HISTORY

The history of Okinawan Karate and Kobudo

Consisting of a number of islands, Okinawa Prefecture is graced not only by its natural beauty but also by a unique history and distinctive culture.

In the 12th century, regional lords called aji emerged and exerted power from their fortified manors called gusuku. Soon power was divided among three small kingdoms. In 1429, Sho Hashi united the island and founded the Kingdom of the Ryukyus. During the 14th to 16th centuries, a period known as the “Golden Age of Trade,” the Kingdom flourished as a trade center for China and other nations. However, trade vessels were constantly threatened by Japanese pirates and the Okinawa sailors needed to protect themselves while in foreign lands. The unique martial arts of Okinawan karate and kobudo were born from this background. Over long years, the techniques of Chinese and South East Asian martial arts were incorporated into Okinawa karate and kobudo to establish the forms known today.

Varied distinct styles emerged during the heyday of the Ryukyuan kingdom: Shuri-ti forms were centered in the Ryukuan capital of Shuri, Naha-ti in the commercial center of Naha, and Tomari-ti in the Tomari district located between the first two. Each style had its distinguished masters who established the traditions preserved to our present day.

The techniques of karate and kobudo were, by their very nature, to be kept from the uninitiated. Thus, there are but few historical records and the arts were conveyed almost entirely through personal oral transmission from master to disciple. However, following dissolution of the kingdom and the 1879 annexation of Okinawa as a prefecture, new institutions came into effect and karate and kobudo were incorporated into the Meiji public education system. There followed a movement to present these arts to the general public: during the Taisho Era (circa 1910-1926), demonstrations were made throughout mainland Japan, and in the early Showa years (circa main schools (ryu): Shorin-ryu, Gojyu-ryu, Uechi-ryu and Matsubayashi-ryu. Today, there exist many more sub-schools (ryuha) and factions (kaiha). Each boasts its own distinctive kata derived from the basic movements (kihon kata) common to all schools as the systematization of techniques of attack and defense.

Rigorous training over years cultivates both physical and spiritual strength. Thus these traditional arts contribute to building character, to fostering a sense of social responsibility, and to the healthy development of young bodies and minds. In offering the disciplines of both martial arts and sports, Okinawa karate and kobudo today give inspiration to people throughout the world.

 

Karate on Okinawa : Shorin-ryu

Karate originated on Okinawa. There are several styles, among them being Shotokan, Shorin-Ryu, Uechi Ryu, Goju Ryu, Isshin-Ryu and Shorinjiryu.

Shorin-ryu is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts. Said to have been founded by Sokon Matsumura during the 1800s, Shorin-ryu combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Shorin-ryu is widely considered to be one of the two major modern styles of Okinawan karate, along with Goju-ryu, which is rooted in the other traditional Okinawan style, Naha-te.

Sokon Matsumura was a renowned warrior of his time; he has been called the Miyamoto Musashi of Okinawa. However, while he is often referred to as the “founder” of Shorin-ryu, he did not invent all the components the style, and perhaps didn’t ever call it “Shorin-ryu” himself. It is quite possible that he synthesized his knowledge of Okinawan arts with Chinese fighting styles that he learned on his travels and taught it as a coherent system to some eager students, who subsequently refined it, labeled it, and passed it on. (Highlighting Shorin-ryu’s Chinese heritage is the fact that “Shorin” is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese 少林, “Shaolin”; “ryu” means “school”, or “style”.)

Along with being a style on its own, Shorin-ryu is also perhaps the most influential single ancestor of modern Japanese karate. One of Matsumura’s best-known students, Anko (or “Ankoh”) Itosu became a great practitioner and teacher of Okinawan karate and developed the five Pinan kata, which are now taught not only in Shorin-ryu, but also in a wide variety of Okinawan, Japanese and derived martial arts. It is also believed by some that the first two Pinan katas were actually developed by Matsumura and the last three by Itosu. In addition, Itosu and another student of Matsumura’s named Anko Azato were among the primary influences on a fellow Okinawan named Gichin Funakoshi. Funakoshi introduced his Okinawan martial arts to mainland Japan in 1922, and in subsequent decades was instrumental in developing what he termed simply “karate” or “karate-do” as a popular Japanese sport and art. (The style Funakoshi taught on mainland Japan is now called Shotokan karate.)

Shorin-ryu is generally characterized by natural breathing, natural (narrow, high) stances, and direct (rather than circular ) movements. Shorin-ryu practitioners will say that deep stances are not important for powerful moves, and that only correct motion matters. In fact, Okinawan traditionalists often claim that deep, wide stances are a development of Japanese-styled karate, and useful only for show.

There is not now, and perhaps has never been, a single unified school of “Shorin-ryu,” although many dojos use the term for simplicity’s sake. Some of the best known schools of Shorin-ryu include Sukunaihayashi (Shorin-Ryu Seibukan), Matsumura Orthodox Shorin-ryu, Kobayashi Shorin-ryu (Shorinkan), and Matsubayashi-ryu, but there are many others, most with long and distinguished histories that trace back to Matsumura and his students.

 

Shorin-Ryu Seibukan Karate-Do History Resources :

1. Historical Corrections

2. Biographies

3. The Letter From Zenpo Shimabukuro Sensei

4. Why is IOSSKA Malaysia’s Patch different from the rest?

 

 

 

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