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Memories of Yabu Kentsū
Yabu Kentsū, who was born in 1866, died in 1937. The sympathy was great especially in the Shuri district and among students and teachers of the Okinawa Normal School. Beside several obituaries which were published following his death, the school publication Ryūtan in 1938 prepared a lengthy article which extensively remembered Yabu’s life and work.… Continue reading
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Taiwan Nichinichi (1921) on Hirohito’s stay in Shuri
The karate demonstration led by Funakoshi Gichin 船越義珍 (1868–1957) during the visit of the Japanese Crown Prince Hirohitos 裕仁 (1901–1989) to Okinawa on March 6, 1921 is a much-cited event. Hirohito visited Shuri en route to Europe. After the visit the prince said that he had been much impressed by three things in Okinawa: the… Continue reading
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Article in Asahi Graph from March 15, 1959
Blast from the past: Article in Asahi Graph from March 15, 1959 titled 夫は空手、妻は琉舞 (Husband does karate, wife Ryūkyūan dance). The photos were taken in the dōjō of Nakazato Shūgurō 仲里 周五郎 (1920–2016). The rest of the text is unfortunately difficult to read but referring to the fact that Nakazato sensei practiced karate, his wife… Continue reading
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Review: A collection of biographies that separates fact from fiction
For the academic study of karate, it is also important to think outside the box. I always look to see what’s new on the market and what scholarly approach the authors have chosen for their research of other martial arts disciplines. Biographies of famous martial artists have always fascinated me. That’s also the reason why… Continue reading
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“Kunpatte Sensei”
In the book Okinawa kenshi: Kakuron hen IV-V. Bunka (1965) 沖縄県史: 各論編 IV-V. 文化, there is a brief passage describing Hanashiro Chōmo 花城長茂 (1868–1945): 花城はふんばってというのをくんばる というところから、「クンパッテ先生」とあだ名がつけられていたよう一方 … Hanashiro was nicknamed “kunpatte sensei,” from the Japanese word “funbaru“ … The verb funbaru 踏ん張る can be translated as (1) to brace one’s legs; to stand firm; to… Continue reading
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Review: Kensei – Kyan Chōtoku: The Man and his Art
Kyan Chōtoku (1870–1945) is a fascinating person of the karate world and a peer of Yabu Kentsū (1866–1937). Both studied with Matsumura Sōkon (c1809-c1899). And together they appear in the well-known group photo from 1937, which shows the leading karate masters of that time. As most senior experts they sat to each other in the front… Continue reading
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Physical examination of Ryūkyūan recruits
In 1911, German internist and anthropologist Erwin von Bälz (1849–1913) talked about the people from Ryūkyū, in whose “peculiarities” he was interested: “When I learned in 1899 that recruits from Riu-Kiu [sic] had been recruited in the southern garrisons, I asked the military authorities for permission, which they gladly granted, to study these people anthropologically.… Continue reading
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Weapon performances on the Yaeyama Islands
In the book 南島江戸時図誌 Nantō Edo toki-zu-shi [24] (1977) are several pieces of the 八重山風俗図 Yaeyama Fūzoku-zu, a collection of genre paintings from the end of the Ôfu period (15th century–1879). It is said that Nishi Tsuneo (西常央, 1848–1900), a native of Fukuoka who came to Okinawa in 1882 and held public offices in the… Continue reading
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Mistakes in book chapter about Yabu Kentsū
Over the years several authors portrayed Yabu Kentsū 屋部憲通 (1866–1937). Probably the first in English language was Richard Kim (1917–2001) in his book The Weaponless Warriors, which was published in 1974 and reprinted many times afterwards. My copy is the 19th printing dated 1996. Kim certainly did not want to present an academic work but rather… Continue reading
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Itosu Ankō medical history
For my book Ankō Itosu: The Man. The Master. The Myth (2021), I had a medical specialist evaluate the health of Itosu Ankō 糸洲安恒 (1831-1915) in his last 2–3 years. For this task based on my research, I prepared a brief profile and an anamnesis of Itosu. ———– Profile: Name: Itosu Ankō Gender: male Born:… Continue reading
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Investigations into the history of karate 