Inoue Motokatsu was born 1918 in Tôkyô. He was the grandson of the elder Meiji statesman Inoue Kaoru and Inoue Keitarô. He studied a synthesis of Bujutsu under Fujita Seiko, the 14th generation headmaster of Kôga-ryû.
After completion of Keiô Private University in 1941, he took part in the 2nd worldwar at the front in Birma and Imphal (capital of Manipur, North-East-India).
He studied under Taira Shinken who – upon request – granted him the first and only ever Hanshi Menkyo Kaiden in Ryûkyû Kobudô.
Unfortunately, in none of his books he ever mentioned when exactly he opened his style or dojo. There are some websites of his Western students who say it was around 1948. The Bugei Ryuha Daijiten, p. 889, says the following:
Yuishin-ryū (Karate)
(The founder was) Inoue Motokatsu from Shimizu. He studied Karate under Konishi Yasuhiro and Kamiyama Hōsaku [note.: Yuishinkan Ippō-ryū], Shuriken-jutsu under Fujita Seiko, Ryūkyū Kobudō under Taira Shinken. Shōwa 37 (=1962) he founded the Yuishinkan. Among his students were Shida Hitoshi, Shingai Masaru, Ikegaya Hidetoshi, Sanada Rihei, Kiyotomi Shikō.
(If so, the Yuishinkan of Kisaki Tomoharu, 9th Dan from Osaka, used the name Yuishinkan earlier.)
He left behind a system of techniques for the various weapons he had established and organized.
He left this world on January 1st 1993 in Tôkyô. Today his teachings are continued by Inoue Kishô.
Book list
Inoue Motokatsu: Ancient martial arts of the Ryūkyū Islands, 2 vols:
1.Inoue Motokatsu: Bō, sai, tonfa and nunchaku. Seitohsha, Tokyo 1987. 215 p. 26cm. Ancient martial arts of the Ryūkyū Islands, vol. I. English and Japanese.
2.Inoue Motokatsu: Kama, tekkō, tinbē and surujin. Seitohsha, Tokyo 1987. 211 p. 26cm. Ancient martial arts of the Ryūkyū Islands, vol. II. English and Japanese.
Inoue Motokatsu: Ryūkyū Kobudō series, 3 vols (1972-74):
1.Inoue Motokatsu: Ryūkyū Kobudō vol. I (Jōkan). Tōkyō, Burēn Shuppan 1972. 602 pp.
2.Inoue Motokatsu: Ryūkyū Kobudō vol. II (Chûkan). Tōkyō, 1974.
3.Inoue Motokatsu: Ryūkyū Kobudō vol. III (Gekan). Tōkyō, 1974.
This series was produced under supervision of Ryūkyū Kobudō Hozon Shinkōkai Sō Honbu (Okinawa) and Naichi Sō Honbu (mainland).
Inoue Motokatsu: Ryūkyū Kobudō series, 3 vols (1983):
1.Inoue Motokatsu: Ryūkyū Kobudō vol. I (Jōkan). Tōkyō, 1983. 602 pp.
2.Inoue Motokatsu: Ryūkyū Kobudō vol. II (Chûkan). Tōkyō, 1983.
3.Inoue Motokatsu: Ryūkyū Kobudō vol. III (Gekan). Tōkyō, 1983.
This re-published series contains a few changes, particularly in some of the Kata the older pictures have been exchanged for photos of Inoue Kishô. There are also some additions and omissions to the texts.
Inoue Motokatsu: Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series, 8 vols:
1.Inoue Motokatsu: Bō. Ryūkyū Kobudō Kihon Waza Shirīzu. Hitori de dekiru Nyūmonsho. Bōjutsu. Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series. The Basic Formal Exercise of Bōjutsu). Including English translations. Tōkyō, Seitōsha 1977. 60. pp.
2.Inoue Motokatsu: Sai. Ryūkyū Kobudō Kihon Waza Shirīzu. Hitori de dekiru Nyūmonsho. Saijutsu. Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series. The Basic Formal Exercise of Saijutsu. Including English translations. Seitosha Hen. Tōkyō, Seitōsha. Tōkyō, Sekibundō Shutsuban 1977. 52 pp.
3.Inoue Motokatsu: Nunchaku. Ryūkyū Kobudō Kihon Waza Shirīzu. Hitori de dekiru Nyūmonsho. Nunchaku. Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series. The Basic Formal Exercise of Nunchaku.). Including English translations. Seitōsha Hen. Tōkyō, Seitōsha. Tōkyō, Sekibundō Shutsuban (sales) 1978. 50 pp.
4.Inoue Motokatsu: Tonfā. Ryūkyū Kobudō Kihon Waza Shirīzu. Hitori de dekiru Nyūmonsho. Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series. The Basic Formal Exercise of Tonfa. Including English translations. Tōkyō, Seitōsha 1978. 53 pp.
5.Inoue Motokatsu: Tekkō. Ryūkyū Kobudō Kihon Waza Shirīzu. Hitori de dekiru Nyūmonsho. Tekkōjutsu. Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series. The Basic Formal Exercise of Tekkōjutsu. Including English translations. Tōkyō, Seitōsha 1982. 59 pp.
6.Inoue Motokatsu: Kama. Ryūkyū Kobudō Kihon Waza Shirīzu. Hitori de dekiru Nyūmonsho. Kamajutsu. Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series. The Basic Formal Exercise of Kamajutsu. Including English translations. Tōkyō, Seitōsha 1981. 50 pp.
7.Inoue Motokatsu: Tinbē. Ryūkyū Kobudō Kihon Waza Shirīzu. Hitori de dekiru Nyūmonsho. Tinbē. Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series. The Basic Formal Exercise of Tinbē. Including English translations. Tōkyō, Seitōsha 1984. 43 pp.
8.Inoue Motokatsu: Surujin. Ryūkyū Kobudō Kihon Waza Shirīzu. Hitori de dekiru Nyūmonsho. Surujin. Ancient Martial Arts of the Ryūkyū Islands Series. The Basic Formal Exercise of Surujin. Including English translations Tōkyō, Seitōsha 1986. 50 pp.
This series describing all weapons and their techniques and Kata in detail was the first such work on Ryukyu Kobudo which contained English translations. This made information accessible for a wider audience of Western readers for the first time.
Further read:
Taira Shinken: Ryūkyū Kobudō Taikan. Editor in chief: Inoue Kishō. Commentary: Miyagi Tokumasa. Ginowan, Yōju Shorin 1997. 210 pp. –> This is a limited edition (only 800) reprint of the 1964 original work, wh
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