Author Archives: Andreas Quast

Fourth Installation on Ufutun Bō

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Andreas Quast

The following info is found in literature: Ufutun no Bō (aka Mēkata no Bō) In today’s Yaese Town Ufutun (the former Gushichan Ufutun). When and where performed: During Abushibarē in the 4th month of the old lunar calendar. This bōjutsu … Continue reading →

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Third installation on Ufutun Bō

Posted on December 26, 2022 by Andreas Quast

After a first and a second article, and a bunch of feedback by experts of the style, lets get back to basics. To do so, let me shortly recapitulate some infos gathered so far: In 1961, Shiroma Taisai performed Ufutun … Continue reading →

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Follow-up on Ufutun Bō

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Andreas Quast

Previously I wrote about Ufutun Bō. As is often the case, there were no tangible answers or new informations shared by even the most authorative persons. In Okinawan martial arts, there are official narratives and these are strictly to be … Continue reading →

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The girls sold as prostitutes, and the boys as Buddhist priests…

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Andreas Quast

Typically, most members of the karate community oppose or even forbid discussion of certain topics. For instance, the topic of the involvement of Okinawan karate people in Japanese imperialism, colonialism, and militarism until the surrender in 1945 is carefully and … Continue reading →

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Sai Taitei’s Chinese Poetry and Red Light Districts in Ryūkyū

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Andreas Quast

Sai Taitei was born in 1823 and he was from Kume Village. Later in life he succeeded his father’s post to become Ikei Pechin (an assistant estate-steward of Ikei Village belonging to Yonashiro District). It is presumed that he traveled … Continue reading →

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Kuwae no Kon (continued)

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Andreas Quast

Previously on this blog, I have written about a rare kata called Kuwae no Kon, otherwise also known as Torisashi Umē no Kon. Since my blog is widely read internationally, and since I have come to know many people from … Continue reading →

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“Torisashi no Kon” und die Handlungsanweisung in der Form “Text plus Bild”

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Andreas Quast

Wie in meinem kürzlichen Artikel beschrieben, entstammt Torisashi Ume no Kon der okinawanischen Tradition eines gewissen Kina Masanobu. Zu dem Zeitpunkt, als ich den Artikel schrieb, lagen mir nur sehr wenige Informationen vor. Zuerst hatte ich über eine weitere Person … Continue reading →

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Inheriting the essence

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Andreas Quast

The following is from an article published in the Okinawa Times: “Inheriting the essence. Faithfully inheriting the ancestor’s kata. Nakazato Takeshi (60), 2nd generation Sōke of Shōrinji-ryū and Chairman of Zen Okinawa Shōrinji-ryū Karatedo Kyōkai. Inheriting the techniques of Chanmī’s … Continue reading →

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Shitsuden and Shinden

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Andreas Quast

The term shitsuden 失伝 means disruption; interruption; non-continuation; to fall into desuetude; the loss of a tradition, a practice, a custom, etc. It can mean the loss of a full tradition, such as a complete school or style (ryūha), or … Continue reading →

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The karate of the “Pechin Class”

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Andreas Quast

A colleague just argued that “karate” came from the Pēchin class of Okinawa. I think this is a oversimplification, and it is also one of those stories based on guesswork and premature conclusions. According to censuses of 1873 and 1880 … Continue reading →

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