Tag Archives: Yamane-ryu

Shushi no Kon (old-style) 2 – A Video of the Kata

This is the video of Shushi no Kon (old-style) as I have described here. I have learned this kata from various sources. First of all, I have learned it as “Koryū Shūshi no Kon” from Akamine Hiroshi Sensei of Shimbukan … Continue reading

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Shushi no Kon (old-style) 1 – The 1930 Description by Miki Jisaburō

This post is my 2009 translation of “Shūshi no Kon” as published in 1930 by Miki Jisaburō. Miki had learned it from Ōshiro Chōjo in 1929. I have shortened, simplified and renumbered the description to make it easier to follow … Continue reading

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Yamanni-ryu – Is the founder’s name Sanrā, Sanda, Masanrā, or Saburō?

Chinen Masami (1898–1976) was an Okinawan bōjutsu expert. He taught privately at his home in Shuri Tōbaru, Okinawa. He named his style Yamannī-ryū after his grandfather Chinen Sanrā 知念三良 (1842–1925). There is some confusion about the first name of Chinen Sanrā. For instance, various … Continue reading

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Sakugawa no Kon (Koryū)

Sakugawa no Kon (Koryū) is an older form of the Sakugawa kata that originated in the teachings of Yamane-ryū which trace back to the 1920s teachings of Chinen Sanrā and Ōshiro Chōjo, who taught the village youth of the Kakazu … Continue reading

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Higa Seitoku (1921-2006) – Ultimate Skill – Lifelong Pursuit

(The following is a translation of the following article: Okinawa Times, 29 August 2021: “Weekly Okinawa Karate No. 230 – Okinawa Kobudō Biographies Series 2 – Ultimate Skill – Lifelong Pursuit – Higa Seitoku (1921-2006) – Bō “Shūshi no Kon” … Continue reading

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The “tea cloth squeeze”

In bōjutsu, depending on the teacher, various methods of how to hold the bō are taught. In the Taira lineage of Okinawa, students are supposed to basically adhere to a 3/3 division of the bō and keep both hands fixed … Continue reading

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Shirotaru no Kon (5) – Name, Lineages, Variants

Name The name of the kata is usually written in kana as 白樽の棍. In standard Japanese this is pronounced “Shirotaru no Kon.” In Okinawan dialect it is pronounced “Shiratarū nu Kun” シラタルーヌクン. Otherwise the name is also sometimes written in … Continue reading

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Shirotaru no Kon (4) – Techniques of Shirotaru Deciphered

As I noted before, Miki Jisaburō learned Shirotaru no Kon from Ōshiro Chōjo (1887–1935), who lived in Shuri Ōnaka 1-54 at the time. At that time Ōshiro served as a regular teacher as well as the head of the karate … Continue reading

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Sakugawa no Kon Shō (Bojutsu Kata Series)

Pronounced Sakuga’a nu Kun Sū/Shī in Okinawan dialect. Sakugawa no Kon is said to have been devised and handed down by Sakugawa “Tōdī” Kanga. There are many stories about the person Kanga, that he went to China for study, later became … Continue reading

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