Masters of Karate Do
"Tode" Sakugawa was born in 1733 in Shuri, Okinawa. He is considered a pioneer in the development of Karate. He studied under Peichin Takahara and Kusanku who was a Chinese military attaché stationed in Okinawa. Sakugawa is known to have made several trips to China where he combined Chinese kenpo techniques with Okinawa-te.
Through Sakugawa, the kata Kusanku was introduced. Also important innovations were the Sakugawa Bo Form and dojo kun (dojo etiquette). Sakugawa is known to have studied the staff in China and later lived in the Akata village, Shuri. He taught the use of the staff to his most significant student Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura.
Born in Shuri, he began his training in karate-do under karate legend Sakugawa. He also trained under the Chinese military attaché Kusanku. Matsumura served as chief of the military and as court retainer for the king of the Ryukyu Islands. Matsumura originated the Pinewood kata Chinto and created the karate style of Shorin-Ryu. Among his noteworthy students were Yasutsune Azato, Yasutsune Itosu, Choshin Chibana, Choki Motobu and Chotoku Kyan.
It is also known that he served as a body guard to the last three Ryukyuan Kings. Matsumura traveled to Fuchou and Satsuma as an envoy on affairs of state. In Fuchou he visited several Chinese boxing schools and studied under military attaches Ason and Iwah. In Satsuma Matsumura trained in the Jigen-ryu sword fighting system under Master Yashichiro Ijuin. After retiring, Matsumura taught karate in Sakiyama village, Shuri.
Itosu was born in 1831 and died in 1915.[2] Ethnically Okinawan, Itosu was small in stature, shy, and introverted as a child. He was raised in a strict home of the keimochi (a family of position), and was educated in the Chinese classics and calligraphy. Itosu began his tode (karate) study under Nagahama Chikudun Pechin. His study of the art led him to Sokon Matsumura. Part of Itosu's training was makiwara practice. He once tied a leather sandal to a stone wall in an effort to build a better makiwara. After several strikes, the stone fell from the wall. After relocating the sandal several times, Itosu had destroyed the wall.[3]
Itosu served as a secretary to the last king of the Ryukyu Islands until Japan abolished the Okinawa-based native monarchy in 1879.[4] In 1901, he was instrumental in getting karate introduced into Okinawa's schools. In 1905, Itosu was a part-time teacher of To-te at Okinawa's First Junior Prefectural High School. It was here that he developed the systematic method of teaching karate techniques that are still in practice today.[5] He created and introduced the Pinan forms (Heian in Japanese) as learning steps for students, because he felt the older forms (kata in Japanese) were too difficult for schoolchildren to learn. The five Pinan forms were created by drawing from two older forms: kusanku and chiang nan.[6] Itosu is also credited with taking the large Naihanchi form (tekki in Japan) and breaking it into the three well-known modern forms Naihanchi Shodan, Naihanchi Nidan, and Naihanchi Sandan. In 1908, Itosu wrote the influential "Ten Precepts (Tode Jukun) of Karate," reaching beyond Okinawa to Japan. Itosu's style of karate, Shorin-ryu, came to be known as Itosu-ryu in recognition of his skill, mastery, and role as teacher to many.
While Itosu did not invent karate himself, he codified the kata (forms) learned from his master, Matsumura, and taught many karate masters. Itosu's students included Choyu Motobu (1857–1927), Choki Motobu (1870–1944), Kentsu Yabu (1866–1937), Chomo Hanashiro (1869–1945), Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957), Moden Yabiku (1880–1941), Kanken Toyama (1888–1966), Chotoku Kyan (1870–1945), Shinpan Shiroma (Gusukuma) (1890–1954), Anbun Tokuda (1886–1945), Kenwa Mabuni (1887–1952), and Chōshin Chibana (1885–1969).
Chibana Choshin was born June 5, 1885, into a distinguished family in Okinawa's Shuri Tori-Hori village (presently Naha City, Shuri Tori-Hori Town). His family traced their lineage from a branch of the Katsuren Court and Choharu, Prince of Kochinta, fifth son of King Shoshitsu (Tei), but lost their titles and status after Mutsuhito, the Meiji Emperor, banned the caste system in Japan. To support themselves, the family turned to sake brewing.
Choshin began his study of martial arts under Itosu Ankoh in 1889 when he was about fifteen years old. He applied and was accepted as a suitable candidate for instruction, and for thirteen years until he turned 28, Choshin trained under Itosu. When Itosu died at the age of 85, he continued to practice alone for five years, and then opened his first dojo in Tori-hori district at the age of 34. He later opened a second dojo in Kumojo district of Naha City.
Later career
During the World War II Battle of Okinawa, Chibana lost his family, his livlihood, his dojo, a number of students, and nearly his life. He fled the war, but afterward returned to Shuri from Chinen Village and began teaching again. He first taught in the Gibo area, and then at ten other sites in the Yamakawa district of Shuri and Naha, eventually relocating his main headquarters (hombu dojo) from Asato to Mihara.
From February 1954 to December 1958, Chibana served as Karate Advisor and Senior Instructor for the Shuri Police Precinct. In May of 1956, the Okinawa Karate Federation was formed and he assumed office as its first President. Chibana was associated with Chotoku Kyan, which whom he performed karate demonstrations to promote Shorin-Ryu style of karate.
By 1957, Chibana had received the title of Hanshi (High Master) from the Dai Nippon Butokukai (The Greater Japan Martial Virtue Association). In 1960, he received the First Sports Award from the Okinawa Times Newspaper for his overall accomplishments in the study and practice of traditional Okinawan Karate-do. On April 29, 1968, was awarded the 4th Order of Merit by the Emperor of Japan in recognition of his devotion to the study and practice of Okinawan karate-do.
Latter years
In 1964, Chibana learned that he had terminal throat cancer, but he continued to teach students in his dojo. In 1966 he was admitted into Tokyo's Cancer Research Center for radiation treatment and after some improvement, Chibana once again resumed teaching with the assistance of his grandson, Nakazato Akira (Shorin-ryu 7-Dan). By the end of 1968, Chibana-sensei's condition worsened and he returned to Ohama Hospital and died at 6:40 a.m. on the 26 February 1969, at the age of 83.
Chibana was the last of the pre-World War karate masters, also called the "Last Warrior of Shuri". He was the first to establish a Japanese ryu name for an Okinawan karate style, calling Itosu's karate "Shorin-Ryu" (or "the small forest style") in 1928.
Described as a "one punch artist" by some of his American students, Nakazato has developed his karate sparring into a fine fighting art. He has several large photographs of himself on his dojo wall, and has given many demonstrations on the Japanese mainland, as well as abroad. He has "many well-known students in the USA" including Tadashi Yamashita, "who taught nunchaku techniques to the late Bruce Lee".
He first started karate training in 1935 under Seiichi Iju (a former student of Shinpan Shiroma) at Minato ward, Sakai City, Osaka, staying with him until 1940. At the same time (i.e. 1936-1940), Nakazato trained in the kobudo weapons bo, sai, nunchaku, tonfa and nichokama, under Seiro Tonaki who was only a little older than himself and had at one time been a student of Sanda Chinen.
Next, Nakazato entered the Japanese army, where he taught bayonet and military discipline to new recruits on the mainland. At the war's end, he returned to Okinawa to become a student of Chosin Chibana, whom he considered to be the "most eminent karate master of that time".
In 1951 Nakazato opened a dojo in conjunction with Chibana which he called, fittingly enough, The Chibana Dai Ichi Dojo. Then in 1955, after receiving his shihan license from Chibana, Nakazato opened his present dojo at Aja, near Naha, calling it The Shorin-ryu Shorinkan, Nakazato Dojo. In the same year, Nakazato resumes bojutsu training, this time under Seiro Tonaki's teacher's son, Masami Chinen, with whom he stayed until 1958.
The government of Japan via the Prime Minister under the hand of the Emperor of Japan on November 4, 2007 awarded to Nakazato Sensei the "Order of the Rising Sun with Gold and Silver Rays" - Asahi Soukou sho.
From all the prefectures in Japan a total of 960 Asahi medals were awarded in various fields with Shugoro Nakazato Sensei being the ONLY martial artist to be presented with this prestigious award.
Master Yamashita Tadashi, possessor of 9 dan in Kobayashi Shorin Ryu and 10 dan in Kobudo, is the chief instructor of Shorin Ryu and of Zen Okinawa Kobudo Renmei in USA.
Born in Japan in 1942, he lived in Okinawa since the age of 8 years old. At the age of three, his father passed away. He started the study of martial arts at the age of 10, and he won his first dan at the age of 16. Today, he lives permanently in Los Angeles, USA, where he moved at the age of 24.
Master Yamashita Tadashi is one of the most well known instructors in an international level and he is considered to be an authority in traditional arms of Okinawa worldwide. He is the younger Karateka in the history of Japan who reached the 7th dan at the age of 27 years old. The title was awarded to him after examinations in 1968 by the famous master of Shorin ryu, Chibana Chosin, and his personal teacher in Okinawa, Nagazato Sugoro.
In U.S A, there are over 60 traditional dojo under his supervision.
His popularity, his skills in karate and kobudo as well as his personal style Suikendo, gave him the chance to enter in the world of show-business (Hollywood).
He participated in more than 25 movies, among others: Thrillseekers, The Karate, The Blind Karate man, Karate 2, Enter the Dragon, Judge Dee, Golden Needlesss, Octagon, The Seven, The Magnificent Three, The Shinobi, Kung Fu, A Man Called Sloan, American Ninja etc.
Today, his only occupation is the instruction of his art according to the traditional values of Okinawa's Karate and its spread throughout the world.
