"MY ART of KARATE" by Motobu

Choki

$32.95 USD plus postage & shipping

Overview by Joe Joe Swift ...

Noted karate researcher Patrick McCarthy is back, this time with his long awaited translation of
Motobu Choki's1932 "Watashi no Karatejutsu."

This little book is packedwith additional related research and translations, makingit well worth the
price. After the Translator's Introduction on pp. 89, we moveinto an essay by Kinjo Hiroshi Hanshi,
arguably one of the seniormost auhorities on oldstyle Okinawan karate in theworld today.

This article, entitled "Revival of MotobuChoki," gives us some personal insight into the greatmaster
by someone who knew him personally. The Kinjo article appears on pp. 1011.

Next is a translation of an article on Motobu that firstappeared in the local Okinawan magazine
"Aoi Umi," in1978. The author of this article, Shabana (Jahana) Kiyoshi, interviewed the late
Shorinryu master Nakama Chozo for thearticle, and there are several interesting storiesregarding
Motobu and his teachers. "Recollections: The Shabana/Nakama Interview" appears on pp. 1216 of
theMcCarthy book.
Page 17 is a calligraphic piece masterfully brushed byGisho.

Page 1826 is an article by Patrick McCarthy, entitled"More on Motobu." Thoroughly researched and
brilliantlywritten, this article serves well to better the reader'sunderstanding of Motobu Sensei.

Page 27 is a calligraphic piece powerfully brushed by thelate Shiroryu master Sakagami Ryusho.

Page 2830 is a translation of the aericle entitled"Talking about my Teacher" by Marukawa Kenji,
who was adirect student of Motobu. This article also contains someinteresting stories surrounding
the visit of some foreign"boxers" to the Motobu dojo while the master was away.This event
warrents more research, as the foreigners wereapparently taken to the dojo by a representative
from theJapan Times, Japan's most prominent Englishlanguagenewspaper.

Page 3033 is a collection of Motobu's Favourite Sayingsas compiled by Nakata Mizuhiko. This
chapter is importantbecause it lets the reader glimpse into what Motobu himelfhad said, thus
helping to gain a better understanding ofhis views on karate.

Page 3435 is a collection of stories gleaned from aninterview with Shorinryu master Miyahira
Katsuya, who hadstudied directly under Motobu in Okinawa.

Page 3642 is the complete translation of the 1925 KingMagazine Article describing Motobu's bout
with the foreignboxer. Although rather imaginative in its narrative, thisarticle is nonetheless a very
important document in thehistory of karatedo. One added bonus is the positiveidentification of
"John Kentel."

Page 4346 is excerpts from the chapter on Motobu fromNagamine Shoshin's precious book entitled
"Tales of theOkinawan Masters." The late Matsubayashiryu founder wasalso a direct student of
Motobu Sensei.

Page 4751 is an English translation of the very rare"Karate Training" by Kyan Chotoku. This article,
whichoriginally appeared in the second edition of Takada(Mutsu) Mizuho & Miki Nisaburo's 1930
"Kenpo Gaisetsu,"contains important advice for handling physical encounters.

Page 5261 includes English explanations and originalphotographs of Motobu Choki's 1926 Kumite
Drills. Thesetwoperson drills are an important part of the Motobu legacy.

Page 6273 is 12 pages of Vintage Photographs, many ofwhich are exceedingly rare, and some of
which have neverbeen publshed in an English language source before.

Page 74110 is the meat of the text, the complete Englishtranslation of "Watashi no Karatejutsu."
Disclosing notonly history and theory, this book focusses upon theNaifuanchi Shodan kata and
several kumite drills that canbe seen as applications of this kata. This is important,because it is
well known that Motobu favoured theNaifuanchi exercise for fundamental development of
karatetechnique, and the publication includes Motobu himself demonstrating this kata.

Noted British karate historian Graham Noble offers hisinsights into the master, especially his
infamous boutwith the foreign boxer, in "Motobu Choki in Retrospect,"which appears on pp. 111
117.

A Motobu Choki Teacher/Student Lineage Chart, Bibliography and Photo Credit & Written Sources
close out this little gem of a book.

All in all, the reader will not be disappointed, and I canheartily recommend this book to anyone
interested in thehistory, philosophy and application of the oldstyleRyukyu selfdefense traditions.

Joe Swift
Mushinkan Dojo
Tokyo, Japan.

Also recommended by Joseph R. Svinth...

The early twentieth century karate teacher Choki Motobu is in the process of being rediscovered.
For example, in 1986, Fighting Arts International published an article by Graham Noble that was
updated and republished by EJMAS in 2000. Even more recently, Tom Ross published a two part
article about Motobu at Fightingarts.com, and Charles Goodin established an archive
athttp://www.seinenkai.com/ that includes articles written or translated by Goodin, Kenji
Maruyama, Joe Swift, and others.

This book brings together much of this disparate material, and crowns it with a translation of
Motobu’s 1932 text, Watashi no Karatejutsu (My Art of Karate). Also included are many vintage
photos, to include a series from Motobu’s 1926 text, Okinawa Kenpo Karate Jutsu.
Look inside this book....
The 1425 ting agazBte ArtJole
Tg6B ofg g jg@I BM@ by Najpa Ine Bho å'iIn
Kaata Tnlrd gby' Kyan Cha u
f4oobu c okI'z 19e0 Kumila cxiII«

A h zdisel Psrapwtlve byDr. Togzxss

Thkiga lo i‹rew lout Tia

Nk4i0txv Chokl Teache#B&dans Linaagp

Photo Czedk 6 Wifitsn Sou«ma
Tranelator'a Forsword
Hare, in this small but provocative publcation,
lies yet another milestone in tha k+gacy of
Karale. "Walasfii no Ka/aie -jutsu" ("My Art ol
Kara , in-
' troduces comprehensive insights into g fighting
tradilion as knmn and taught by one of its earty
Okina\valt iwovaioe, iviotoaU c noki (1gz0-
1e44), One of only two books he ever
published or the
‹ an it is not widely known in modarn karate circles
or outside tha spantmm of thase who research ils
'”” ¿; • - hiatory. Straigh8orward in its approach, this mod-
est work outline thaws unique methods that made
Msfobu Chski. pound tar pound, possibly the
gFgktBi5t tBChnician and karate fighlsr of his
gen-
eratiuu. However. in sp“0e oJ his popularity arid functionally pragmatic fighting
style Ihe hBrilage of thi6 innovativB gBNius and karate pioneer was nsver
prolif- erated, particularly when compared to that of his contemporaries:
Funakoshi Gichin, Miyagi Chojun and Mabuni Kenwa. In fact, the style
remains relatively unknown with less than a handful of master-lauel
inetrucfors present s 9• alifiBd to teach it.

Studying his history, tnzining practfoes, weal modast I"8erary contributions he

made, and the oral testimony that sundues him, 1 was at a loss to
understand why the bñlllant contribuboris o( fhi9 creative innovator did not
have a more pro- found impacl on the deuelopment ol modem karatedo.
H@a/ever, aher delving deaper inlo his pest it gradually becama painfully evident
that, daspita his dili- gent efforts tO introdMCe and CUI1IVste B trUly 9fleCtivs
fighting discipline, MOtObu Choki had been the victim of rivalry and political
animas'ity Ungble to penetrate the highly inflexible and most influential
circles oJ Jzpanase budo during his twan\y yaars on the mainland his
cmrageoua efforts to establish a sizable fol- lowing were stifled, kept alive
only by a handlul of personal students.

Much of 1hat which has baen w'rittan about Molobu Choki laavas tha raader
wilh IBss 1hBn a favourable impression. However, having read the
controversiBl \B9ti- mony recently given by his son, Motobu Chosei, in the
“Setting the Recafö Sfrargfif' article (is8ues g19 B ggO of Dragon Time9)
writæn by my colleague Chadœ Goc›dln, l'm convlnced that Ihls mind-set
is about to change æd it ls my mo9t 9inCere hope Ihat this publication
might help to eq›edrie this transIor• mation.

Dudng the msmorabla yuais of regidng in Japan. i waa Ïortuneîe to accumulate a p1ethora
of primary source maleñal including a myriad of rare phofographs from the many ssnior
authorities that my efforts brou@t me inlo personal con- tact with. This publication itself
reprezenb more han just a Japanase to English translation of Motobu Choki's I B32
pubIicatiOn 0Btitlad, " WB/aGfTf CO ŸgfîdfB•
it brings togethei a collection of raJaled articles and oid photos from a
wida variety of sources including nawspÂ|gBf, rTlagazi ne and commenta ry
from per- 9OnaI students along with exempts from his 1926 publication
entilled.
O k'l fI B w'an Karala-jutSu KumiiB HB fii.”

Thanks to my personal contact, over the years, with paople whO wBra
eithar directly or indiectly connected to htotobu Ghoki, I laamed much
mora abouj him. Those contacts included the late Kuniba Shiyogo {whose
laths , Kokuba Kocei, studied directly undar Motobu), the lata Nagamine
Shoshln (who stud- ied directly under Molobu Choki), Miyahira Katsuya
(who mat and practaeo with Motobu Choki dufing his visiB to Chibana
Ghashin's dojo), Uehara Ssiki- chi (who knew Chokr 3ansei well, and
studied under his older brothsr, Motobu Choyu), klalsushita Kyocho
(whose teacher, Ueshima Sannasuka, studied directly undgr lylotobu
Ghoki). Konishi Takehiro (whoss falhsr, Konishi Yasu- hiro, was not only
one of MOtObu's first students on the mainland, as wall as his principaJ
supporter them), Kinjo Hirochi (one of Japan's Isading historians), and Iwai
Tsukuo (a master-leuel in• twctor of Motobu-ryu accredited directly ende r
Motobu’s swn san, Chosei).

0 uring the translation lhis project, my wife and I encountered sama

terms, a CDMple of historical facls, and a few family names and local placae
that WBfB aithar published incorrectly, slmply wrong or known diPereniJy
by today's ka- rate standards. In such cases e tsok the liberty of making
the necessary cor- sections being extremaly careful not to lose tha
intended meaning. In the past where I had mispronounced a lew of Ok
nawan sumames (an easy ïhing to doe I was vary pleBsed that Kinjo
Hirashi was available to assist us on this un- deriahing. Howavar, any and
all mistakae that do appear in this pr-• ution ara mine and mine alons.

I believe that Motobu’s personal dw sription3 of other local martial ai1ists

in this book wiIJ also help the reader bafter understand lhe mlnd-sat end
rnartial arts landscepe during Okinawa's old Ryukyu Xingdom. Allhough
not a iargs
ten, I believe achiaves an impact of more siz-
abls proportions largely becau8B Of ths imponanl moseaga i\ dslivers.
Per- haps than wa madam feamers, sO bont upon "stylss," might
rasogniza hidden between the lines ot this publication a message
compellin s us la look bayonä tha labels and focus what Ihay rapreseni,
ze thg art was originally irtlendad. I ann sure that is whal Maatar Molobu
wanted.
Fin alle, I'd like tO 8By what an hcir›our it has been to hBvB been a part of this
project. It in roally a COJlective affort and without 1ha support of many
people it would have never been brought to fruition. Readers soaking mobs
information about Motobu Chosei or Ihe art he teaches, must ulsit Charles
Goodrn's highly informBtiva web site j0cated at http://www.tanega.
corn/selnenxai
Patrick IvlcCarthy
Bri6bane
 My Art of Karate-jules

The Revival of Motobu Choki

His boohs were published during the tilTlB ÜB gBiFleo •otoriety on the
mainland of Japan after lhe news of him defsating a 1oieign fighter was
publishad in a popular 19Z5 periodical, "King Magazine." Okinawan Kenpo
Karale•jutsu Kumite hen," 'nee publi8had in 1926 foïlowed by "I/ a/asAi no
K'arat@utsr/", six years laCer. in 1g32. Because of illitaracy, Motobu orally
dictatad his ideaa and tiaining method9 IO th096 cloeest to him so that hls wolk
could be edited belorg tho final publiczlion was ra- leased. As I under9land it,
this was espscially trus in the case of fF/BKun Kenpa warate•jutsu ttumite
Hebt," whlch wa6 heaVil/ 6Ug'QOFlBd Dy Us himB Sarrioouke (1B93-I 9B6). I
visited Ue6hima Sanno9UkD more tha1 lwanty years ago. while ra- searching
the "Niha a«oo Dandou Meikan Karatedo"when he racounted his mem- ory ot
Iviotobu and the making of fhat publication. Following that meeting, it becarne
apparent to me that sne should not speal‹ absut Mo\obu Choki’a publicaiion
without mentioning the efforl thai Ueshima Saonosuke put forth. Sadly, howmrer,
1hiS IiftlB known fact ha9 lDng slnce vanished into oblivion.

Two prominant individuals I graaby admired during my childhood in Olönawa

were Kln Ryo¡in, a famous 3flamisen arti9l I* B73-1936), and the great Ka raie
masTar, Motobu Choki (187D-1944.) The fact they were both completely illiterate
captivated the aztention of everyono and sewed IO make me even mara W
cinated in their ac- complishments. From a famMy of ZFiB1OETÖ1s, IOcal gossip
held that Kin Ryqjin had bar too much paasion for must Bs a youih to sver go to
school.

10
Yet, in IhB world of Shamrsan muoiG Iflis artist was unprecedsnïed. In facf, so
great was his music That fhe Japanese National Institute recorded his
outstanding pgr- termance at the 1936 Ryukyu Classical Fsstival held at fhe
Nihon SeinBn Kaikan. Liks Kin, so too was I\4otobu Choki also from a family of
arisfograts- k/Iotobu ngvsr went to school aither. Not because he couldn't but
because he was tao infatuated with 1he study of the mertiaJ arts Having never
been officially schooled, the both of these greal men, Kin & Motobu, remained
illiierate lheir entira lives.

AWBZ though I cannot truly ray that I was ever a student of M¢rlobu Choki, nor
sven Isamed direcily undar rti fzi for that maher, I did, noneiheless, hava the
opportunity to meet him. I firsl met /'rlotobu Choki in 1937, when I was eighteen
yaars old, at a [o- cal shrina during a demonstration I participatad in for the
annual fsstival dedicated to God. Having originally heard that Motobu gained
hi6 rgputation for bsing tricky and sucka r•punshing hi6 gp ongnls, I a ploaEhed
him afiar the demonstration while he waa relaxing and quietly askad him abput
these allegations. Looking in• Gently into m§ B\'B6. I iDtobu quoted a passage
from the Bubishi, °Deception i3 one of kenpo's beul techniquas!" Even though f
was unable to fafhom the deplh of his witty response at that age, his cheracter
mads me feel vary comfortabla ana i Ihought Jon g and hard aboul the nBturg ol his
comments.

Judging by what I came tO know about IVlotobu's characlar, ï must say how
irn- p r eaeed I was with his concsntratiori and focus. Irraspective of everything
ing @'n in his life, Motobu Choki maintained a singlsnass of purposs unliks
anyone elsa I avar mst. He was both insightlul and diliganf. Tha Novg mber 1g
"Boxing vs Juda” contest he entared into is a perfect example ol what kind of
man he was. There. at more than fifty yaam old, he openly agraed to take on a
forelgner fightar wlhout, whBl is tDday commonly rafsrred to as, obligatory pra-fight
training prgpg rg- tion. Having studied thg principles of western boxing, and
knowing hls own skills, he was confident he oould enrer the comaat and daleat
his opponent, and he dïd. de always had onB eye on the future and he aiways
had a plan.

Passing away lilly- eight years ago, it's been more than seven dacadas vince the
publication of Motobu Choki’s books. Much has happened gincg IVlotobu’s tims and
karate ha9 grown in popularity and unexpectedly flourished throughout the antira
world. PresentJy, we are witnessing a truly global era in karata where technicus
and
athïeïicism hava g-• ts incredible proporttons. WhiJo the art of karate has grown
significantly since his day, there can be nO 9*J• sfign that his books ramain
ciawics. a! Id MOtobu Choki'9 application principles remain as uaeful todBy Bs Ihey
werB sev- aFl ty-five years ago. To mBks thosa kinds of pragmatiC d0duCtlOns
from kata and syatematize them mia a functional teaching curnculum required
mara than just fight- ing expgriense. It necassitated forasighï snd craativity thai
must be regarded as true ganius.

I ann certain that this publication will help revivB tha important oontribulions of
Mo- tobu Choki, a forgotlan pioneer of m0dam karata. I SinCBfeJy hope that all
karataka whD read n will bs able to fMrther develop their skills using hia concepls.
I ann certain that is whal thB Mister wanI:ad.

11
Motobu Choki
Recollections
The 6kabana/Nakama kztervlew

t was in 167B that I went \o Ctkinawa to vied Nlr. Hokaina Ghozo, to spoek to
him Bb€ A fdB fBGDllBCMOri ol Motobu Cho\‹i. Tha sky was turning very gray 8o I
had to hurry to fhd his home bafore it started to rain. Fina5y, I wag lucky to
arrive at his residence before the downpour. In his B0e. Nakama’g homo was
surrounded by a high wooden gate, which concaalad practice equipment
getting wat md what rrx I hava be‹sn hB training area stamped flat.

Mr, Nakama, an acciodltad flanshi g*' dan, trained drectly under I'dotobu
Choki. At the time of jhB interdew he laught karata S times a week on Monday.
Wadr›osday 8 Friday at sakiyar«a city hall in Shun. It was around 1840 that
Idotobu Finally re- turned to Ojñnawa from Osaka and began taaching several
sludents. Having dbdi- cated dia antire IIfo to karate, M0x›ou sensei was 73
when he paased away whila at the residence of his bebved mb rest dui1ng the
escalation of WW2.

Born the 3'" con of the governor (Udun) of Shuri's Akahira Village namad
Mou›bu Chomo, Choki was ofian raferrad to na Cha younger brother Choyu
(1B65•1BZB.) Extremely active duñrig his childhood, fvtot¢ibu Chold took it
upon himself aarly to Ibam what he could about kaeta He usad to come to my
house for e chat and to
train with zzty grar›dfathar. Wh0 was &bo afi Old bU#n In the "old-snhooF martial arts
and the formar local chlaf of patina.
tñotobu poassssod Jnczedibla coonfination as a youth and trained Cfil thy,
gracing into a phy8Iz;a8y erBowad aduli with graat strength and enviable
manlal arls skllb. In his youth Motobu aBo 9pent oo•sideiabIe titzie in Naha’s
Tsujl viJage \ here he oltgn tasted and improyad hlâ fighthg #kizs Such
indiscrate activilia8 left I\Motobu wlth a less than commendable raputntion
emong local karata toachee who, learning ol his behavior, refused to tarts hlm
art as a prottgés.

His confron‹aiional atliiude ad little to encourage meBrtlngful

reJntioneh\»s with many. Howeva•, despite GB penchant for figMir›g
Motobu w0s unsurpaaaed in physical prowess by anyone No age
re$ardlass ol size. His dilfgenca and efforts to push his own tmiIs
ulzmately lea mm to pioneer nb own meood.
Whgn gompgrad to othar teachers of hkf day, k\o1obM never had mBny atubarrls.
One reason for this was that he trainwl vary hard and was quite 8ecraHve about
how he taughL Akhough he wa8 sell-taught, M0lobu also gained valuable insights
from others, lika his older brother Choyu and Ilosu ArAoh. However. his
tulalage under ItO8M wa8 short lived becau8s the M8staF t¥ould not 6\and for his
straat teAe-

12
 .• •• On pages s »ss of BMca HBinas’ MBster’s the-
sis an1iMed, "/¢arafe 6 /fs Deve/opmen/ in /4a-
wa/i la PsP,' I found the following testimony
from an interview with Thomas Miyashlro, the
Dnly person to ever train arectly undar
Motobu Choki during his brief stay in Hawaii in
193Z: °/n

I'* f• *’ /fie«e r»a/c/›ss proved interestinB and prowl-

s: • •\, ab/a, a gmup a/ Okfnawan man ñeadad by Mr.
1B32 Hawailen Ltewepaper Artlclas

fianded boul in 1922.

Chaki fi4oloh arrived in Hanakilu in 1932, bul due fa fiis °pasi record” the
immigra- tion O/f/eg rroufo’ or pemrJ hire zo slay. d footnote in //ie /›assage
icd/cafed/fiaf tfie Immifi]faIian @ffiña couI\d no/ lease y'n/’OrmB/iDrt OOrfCOfN/ng
ifflmi@/'ignf9 9iñc0 ñ W8g c/ass///ad defe. horrever, j,f/ya9hiro did indicate thai i/
wes ñfo/obu’s record as a s/rongman 6 // dler fñaf /repf him mom being admitted
oo a fempora y visa'

Al tAaf fire /t4iyas/i/ro was a youfh acmdiñp made school bsl mceima'
pe/m/ss/oo la vieit fviototu a/ fñe /mmigrafion allies /ocafed af Ala fvlaana 6/vd.
where lie rras being quaranfined wfiite going through Cha reb-tapa associated
with galâng pennis• sion to stay. Thera, Mofobo insf/ clef Miyashira in karate
tar abonl a month priar to mfumirtg la Olflna wa.

Undaunted by ihls initial failure, Mr, Tamanafia and his aasociales decided la
bn’ng in other performers, namely Mutsu (Mizufiia) and ttigaonna (Kamesuhe).

The Motobu & Fvnakoshi Rivalry

Standing only 5' s" ‹frs cm) and weighing approximately 190 DMnds (86 @}
kIo‹abu must haue been as solid as a rock and quita a sight, especially for an
Okinawan. Testifying to hls penchant for makiwara training, he had incredibly
salAssd knuckles, even as an old man. This can ba congJdered nothing short
of amazing — while many teachers of hig ggneration emphasized just hala,
without gpplicalion or two-person contact-based training, his training syllabus
revolved around basic techniques, supplementary exercising with weights,
makiwara training, a plethora af conlact-based hvo-person kum"ite dnlls and kala,
which culminated the applñation lessoug.
Yet, in spite of his ramai1‹able accomplishmenls and diligent effort, the
Okinawgr j karale pioneer never met witn the suocess. as dld his felloyr country
males, Funako- shi Ginhin, Miyagi Chojun and IVlabuni Kernva. One sensitive
and oftan yc|gtiIg is- sus concerning Motobu Choki, that is rarely discussed, was
the rivalry that exlsted
20
 and one or iwo kaLa.
Although this in rather
uriusual by mod- ern trend9,
il would certainly coiMida with
what I hElVB diS-
covered about most old-school
practices where the kata culmi-
„ nated the defensiva lessons
rather than acrually ieach it.
Although luotobu Chosei, his
80n, bBlÏeves ïhat his father
may have also km Bassai
and Seisan and even devel-
“ oped a form, namad “Sl:iiro
Fumö' {Whïe Bear) they do
not appear to have been
handed down.

In hi9 inlerviaw with Iksda

Ho- " shu, Konlshi Yasuhiro said,
“
ha had also learned Passai
and Gojuohiho from
Matsumora sanssi in Tomari
f0zd 2 }. Actu- ally, I support
ihe insightful comments of
Charles Goodin
•• who wrote, Miifi freer ka/a,
more lime and eftorl can as
devoted to bunkai I do not
tfiink ifiai ivioiobu-Ryu
grnpfia- sizes 6unkei
because il t›ea lewer keta —
I suspect thai il ties fewer
kala ia or:Ier fa ern-
B5iZ@ d£//J#di• " ('Sat iirig 1he Qe¢ofd 8iraigkt," 4" Ouertgr issue jpumzg Z00fi pag0 7}

As is so often the case with people who are innovalive, excel in their chosen
fiald and not alraid to Speak their mind, Molobu Choki became the subject of
both in- tense curiasily and controversy. Quoting Charles Goodin'g taI‹s on the
issue, Sf0PPB¢f OiJf Df B job in Kyoto la defeat a muofi l8rgar European doxer,
tfiua @fifing Japan's inleiest in Ihe Ola”nawan ari ol Kamala. jcrom that moment ,
!” !d * <« « la 9e tfian I'fe t'iaure. And ao loo, does ii saern, /riar a
mo>ernertt bepan la disofedit him Bnd his nQ non6ertse brand of kumilg Daaed
Uh ." ("Setting thg Rec0f0 SbaighL" 3” Quaaer Issue iournai 2o01, page i 0)

In my opinion, Ma9ter Motobu Chohi represenled tha last of a warri0r-like

braed, a stalwart na iritlmidated by pOI#icüI preSsMre, Or Bfrgicl to stand up for
chat he be- lieved in. He walked the talk. Always the perpetual studsnt, never
a clone of mass production or mundane training, Motobu Chokl demgnded all
or nothing. It's too bad wg don’t have more men lika him loday.

25
Taiking about my Teacher

In 10O2 my former middle school friend Mr. Ono Introduced mo to Mntnhi i

6ensei. At the tims the maetet was residing in a sr»aii six-atraw-mat room in
tha back of an Awamori-ya (Iiqu0r eh‹:p) in Tokyo's NQpoil dlstñcc I was 19
years old and in the se nd year of my univais“ity Midins.

When I began my training, the master was already 63 yaars old. When he was
BS, in 1g04, h8 OStBbllalmd the Daidol‹an (areas Way Pfaoe) in ih Tokyo'8
Hong0 Dis- trict, It tion cost 10 yan to rant tha spaoe and new atuderita wars
iequirad to pay no yan Tar titration fees arid thfea yan Ibr montNy
training. Annual tuition at univsraity in thocs days was 1Z0 yen.
I tod‹ the train everyday from my homB in Gotoku§ to school in lfdabashi.
Howavar. the Daidokan was so close to my university, I literally lbund mynelf
there mreryday. How I ever gra‹kated in 1e37 is beyond me. as I spent so mud
tir•e twining at tne dojo and so IiMIe time in achool studpng. It would probably
be more appropriate to 4Bg I gfBdL/Btad ftolTl the Daidokan UniverBi\y wlth a
degree In M olobu's KBnpol

Altho its bm nearly lorty yaars sfi ca in mastar paesad avmy, I stint have many
fond memories of my a›pariencas with the msctar. I ramember sensei had
bahv0en 60 and 70 active atudertis training at the DakJohan at that cms. kloat
of lhem, lBcs me of cour9e. v re young rriou from university. I remember that
wa never had days off from gaining scan befora and altar the new year. The
dojo was always opened mom around &.00 am to \ 0:00 pm.

The rnaetar used to oYsr9+s the cnsses in his kimon‹x Even in the cold at the
win- tar he'd ouly put on a dafera (a lightly padded kimono-type jackat) to
avefBee our training. Vfhen eygr thefe was a quesbon or somathing B ba
demonstrated. serlsei stood up and taught or lectured. Duitng that see sBrigei
also taught at tho Minis\ry of Transportation in the tfiitsubishi Building in Tokyo'B
Yitralcucho District. There is sMays worg his karate gi, kiCtTjred and lBught
N8lhanchi & Bassai.

He used to cry. irrespective of trekdng by yourself or with a partner, you

sfouid al- ways hava a positive mantsl alBuda. If your opponent has qulk
handa it's bes1lo attack his arms in an effort jo paralyse motor fixiction.
Ahematiysly, one can use

I terriember hja. Morgan from jhe Japsn Timgs bo:›ught a group of American
boxars to top oaiaoxan in e37. Have cor«a la Japan ‹a learn more about
Karels, be inlet oter at to impenal Hotal lad been our sign sovartising the
Kenpo a! Motobu Choki and thB Daktol‹ari. is tha kan§ for Moiobu can ako be
rosd honbu
{haadquBrtBrs) the irrleig / tgr rrdsundBtstood affd believed that ii wa8 our main
dojo. sadly, however, tha mcsjer wss away in Okinawa on business and could not
 When I C84\0 tO TokyO‹ tI'iee bas alottt0r DKinawan wtıo was ıeaching kajatg
th€ze qui!e a ve!y. Wh in ox ı t even hard reis name. Utrzn the
gufdance of
an0‹I^ Okir›a•a•, I wer t lo tu placc ha ara» Ie«chI•g g»teıs, More he ses ru«-
nfng his mouth. ür»BgırIg. t/pon se8lng thi8, I gratÖed his hand. took up lhB posiıisn
ot

°Hey Nzd‹0Ja, rxı carrie iusl in t*1•e. I! you can brozk the baezd fran one inch ayray, 111
can sh•ks a secı‹ gı." I-ıe |ı g›caIed Ima boa‹a ha»gIng
from lhe •••ee ol the wanda of ‹he re•aur=rt (whıol wı hI••rl aa as dajo). Upo
dDea Irtspe¢1lon I detatrnizt&d hat the reclanguBr plna baaızl was 2 feet jrzlde, 3 {aat
hong and e out z in‹;f›ag thId‹. A fole was dıîlled in JI abouı hyo lnches from the
top, right in the Ognter, tfjrough
cho ıatIı

wNit. Mteüng a Iîttl» praya , I ItIM6t at lhe brad. Far ho-n ğ¢gzk[ng, it n gre|y
+°° *ith e oud eound, eri all I 9oı her» the experıenoo was a cora list.
I !az *a •c80 exactly who it ins, but arotI-or siuderit was also peasant, azxl he
izied a!!er I dcd. Howe•er, ^o nails how mhm timas ha tñaI. Ihs board merafy borxxmd elf
rms fJst wlei a resotzxting nofsa. zcztobu Sensal stooo @ in front if the Board gig
sold
‘c¥ztch CIOBeIy-" HB bfozlght I\i8 fist to a cli6tarice 0I nol even ra’ie Inch from tlta bg d, And Ifi us
naxt instam. utiered a Idai tent » u«lad ilhe ml" and Grust at the baa,d. which brotta
verilcally through the cantar. fading to 1ke ground n two neat plgqgg.

1. I hera spjed mu lo pfa¢s IranaJazic»zs of Mr. jgakala s ovm rlotas

PF0f8tTl0g ınsteBa to uı MÖtd€ıu'B uonJS gpgak Îgr tttem$sh/gs.
2.Liær4ly lusbend end blø zianes- jxi8 ieø I zelØzs Ø lI16 ptopBr u&a o eog hørdø In boih kamae
and t‹agæiquø
9. *Oare. æ iemøa•s ihe Inaasva, or the firsi more. c,i. Kaka s i søniø ugge — s g ø o no iirsi
in kaæfø
& fri erter worda. block noi the ahacking hanzt buj doeger w ihe am.
S. Moto¢ıu apoarb ally aaîd luis. ben he sag m•şr 60 yaars dd.
g. A •x line ıo Nxc•ta. thi6 sute•- is b0s4d o u M'6 e•Pezî•nşg In Iglzing ıh6 vader Of a Fujian
p*** bar¥* ^*¥o h0if - • a6h0*a in Okir-+¥'s, wlîf\ Orle fIG¢«Ar The mafj was p\xporjed tgı be g

®' Kere-kl*mI*e ^ of FushI1 fiaros sf anirı8 ıhetis PsrhePs bast e•sn4›f¥fgd in lhe pracjlce of
dam00ti (a kînd Öl challerıge rzej0ı›} [n ¢zd Ryukyu.
hIma«zf srıoueJ aaf ıo rest lhe
efapp*n0 ıachn‹quee once and lar c0.
Recollections of Motobu
by Mlyahira Katsuya

Accorcling to Shorin Ryu master, Miyahira

KaBuya, htDtobu wag BlXiut 5’5" but
weighed mo re than 200 pounds in his youlh.
By all accourJs ha was as strong as an ox
and likad to talk, drink and fight. Yet. in Ns
laiar life, after he settled down, he
matured, into a highly acclaimed teacher
of karate.

Often, when Motobu returned to Okinawa,

he visited Chibana Choshin, my teacher.
Chi- baria Oangai had gained signifiCahj
recogni- tion during IAe early year9 after
Baron Nakajin. h6 estab- lished his dojo at the prominent
reoidenca of
During his many visits over ths yaars to our dojo, I enjoyed the honor ol being
ona of the few young men that he regularly ueed to demonstrate on. k\as1er
Chiberia aaid that it was around 1910 thet IocBls starting ralarring to Chohi as
"Mo\obu Saru," meaning "MOtobu the Monkey." The nickname sums to have
coms about not only becauos of his sonlinual chgjter about how he could dafeat
everyone but also be• CBu96 he was agile, quick and so powerful he could
virtually suing on tree branches, shimrriy up & down poles, laap ovar fences
and even c1imb houses just liks a monkey.

In 1914 he pelflioned Matsumora Kosaku. the great Bujin from Tomari, to teach
him but was turned down. However, hi5 §BF9iotency finally caught his allention amJ
Ma- tsumora offered Choki a position as a seivant in his rasidBDGB. Deopitg his
effodg to Intimidate Motobu, hs humblsd himself to 1aain karate from lhe groat
fY189tBf.

Matsumora explained to Choki that bafore he would ever teach anyone lhe ego
had to be controlled. A /ami1iar story in old-school martial arts. Motobu worked
diligenlly in the Matsumora residence ejecting nailing until he gained the
confidence of the great mastar. Despite not receiving a single lesson for
neady six months, Motobu was abls to secrafly observe others belng caught
by Malsumora.

Once, when IVlotobu waa actually caught observing a private lesson, Malsumora
admonished him and asked why he should not be physically punished and
throwf j out for breakl g Fzis bond of confidence. Without even blinking an eye,
Chol‹i hum- bly responded by cayhg, "I will happily accept the physical
punishment bul please do rot axpel me." Wiih that, Kosaku sensai 1inalIy
realiggd MOtObu was ready to bsgin his lessons.
 My Ari of Karate-jutsu

King Magazine
PukJished 1BZ5
v aza te Venlo Oo)ial
"A Heated Bout Between Two PowerhouseB"
(Karate vs. Boxing Main Event)
6 Jepanasa to English Translaüon by Patrick & Yurl‹o McCaz1hy

The Mysterious Countryman

It was November of 1B22 that I witnessed a Marlial Arts exhibition. which
pittad box- ing against judo. The sub;ecI ol intense curiosity and mixad
conveization this evant an•acte0 uiBespread attention throughoul the enfire
martial arts community. Al- though I hBd watched many axhfbltlons at thB
6Uta/ruden in the past, this svenT was w'rIhsut question tha b6st I'd auer seen:
“It was totagy exhilarating, to say the vary leaat.* A muffled roar raced through
an excited throng reverberating in the ci1sp morning air bafora heated
exchange aoon ign'¢ed inlo a blazing almosphare. How• aver, the highlight of
the day did not come until one man decided to erriar the match on the spur of
the moment!

II happened like this. The organizer of thB BVent thought ha haard a fellow say he
wanted to enter the contest. I-However, he could hardly be8eve his ears because
tha man 1ookad lika Bn old fimer in tsrribls physical conditionl WYhatT the
organizer repllad 'Pleasa let me light," the man said. The organizer just starred
at him in dis- belief ’Are you sura ñ's you who wants la fight'?" said the organizer
again. "Yas," the man replied again. ’me" compelled la reconfiw ths man’s
request because he saemed to ba iust a little bit too old In be a competitive
fighler, the organizer asked him, "Are you a Judo man?" ’No, I’m nay," responded
the man. "Wall. are you a boxer them" ‘No. I’m neilhar," thB man replied. With
enormous conviction, the man simply said, “I'm nothing special, but I haard about
the exhibition and I am of the opinion that I can handle it.'

A law man associated with ths event s1anding behind the conversation overhaard
ths man and, in the spirit ot light-night-franxy," persuadBcl the orqanlzar to
"let hlm hava a go." Lat him light, they said, afler all its toülir/(on the spur-or-
the-moment jump-in, kind otB IikB a fres for all, mnaning anyone can partake
without prior ar- rangement) and the crowd will lava it loo. But he is neither
judolca nor a boxer, yeïlad another. A sarcastic remark thrDwn out wag,
"Perhaps, he's one of thoso country sumo bumpkinB ha, ha." Relueanily. the
os ‹ ar conterred with his
col- leaguas and uttewd °God, the puy must be cmzy or hava some martial
arts axperi- enca if 'he wants to enter This context, if noL he's gsir›g 1o cog a
pre tlygood baat•
‹ng." "CommDFl, IBt him do it. lat him have a Zo," eueryone said. Uhimataly, lfia or-
ganizer gave hü rnyaterious oountryman the green Iighï. Until now, we didn't know
that the tiny isiand of Okinawa passessad such an awesome martial art as
Icarate. With härata onB does not naed other weapons. as the fists are both
llaxible and awesome tool» •t impsm. Possassing such skill, human bgings
can always dafend thsmselvas if and whBn Ihe nssd sver arises.
 Walaahi no Kaiale-|utsu

Tale of 8 Great Bujin

by I\l8gamina 9hDBhln

PionaBr of IVIatsubayashl•Ryu, Nagamine Shoshin was

one of the most astute researchers of his time. The
penetrating d6plh of his lifelong siudy is evident to all
those who have studied hiB brilliant publications. I
per- sonally enjgyed listening to the master talk about
Mo- labu Choki on many occaslons but no wriore i6
his ac- count more vibrant then in "O/rinawa Ka/a/e
Jumo ñ4eñ jin Derf' ("7he 7a/as al O/c/nawa s
Grsafesf Mïzsfe/s," by Chgr|es E. Tuttle PublicationJ.
Tha following commenfs represent extracts from that
publicalion translated into EngJish by Patrick &
Yuriko McCarthy.
ftarashlkl
MoJobv ohen cruised the Tsuji (red-light) district of Naha at night after the
theaV6s Ilnlshed. In spits of nOt Bclualfy inilintjng a fight himself, one could
say that Motobu Saru never walked away from ana either; In fact. he taak
pride in frequently chal- lenging any one on the busy sweet who caused
iroubte. in Tsuji, late at nighï, there never seemed la bo a shortage of men with
attitudes. I-lenCe, MOtobu Choki ohan tBsted his skiJf gnd 9pirit 1hrou@ Ihe
ever so popular kakedamashi.

One night in \ 913 a challenge brought Choki into sontac1 wiïh ltarashiki, a
stalwart who helped changed the course of his life. Older than Motobu by 5 or
6 years, llara- Shi/Ï WdS Bl90 9Mil8 U¥BIJ known for his kakodamashi, and BBeily
defeatod the cocky MotobM. Hlotobu couldn't sleep the nJgN be was defeated,
reassB99ing his oppo- nent's lechnique pnd Strategy over and over in Ihe
priuacy of hJs own thoughts. From Ihal lime toch Motobu devoted himself to
improuing hls Uchinadi with an in- tBDBity he had not pe•iouaIy known.
II Was M0fDb u’s ecquaintance, the populai Okinawan musicJan carried Kin Ryoyn
11873-1936), who acted as ïhB inïBFtTlgdigr}/, which rasultad in Motobu Saru first
meeting Master ua\sumora. DMririg his intense study of Ryukyuan music Mr. Kia,
IMe olher people of woalth and poaifion, oi1gn erjjoyed lessons in Uchinadi from
Master Ivlatsumora in an effort to mainlain good haalth and keep himself
occupied with activities other fhan just music. Not living too far frorri Tomad,
KJn aiways trav- eled from 9hui1 up to see the great master by horse and look
Molobu wilh him.
ChOHi ohen asked if MatsMmora would practlce hindei (simiïar to modern kum‘ita)
Wilh hirrj. Howaver, always refused because he knew thet Choki would
Malsumora
use his newfouncl technique In Tguji. Rather, Masler MaBumora told Matobu, "don't
be so coroemad about sparring with me. or others for will find what
that advarsaiy; the en-
erny withIA.“ Despita his advloe, M«›tobu Garu ssCretly observed MatsumOra*s hindgi
le66ons with othBr disciples from behind the courtyard wall during special training n
1he eyenings.
 Wataefii no Kaiatejuleu

Karate Tralning a What zo Know About Fïghting ,‹,

6y Ityan Chotoku
DklnBwa-Profactural School ol Agriculaire & Forestry
3q›anasa la English Trgrotal|on by Patrlez a Yurd‹o HcGarjhy ii 2001/200;!

the sltuatbn any rriomertt that the opponem ia off

guard by slzihing wit the clenched fist, srru shing
with me ol- bow and or kichng with the test Tha
hands and the lest can also bn ussd 10 [¥&F/
strik8B. Moreover, one can aiso avoid bdng
aaacked by learning to afift ths body
P ›P !I/ A manlal art uni9ue to Okinawa, Karate delay back about 4oo yeae ago.
to lie oei or Eikro penoaso i• odumJ to ara«a ian China by an dantaed
persan who had studied it there, the practice gradually improved over tkr›e
and u!t*^ate!y be anne regarded na Okinawan. Gkice that early' Mme rheae akilis
have beon funhar cultivatacl md continually improved,
lt6 important to understand the rBKeerx>z between Chinese mathod and
Olöria- wan praference. The GNnosa comrrouly uss fhe tlpe of thair fingazs
against an opponent whâe the clenched fist is chiefly use‹I in Oki It snould
ba natad that the clenched fist is ons of the fundarnewal aalererfcB6 thBt •›•kBG
kBFBiB B Uf3i €l tlghtlng method.
Nowadays, theie are two porn wi »u- a iaraie, Sharei-ryu and shorin-ryu. In
total !I r0 ara dozens ol kata beMeen tham, which ompaesphyëmü
prknarBy concgtioning and dafansive applicaM0n. WhTe. thelr good and bad
both have
the Shorai•style focusas lafgely en •ondltionIng aha body
the Shorin-slyln addressee appIIcatIz›ri pri ciplss HowoVer, hBBty judgmentg
Ofl which is the right or \vrong style should be avoided, as training methode are be
based on the kamera’ character and physical coridition.

comb»0ve init”iativa« best resolves any physical confrontation

upon the indivldual and the circumslancas.
 If confronted by Several opponBnB at Or¥m be careful riot to grapple with Itiem.
You must keep your distance in order to malntan sha advamaga. If 9DDIB0fI8
attaclts from be rigN. sNft la the ieft If you hava to dalend yourself from the
frora be ca/eJul not \o overlook the oppa set behind you. was a ‹he only g<,
may to daal With multiple opponent,

These and essefrljal issues at the fotefr‹xst of fighting, however, plaase remember

way ma9ler the art is tO train diligently and erithu8iasfically. Perh as after lengthy
study, you may achiava enggNgnmgrl!.

Translator'e Notea
II] & 0-2*1 Iho 6• or d - a i tubu - 6 f•«rI f•II6aM «’a 1s3o bl entilw

Chlna 6 h•n : ^ our COmm0 y uaad > o»I«awa la descabs osner quen‹a/z« pa.
(3 In BpzneBs ›‹cx›ry ihe O•• P u‹was is84- 142a a ih‹ Enya P‹4la w› i42a-1441

KyaFI•8iale an tcab•N as pB/1otmed by No Joen &

kazBto Josn0 and must rot be reproduC0d wiltiout fde pBrfid6slori. Any negatives dofhtad jhera
fern, may not ba copyrighted.
 fly An of Karale•jufsu

Motobu Choki’s
Two-person Drills
rtobu Chokl (4th from ek) Yamaguch Dbosan (sealed F? fhB CBNllej Yablku
Mooen Konishi Yasuhiro (saated far rig) at tha Ryobukai dojo in Tokyo
cornmernoraling the
naming of lhe style Shlnoo linen R
Author's Preface
In an e4ort to help utnxluoe aod pmrnota Karata. I published "Ok/oaw /¢anpo ma-
/afe-/ufsu Xurrde /•hPo,“ in Its gpring of 1B26. Since that time. Karate has
found its way into vinuaJy evsiy comer of Japsnece society. I believe this
has happened largely because a( th racognitlori tha art has received in tha
teréary environment. However, in zpite of the growing popularity at Karate,
when I look around today, amidst our chaotic society, I can1halp but feel
cammvhat disheartaned by tha grow- ing number of young peoplo and atudenB
ignoring their abBgatlon to physical disci- pline and rror i education. we P›e spirit
or sell-esleem a no cumvated. people aasily lose dirac\ion, avoid acad¥n ie
purBufi and even warder into the darkness of de9perlBte Pxtferne8. With Ihis in
mind. “ñ iB BII th@ molo imporfar\I that wB faBtBr an environment condwivs to
dscipline and moral education. Perhaps that is why Bushido ia once agan
becoming so fashionable, as “rl foc‹zsas upon developing a

In spite of my lack of knowledge and abiI"ity, I nar thdess found it necessaiy a

re- czird my expedences In an eflon to paas on tho trua easonoe of Kaiata. Tha
piesent social cimumstanoes are idaal in which to encourage the development
of Karate, and, I am antic$zating that oihers will agrea with my TUndamertlal
observations.

i deeply •ppreaaa to midance and supgon of several kay people. without

whoca assistance this project could hava naver come to fruition. I Thank Mr.
Kanna Chojo. aaron D sa nn, or zoguchi seiko and Ph. Gugiyarna Kenii.
ktotobu Chol‹i
Koishikawa. Tokyo
Meich 18SZ
 Watashi no Kafate-julsu

How to htaAe a Clenched Fist \Te]lnkun)

In the same way that poskires, like "ñacñ/rnort// dach/" (air I shap9d mans) aiB 6tBrI-
dardized in Karate-julsu, so too is there a Ued way in which to properly clench
on0’s lists in ordsr to make them effective tools of impact. I would liks to 1ake lhis
opportunity to introduce tha way with which to properly clench ths fish. First stretch
oul all four fingers and tightly fold thBm up under Ills palm of the hand. Thsn wrap
your thumb around the index and middle melacarpal and squeeze the fist t@tly /as

Mefutode
In tha case of an actual
fight both hands should
always be usad together, as
illustrated in the in tha
corresponding photo. This
iz commonly re- ferred to as
"Mefulodâ". Let’s now
discuss how using bolh
hands actually work. When
faclng an opponent in a
com- bative angagemant
po9tur€i it is important to
know that Ihe lead hand
can be used to
deal with both dBfeFfBiVB
8nd offensive issues. In other words, the lsad hand can bs usad for both
prOtBCtfip and attacking concurrently. The rear hand e used as a reserve if
and when th front hand cannot amowplish th‹2 inlended ouic»me. Therefoie,
Mefufode can be used for both defense and offense.
Generally gpea|sing, the use ol the Msfufoo'a is not wï21I known BB it iB fTlOfJ CDM-
mon for one hand to be held oui while the other ramains chambered on one’s
hip in preparation for usaga. l2orm theonw c New tn«t ne lead hand Is used lor
defense
and the opposïle hand reservad 1or attackin8-› *"' I@ve this theory la be
iroorrsct, as it geatly impedes the lead hand from iB collectiva potanlial. I fgfar
to the use of
the lead hand in this case as “s/ii/d" or "dead—hand." and the rear hand as
“ikite” or "live•hand." Moreover, this inadequate posiüoning can slow down one’s
advkntage. It simply makes far more sense to hava one’ a harida as close to the
opponent as possible for immediate deployrnent- If you Study how this is
applied in tighting, you will undersland its efiectiveness.

How to Make the One-knuckled Fist (Kosa}

Learning how la use tha Kosa, or ona knuckled fist, is something that has been
handed down In The Ryukyus from long ago. As the conesponding photo on
page & I Illugl £8tES, lhgrG i9 8 Standard way lhat mO&t 6VBF}/Dne has used since
chlidhaod.
First. fold your last three fingers from the pinky up to the middle one tighlly up
againe1 yovr palm together. Then extend the index knuchls forward and foi1ify it
wilh the thumb by tightly pressing it against the side of the index finger. It's a
matter of personal prafersnoe whether you use the index finger or the middle
finger.
 My An ol Karatø-jutsu

Things iø Know about Training

Ovør Ihe fTidny genBration6 that kaTdtB has been handed down its principles and
pracîlces have varisd wldely because of Ihe dlffaænl personalil as through
whlch it hØs been trgnBmițț gd. Alțhpugh wiçfgly Izlis understood łoday this İ66UØ i6,
FlOflBthe- less, paramount to understanding the true natuæ of karata. Thera is
a farm, ‘Chikars Bushí," which was onca commonly used during Okinawa’s old
Ryukyu Kingdom to describe"Powarful Warriors". I’d lika io offer some special
advics for future karaieka by sharing tha @sdom handed down by sama 1ocal
'C/r/fcsrø 8osfii.' This fimt stofy is obout a compliment Nagahama Sansei paid
to Bushi Ma- tsumura of Yamakawa village in Shuri. Bushl Matsumura was slightly
senior to Na• gahama sen8ei gnd was not only known for his gæaI strength but
also lor his in- domitable spirit. He was extr0mely fleklbia and able to øut ihink
his opponent by røgding their body language. I my6alf țrgingd undgr Ihg mgster
for a while and dur- Ing that tirrie was always impr0ssed by h s understanding
and applícaùon of kata. Matsumura Clearly under9t0od lhe distribullDFt Ol stFBn
gth and how kata waa ap- plied. Having followed these prjnCipTes up ‹a now, |
ğglieve that his theories were ab8Dlutely Correct. Even if a psrson is stronger
than his opponent and has a waîl- œnğilion physique, il he has nol mastered his
technical 3Ió[l hi6 martiąl grt6 v\ń|] never be truly ełłectlve in an emergency
sltuatlon.

Speał‹ing of liosu sensei, ho was yøi another prom‹nent bujln knowri for bolh his
physical prowess and martial arts power. H e Msed tD COrFI€t to our house elmost
everyday to ieach karate lo my older brother, Choyu. I myself had also practicsd
wilh him from fhe aga of 12 or 13. Ho¥¥BYØf, I oftan iast my œncantration
b6c6u3e my brother used to teãsB and I focused too much on trying to always
œmpete wiîh him. Not CO ¥t lBt81ÿ S8tlsflad îralnlng solely under ltosu cansai, i
elso sec stiy learned under Masters Sał‹uma and IUatsumura, in Gibo. Aher I was
about 20 years old, I had gained lhe œnfidencø to betler my older brother, but stilt
took lhe Odd |ess0 n from Itosu. When I was lina|ly taken into tho œFtTİdBnCB of
lłosu he told ma about he linal days of Nagahama. ltosu. hİø1saJ . *BİrIa[ly leaned
under Malsu- mura. Howovor, the 1ater considered him a thickheaded ieamer,
and didn’t teach him much. Evon though ltasu trained diligently, Malsumum was
not so eager to instruct him. Ultimałøly, ltosu felt Meta umura and went to
I¥agahBfTlØ g•gFtg@I ln Naha, who was also well known at the time. Dasp1e
only a year or so difference
between the older sensei and ltosu ïhsy esleblished • 8 0d le8ćhar•student æla•
lionship. Nagahama was vøry passionate absut his karsta and ofłen trained in his
yard from ea ñy mo ming until IhB BUF?BØt CBBt B lDFtg ahadow on his wife's weaving
wheel. Nagaharna's training method IDCM60d OSI developing a strong body and
powerful technique. However, on his pramaturø dealh bed in the final moments of
his relaiively young life, Nagahama called Itosu la his side and told him he
believed he'd be0n training ¥‹ith too much power. Only now, in my final hour, " he
said, "do I understand that I have not focused on practical Issues in my karaie
nor has It cuïli- vated pliabi|ily or speed. Th erafora, may I encourage you to
œntinua on with Ma- tsumura sanssi." AllAough I am jr›st repeating ïhBS0
W0rds again, 1l's imponant thaț wø not lorgal Iha valuø ol his advlœ. If one
understands itu theory of \hese principles and irains diligently, your muscles, lika
your technique. will also develop naturally and continually. Conversely, a lack of
epeed and pliabifiiy can and will
Órtly ever ğroduC8 ll”ifBrİOr applİcatİOFl.
Naihanchi KaFa
Fighting Technique
Anothsr notable mañial añist from the same generation as Tomigusuku was
Tamagusuku Uekala. The best student of MBkiya sBnsai, Tamaguauku was a
proficient Shinto-ryu stylist who excelled at hoisemanship and archery. In fact,
Tomigusuhu and Tamagusuku are both remembered as thB twD gFBBtBst
home- men of all time. The fhere was Makf9hi, a man of incredible strength and
master of snapping rages. At demonstrations hs wBB Bbla to wrap a rope
around his body Evo or fires iimes and Ihen braak ii with a kigi. It is also said
that he once wrappsd a bleached hachimaki (head ban¢l) tightly around his
forehead and with ooly a single shake of his h6gd it Came flying all. Both Asato
Ankoh and ltosu Ankoh were mBrtial artists from ths Shuri d‘istrict. Asato was
light and had vary quick technique while Itosu was a devoted researcher whose
powarful punching skills wera honoct from diligent makiwara training. Two other
masters also from Shuri, a little younger than Asato and Itosu, are Kiyuna and
ilarashiki, men once known for thefr awesome punching power. Itarashiki 's
nlckname was Akayama, and, although he’s now 81 years old, ha's siill healthy
and n good shBgB. IFt ad- dition to refined karate skills his horsamanshig i9
Admirable and ha is a gifted singer of Yaayame Bushi. Gushi of Naha was
famous during the finns Uehara was in Shuri. He wag known as an agile martial
artist and great puncher. Na- gahama, the teacher of Itosu, was another heavy
fritter. From NahB, KunBa (Ryosei) was ona mora martial arlist as famous as
Nagahama during at tha lime. He had also had a body of steel and was
remembered for hls great strength.

Three unrivalled martial artists the Tomari district wara MalBumora

(Kosaku}, Oyadomari (Koken) and Yamada (Gike). Having studied undar
Malsu- mora I remember what a brilliant technician he was. I leamad much
watching sensei taach his sfudenis how to think abouf what they wera
studying ia ordar to da slop and improve iis appl catien. Karate in la
Ryukyu'o was customarily taught like this; however, tho8€i who wBre
unable to learn to Ihink remained still and inffexibla. Oyadomari was
another martial artist famous for his leg maneu- vers and foot seeping skills.
Yamada was a martial artist known for his body of steel and was often
likened to Kuwae Ryosei. During Ilosu’s generation ihere was a martial
artist from Kume Village named Murayama who was also pralty impressive.
Finaiiy, iha last no martial artists introduced here ara Bp-Kohagura of
Gugukuma Village, and Miyahira of Kohagura ViIIBgB. Dufirtg jhe old days
martiBl artists usually had sama specialty in addition to their karaia and thesa
Iwo mas\BF9 wBFB Iflo exceptions. The both of them excelled In horsamanship
and bo- julsu, but KOhBgura was regarded as mora accomplished Bo maslar
during k4a- tsumura’s generation. Miyehira w8s yet another martial a4ist during
thazr genera- tion who was also an accomptlshad howaman, espacially for
being such a big

104
 My An al Karate-,iirfsu

Anecdotes of Modern Martial Artists

A Bartial Arta Geniua
The Heroic Story of Gushlkawa Mmikame

There once was a famous mastBr namBd Nishihira Uekala chase nickname
was Sabi no Uekata. One of his favorite studanls was Gushikawa UmikafTlB.
The youngsr brother ol a celsbraled monk narriad Mngan originally from thg Hgngji
clan, ot Akahira, Umikama is rsmembered in a tale of haroiam. During hia
time, there usad to ba an official branch of tha Ryukyu govamment known as the
Wakashu (frans. note: "Young Peopla"). At just thirteen yaars old, Umikeme y/as
responsible enough to obtain a position aT this offiog in Ihe grgat caslJe of Shuri.
One day, on the way home from work with a QDU|gl i Of fTiBnd6, Umikarn e passed
by ihe Atan rivar, Wanting e drink of water he want doen to thB rivar t° 9uench his
thirsl. As he
gpproacned the riverbanh he noticed a barral of waler. Without thinking tD ask any-
one's permission. Umikame helpsd himselt to a drinh ol the cool walar.
Walching (ram the sids there was tha mariservant of Nakada Donchi, who
became infuriated with ths boy. Now this guy had a rapulalion of baing strong
but conceitsd and eve- ryone was afraid ol him. Ignoring the boy's apology, ths
saddam grabbed Umikame by the scruff of the neck and whacked jim a good blow
on tho top of head with a clanched fist. Umikame ran home crying, and axplained
to his father what hap- pened. WanMng to rastora his honor, he begged his fathgr to
iel him become a stu• dent of Sabi no Uekata who we a vsry famous maI1iaI artist
at that tima. Sabi no

artist in he 9yokyzrs and hI6 name wi// be forever romem0ered.” Agreeing to

accapt Umikams, Sabi ns Uskata went on to train him diligently. Within a
couple of years Umikame became a full-fledged martial artist and by the time
hs was onJy sixteBn he had become one Sabi no Uekata’s favorite student.
Umikame was nevar proud or arrogant but always modest. And won
widespread respect. Soon his name and raputa\ion as a genius spraad in fhe
local karats community.

I'd like to introduce one of lhe many iniaresfing episodes that have be‹tn
hgnded down about him by word of mouth. Wantins lesf Umikame's
altantiveness ana day, Sabi no Uakata called to him from beyond the sliding
tusuma doors. As Umi- kame calmly knegled down in mom of tha sliding door
and opengd it bears enïanng, hg performg5l the requisite protocol (by doing a
thraa-fingerad kneeing bow) and slid his lan in the groove where the door slides
open and cïosed just in casa the door might be slam shut on hig head Sabi no
LJakata was vary impressad with Mmi• kama’s precaution and salf-con\idenca ag
martial ertist. despita the fact that ha wag
Drily' 6ixteerl yeBF9 old. Tha follOvring y08r, Whef1 Umi k1rrtB vYaS sevz r ln0n yaars
old, hs askad parnlission to oeftle of score with the manservant who hBd
assaulted him at Atan g¡yer in a gozen jiai (a metCh in ihe presence of highar
raming per-
sons.) Psrrriission wad gFdntBb and the match was hald at the raCing track at
Taira. Thraa days before the match, Umikame taak a nap in his tiny four and a
half talam› mat room and began to mara loudly Coming ovar for en unannounoed
visit, Sabi no Uekata behafd lhe boy sleeping lika a log.

106
A Brief History of Motobu
by Kanna Choj0

Bonn the lhird son of Motobu Anji, an 5 April, 1870, in Akahira village, Shuri,
Oki- nawa, Choki's childhood nama was Saburo. but was belter known by
his nick- name, ’Seru’ which means monkey. Having enjoyed a penchant for
martial art3 Bince childhood, Motobu Chpki firgt stoned learning karate at
the tender ags of twelve with his older brother Choyu. During thB early days
of hls Intense siudiss he also gained instruction and deepened hip irusighto
undgr such great mastsw as Itosu Okina. Sakuma, Matsumura and
Matsumora. Ona expression that might best describe his penchant for martial
arts was, ‘8u J‹ore wergt, i+'Pro kore

I wondar if ths avarage parson could passibly imagine how diligant Motobu
ChoN's tralning really v/as‘? Even in tha mlddle of Printer, hs rarely used a
blan- ket ïo warm hlmself. Of and chen he dld laat the cold, he usually just
got up and practiced kata, which, he said, kspt him warm and let him sleep
better. When- ever he di9coverad e potential application concept during
training Moiobu would virtually neglect aaling or gleeping in order ID have hit
quBFy BBti9fi0d Ög ViBiti {j one of his many mentors. In lhis way his craativa
innovations provided him with a platform on which to continually improve his
art.

By the lime he was 24 or 25 yaars old, Motobu's reputation as a maitial artisl

as considerable and those who knaw "Saru," knew thai provoking him was
unwise. Now, howavar, as a matured teacher, he is a differani person busy
passing on his teachings to his students. Euen though ma hava only
become uery close re- cently, I have long been impressed by his modest yet
enBrgBtic parsonaliiy. With Motobu Choki's physical process and impressive
technique already being widsly known there is little naed for ma fa addr9s5 it
aBain in this summary.
Photo/ïll uetzation 8ouroea & Gredita

Uaailma Samost роаак g64 oz+auey oï Matsuehlla Kyocha

I want to purchase this book now Click HERE

People who purchased this book were also interested in these ...
http://www.koryuuchinadi.com/whatsnew/ http://www.koryu-

uchinadi.com/booksdvds/

More here ... http://www.koryuuchinadi.com/

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/KU.honbu.dojo
https://www.facebook.com/Koryu.Uchinadi

Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/user/EastWestFightingArts?feature=mhee