Hanashiro Chomo
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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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Jion Temple
Lately I have been focusing by practice on the kata Yabu no Jion and appreciate its simplicity and directness compared to other Karate kata. Yabu no Jion is virtually identical to Hanashiro no Jion as found in “An Overview of Karate-do“. Today I wanted to briefly touch on the name of the kata itself “Jion”… Continue reading
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Miyagi Shikichi
It was in 1930 that Nakasone Genwa, who had just returned from Tokyo, paid a visit to me. I was known throughout the prefecture as ‘Suya Saburo’ because I played too much at the red light district (Tsuji). Nakasone’s business was to promote the development and spread of the martial art that Gichin Funakoshi was… Continue reading
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Yabu no Jion
A long while back I was talking to Lyn about Yabu no Jion. Lyn, in case you’re wondering, is the only other non-Japanese whose ever trained in Tou’on-ryu in Japan (no I’m not talking about someone who hopped on a plane and visited for a week to learn. He actually lived and studied in Japan… Continue reading
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