Monthly Archives: March 2015

On the Gusan

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Andreas Quast

hen speaking of Okinawa Kobudō, here and there the term gūsan appears. The gūsan is a specific stick weapon. Not much is known about it and and it can perhaps be called a niche method. In the western understanding it … Continue reading →

Posted in Unknown Ryukyu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On the Gusan

On Kakidī

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Andreas Quast

The following is my inofficial translation of the chapter on kakidi given on the homepage of the Motobu-ryu and published with the kind permission of Motobu Naoki Shihan. Kakede [literally hooked hands] (in Okinawa dialect kakidī) is and old style form of jiyū-kumite, … Continue reading →

Posted in Unknown Ryukyu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On Kakidī

Fritz Nöpel – Pioneer of European Goju-ryu

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Andreas Quast

Fritz Nöpel (3 November 1935, 19 November 2020) was a German Karateka and the pioneer of Gōjū-ryū-Karate in Germany. He is the recipient of the 10th Dan and the honorary title of Hanshi from Japan as well as the German … Continue reading →

Posted in Misc, Unknown Ryukyu | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Fritz Nöpel – Pioneer of European Goju-ryu

Sakugawa – The Hidden Warrior

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Andreas Quast

Working at a US restaurant on Okinawa once established by the DOD, the caretaker, a strong, black guy, asked me about what I was doing on Okinawa. I said, in order to not overcomplicate the matter, “Karate.” And he was like … Continue reading →

Posted in Unknown Ryukyu | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sakugawa – The Hidden Warrior

The Butokuden of Okinawa

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Andreas Quast

The original Dai Nippon Butokukai  (DNBK) was established in April 1895 in Kyōto to encourage the practice of the budō and to cultivate warlike virtues (butoku) throughout Imperial Japan. Branches were opened in each prefecture, aiming at the dissemination and … Continue reading →

Posted in Chatan Yara Kusanku, Okinawa Peace Theory, Prewar Okinawa Karate, Unknown Ryukyu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Butokuden of Okinawa

The Zai in Ryukyu dances (Ryūkyū Buyō)

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Andreas Quast

In Ryūkyū dances (Ryūkyū Buyō) there is a dance called Zai (麾; ぜい). It is categorized as a Nisai-odori, performed by two udui-dī (dancers). The Zai originally was a bâton de commandement for giving signals of command to an army. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Unknown Ryukyu | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Zai in Ryukyu dances (Ryūkyū Buyō)

Isa Kaishu

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Andreas Quast

Isa Kaishū Budōka (karate and kobujutsu), priest, classical entertainment artist The Kinjō Ufuchiku-den Ryūkyū Kobujutsu of Kina Shōsei was handed down to Isa Kaishū as the 3rd generation. Since childhood Isa was brought up in an environment of martial affairs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Unknown Ryukyu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Isa Kaishu

Nagamine Shoshin and the apparently two first postwar articles written on Karate/Kobudo

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Andreas Quast

In the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shinpō, in 1950 an article appeared on Funakoshi, titled: “Karate – Funakoshi Gichin Okina – Defeating a cow: secret training under cover of night.” In the post-war era in Okinawa itself it also took a … Continue reading →

Posted in Unknown Ryukyu | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Nagamine Shoshin and the apparently two first postwar articles written on Karate/Kobudo

Mathijs Hendrickszoon Quast und die Entdeckung der Bonin Inseln im Jahre 1639, genannt die “Quast Eylanden”

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Andreas Quast

1906 erwähnte Papinot in seinem „Dictionnaire D’histoire et de Géographie du Japon“ „Quast Matthieu. – Navigateur hollandais qui, en 1639, explora les iles Ogasawara [d.i. die Bonin Inseln], les côtes de Mutsu, Formose, etc. Son second dans cette expédition, Abel Jansz Tasman, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Misc, Quast family history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mathijs Hendrickszoon Quast und die Entdeckung der Bonin Inseln im Jahre 1639, genannt die “Quast Eylanden”

Evolution of the Matsubayashi-ryū insignia since 1955

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Andreas Quast

Seems we all live in our own little worlds and – while observing what’s going on in the various regional perceptions of Karate around the globe – successively try to make sense of and adjust our subjectively coherent perceptions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Evolution of the Matsubayashi-ryū insignia since 1955