Monthly Archives: December 2019

The Karate and Kobudō Performers and Performances of 1939

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Andreas Quast

Recently I revealed that Nagamine Shōshin (1907-1997) evidently performed Chatan Yara no Kūsankū in 1939. This is the earliest instance the name of this kata appeared like this in writing. This information is based on an unpublished program of the … Continue reading →

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Periodization of Ryukyuan History

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Andreas Quast

Recently I have been asked about a periodization of Okinawa. Surely there are various, often based on different approaches and perspectives. In 1989, Takara Kurayoshi presented an update of the usual perdiodization. I think it still did not reach the … Continue reading →

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Hans Talhoffer

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Andreas Quast

I have owned a facsimile edition of the Ambraser Codex since the erly 2000s. It was expensive but well worth it. The edition was self-published in Prague in 1889 by fencing master Gustav Hergsell, who dealt in detail with Talhoffers … Continue reading →

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Gladiatoria — Ms. Germ. Quart. 16

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Andreas Quast

This manuscript originally rested in the former royal library in Berlin, but since 1945 was considered a loss of war. In the 1980s, Hans-Peter Hils rediscovered it at the Biblioteka Jagiellonski, in Krakow. Weapon and armaments collector Peter Schlegel limited … Continue reading →

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Genealogy of the Bu-family 武姓家譜, otherwise known as the Kayō-family 嘉陽家

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Andreas Quast

This is about the family line where Matsumura Sōkon came from. Originally written in January 2006, and also published in my KARATE 1.0 (2013). In 1719, Matsumura Sokon’s ancestors handed in a petition for recognition of their genealogy by the … Continue reading →

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Sakugawa, Matsumura, and the “Illustration of the Arm’s Minor Yin Heart Meridian”

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Andreas Quast

A few years back Patrick McCarthy and Tuttle were planning to publish a new edition of the “Bubishi.” At that time, I had been asked if I’d like to contribute a little extra info, which I gladly did. My article … Continue reading →

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The 2nd Okinawa Karate Academy — An unknown group of early modern Karate persons (3) — Yonamine Isshun

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Andreas Quast

Usually kobujutsu is spared from being accused of going through the process of technical sanitation that is typically believed to have been the case for karate in school education. As a result, kobujutsu is also believed to have been less charged with nationalistic and militaristic ideology. However, the following research results necessitate to reconsider the notion that modern Okinawan kobujutsu was an original warrior martial arts from the kingdom times. Instead, modern Okinawan kobujutsu was probably spawned by the same momenta as karate. Continue reading →

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The 2nd Okinawa Karate Academy — An unknown group of early modern Karate persons (2) — Matsuda Seiei

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Andreas Quast

On Monday, November 25, from 2-4 pm, the “2nd Okinawa Karate Academy” was held at the Auditorium on the 4th floor of the Okinawa Prefectural Office. The topic was new findings regarding “An unknown group of early modern Karate persons.” … Continue reading →

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The 2nd Okinawa Karate Academy — An unknown group of early modern Karate persons (1) — Haraguni Seishō

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Andreas Quast

“This prefecture’s usage of fists is what the martial arts of fencing (gekken) and the spear (sōjutsu) are for the other prefectures. It is also called karate and its techniques have names like “Passai,” “Kūsankun,” “Naihanchin,” and the like. Certain educated Ryūkyūans formerly all trained this method, by means of which one can prepare for emergencies.”

From: The Odd Accident of this Party’s Member, Harakuni Seishō. Ryūkyū Kyōiku, issue 4, 1896. Continue reading →

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