Karate Masters

The following is a potted biography of the Karate masters responsible for bring Karate into the modern age.

Sokon Bushi Matsumura

Sokon Matsumura (1792-1887) was the forefather of 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 travelled 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 Naifanchi I & II, Bassai Dai, Seisan, Chinto, Gojushiho (fifty-four steps of the Black Tiger), Kusanku (the embodiment of Kusankus 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 Matsumuras time, is said to have been devised by Matsumura himself and was the basis for Pinan I and II. Matsumuras 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 endeavours has been the progenitor of many contemporary karate styles, Shorin Ryu,  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 Tae kwon Do (Korean Karate).

Kosaku Matsumora

Kosaku Matsumora (1829 - 1898) was born in Tomari village, on Okinawa Island. At the age of 15, when in those days boys began to be treated as adults, he started to learn karate from Master Teruya of Tomari. The young Matsumora became one of Master Teruyas main students, even though he had many followers.

Master Teruya taught Katas which were only practiced in Tomari, namely "Rohai", "Wanshu" and "Wankan" (sometimes known as "Okan"). He also placed a great deal of emphasis on good behaviour, citing "Karate-ni- Sente-Nashi" ("there is no first attack in karate").

In those days, karate was usually practiced in the garden or at the cemetery of the masters family, as it was the most convenient place. One evening, when Master Matsumora and others were practicing at Master Teruyas family cemetery he noticed an outcast watching his moves intently. Master Matsumora approached him. The man apologised for disturbing Matsumoras training and commended him on his level of skills. He handed Matsumora a piece of paper but, before Matsumora could finish reading the inscription, the recluse had disappeared. Matsumora showed the note to Master Teruya, to which he responded "exactly!". Some time later, Kosaku Matsumora had a flash of inspiration and, in a moment, understood the deeper meaning of the message;

"The essence of bu(do)  is to denounce immoral consideration, understand humanity, follow a virtuous  path, and devote your life to cultivating peace in Okinawa."

Master Matsumora had several students including Master Choki Motobu, who became renowned for his great fighting skill. Choki Motobu was reputed to have learned only Naifanchi Kata from Master Matsumora, but this is not true, although he did like the kata and so perhaps practiced it more than others. This Kata has been handed down and practiced in Wado-Ryu because Hironori Ohtsuka, the founder, learned it from Choki Motobu.

Yasutsune Anko Itosu

Yasutsune Ankoh Itosu (1830-1915) was born in Shuri and became one of the most respected martial artists in Okinawa during the 19th century. Master Itosu was a student of Sokon Matsumura and Kosaku Matsumora. One of his great contributions to the art of "To-De" or karate, was the firm belief of the importance of the development of persons character through the concentration on Kata, and Bunkai. Master Itosu, is quite possibly the most influential teacher in Shorin-Ryu,  expanded Shorin-Ryu by adding the Pinan katas as well as Naifanchis Nidan and Sandan.

When he first began teaching in the school system, the introduction of the kata Naihanchin was his preferred way to teach. He soon realized that this kata was far too advanced for the beginner, which lead to master Itosu creating a group of new kata, the Pinans. The creation of 5 Pinan (alternate read as HEIAN) kata was based on the kata called Kusanku and some other significant techniques. He also split both the Kusanku and Bassai katas into the Sho and Dai versions.

Kanryo Higaonna (1851-1915) was born in Naha, Okinawa on March 10, 1851. Despite being born as a descendant of a prominent family line, his family was impoverished. They earned their meagre living transporting firewood from the Kerama Islands in a small junk.

He was small for his age, but very quick and nimble, and showed a keen interest in the fighting arts at an early age. At the age of 14, he began his formal training in Chinese Kempo from a local who had studied the Fukien style. He longed to travel to China and study there, and eventually achieved that aim in 1866, when he convinced the owner of a ship bound for China to grant him passage.

Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) was the founder of the Shotokan-ryu style. Funakoshi was born in the Okinawan capital of Shuri into a family of the Shizoku class (upper class). Master Gichin Funakoshi was instructed by Yasutsune Azato and Yasutsune Itosu. He was responsible for introducing Karate to Japan in the 1920s. He was also responsible for changing the meaning of the word Karate-do.

He changed the kara symbol in Karate from the old symbol, meaning China, to the new symbol, meaning empty. In his book Karate-Do Nyumon, he writes: "Just as an empty valley can carry a resounding voice, so must the person who follows the Way of Karate make himself void or empty by ridding himself or all self-centeredness and greed. Make yourself empty within, but upright without. This is the real meaning of the empty in Karate.

"...Once one has perceived the infinity of forms and elements in the universe, one returns to emptiness, to the void. In other words, emptiness is none other than the true form of the universe. There are various fighting techniques - yarijutsu [spear techniques] and bojitsu [stick techniques], for example - and forms of martial arts, such as judo and kendo. All share an essential principle with Karate, but Karate alone explicitly states the basis of all martial arts. Form equals emptiness; emptiness equals form. The use of the character [for empty] in Karate is indeed based on this principle."

The result of this change is that Karate-do, which formerly translated loosely to Chinese hand, now translates to [the way of the] empty hand.

Choki Motobu (1871-1944) was born in 1871 in Akahira village in the Shuri region of Okinawa. He was the third son of Motobu “Udun”, a high ranking aji or lord. The Motobu family were skilled at the art of Ti (a grappling art of the Okinawan nobility). Motobu did learn some of the techniques of his family’s fighting system, but because of Okinawan tradition, only the first son, Choyu, was educated and choose to carry on the family’s martial tradition. Because of this situation, he went looking for instruction elsewhere.

Choki began training extensively with makiwara and lifted heavy rocks to gain strength. He endeavoured to become as strong as possible and trained with ferocity. He became known as “Motobu zaru” or Motobu the monkey because of his agility and speed. Eventually, Motobu became the student of Anko Itosu (one of Mabuni’s sensei). Now a young man, Choki spent a lot of time seeking out strong looking men to challenge on the street. He won most of his fights and learned much from these encounters. Itosu sensei was not impressed by the young man’s bullying and promptly expelled him form the dojo.

Motobu’s aggressive behaviour soon earned him a bad reputation and many sensei would not teach him. Once man, however, liked the spirit he showed and accepted him as a student of karate. This man was Kosaku Matsumora of Tomari. It was from Matsumora that Choki learned many Kata. Motobu still challenged others to fights often and was eager to develop and improve his fighting skills. He eventually asked Matsumora to teach him kumite, but Matsumora told him to continue to learn on his own. Motobu, however, was persevering and is said to have watched the kumite training through holes in the fence around Matsumora’s dojo.

Motobu’s street fighting served him well (to the detriment of many). He formulated his own formidable style of kumite and began to get much attention in Okinawa and in Japan on his trips to the islands. One day while in Kyoto he witnessed a contest where people were asked to match skills with a foreign boxer. A friend coaxed Motobu to give it a try.

The boxer was arrogant and goaded Motobu constantly. For two rounds Motobu just avoided the boxer’s attacks. In the third round he had enough. He used a practiced technique and promptly knocked the boxer out. The crowd was quite taken aback. They had never seen this kind of fighting. Motobu had simply struck his opponent with a fore knuckle in the temple; a basic technique. Needless to say, Motobu quickly gained a reputation as a master and many curious people came to learn this mysterious new art. Soon, Motobu became a full time teacher.

During this time, Motobu gained great respect for his fighting ability. He was hailed as the greatest fighter in Japan. Many sensei advised their students to go and train with Motobu and learn his kumite techniques ( for obvious reasons). He was also asked to teach at several universities. Because of this, many of today’s great instructors of various styles had the benefit of his instruction, so it is clear that his was a large influence in karate.

Motobu usually only taught naihanchi kata to his students and it was his own version with many Ti-like grappling and throwing techniques. However, it was his kumite that had the greatest impact on karate. Oddly enough, there is a story of Choki, full of confidence, challenging his brother Choyu to a fight. It is said that Choyu threw Choki around like a rag doll. After the experience, Choki is said to have humbled himself and adopted more of his family’s Ti forms. In 1922, Master Motobu helped Master Funakoshi start the teaching of Karate to the Japanese. Filled with a new outlook on his life, Master Motobu returned to Okinawa in 1936 and began training with Master Kentsu Yabu. Master Yabu was only man to have ever defeated Master Motobu.

Later in life, Motobu seemed to stress the importance of tradition in training. He strongly stressed the importance of makiwara training and became as enthusiastic about kata as he had always been about kumite. In 1936, at the age of 65, Motobu left Tokyo and went back to Okinawa to visit his instructors to talk about the state of karate in Japan and to make sure that he was teaching the kata and techniques in their originally, unaltered form. Subsequently, he returned and continued teaching in Tokyo. Shortly before World War II, he returned to Okinawa and died in 1944 of a stomach disease at the age of 73.

Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952) is the founder of the Shito-ryu style of Karate. Mabuni was born in Shuri, Okinawa, the son of a 17th generation Samurai called the Bushi (warrior) class. Members of his family served Okinawan lords for hundreds of years. During his time, the martial arts (Okinawa-te) was known according to the village where it was practiced:  Shuri-te (the hand of Shuri), Naha-te and Tomari-te. Mabuni learned Shuri-te from Yasutsune Itosu, who was a student of Sokon Matsumura, and Naha-te from Kanryu Higaonna. Mabuni learned some 23 kata from Yasutsune Itosu. Mabuni also learned several empty hand katas and Kobudo (weapon) katas from Seisho Arakaki (1840-1918), and some white crane Kung Fu forms from Woo Yin Gue, a Chinese tea merchant in Okinawa.

Master Mabuni, the founder of Shito-ryu Karate, died in Osaka, Japan in May, 1952 at age 64 leaving his name and art in every heart of each Shito-ryu Karate-ka.

Chojun Miagi (1888-1953) was the founder of the Goju-ryu style, "The way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness." Go means hard and Ju means soft. Since his style was a combination of these ideals it became known as Goju Ryu hard soft way. In Goju-ryu much emphasis is placed on combining soft circular blocking techniques with quick strong counter attacks delivered in rapid succession

Chojun Miyagi was born in Naha City, Okinawa on April 25th, 1888. He began training in karate under Kanryo Higaonna in 1902. Because of his great natural talent and fierce determination, he progressed very rapidly. Training was very severe, with a lot of running and strength exercises. It is said that he sometimes passed out performing Sanchin kata, so demanding was Sensei Higaonna on his students performance. He studied with his teacher for 14 years before his teacher’s death in 1915.

In 1915 he journeyed to Fuzhou, China, the city where his teacher had studied the martial arts, to further his own research. This was one of three trips he made to China during his lifetime. On his return to Okinawa, he began to teach the martial arts at his home in Naha. Later, he also taught at the Okinawan Prefecture Police Training Center, at the Okinawan Master’s Training College, and at the Naha Commercial High School.

In 1921, he was chosen to represent Naha-te in a presentation to the visiting crown prince Hirohito, and gave an impressive performance. He repeated this in 1925 for prince Chichibu. He began to visualize the future of the Okinawan fighting arts, and in 1926, at the age of 38, set up the Karate Research Club, along with Chomo Hanashiro (Shuri-te), Kenwa Mabuni (Shito Ryu) and Choki Motobu, spending the next 3 years training in basics, kata, fitness and philosophy. Chojun Miyagi dedicated his whole life to karate. Every waking moment was spent in pursuit of the art, always remaining vigilante to his surroundings, always planning and ready for whatever might occur.

Hironori Ohtsuka (1892 - 1982) was the founder of the Wado-ryu style, and studied Shotokan under Gichin Funakoshi. Wado Ryu karate was founded by Hironori Ohtsuka during the 1920s and 1930s.

Ohtsuka was born on 1st June 1892 in Shimodate City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. At the age of 6 years he began to study jiu Jutsu with his Grand Uncle. At the age of 13 he started to study Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jiu Jutsu under a teacher named Tatsusabaro Nakayama. Ohtsuka continued his studies whilst at Waseda University. He received the award of Menkyo-Kaiden in 1921 (successor as master of this style)

Ohtsuka heard about a new style of unarmed combat from Okinawa that had been introduced by Gichin Funakoshi. That art was known as Karate. In 1922, Ohtsuka went to visit Funakoshi in Tokyo to study karate. He also trained with other great Karate masters such as Kenwa Mabuni and Choki Motobu.

His prowess in the Martial Arts had led him to be the Chief Instructor of Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jujitsu and an assistant instructor at Funakoshi Senseis dojo. By the year 1929 Ohtsuka was a registered member of the Japan Martial Arts Federation

During his time training, Ohtsuka developed the concept of pre-arranged sparring in which both participants know in advance what attacks and defences are to be carried out. This follows on from Koryu Jujitsu practise which has no solo kata practice as seen in karate.

At this time Ohtsuka experimented with incorporating all his martial art skills into a new form of Karate. Part of this experimentation was the introduction of free-fighting practice. This conflicted with Funakoshis view of Karate and they parted company.

In 1938, Ohtsukas new style was accepted by the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai under the name of Wado Ryu. Ohtsuka was also awarded the title of "Renshi-go".

Development of Wado Ryu continued after the Second World War, and in 1966 Ohtsuka Sensei was awarded Kun-Goto-Soukuo-Kyo-Kuju-jutsu-Sho (similar to the OBE in Great Britain) from Emperor Hirohito for his dedication to Karate. In 1972 he was awarded the title of Meijin from Higashino-Kunino-Miya (a member of the Japanese royal family) President of the International Martial-arts Federation the Kokusai-Budo-Renmei. Ohtsuka Sensei was the first man in history to receive this the highest honour in martial-arts. For his services to Martial-arts, and to honour his new position as the highest Karate Authority in Japan, he was awarded the Shiju-Hoosho medal from the Japanese Government, the only man in the history of Karate to be so honoured.  

On the 29th of January 1982 Ohtsuka-Hironori Meijin died shortly before his 90th birthday, he had practiced martial-arts for 85 years. "Buno-michi-wa Tada-aragoto-na-to-omohiso Wa-no-michi-kiwa-me Wa-o-motomu-michi; The way to practise martial-arts is not for fighting. Always look for your own inner peace and harmony, search for it." Ohtsuka-Hironori.