Category Archives: Prewar Okinawa Karate

Arakaki Ankichi’s Hanging Scroll of a Thunder God

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Andreas Quast

In 1928, at the request of Dr. Iha Magobei, who owned a hospital in Chatan’s Yara Village, Ankichi painted a hanging scroll depicting a god of thunder and composed a poem for it while at a party near Murochi. This … Continue reading →

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The costumes of karate – dogi, pants, or khaki

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Andreas Quast

On March 5, 1898, Imperial Decree No. 36 promulgated the Ordinance of the Okinawa Garrison Headquarter. The headquarter functioned solely as a conscription office and no soldiers were deployed on Okinawa itself. On April 12, five officials assumed office under … Continue reading →

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About Ryūkyū / Okinawa Kobudō / Kobujutsu / Bugei / Bujutsu etc.pp., or in short: Have a salad!

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Andreas Quast

Where does the word kobudō in relation to Okinawa or Ryūkyū originate from? Ryūkyū Kobudō is distinguished from Nihon Kobudō, but when was it defined and classified as a composite word and category of Japanese budō? First of all, kobudō … Continue reading →

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Kaneshima Shinsuke’s Martial Curriculum Vitae

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Andreas Quast

In September 1969, Kaneshima Shinsuke together with Nagamine Shoshin apperad in an Okinawa Times article about the “model demonstrations” to be held at Okinawa Times Hall on September 25th, and in preparation of demonstrations at Nippon Budokan on October 10. … Continue reading →

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Periodization issues in budō

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Andreas Quast

There is a terminological double-issue related to the periodization in Japanese budō. The first and main issue is the ambiguous definition of old vs modern schools using the Meiji restoration of 1868 as the reference point. The second issue is … Continue reading →

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On the Photo of Kinjo Ufuchiku

Posted on June 18, 2023 by Andreas Quast

In 2015 I wrote an article about the photo considered to show Kinjo Ufuchiku. In short, the original photo was taken by Edmund M. H. Simon in Okinawa in 1910. Here I will look at the copies of the photo … Continue reading →

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The Mother of All Enbu Taikai

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Andreas Quast

Expressions such aus budōsai, enbukai, enbu taikai etc. are regularly seen in Okinawa karate and kobudo today. They are derivates of an original terminology used in 1895 at what is now known as Kyōto Meet. Okinawans were dispatched to the … 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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