Category Archives: Misc

Appropriation of Aphorisms etc.

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Andreas Quast

Japanese calligraphy sometimes uses four-character idiomatic phrases (yojijukugo 四字熟語). These are compound phrases consisting of four kanji used for idiomatic expressions the meaning of which are usually not directly inferred from the individual characters used. A few examples appropriated into … Continue reading →

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Tode, Karate in the Tafaku 1867

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Andreas Quast

Yesterday I wrote about the written notation of tōde 唐手 as found in the play Nizan Waboku (The Reconciliation of Nanzan and Hokuzan) in 1867 and 1891. While it used the same original notation as karate / tōde, it turned … Continue reading →

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Just one year of training

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Andreas Quast

After returning to Naha, which became a burnt area, Nagamine’s job was to manage Minato Village. At that time, the Kokuba-Gumi was in charge of unloading the goods at Naha Port. The Kokuba-Gumi is an Okinawan company that ran the … Continue reading →

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Männekes

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Andreas Quast

Die Männekes hab ich mal irgendwann in den frühen 2000ern gezeichnet. Jetzt lade ich sie hoch, wenn auch in schlechter Quali, da ich die Originale längst nicht mehr habe, aber immerhin, sie bleiben damit zumindest erhalten.

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160 Years of German-Japanese Friendship

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Andreas Quast

On occasion of 160 years of German-Japanese diplomatic relations, here’s a short overview of German influences on early Meiji Japan. The official relations between a German state (Prussia) and Japan started with a diplomatic mission led by Count Friedrich Albrecht … Continue reading →

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Torite (overview)

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Andreas Quast

Torite is a classical martial art to capture an enemy with bare hands without killing him. Depending on the respective school, auxiliary weapons are used to make the arrest, such as the mitsu-dōgu (three pole weapons for catching criminals), the … Continue reading →

Posted in Jujutsu, Misc, New Developments, Saijutsu, Terminology, Theories of Historical Karate in Comparative Perspective, Translations, Unknown Ryukyu, Wikipedia JP | Comments Off on Torite (overview)

On Sēpai (1986)

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Andreas Quast

Not too long ago communication between Okinawa and the world as well as between sensei and students was slow. Things would sometimes take months if not years to reach anybody, if ever. My colleague Filip Konjokrad just provided his translation … Continue reading →

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The Twilight of Lord Kogusuku

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Andreas Quast

Traditional Okinawa kobudō uses a shield with one hand in combination with a weapon in the other. There are basically two variants. One is the shield known best from Matayoshi lineage kobudō, which uses loop and handle, and which is … Continue reading →

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The Significance of Wankan

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Andreas Quast

Like most karate people, I have studied a number of kata directly from various secondary and tertiary sources (people) as well as from media (books, videos) but continued to seek out primary teachers. There are many qualified teachers out there … Continue reading →

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On a characteristic feature of tradition in Early Modern Okinawa (1879-1945)

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Andreas Quast

In early modern Okinawa, that is the era between 1879 and 1945, there was a system called “Customs Improvement Movement.” It was a part of the assimilation policy and included the revision and abolition of Okinawan customs that were considered … Continue reading →

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