Discovery
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Further photos of the 1921 karate demonstration?
The March 1921 karate demonstration in the courtyard of Shuri Castle, led by Funakoshi Gichin 船越義珍 (1868–1957) in the presence of Crown Prince Hirohito 裕仁 (1901–1989), celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. Only a few photos of Hirohito’s short stay in Okinawa have survived. In the biography of Kenna Kenwa 漢那憲和 (1877–1950), Okinawan born former… Continue reading
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Famous photo shows Miyake Sango instead of Itosu Ankō
In early 2019, it has been discovered that the image once believed to be Itosu Ankō 糸洲安恒 (1831–1915) actually shows a different person, namely Japanese fencing master Miyake Sango 三宅三五 ( 1847–?). This page from the school magazine Ryūtan 龍潭 No. 9. (1911) photographed by me in Naha in September 2019 are considered evidence to… Continue reading
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1851 English-Loochooan dictionary with references to martial arts
From 1846 until 1854, Bernard Jean Bettelheim (1811–1870), a Hungarian born Christian missionary lived with his family in the Gokoku-ji 護国寺 temple in Okinawa. Bettelheim despite of all the problems he caused the Ryūkyūan officials, he was an attentive observer of many things around. In the course of his year-long stay, he worked on a… Continue reading
Investigations into the history of karate 