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Mystery Bechurin
Back in 2011 I visited Kita Kyushu to see Yoshino sensei. The last time I had saw him, he had dropped a bombshell of a statement during lunch that he knew an alternate form of the Tou’on ryu Bechurin. My interest peaked and he said he would teach it to me the next time I… Continue reading
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Karate Man: A Short Documentary
Here’s a nice documentary about Ota Eihachi sensei produced by Habunami Studios. I remember many years ago reading about him in Black belt magazine where they featured his use of the Kama. I was impressed with what he had to say, his energy and his enthusiasm. Enjoy. Continue reading
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Happy Birthday Kanzaki Sensei!
Tomorrow, April 22, 2024 would have marked Kanzaki sensei’s 96th birthday. Naturally when his birthday roles around I think about him, and a flood of good memories come to mind. Initially, I was going to keep this post private, but on reflection I thought it would be better to share a few of my thoughts of… Continue reading
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Thoughts on Okinawa Kobudo Systems
The other day I was chatting with one of my students after Kobudo practice and we got on the topic of Yamane (Yamani)-ryu. This of course got me thinking about not only Yamane-ryu, but also the other Kobudo systems (Taira, Matayoshi, Ryukonkai, Ufuchiku) practiced on Okinawa. Below are some random thoughts about Yamane-ryu and Kobudo… Continue reading
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Walking a Path
Canadian culture, and by extension US culture, suffers from a staggering lack of patience. I would go so far as to say that it borders on narcissistic. A few months ago I was standing in line to pay for my groceries when a women behind me asked if she could cut ahead of me because… Continue reading
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Inoue Motokatsu: Nunchaku & Suruchin Kata
I find it odd that the Inoue Motokatsu’s Ryukyu Kobujutsu group do not use the kata developed by Taira Shinken for suruchin and nunchaku. Indeed, Inoue’s nunchaku and suruchin kata do bear Taira’s name (ie. “Maezato no …”). To the best of my knowledge Inoue stated that all his kata came from Taira and there… Continue reading
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Bechurin (Suparempei) Anyone?
Here are some applications that could be used for the crescent kick portion of the kata Bechurin (Suparempei). These sequences are from Sato Kinbei’s book on Chin’na (Jissen Kinna Jutsu; pg. 136 & 173). Sato Kinbei was the instructor of Murakami Katsumi, a teacher that I respect very much and have posted about on this… Continue reading
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Reconstructing Old style Karate
I do not believe there is enough of a “fossil record” to outline what “old-style” Karate practices consisted of. The earliest technical information we have is from Funakoshi’s publications in the early 1920s. Prior to this, there is nothing definitive, with the possible exception of Hanashiro Chomo’s Karate Kumite; however, we only have a few… Continue reading
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Fashion – Okinawa Style
My friend Joe Swift has talked in-depth about the principles for analyzing the techniques found in classical Karate-do kata. He stresses the importance of understanding the historical context in which kata were developed, including the clothing that people wore. I would like expand on that idea, specifically in the role of clothing and it may… Continue reading
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Let’s Talk About Karate Styles
Japan has culturally and historically been an ordered and hierarchical society. Therefore it comes as no surprise that its martial traditions (武道-budo) mirror this same structure. Until the conclusion of WWII, Japanese martial traditions were designated as different styles (流-ryu) or off-shoots (派-ha) and were centrally administered by the Great Japan Martial Virtues Association (大日本武徳会-Dai… Continue reading
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Okinawa Karatedo & Ryukyu Kobudo 