Lineage
INTRODUCTION:
It is estimated that probably 90% of
American martial artists know little
about there style and, other than the
physical aspects, most of those martial
artists seem content merely to practice
karate, with little interest in studying
the origins of their art. Those of us in
Okinawa Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito
Karate and Kobudo Association are of
different mentality. While we enjoy the
physical aspects of Shorin-ryu, we also
have a burning desire to learn the
history and the origins of our art.
Generations of secrecy have shed a
veil of mystery around the history and
origin of Okinawan karate. To a certain
degree, this veil of secrecy still
exists. This, coupled with the general
lack of written records, has created the
lack of information on the early years
of Ryukyu martial arts. What little
information we may have has come to us
by scattered bits and pieces that
somehow have come into the possession of
modern karate historians or from those
of you who were fortunate enough to have
been told some of the history from an
Okinawan sensei. Nevertheless, any
attempt to write on karate "history"
will leave many stones unturned, and the
following attempt is no exception. A lot
of questions are left unanswered,
perhaps one day we will know more.
EARLY HISTORY OF OKINAWA KARATE
Early Okinawan karate, or tode ("China
Hand") as it was called, owes its origin
to a mixture of indigenous Okinawan
fighting arts and various "foot
fighting" systems and empty-hand systems
of Southeast Asia and China. Being
seafaring people, the Okinawans were in
almost constant contact with mainland
Asia. It is quite likely that Okinawan
seamen visiting foreign ports were
impressed with local fighting techniques
and incorporated these into their own
fighting methods.
Interest in unarmed fighting arts
increased during the 14th century when
Chuzan King Sho Hashi established his
rule over Okinawa and banned all
weapons. A more rapid development of
tode followed in 1609 when the Satsuma
clan of Kyushu, Japan, occupied Okinawa
and again banned the possession of
weapons. Thus tode or Okinawa-te, as the
Satsuma samurai soon called it, became
the only means of protection left to the
Okinawans. It was this atmosphere that
honed the early karate-like arts of
Okinawa into a weapon, enabling the
island people to conduct a
guerrilla-type war with the Japanese
samurai that lasted into the late
1800's.
So tode or Okinawa-te was developed
secretly, thus preventing the Japanese
from killing the deadly art's
practitioners and teachers. Tode
remained underground until the early
1900's, when it was brought into the
Okinawan school system's physical
education program.
DEVELOPMENT OF KARATE-DO
STYLES AND SYSTEMS
Chatan Yara was an early Okinawan
master of whom some information exists.
Some authorities place his birth at
about 1670, in the village of Chatan,
Okinawa; others place his birth at a
much later date. In any case, he
contributed much to Okinawa karate. He
reportedly studied in China for 20
years. His bo and sai techniques greatly
influenced Okinawan kobudo, his Kata,
"CHATAN YARA NO SAI," "CHATAN YARA SHO
NO TONFA," and "CHATAN YARA NO KON" are
widely practiced today.
Satunuku
"Tode" Sakugawa
(1733-1857)
|
Most modern karate styles can be traced
to the famous Satunuku Sakugawa
(1733-1857) called "Tode" Sakugawa.
Sakugawa first studied under Takabara
Peichin of Shuri. Later, Sakugawa went
to China to train under the famous
Kusanku. Kusanku had been a military
attache in Okinawa. When Master Kusanku
returned to China, Sakugawa followed and
remained in China for six years. In
1762, he returned to Okinawa and
introduced his kempo ("fist way"). This
resulted in the karate we know today.
Sakugawa became a famous samurai and was
given the title of Satunuky or
Satonushi, titles given to Okinawan
warriors for service to the Okinawan
King. Sakugawa had many famous students;
among them were:
- MATSUMURA CHIKATOSINUMJO SOKON
- MAKABE SATUNUKU
- UKUDA SATUNUKU
- MATSUMOTO CHIKUNTONOSHINUNJO
- KOJO OF KUMEMURA
- YAMAGUCHI OF THE EAST (BUSHI
SAKUMOTO)
- USUME OF ANDAYS
Sakugawa contributed greatly
to Okinawan karate. We honor him today
by continuing many of the concepts he
introduced. Sakugawa's greatest
contribution was in teaching the great
"Bushi" Matsumura Sokon.
More History
Okinawa, the birth place of karate
,has produced many versions or
individual styles of its bare-handed
fighting art. Some styles evolved from
the teachings of different masters,
other styles are indicative of a
particular town, or villager family
tradition handed down from one
generation to another. However in terms
of the main stream of historical
development of karate, there are really
only two styles. One style is known as
Shuri-Te(Shuri hands) and the other is
Naha-Te(Naha hands).
Naha-Te was developed around the
principal port city of Naha, a large
trade center. This method of Te (empty
hand fighting) was perpetuated by Bushi
(warrior) Sakiyama (b.1819), Arakaki
Kamadeunchu (1840-1920) and Kanryo
Higashionna (1851-1915). Naha-Te
ultimately became known as Shorei Ryu
(inspirational style) and evolved into
the Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu styles of
modern karate. The use of soft circlular
blocks in Goju and Uechi Ryu make them
similar although Uechi Ryu Shows a much
stronger Chinese influence.
Shuri-Te, on the other hand, was a
style that developed mainly in the
ancient city of Shuri, the ancient
capital of Okinawa. This is where the
king and members of the nobility lived.
Actually another style known as
Tomari-Tewas a closely related system
and was considered to be an off shoot of
Shuri-Te. Tomari-Te was practiced in
Tomari Village. This village was located
close to Shuri and was populated mostly
by farmers and fishermen. Tomari-Te
eventually blended back into Shuri-Te.
Ultimately Shuri-Te developed into
Shorin Ryu (Young Forest Style). Of the
two styles of Okinawan Karate, it should
be noted that the Shuri-Te system is
characterized by speedy movements rather
than the more forceful movements of the
Naha-Te system. Shuri-Te was a more
offensive style while Naha-Te was a more
defensive one. The differences of style
are really only surface differences as
both styles are derived from similar
Chinese martial traditions. Naha-Te
seems to have more of the
soft-techniques and emphasis on
breathing and control of Ki (intrinsic
energy) influenced by Taoist philosophy.
While Shuri-Te appears to be derived
from the Shaolin Kenpo Style. The
Shuri-Te style was practiced by the
samurai of the court at Shuri Castle.
The original Shuri-Te and its evolved
counterpart Shorin Ryu traces its
history back over two hundred years in
Okinawa.
Shinjo Choken is a "Dai Jo" or an
important figure in Shorin Ryu's
history. He is one of the earliest known
practitioners of Shuri-Te. He was active
in the late 1600's and early 1700's. It
has been handed down that after Shinjo
Choken another martial artist by the
name of Tode Sakugawa (1733-1815) became
prominent in Okinawa. In fact, he is
considered to be the first true teacher
of Okinawan Karate. Sakugawa's martial
art was a mixture of Shuri-Te and
Chinese Kenpo. In 1756, Sakugawa became
a student of the Chinese military envoy
Kusanku (also Kushanku). Kusanku was a
highly skilled Kenpo master and famous
for his fighting ability. Kusanku did
many things which influenced Shuri-Te's
and ultimately Shorin-Ryu's development.
He taught many native Okinawans
including Chatan Yara and Shionja of
Shuri. He brought some of his students
from China to Okinawa and they spread
the Chinese style on Okinawa. In
addition, it is reported that Kusanku
introduced a maneuver whereby the closed
fist was held in a chambered or ready
position along the side of the torso
(hikite)and then from this position a
punch was thrown, corkscrewing it in
karate fashion, toward the intended
target. Kusanku is also credited with
the introduction of a type of kumite or
sparring to Okinawan karate. This kumite
was referred to as Kumiai Jutsu or
fighting technique.
After his training with Kusanku,
Sakugawa became known as an expert in
the Chinese style of fighting called
Tode. This is the basis for his nickname
Tode (Chinese hand) Sakugawa. He is
credited with being the first Okinawan
Karate teacher. The reasoning behind
this is that Sakugawa is said to have
combined the techniques of Chinese style
Kenpo (Tode) with the native Okinawan
techniques of Shuri-Te and thereby
formed the basis of a truly Okinawan
Karate. He has three students who
distinguished themselves as excellent
martial artists. They were Bushi Ukuda,
Macabe Chokun and Bushi Matsumoto of
Urazoe. However his last and most famous
student was Bushi Matsumura
(1797-1889).
BUSHI MATSUMURA
Bushi
Matsumura
(1797-1889)
|
Sokon Matsumura, also known as Bushi
(Warrior) Matsumura and Shuri Matsumura
(1797-1889), was one of the most
renowned martial artists of his time. He
was known as a master "par excellence"
and the organizer and founder of Shorin
Ryu Karate. Matsumura is responsible for
carrying on the teachings of the old
Shuri-Te martial arts. Matsumura chose
the name Shorin Ryu (Shaolin Ssuin
Chinese) as the name of his Ryu because
it is related back to the Shaolin Temple
in China, renowned for its fighters.
Although some authorities believe that
Anko Itosu (1830-1915), Matsumura's
student, is actually responsible for
adopting the name 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
traveled 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 Naihanchi I & II,
Passai Dai (Matsumura no Passai),
Seisan, Chinto, Gojushiho (fifty-four
steps of the Black Tiger), Kusanku (the
embodiment of Kusanku's teaching as
passed on to TodeSakugawa) 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 Matsumura's time, is
said to have been devised by Matsumura
himself and was the basis for Pinan I
and II. Matsumura's 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
endeavors, specifically the organization
of Okinawan Shorin Ryu system has been
the progenitor of many contemporary
karate styles, 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).
Tae kwon Do was founded in 1955 by
General Choi Hung Hi, a member of the
Korean Army. According to General Hi,
"Tae kwon Do is a synthesis of Taekyon,
an ancient Korean form of unarmed combat
which mainly employs kicking and karate,
a Japanese martial art which chiefly
relies on hand techniques". General Hi,
the father of Tae kwon Do, studied
Shotokan Karate in Kyoto while he was a
college student in Japan.
Bushi Matsumura before his death
passed on his menkyo kaiden (certificate
of full proficiency) to his grandson,
Nabe Matsumura.
Shorin-ryu is the Japanese
pronunciation of the Chinese characters
pronounced "Shaolin" in
Mandarin-Chinese. Shorin/Shaolin means
"small forest"; "ryu" simply means
"methods handed own," "methods of
learning" such as those of a school, or
"tradition."
NABE MATSUMURA
Nabi
Matsumura
(1860-1930)
|
NABE MATSUMURA brought
the old Shorin-ryu secrets into the
modern age. His name does not appear in
many karate lineage charts According to
Hohan Soken (1889-1982), the purest
teaching of Matsumura's Shorin Ryu was
carried on by Matsumura
Nabi(c.1860-1930). He received training
in the family style of Matsumura Shorin
Ryu which also included the secret
techniques of the white crane. The white
crane system was reputed to be a secret
family style that was only taught to
immediate family members. In his later
years, Nabe Matsumura was referred to as
Nabe Tanme or "old man" Nabe. He was
known to be a stern and disciplined
teacher. He had only one student, Hohan
Soken. It is said he was one of the top
karate men of his time. He passed on his
menkyo kaiden to his nephew,
SOKEN HOHAN
SOKEN HOHAN
Hohan Soke
(1889-1982)
|
The next successor in the lineage of
Matsumura Shorin Ryu was Hohan
Soken(1889-1982). He began training at
age thirteen under his uncle, Nabe
Matsumura. Soken had to work in the
fields as a youth in spite of his
Samurai heritage. This was due to a
political reorganization in the Ryukyu
Islands and all of Japan as a result of
the Meiji restoration. After ten years
of basic training under Nabe Matsumura,
Soken began learning the techniques of
the white crane or Hakutsuru. This was
in 1912 when he was twenty-three years
old. According to Soken, this was a
secret technique or training methodology
which was confined to the Matsumura
family. Bushi Matsumura had learned the
white crane system in China. Soken's
instruction in the white crane technique
emphasized balance training. One
training method that he practiced was to
perform the Hakutsuru kata on a board
floating in a pond. The board was just
large enough to support his weight. The
Hakutsuru kata, which was erroneously
referred to as the "White Swan"
technique in a 1967 magazine article is
the advanced level of Matsumura Shorin
Ryu. The Hakutsuru technique is the main
part of the style. It manifests the
Chinese concept of the soft (defensive)
fist and balance training while
imitating the delicate movements of the
white crane. In fact, this concept is
inherent and woven throughout all the
kata of Matsumura Shorin Ryu. For
example, Chinto uses the one legged
stance of the crane extensively,
Gojushiho uses the movements of the neck
and beak of the crane in its technique
and Hakutsuru uses the wing (hane) of
the crane. Master Soken also trained for
a while with Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1953)
and Gokenki, a Chinese tea merchant
living in Okinawa. Gokenki, Soken,
Mabuni and several other Okinawans all
trained together as a group. Gokenki's
style was Hakutsuru Kenpo (white crane
fist style) and he was from the Fukien
coast of China.
Up until the 1950's Master Soken
referred to his martial art as Matsumura
Shuri-Te, then he began calling his
style Matsumura Seito(orthodox) Shorin
Ryu. The empty hand kata of the style
included those passed on by Bushi
Matsumura (as previously noted).
However, Master Soken later added to his
system's repertoire Rohai 1, 2 & 3.
Rohai means vision of a crane and was
originally a Tomari-Te kata dating back
to the 1600's. Hohan Soken was a highly
respected master in Okinawa.
He helped pass on the legacy of
Matsumura Shorin Ryu. Perhaps his life
is reflected best in his own words - his
death poem:
"I have
taught you all I know. There is no more
I can teach you. I am a candle whose
light has traveled far. You are my
candles to whom I have passed on my
light. It is you who will light the path
for others. Today I see around me the
lights of Shaolin. The flame of
tomorrow. My task is done, soon my flame
will end. Teach the true spirit of
karate-do and one day you may enter the
Temple of Shaolin".
Hohan Soken's light was most
certainly passed on to a candle to help
light the way for others. Hohan Soken
gave his Menkyo Kaiden to Fusei Kise
prior to his death. The legacy of
Matsumura Shorin Ryu continues with
MASTER KISE
FUSEI.
KISE FUSEI
Fuse
Kise
(1935 - )
|
KISE FUSEI was born on
May 4, 1935. He began his study of
karate in 1947 under his uncle,
Master Makabe. In 1955, Master Kise
became a student to Master Shingake
Nobutake and received his shodan. In
1958, Master Kise began studying under
Grandmaster Soken Hohan, the third
successor of Matsumura Seito Shorin-Ryu
karate-do. In 1960, he was a student of
Grandmaster Nakamura Shigeru, founder of
the Okinawan Kenpo Karate-Do Federation,
and qualified for his 7th degree black
belt. After five years of training,
Master Kise became a shihan ("master")on
January 1, 1965, when he passed the 7th
dan examination under Grandmaster
Nakamura. At that time, Master Kise
taught and practiced Shorinji-ryu
karate-do. During this time, he
continued studying Shorin-ryu under
Grandmaster Soken. On January 1, 1957,
Master Kise switched completely over to
Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu. On January
3, 1972, Master Kise qualified for the
hanshi title by passing the 8th dan
examination held by Grandmaster Soken
and Master Makabe. Sep 1st 1976 Master
Kise qualified for his 9th Dan by Grand
Master Hohan Soken. In 1977 Master Kise
founded the Shorin Ryu Karate Kenshin
Kan Karate and Kobudo Federation. On Oct
25 1987 Master Kise was promoted to 10th
Dan by Master Shigaru Tamaiya.
In 2001 the Government of Japan gave
there Seal of Approval to the accuracy
of Master Kise's book. They have stated
that he (Grand Master Kise ) is the sole
true heir to Matsumora Orthodox Karate,
being passed down to him from Hohan
Sensei. This has been entered into the
official Government Archives. This means
there can be no more disputing the
Lineage of Matsumora Orthodox Karate. It
belongs to our Grand Master Kise.
In April of 2001 Grand Master Kise
was selected by the Japanese Parliament
to receive a prestigious Lifetime
Achievement award. He met with senators,
other dignitaries and with the other
Karate Grand Masters who are received
awards (4 or 5 other Grand Masters from
Okinawa) at a luncheon in Naha.
Kaicho Isao Kise
Isao Kise
(1957 - )
|
Kaicho (President) Isao Kise is the
President of the All Okinawan Shorin Ryu
Kenshin Kan Karate and Kobudo
Federation. Kaicho Isao teaches at the
Main Dojo, Okinawa City, Okinawa Japan,
military bases on Okinawa and has his on
Dojo in Okinawa City. Kaicho is the All
Okinawan Kata, Kobudo, and Kumite Grand
Champion.
Kaicho teaches Traditional Karate,
Sport Karate, Sport Kumite as well as
full contact Karate. He is a senior
judge for tournaments throughout the
Island of Okinawa. Kaicho has been
training since the age of 4 and was born
July 27, 1957. Kaicho believes in hard
demanding workouts and trains his
students to be champions. Kaicho was
promoted to the rank of Hachi Dan (8th
Dan) on January 18th 1998.
