Tag Archives: Kusanku

Nagamine Shoshin performed Chatan Yara no Kusanku in 1969

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Andreas Quast

On October 10, 1969, a National Special Invitational Kata Demonstration was presented at the Nippon Budōkan in Tōkyō. There, a number of Okinawan karate masters were invited to present Okinawa karate kata in front of a nationwide audience. The occasion … Continue reading →

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Kata Taught by Matsumura Sōkon (1)

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Andreas Quast

Since I read about Matsumura Sōkon in social networks recently and about the kata he presumably taught, I thought it might be a good idea to remind Karate circles of an eyewitness account about the eminent master. In his 1941 autobiography, … Continue reading →

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Ōshima Hikki – 001

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Andreas Quast

In 1762, a Ryūkyūan tribute ship bound for Satsuma drifted ashore at Ōshima, a small island off the southern tip of Tosa province in today’s Kōchi Prefecture 高知県. From the exchange with a Ryūkyūan named Shiohira Pēchin, the young Confucian scholar … Continue reading →

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Weaponry during Edo-nobori

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Andreas Quast

Edo-nobori were Ryūkyūan pilgrimages to Edo on official occasions, like the enthronement of a new Ryūkyūan king or the succession of a new Shōgun in Japan. During these pilgrimages a very few number of weapons were carried by Ryūkyūans like … Continue reading →

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A Stroll Along Ryukyu Martial Arts History

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Andreas Quast

A Stroll Along Ryukyu Martial Arts History Paperback – May 15, 2015 by Andreas Quast (Author) Paperback edition: available at Amazon US ($14.99), Amazon UK (£9.79), Amazon Germany (EUR 14.97), CreateSpace eStore ($14.99), and at online and offline bookstores and retailers, as well as via public libraries and … Continue reading →

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Nakahara Zenshu: Character and Weapons of the Ryukyu Kingdom (5)

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Andreas Quast

In this 5th and last part of his article on the character and weapons of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Nakahara discusses early karate and kobudō sources from the kingdom time. Although quite short, still today no earlier written usage of the term … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Arakaki Ankichi (1899-1929) – budoka, businessman, artist

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Andreas Quast

his article describes the life and impact of Arakaki Ankichi (1899-1929). Ultimately it aims at determining the meaning of a hanging scroll bearing a poem and a depiction he created in 1928. It took me nearly seven years – more … Continue reading →

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Nakamura Shigeru (1891-1969)

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Andreas Quast

akamura Shigeru (1891-1969) was an Okinawan Budōka active in Karate and Kobudō. He established the name “Okinawa Kenpō” according to his perspective that originally there were no styles on Okinawa. Shigeru was born the eldest son of father Nakamura Kōkichi … Continue reading →

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Mutsu Mizuho: KARATE KENPO ZEN (The Complete Karate Kenpo)

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Andreas Quast

Mutsu Mizuho: Tōde Kenpō Zen [The Complete Karate Kenpō]. Yōju Shorin, Ginowan 1999. 493 pp. 27cm. Limited Edition (800 only)! his is a reprint of the 1933 original edition published by the Tōkyō University Karate Kenkyūkai. Mutsu Mizuho already in 1929 traveled … Continue reading →

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