, Shotokan Ryu and Shito Ryu, for example. Ultimately all modern styles of karate that evolved from the Shuri-Te lineage can be traced back to the teachings of Bushi Matsumura. This includes Taekwon Do (Korean Karate). Taekwon Do was founded in 1955 by General Choi Hung Hi, a member of the Korean Army. According to General Hi, “Taekwon Do is a synthesis of Taekyon, an ancient Korean form of unarmed combat which mainly employs kicking and karate, a Japanese martial art which chiefly relies on hand techniques”. General Hi, the father of Taekwon Do, studied Shotokan Karate in Kyoto, while he was a college student in Japan.

SHORIN RYU GENEALOGY

SHINJO CHOKEN (earliest Shuri-Te practitioner 1600’s)

TODE SAKUGAWA (first Okinawan Teacher 1733-1815)

SOKON “BUSHI” MATSUMURA (founder of Matsumura Shorin-Ryu 1797-1889)

NABE “OLD MAN” MATSUMURA (Bushi Matsumura’s grandson c.1860-1930)

HOHAN SOKEN

ANKO ITOSU

Nabe’s Nephew -

(1830-1915)

Matsumura Seito Shorin Ryu (1889-1982) CHOT OKU KIYAN CHOSIN CHIBANA

KENWA MABUNI

GICHEN FUNAKOSHI

(1870-1945) (1884-1969) Kobayashi Ryu

YUICHI KUDA ANKI CHI ARAKAKI

(1889-1953) Shito Ryu

(1868-1957) Shotokan Ryu

EIZO SHIMABUKU

Grand Master Matsumura (1899-1927) Kenpo Shorin Ryu, (b.1928)

GEORGE SHOSHIN NAGAMINE

(b.1928) Shobayashi Ryu

ALEXANDER (b.1947)

(b: 1907) Founder: Matsubayashi Ryu

ISKKF

Sokon Matsumura (1797-1889), also known as Bushi (warrior) Matsumura and Shuri Matsumura, was one of the most renowned and colorful martial artists of his time. He

was known as a master par excellence of karate and kobujutsu (weaponry). Matsumura was of noble birth and he was as skilled at literature and the Chinese classics as he was at military arts. He is considered the founder of the Shorin Ryu school of Okinawan Karate. He organized the Shuri-Te style (native Okinawan martial art and prototype of  Shorin Ryu) into a more refined system of the martial arts. This system, Matsumura Shorin Ryu karate has endured to the present day.

Matsumura was born in Yamagawa Village, Shuri, Okinawa in 1797. There are some contradictions as to Matsumura’s exact birth date. Some authorities claim 1798 or as late as 1809, but for the purposes of this writing the 1797 date will be accepted as the correct one. In 1810, as a young boy, Matsumura began the study of karate under the guidance of Tode Sakugawa (1733-1815). Sakugawa was an old man at the time and reluctant to teach the young Matsumura. However, Sakugawa had promised Sofuku Matsumura, Sokon Matsumura’s father that he would teach the boy. The venerable Sakugawa was seventy eight years old at the time. Matsumura spent four years studying under Sakugawa. Eventually. Matsumura’s skill as a warrior became widely known throughout Okinawa and even in China. As a young man, Matsumura had already garnered a reputation as an expert in the martial arts. Many legendary stories are told about him in Okinawan folklore. In fact, in addition to being a “daijo” or major  figure in karate’s history, Bushi Matsumura is an Okinawan folk hero as well.

Matsumura was recruited into the service of the Royal Okinawan Sho family in 1816 and received the title Shikudon, a gentry rank. He began his career by serving the 17th King of the Ryukyu Sho dynasty, King Sho Ko. In 1818 he married Yonamine Chiru, who was a martial arts expert as well. Matsumura eventually became the chief martial arts instructor “Shihan Yaku” and bodyguard for the Okinawan King Sho Ko. He subsequently served in this capacity for two other Okinawan Kings, They were the 18th and 19th Kings of Ryukyu, King Sho Iku and King Sho Tai, respectively. Bushi Matsumura not only became the chief martial arts instructor but an official of the Ryukyu Kingdom. As such, Matsumura traveled as an envoy to China and Japan in the service of the Okinawan King. On these sojourns, he sought out other martial artists and trained with them.

Around 1839 he went to China and studied the Shaolin style of Chinese boxing and weaponry. Legend has it that he actually trained at the famed “Shoreiji” or Southern Shaolin Temple at this time. It is not known how long Matsumura remained in China but tradition has it that he stayed for some time. In 1832 he went to Satsuma, Japan and stayed there for two years. While in Japan it is believed that he studied the Jigen Ryu style of swordsmanship. This is a very aggressive style practiced by the Satsuma samurai. His sensei in Jigen Ryu was a samurai by the name of Yashichiro Ijuin. It is perhaps at this time when Matsumura’s ideas about Bushido, the way of the warrior, and martial ethos were formed.

Is also known that around 1860 Matsumura traveled to Foochow in Fukien Province, China, on a diplomatic mission for the Okinawan King. In the 1860’s he brought back the Chinese Kenpo Master Iwah and together they taught many Okinawans. He is also thought to have studied with the Chinese warrior Wai Shin Zan while in China. After his return from China he organized and refined Shuri-Te. His organizational efforts would eventually serve as the basis for the Shorin Ryu System of Okinawan Karate. Some authorities credit Matsumura with adopting the name “Shorin Ryu” while others say Anko Itosu (1830-1915), Matsumura’s student is actually responsible for adopting this terminology. Shorin is the Japanese pronunciation of Shaolin. Even though this style is a blend of native Okinawan techniques and Chinese kenpo, it is named after the famed Shaolin Temple of China, renowned for its fighters.

Matsumura is credited with passing on the kata or formal exercises known as Passai Dai (Matsumura No Passai), Naihanchi, Chinto, Seisan, Gojushiho (Fifty Four Steps of the Black Tiger) and Kusanku. A set of Chinese kata known as Chanan in Matsumura’s time are said to have been modified by Matsumura and were the basis for Pinan I & II. These kata are the essential forms of all Shorin Ryu styles today. He is also said to have brought back the Hakutsuru or White Crane system of Chinese boxing back to Okinawa.

A unique feature of the Matsumura Shorin Ryu style is the teaching of the White Crane or Hakutsuru kata, although white crane techniques are woven throughout most of the kata of the style and are especially evident in Gojushiho and Kusanku. However, the Hakutsuru kata is one of those elusive and esoteric kata of karate. According to the late Hohan Soken (1889-1982), the White Crane style was learned by Bushi Matsumura while he was in China. He then brought the style back to Okinawa in the 1860’s. From then on, the system was a secret style only taught to immediate members of the Matsumura family. The White Crane style was passed on from Bushi Matsumura to Nabe Matsumura, his grandson, and then to Hohan Soken, Nabe’s nephew. Hohan Soken did teach the White Crane to some members of the Ryu. These people were not family members but were a chosen few. Keep in mind the concept of a hereditary Ryu is a closed social nexus, like a family or a clan. Its membership is restricted, whereas a Kai or association is a group that practically anyone can get into, like a bowling league or a “self defense” studio. The family blood lineage of Matsumura Shorin Ryu seems to have been broken though. It is my understanding that Hohan Soken’s grandson now lives in New York City and has no interest in karate. The White Crane system is still in existence and being taught today, but it is rare and still underground.

The White Crane style is of Chinese origin and its techniques imitate the delicate movements of the crane or white heron. The Hakutsuru technique manifests the Chinese concept of the soft fist as opposed to the power-oriented native Okinawan techniques. The soft fist is defensive and relies on speed and evasion as its primary tactic. Therefore the Matsumura family style has both the power oriented linear  Okinawan technique as well as soft circular Chinese techniques. A perfect combination! Actually there are a set of Hakutsuru kata handed down that are the jewel of the system.

The more fundamental Hakutsuru Kata are sanchin-line training forms called Hakutsuru So & Ton. There is another one called Ryuken or dragon fist Sanchin. Finally there is the Matsumura No Hakutsuru Kata itself. The kata is taught in two forms, a sort of sho (minor) and dai (major) format. The sho version of the kata has the same embusen (pattern) as the dai version but it is simplistic in its techniques. The dai version of the Hakutsuru kata is very elaborate with many intricate hand techniques which make use of  the wing (hane) of the crane. The wing is used in blocking to either trap, cover or repel a blow. Spearfinger thrusting to vital points is the main means of attack and counterattack taught within the framework of the kata as well. The Hakutsuru kata also features a unique low level kicking sequence. Its intricate and complex movements make the performance of the Matsumura No Hakutsuru kata unique among karate kata. It certainly deserves to be the secret kata of the Ryu.

Bushi Matsumura was tall and thin with deep-set eyes. He was also extremely fast because of his constant practice. He also believed that speed was essential in order to develop power. Matsumura was an innovator and he practiced every technique so that it could be performed as fast as possible. Legend has it that he was able to generate enormous power in his techniques even though he was slender and wiry. The reason for this was that “torque plus speed equals power”. The concept of twisting and rotating the hips when delivering a technique is the method he used. Matsumura is credited with developing this concept in karate. Matsumura simply knew that the basic elements of  physics apply to and enhance karate technique. He was known to have superb kicking skills and a great jumping ability. His expression was “as a warrior one must develop the speed of a bird and the power of a tiger”.

Matsumura was given the title “Bushi” meaning warrior by the Okinawan King in recognition of his abilities and accomplishments in the martial arts. This was a title reserved only for those possessing the highest martial skill and the samurai qualities of  honor and loyalty. This elevated him to full samurai status. In fact, Matsumura was the last person ever to be granted this title by the Okinawan king. After this, Matsumura referred to himself as Bucho, military leader. He was extremely clever and an excellent military strategist. He accepted challenges from the top martial artists of his time. According to legend he fought many times but was never defeated, Among his many exploits, he was even known to have fought and defeated a wild bull.

In one famous encounter preserved in Okinawan folklore, Matsumura fought another  samurai by the name of Bushi Kushigawa Uehara. Uehara was known to be a highly skilled karateman and very dangerous. It is not exactly clear why the challenge was issued by Uehara. One version of the story states that he fought in front of the king to determine who would be the King’s Chief Bodyguard. Yet another version of the story, and probably the correct one, implies Uehara was jealous of the young Matsumura’s outstanding martial arts abilities and his position as Shihan Yaku or martial arts instructor to the king. Therefore, Uehara sought to defeat Matsumura and discredit his reputation. Uehara was still in his forties at the time and Matsumura still in his twenties. In any case, Matsumura accepted the challenge. When they fought, both men threw

only one punch. Matsumura won the bout by adeptly punching Uehara’s punching hand and breaking it, thus ending the contest.

Matsumura’s martial arts endeavors, specifically the organization of Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate have had far reaching effects. The Shorin Ryu system has been the progenitor of many contemporary martial arts styles, Shotokan Ryu and Shito Ryu, for  example. Ultimately, all modern styles of karate that evolved from the Shuri-Te lineage can be traced back to the teachings of Bushi Matsumura.

As a teacher, Matsumura was without equal. His fame attracted many students and he produced and abundance of skilled martial artists. His most notable students included Anko Itosu (1830-1915), Yasutsune Azato (1827-1906), Yabu Kentsu (1863-1937), Chomo Hanashiro (1871-1945) [Hanagusuku Nagashige in Hogan, the ancient Okinawan dialect], Chotoku Kiyan (1870-1945), Megantou Tawada, Peichin Kiyuna, Chinen Yamanne, Ishimine (b.1826), and Nabe Matsumura as well as others.

In his later years, Matsumura wrote a letter or makimono (hand written scroll) expounding on the elements of Bushido, the way of the warrior, and martial ethos. The letter was written to his student Ryosei Kuwae on May 13, 1882. This was the only surviving document in Matsumura’s own hand. The document has been handed down by the Kuwae family of Okinawa. In this letter, Matsumura’s writings relate warrior  ethics to social science and Confucian ethics (see Okinawa: Island of Karate, p.43). He states that knowledge and martial arts have the same theory. In the area of knowledge, Matsumura indicated that poetry, or creative writing and reading, hence literature, as well as teaching others along with an understanding of Confucianism constitutes Bun (knowledge). This knowledge helps one to understand the matters of life and to make the mind pure and true. Therefore, the ability to govern the family well and administer  the nation well are gained from this knowledge. These are no doubt Confucian ethics typical of Matsumura’s time. Remember, Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands had always been under the cultural influence of China. Therefore, the ethical framework and teachings of Confucius were borrowed from China.

Regarding the martial arts, Matsumura states that there are three main areas of  understanding. The three areas are Gukushi No Bugei (martial arts of intelligence), Meimoko No Bugei (martial arts without self-control) and Budo No Bugei (true martial way). Gukushi No Bugei refers to having a technical knowledge of the martial arts but with no real substance. It is only a superficial understanding with no depth. He also makes a comment that I think is as relevant today as it was one hundred years ago when he wrote it. Matsumura said “a style is only as good as the man who practices”. Meimoko No Bugei refers to a person who has a physical understanding of the martial arts and can defeat other men. They are violent and dangerous and have no self  control. Budo No Bugei refers to the true way of the warrior. In this true martial way, a person has the physical understanding of the martial arts and is powerful. He has a

strong sense of loyalty and would do nothing that is unnatural or contrary to nature. According to Matsumura, the true way of the warrior is characterized by seven virtues of  Bu (military mind). They are as follows:

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Bu prohibits violence.

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Bu keeps discipline in soldiers.

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Bu keeps control among the population.

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Bu spreads virtue.

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Bu gives a peaceful heart.

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Bu helps keep peace between people.

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Bu makes people or a nation prosperous.

Matsumura’s letter continues with the idea that a warrior who follows the way of Budo No Bugei waits for the enemy to defeat himself. He says this is what he admires the most. He says “you must deal with your own mind well and wait for others to fall apart mentally. Win the battle by remaining calm and steal the mind of your opponent”. This certainly sounds like Japanese samurai philosophy and the fighting strategy of Go No Sen, i.e., waiting for the opponent to commit himself and make a mistake and then counterattack. He goes on to say that “maturity promotes harmony and that a master of  the martial arts should stay away from violence, deal well with people, be self confident, keep peace with people and accrue wealth”. Finally, Matsumura concludes the letter  with a message to his student Kuwae to promote Budo No Bugei, adapt to change and keep training with these principles in mind. Quite a letter! It certainly provides numerous bits of wisdom and some thought-provoking ideas for today’s martial artists as well as insight into Matsumura’s philosophy. The letter was written late in life, perhaps just before his death, a time for reflecting and philosophical thinking.

Matsumura also wrote a book about the sai which included his kata, Matsumura No Sai. By the time Matsumura retired, his son had died, so his grandson, Nabe Matsumura (1860-1930) succeeded him. Matsumura gave his menkyo kaiden (certificate of  proficiency) to him, which entitled Nabe Matsumura to carry on the teaching of Bushi Matsumura and Matsumura Shorin Ryu.

Hohan Soken (1889-1982), who was Nabe Matsumura’s nephew, was selected to carry on the teaching of the Ryu. He was a highly respected karate master and the third generation successor in the lineage of Matsumura Shorin Ryu Karate. He was instrumental in passing on a martial arts legacy from Bushi Matsumura and Nabe

Matsumura to his students. When Soken began his training under Nabe Matsumura karate practice was still done in secret. All the kata and techniques he learned were inherited from Bushi Matsumura. The style lives on today and is preserved by the International Shorin Ryu Karate Kobudo Federation. Its followers are keeping alive the traditions and philosophy of “Bushi” Sokon Matsumura, ancient warrior of Okinawa. The Power of Uechi Ryu Karate

By Damien Chambers

Uechi Ryu karate is an Okinawan karate style that relies on extreme power in its techniques. It is a karate system that is also a powerful system of self-defense. It is a unique style typified by the strength of its techniques, highly effective self-defense applications and dynamic strength building kata. Uechi Ryu is also known for its rugged full-contact sparring. The distinctive demonstrations of its practitioners feature boards being shattering with toe kicks and 2X2s smashed over arms, shins and stomachs to show the level of conditioning achieved to perform these feats.

EARLY DEVELOPMENT

Okinawa, Japan has been a fertile ground for the development of numerous styles of  karate and Uechi Ryu has been one of them. This style was originally a small family ryu in Okinawa but it now enjoys a large following in Okinawa and its popularity has spread abroad as well. An American serviceman named George Matson brought the style in the late 1950s to the U.S. Later, other servicemen in the 1960s and the 1970s began practicing Uechi Ryu and the style slowly began to grow.

In 1897, an Okinawan by the name of Kanbun Uechi (1877-1948) traveled to China and studied martial arts there until 1910. It has been said that a lover jilted him and that's why he went to China. Although during this time, many Okinawans traveled to China for  martial arts training. When he got to China [Fujian Province] the teacher thought he was dumb or had a speech impediment since he only spoke the Okinawan hogan dialect of  Japanese and not Chinese. The hogan dialect was incomprehensible to the Chinese. In any case, his teacher was named Shushiwa or Cho Tzu Ho in Chinese. Kanbun Uechi was instructed in a tiger-crane style that was then known as Pangai Noon, meaning half  hard and half soft. This is indicative of the Chinese concept of yin and yang, the principle of hardness and softness. It was a typical tiger-crane style of the region. After training in Pangai Noon for ten years Uechi established his own school in China. He taught there for three years before returning to Okinawa in 1910. In 1924, Uechi left Okinawa to find work in Wakayama, Japan near Osaka. He began teaching there and his first student was an Okinawan named Ryuyu Tomoyose. Kanbun Uechi continued to teach in

Wakayama until 1947. In 1927 Kanei Uechi began training under his father. He later  taught in Osaka, Japan but returned to Okinawa in 1945 and established his dojo in Futenma, Okinawa. In 1948, after Kanbun's death, the style was renamed Uechi Ryu by his son Kanei Uechi (1911-1988) in honor of his father. Kanei continued to teach the style in Futenma, Okinawa. Today, Uechi Ryu is very popular and Kanmei Uechi heads the system in Okinawa. However, the style has been politically factionalized since Kanei's death. One separate group calls itself Pangai Noon, the original Chinese name of the style and another is called Shohei Ryu dropping the name of the founder.

TECHNIQUES

Uechi Ryu karate uses elements of the tiger, dragon and crane styles of Chinese kenpo. But its approach to self-defense focuses on muscular force and total body hardening as a defensive measure. The specialty techniques of the style include toe kicks and spear  finger techniques. These techniques are emphasized in the kata and the kihon waza. These are typical southern Chinese white crane techniques that emphasize penetration of vital points rather than smashing with the karate fist or chop. Further, the style uses sanchin kata performed with a hissing sound to provide muscle tension, growth and hardening of the body. It also uses kotekite or arm pounding exercises to promote body hardening in the arms, stomach, latts and legs. In the kata an exercise known as shime or testing is used to check muscle tension. During the performance of the kata sanchin a practitioner is struck on various parts of the body to check the amount of muscle tension he has developed. This is the dynamic strength building aspect of the kata. Through dynamic tension during the practice of the kata and shime body conditioning is achieved.

KATA

There are eight kata in total in the Uechi Ryu system. The original kata from China included sanchin, sanseiryu and seisan. Later, five other kata were developed from these. Additionally, dan kumite or prearranged two-man sparring kata were developed and added to the system. Since Kanbum Uechi only brought back three kata from China it has been noted that he did not learn the whole system. For example, the kata seipai or  suparenpei were never a part of the Uechi Ryu syllabus of kata. Therefore, Kanei Uechi later devised the five additional kata of the style as a sort of fill in the gap effort to complete the system. Additionally, three new Uechi Ryu kata have been developed in Okinawa.

KUMITE