Category Archives: Book Reviews

Taiho-jutsu is a method for present day Japanese police officers (keisatsukan), Imperial guard escort officers (kōgū goeikan), coast guard officers, narcotics control officers (mayakutorishimarikan), military police officers of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), and other judicial police personnel, or alternatively, … Continue reading →

There has been some uncertainty as regards Nagamine Sensei’s exact school years. According to this photo here (and also this), Nagamine Shōshin graduated from Tomari Elementary School in 1920. At that time, 6 years was the regular term for elementary … Continue reading →

Exciting news: I have started a Kickstarter Campaign. It will run 30 days, so don’t hesitate. I have been documenting martial arts dances for more than 25 years now. Some of the things I came across are published here on my … Continue reading →

To be a hero, you only need to be a hero once. But to be a gentleman, you have to be a gentleman for life. In Okinawa still today there is a designation of high-level regard for a karate person … Continue reading →

It has been five years since I discovered and presented the 1888 photo of people in front of the Sōgen-ji Temple in Tomari. In the meantime we located more items of the 1888 journey and managed to get access. Therefore, … Continue reading →

I would like to turn attention towards the terms pronounced in Japanese as Shōrin and Shōrei. In short: The whole story of Shōrin and Shōrei as the original schools of karate were possibly just a communication error. To get started, … Continue reading →

Yesterday, Motobu Naoki Sensei presented new research about Kanō Jigorō’s visit to Okinawa in 1927, and the karate demonstrations presented to him. In it appears a part of an article originally written by Ishikawa Seitoku of Shōrin-ryū in 1999: “Director … Continue reading →

There is some confusion as to when Nagamine Shōshin began training in karate under his various sensei. Let’s check the timeline. It is believed that Nagamine Shōshin entered Tomari Elementary School in April 1914. This is for the following reasons. … Continue reading →

Old-style Shūshi no Kon The earliest known footage of Shūshi no Kon is from 1929 and shown below. The earliest description of a bōjutsu kata in text and illustration is of the same Shūshi no Kon. It was learned on … Continue reading →

In this video, Yonamine Kosuke performs 10 basic techniques of the bo. As can be seen, these 10 bo basics were already a part of the syllabus at that time within that kobudo association (Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai) in 1982. … Continue reading →