Yabu Kentsu
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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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Tracing the forgotten masters
Before World War II, thousands of people left the Ryūkyū Islands and emigrated overseas. The first wave of emigration was to Hawaii in the early 20th century, followed by a wave to various Pacific islands in the 1920s and several migrations to America. Although these emigration movements are fairly well researched, not much is known… 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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Yabu Kentsū talks about voluntarily joining the Army
Yabu Kentsū (1866–1937) is one of the most important figures in the development of modern karate. He was instructed in karate, the civil fighting arts of Ryūkyū, from a young age by Matsumura Sōkon (1809–1899) and Itosu Ankō (1831–1915). It is well known that Yabu voluntarily joined the Japanese Army in 1890. But it is… Continue reading
Investigations into the history of karate 