Isamu Arikaki 10th Dan |
Shorin Ryu Lineage
Peichin Takahara (1683 - c1760
/ 1766)
Takahara Pēchin
(高原
親雲上) was revered as a great warrior and is
attributed to have been the first to explain the aspects or principles
of the dō ("way"). Pēchin
(親雲上)
was a social class of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.
These principles are: 1) ijō,
the way-compassion, humility and love. 2) katsu, the
laws-complete understanding of all techniques and forms of karate, and
3) fo dedication-the seriousness of karate that must be
understood not only in practice, but in actual combat. The collective
translation is: "Ones duty to himself and his fellow man." He was the
first teacher of Sakukawa "Tode" Kanga who was to
become known as the "father of Okinawan karate."
To-De Sakugawa Kanga (1733-1815)
Kanga Sakugawa
(佐久川
寛賀,
Sakugawa
Kanga, also Sakugawa
Satunushi and Tode Sakugawa was an Okinawan martial
arts master and major contributor to the development of Te, the precursor to
modern karate.
In 1750, Sakukawa
(or Sakugawa) began his training as a student of an Okinawan monk,
Peichin Takahara. After six years of training, Takahara
suggested that Sakugawa train under Kusanku, a Chinese master
in Ch'uan Fa. Sakukawa spent six years training with
Kusanku, and began to spread what he learned to Okinawa in 1762. He
became a such expert that people gave him, as a nickname: "Tōde"
Sakugawa (Sakugawa "Chinese Hand"). His most famous student,
Matsumura Sōkon, went on to develop the Shuri-te which
later develop into Shōrin-ryū style of karate.
Bushi, Sokon Matsumura (1809 -
1901)
Matsumura Sōkon was born
in Yamagawa Village, Shuri, Okinawa. Matsumura
began the study of karate under the guidance of Sakukawa Kanga
(17621843). Sakukawa was an old man at the time and reluctant to
teach the young Matsumura, who was regarded as something of a troublemaker.
However, Sakukawa had promised Matsumura Sōfuku,
Matsumura Sōkons father, that he would teach the boy, and thus
he did. Matsumura spent five years studying under Sakukawa. As a
young man, Matsumura had already garnered a reputation as an expert in the
martial arts.
Matsumura
eventually became the chief martial arts instructor and bodyguard for the
Okinawan King Shō Kō. He subsequently served in this capacity
for the last two Okinawan kings, Shō Iku and Shō Tai.
Matsumura travelled on behalf of the royal government to Fuzhou
and Satsuma. He studied Chuan Fa in China as well as other
martial arts and brought what he learned back to Okinawa.
Some of his notable
students; Ankō Asato, Ankō Itosu, Motobu
Chōyū, Motobu Chōki, Kentsu Yabu, Nabe Matsumura, Chōtoku Kyan
Anko (Iron Horse) Itoso
(1827-1906)
Itosu was born in
1831 and died in 1915. Ethnically Okinawan, Itosu was small in
stature, shy, and introverted as a child. He was raised in a strict home of
the keimochi (a family of position), and was educated in the
Chinese classics and calligraphy. Itosu began his tode (karate) study
under Nagahama Chikudun Pechin. His study of the art
led him to Sokon Matsumura. Part of Itosu's training
was makiwara practice. He once tied a leather sandal to a stone wall in an
effort to build a better makiwara. After several strikes, the stone
fell from the wall. After relocating the sandal several times, Itosu had
destroyed the wall.
While Itosu did
not invent karate himself, he modified the kata (forms) he learned from his
master, Matsumura, and taught many karate masters. Itosu's
students included Choyu Motobu (18571927), Choki
Motobu (18701944), Kentsu Yabu (18661937), Chomo
Hanashiro (18691945), Gichin Funakoshi (18681957),
Moden Yabiku (18801941), Kanken Toyama
(18881966), Chotoku Kyan (18701945), Shinpan
Shiroma (Gusukuma) (18901954), Anbun Tokuda
(18861945), Kenwa Mabuni (18871952), and Chōshin
Chibana (18851969)
Hanshi Chosin Chibana 10th Dan(1885-1969)
Chōshin Chibana
(知花
朝信,
Chibana
Chōshin,
1885 - 1969) was an Okinawan martial artist who developed
Shorin-Ryū karate based on what he had learned from Ankō
Itosu.
Chibana was the last of the
pre-World War karate masters, also called the "Last Warrior of Shuri".
He was the first to establish a Japanese Ryu name for an Okinawan
karate style, calling Itosu's karate "Shorin-Ryu" (or "the
small forest style") in 1928.
Chibana Choshin
was born June 5, 1885, into a distinguished family in Okinawa's
Shuri Tori-Hori village (presently Naha City,
Shuri Tori-Hori Town). His family traced their lineage from a
branch of the Katsuren Court and Choharu, Prince of
Kochinta, fifth son of King Shoshitsu (Tei),
but lost their titles and status after Mutsuhito, the Meiji
Emperor, banned the caste system in Japan. To support themselves,
the family turned to sake brewing.
Choshin began his study
of martial arts under Ankō Itosu in 1889 when he was
about fifteen years old. He applied and was accepted as a suitable
candidate for instruction, and for thirteen years until he turned
28, Choshin trained under Itosu. When Itosu died at the age
of 85, he continued to practice alone for five years, and then
opened his first dojo in Tori-hori district at the age of 34.
He later opened a second dojo in Kumojo district of Naha
City.
His students: Arakaki
Ankichi, Katsuya Miyahira, Shugoro Nakazato, Nakama Chozo and
Yochoku Higa
Hanshi Yuchoku Higa 10th Dan (1910-1994):
Hanshi Yuchoku
Higa (10th Dan) Founder Shorin Ryu Kyudokan was
born in Naha City, Okinawa in 1910. He was a well known 10th dan in Okinawa
and famous as the strong fist of Okinawa, because of the amazing power
generated in his punch. He first started learned kihon and kata from him for
6 years. And after sensei, Shiroma death in 1933 Sensei, Yuchoku
Higa train one year alone. Then he became a student of Jinnan
Shinzato, who was a main pupil of Master, Chojun Miyagi.
In 1941 Master Higa started teaching karate, he became a
student of famous Shorin Ryu master Chosin Chibana,
who was the most talented student of Anko Itosu. In the year
1947 he inaugurated the Kyudokan Karate Dojo and applied himself to
perfecting and developing everything that he had learnt from his masters,
and especially from Choshin Chibana, with whom he continued to
practice. In 1961 the first Shorin Ryu Karate Do Association
of Okinawa was formed, presided over by Master Yuchoku Higa.
Hanshi Isamu Arakaki (10th Dan)
Sensei
Arakaki
10th Dan is the founder of the
Kodokan association which practices traditional
Shorinryu style
karate from the Itosu lineage. When he was 12 years old his father
took him to learn under the well known Okinawan karate teacher
Yuchoku
Higa with whom he trained with until Higa passed away in
1994. In 1993
Sensei
Arakaki was awarded the title
of 8th Dan by his teacher
Yuchoku
Higa. The Kodokan group have
branches in mainland Japan, Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, India and now
Great Britain.
Sensei Arakaki is particularly associated with the methodical
teaching of Naihanchi kata which is considered to be fundamental to
good karate. A favourite kata of Sensei's is
Sochin which he has
demonstrated at several public events including the recent 2009
Okinawa Traditional Karate Do World Tournament in Naha.
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