Essay's of Okinawan Karate and Kobudo by Mike Jones
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Uchi-Deshi
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Ufuchiku Kobudo
Ufuchiku Kobudo (大筑古武術) sometimes referred to as Ufuchiku Kobujutsu or Ufuchiku-Den is a form of Okinawan kobudō whose main weapon is the Sai, other weapons such as Bo, Eiku, tunfa (or tonfa), nunchaku, Tekko, Techu, Tenbi Rochin, and kama (weapon) are studied as secondary weapons.
Kanagusuku Sanda
Ufuchiku Kobudo was founded by an Okinawan named, Kanagushiku Sanda (1841–1926)[1][2] or in Japanese, Kinjo Sanda. He was a police commissioner (Ufuchiku) by trade,[3] hence the name of the style. He was a student of, Bushi Matsumura Sōkon and Higa Peechin.[4] He also acquired much of his weapons knowledge on the streets of Okinawa dealing with criminals. He served as the bodyguard to the last Okinawan king, Sho Tai.[5] This is a rare system and rarely taught even in Okinawa. Kanagusuku had very few students, among them was Shosei Kina, Saburo Tokashiki, and Moden Yabiku.
The art was passed down to Shosei Kina (1882–1981)[6] who was the second generation Soke or head
 |
| Kina Shosei |
master. Kina began his training under Ufuchiku Kanagusuku in 1906, wherein he was initiated and learned thirty-five types of kobujutsu–kata.[7] Shosei Kina taught several prominent Okinawan martial artists such as, Shiny'ei Kyan, Izumikawa Kantoku, Higa Seishin, Kina Shoshin, Masanobu Kina, Kaishu Isa and Kiichi Nakamoto. Kina was a member of the Okinawa Kobudo Kyokai and Zen Okinawa Karate Kobudo Rengokai from which he was awarded the 10th Dan Rank.[8] Kina founded the Ufuchiku-Den Ryukyu Kobujutsu Hozonkai and served as its first president.
Today both Kaishu Isa and Kiichi Nakamoto claim the title of Soke for the system.[9] Given the split in the lineage it may be correct to refer to the branches as Nakamoto-ha and Isa-ha.
Ryukyu Dento Kobujutsu Budo Hozon Kyokai
Nakamoto
Shinyei Kyan founded the Ryukyu Dento Kobujutsu Hozon Budo Kyokai on July 28, 1994.[10] Upon the passing of Kyan, he appointed Kiichi Nakamoto as his successor, making him 2nd President and 4th Soke on July 16th, 1997.[11] Having been a direct student of Shosei Kina since 1956 Kiichi Nakamoto received a Menkyo-Kaiden and 9th Dan from Kina on January 5, 1981 and He later received his 10th Dan on October 25, 1995 from Shinyei Kyan.[12][13] Nakamoto runs the association out of his dojo the Okinawakan, which is headquartered in Okinawa City, Okinawa. Nakamoto has multiple branch dojo in several countries, his senior kobudo students are Hideyuki Nakamoto, Masanori Zaha, Roy J. Hobbs, Jaime Pereira, Kazuhiro Hokama, C. Michial Jones and Takuma Higashi.
Ufuchiku-Den Ryukyu Kobujutsu Hozonkai
Isa
The Ufuchiku-den Ryūkyū Kobujutsu Hozonkai was founded by Shosei Kina in 1975 and Isa Kaishu succeeded him as 2nd President and 3rd Soke[14] Isa is a Buddhist priest by profession and spends a great deal of time with his official duties, however he does teach out of his dojo called the Shōrin-ryū Karate Kobudō Shūdōkan located in Futema, Okinawa.[15] Isa has a small student following and the only foreign students are Walt Young and Anthony Marquez.
Rengeikan Karate Kobudo Dojo
The Kina family dojo was named Rengeikan, the main instructors at the dojo Were Shosei Kina and 
Kina Masanobu
Masanobu Kina (1929–1975), the nephew to Shosei Kina. Masanobu Kina trained solely under his uncle in both Shorin-ryu karate and Ufuchiku Kobujutsu. Masanobu Kina had several foreign students such as Robert Teller, Ron Nix and Anthony Marquez.[16]
There have been other authors that say that Kina only studied Sai from Kanagusuku, however in information compiled by Author and Researcher Andreas Quast [17] Kina say's that he learned 35 types of Kobujutsu kata - i.e. Karate, Saijutsu and Bojutsu from Kanagusuku. Kaishu Isa has been reported as saying that Ufuchiku Kobujutsu does not share any kata similar to other ryu-ha of Kobudo, however videos have come to light showing Shosei Kina demonstrating kata similar to other Ryu-ha, in fact he was know for his Chatan Yara No Sai and Tsuken Shitahaku No Sai. In Okinawa there are two associations practicing Ufuchiku Kobudo both are directly descendant from Shosei Kina and both have teaching license from him, like many other arts in Okinawa people will argue over who is correct and who is not but both have a legitamate claim to represent the style. I would suggest that the differences in kata and techniques are modern developments resulting from the separated branches evolving on their own.
References:
- BISHOP, MARK D. (2017). OKINAWAN KARATE (KOBUDO & TE) TEACHERS, STYLES AND SECRET TECHNIQUES : expanded third edition. [Place of publication not identified],: LULU COM. ISBN 0244054843.
- ^ Sells, John (2000). Unante : the secrets of karate (2nd ed.). Hollywood, CA: W.M. Hawley. ISBN 0910704961.
- ^ Quast, Andreas. "Kinjō Ufuchiku Sanra (1834-1916) – 1st Generation of Ufuchiku-den Kobujutsu". Ryukyu Bugei. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ^ Sells, John (2000). Unante : the secrets of karate (2nd ed.). Hollywood, CA: W.M. Hawley. ISBN 0910704961.
- ^ Clarke, Christopher (2013). Okinawan Kobudo: A History of Weaponry Styles and Masters. ISBN 1480264369.
- ^ Quast, Andreas. "Shosei Kina". Ryukyu Bugei. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ^ Quast, Andreas. "Shosei Kina". Ryukyu Bugei. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ^ Teller, Robert (1979). "Okinawan Christian of Karate". Black Belt Magazine. March 1979: 52–56. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- JONES, C. MICHIAL (2017). GOJU-RYU OKINAWAKAN. [Place of publication not identified],: LULU COM. ISBN 1387214314.
- ^ Sells, John (2000). Unante : the secrets of karate (2nd ed.). Hollywood, CA: W.M. Hawley. ISBN 0910704961.
- ^ JONES, C. MICHIAL (2015). OKINAWAN MARTIAL ARTS CENTER. [Place of publication not identified],: LULU COM. ISBN 9781312878389.
- ^ JONES, C. MICHIAL (2017). GOJU-RYU OKINAWAKAN. [Place of publication not identified],: LULU COM. ISBN 9781387214310.
- ^ Machado, Ydenir P (2010). Goju Ryu Karatê Do.
- ^ Quast, Aandreas. "Isa Kaishu". Ryukyu Bugei 琉球武芸. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ^ Marquez, Anthony (1996). "Soke Kaishu Isa". Bugeisha. 1 (1). Retrieved 1 December2020.
- ^ Teller, Robert (2018). Bu No Michi. CreateSpace. ISBN 1722830832.
- Quast, Andreas. "Shosei Kina". Ryukyu Bugei. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
Monday, October 5, 2020
List of Okinawan and Japanese Goju-Ryu Karate-do Dojo or Associations
Dojo / Associations belonging to Senior students of Chojun Miyagi;
1. Seiko Higa - International Gojuryu Karate Kobudo Federation / Shodokan
No known website.
2. Eiichi Miyazato - Jundokan and OGKK were both founded by Miyazato
Jundokan (Yashuhiro Miyazato) - http://www.jundokan-hb.jp/index.htm
Okinawan Gojuryu Karate-do Kyokai (Elected President) - https://www.ogkk.jp/index_en.html
3. Meitoku Yagi - Meibukan (There are two associations ran out of the Meibukan ran by his two sons)
International Meibukan Gojuryu Karate Association (Meitatsu Yagi) - https://www.imgka.com/
Okinawa Meibukan (Meitetsu Ygi) - https://www.meibukanyagidojo.com/
4. Seikichi Toguchi - Shoreikan - https://shoreikan-karate.com/en/
5. Kei Miyagi - Komeikan (Son of Chojun Miyagi) - https://www.goju-karatedo.com/
Miyazato lineage websites
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Miyagi Chojun Karate-do Kun
Miyagi Chojun's Karate-do Kun
On the rear wall of the Jundokan So-hombu dojo in Okinawa
there is a unique framed piece of shodo (calligraphy) that expresses the
thoughts of Miyagi Chojun Sensei on what karate is.
It is titled Miyagi Chojun Sensei Karate-do Kun and
translates as follows;
What is Karate?
In ordinary times, it
is an art in which to cultivate one's spirit and physical health, and in times
of an emergency, it is a way of protecting oneself without carrying a weapon.
That is, in many
cases, we principally fight with our bodies to defeat our opponents; however,
according to the timing and circumstance, it is not impossible to use
implements as well.
The shodo hangs in the Jundokan but is actually taken from
the first paragraph of the introduction to Miyagi sensei famous 1936 essay
which he presented to the Dai Nippon Butokukai. The original title of this
essay is technically Ryukyu Kenpo Karatedo Enkaku Gaiyo (琉球拳法唐手道沿革概要)
which translates as An Overview of the History of Ryukyu Kempo Karatedo,
although it is generally abbreviated to Karatedo Gaisetsu (唐手道概説)
which translates as An Outline of Karate.
Chojun Miyagi Sensei’s seminal essay appeared as a
supplementary article in two important books, Okinawa no Karatedo by Shoshin
Nagamine Sensei in 1975 and Okinawa-den
Gojuryu Karate-do by Eiichi Miyazato Sensei in 1979. An English translation was
published in 1999 by Patrick McCarthy Sensei.
While this historic piece of Shodo may largely go unnoticed by many that can not read the original kanji, a beautiful rendering of the kanji complete with an English translation can be purchased for those interested by following the link below.
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Crazy Year
This year has been a crazy year. In fact 2019 was a roller coaster as well. Let me go back and catch you up.
2019 saw some major changes in my martial arts affiliations, teaching and training. Since January of 2019 I had panned to visit Okinawa and attend the Okinawakan Anniversary seminars and celebrations, the Okinawakan was celebrating 65 years, along with the Dentokan and Yushikan both celebrating 25 years each. As the year progressed, I traveled and taught quiet a bit throughout the country, as President of Okinawakan International and Vice President of Dentoakn, I was pretty busy bringing in new members and spreading the teachings I received from the Hombu Dojo in Okinawa. We did take some time in after the Baltimore seminar for some sight seeing and then it was off to Illinois for a one day seminar. Even though we were busy we did take 4 days to take a family trip up to Niagara Falls, and on the way back visited the Buffalo zoo.
I hosted the 2019 annual gasshuku in July and we held rank testing and had a good weekend of training between Hobbs Sensei and myself. We even had a Uechiryu section at this years event. The week after the Gasshuku the landlord of the property the dojo was in, thought we did such a good job remodeling that he wanted to expand his business into the space. We ended classes in the large commercial space in August after 5 years, it was a beautiful dojo and I was very sad to see it go and even sadder to lose all the money invested gone. We tried to find a comparable space but nothing worked out. We had to move classes back to the old Yushikan on the back of my families property.
As August pushed on I was having some disagreements with Okinawa over money, mainly the fact that I had just lost the dojo and the high costs of affiliation fees, on top of the coming travel, seminar, and grading costs were jut not doable at the point in time. I tried to make arrangements to pay the fees in Okinawa when I arrived, needless to say it came to a point where had to make a decision that was best for me and my students. I resigned from the Okinawakan Hombu dojo and resigned as president of Okinawakan International and dissolved that organization. Shortly after that I also resigned from the Dentokan after 21 years as Vice President. My decision to leave Okinawakan was a personal one and was not an easy choice, Nakamoto Sensei and I had a good relationship for several years and I was sorry that the decision had to be made.
I was unsure what would happen in Okinawa, given that i had just resigned and turned down a chance to grade for a rank, I may never get the chance to test for again, but my students and I went to Okinawa anyway. My wife and I took several students with us, 2 from my personal dojo, 1 from the Illinois dojo and 3 from the Baltimore dojo. We had a great time sight seeing and training for 2 weeks with Josei Yogi Sensei in Konan Ryu (Uechi) and Matayoshi Kobudo. We also rained and received some excellent shodo from Tetsuhiro Hokama Sensei, we spent the majority of our time training everyday for 4 hours with Kenei Shimabukuro Sensei and Hiroshi Ganaha Sensei. I have to say that it was a great time and I received the most detailed and comprehensive training in Dento Gojuryu and Kobudo that I have ever received. I was appointed as a Shibu Dojo for both Shimabukuro Sensei and Yogi Sensei.
There was an unfortunate incident that transpired in Okinawa and after returning, one of the branch dojo were not invited to continue on the path forward with us. In October I landed in Indiana, went home got a little sleep, swapped luggage and we headed off to see the younger of our twins get married in Tennessee. After Okinawa, turning around and going straight to Tennessee for a weekend, Amber and I were tired but classes resumed on that Monday and we kept at it. Later in the month we were back on the east coast for the east coast gasshuku and rank testing, we spent a few extra days on the east coast taking our granddaughter to an aquarium in New Jersey.
The remainder of the year we spent working on the material learned in Okinawa and enjoying the holiday's with family. I did re-organize the International Karate Kobudo Association that I had founded in 2016 and re-named it Sekai Budo Hozonkai or World Martial Arts Preservation Society. This was done to provide an avenue to further not only karate and kobudo, but also as a means to provide instruction and certification in Jujutsu and Iaido. Having spent over 40 years training in the various fighting arts of Okinawa and Japan, I thought this would provide me with the venue to pursue those endeavors and support my students.
2020 came in fairly normal and I began planning the annual gasshuku with guest instructors from Okinawa, but as the year progressed everyone knows what happened, we experienced a world wide pandemic that had us on lock down for several months. This lock down saw several of our branch dojo shut down and lose their training spaces. I went fro 50 students to 10, some of the branch dojo have been able to survive training outside but as a whole 2020 has shut down several dojo all over the world.
I cancelled all of my travel and the annual gasshuku has been pushed back several times, this year we will do a one day event and offer zoom sessions, but it won't be the same. On a bright note, Ganaha sensei is committed to coming to the USA in 2021. One of the best things to come out of the lock downs and pandemic is the zoom seminars that have happened. I have been able to take classes with Sakumoto, Fujimoto, Hokama, I was able to attend 3 days of training at Uechi SummerFest, I have a few more seminars scheduled with Okinawan masters and I have been attending weekly classes with George Mattson Sensei. Truly a silver lining in an other wise crap year.
Now that I have given you a brief synopsis of the last two years, i can say that I am almost complete with my duel bachelors degree program and I hope to be able to get back to writing more. I have several partial books, one for kobudo, one for jujutsu, two on Gojuryu and one on Uechiryu that are all at various stages of completion, I hope that I can get them done. I will try to add new content to the blog on a more regular basis.
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Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Evolution of a dojo name
I am sure there will be several people that will say "oh my" and "how could you", well I wanted to pursue and teach a more authentic Okinawan karate, and could not do that in that particular dojo. On January 2, 1994 I opened my dojo and called it Mike Jones Karate-do Budokai, again taking advise from Mr. Koeppel.
The more I pursued the Okinawan arts, I decided that my dojo needed a Japanese name, eventually the dojo was called Yushikan (a name that we still use, but only by those already in the dojo). For almost 10 year I taught all classes at the Yushikan located on the back of my property adjacent to my home. I had grown tired of commercial karate, that coupled with my schedule as a law enforcement officer and eventually Chief of Police lead me to make the dojo private and I was very selective about who was admitted into the dojo. Training was old school and hard core, it was not for the feint of heart and not many people made it through the training. I was particularly hard on my children.
Fast forward to July 2014 and I had grown tired of the politics of being a Chief, the climate against police was turning, the Ferguson Riots had happened and the War on police was beginning, I decided it was the right time for me to retire and do something else in my life. In October 2014 my family, a couple of students and I began construction on a newer and much larger dojo, which opened in January of 2015.
After several sit downs with the family and black belts, it was decided that normal people would have a hard time understanding Yushikan and being able to pronounce it. So we decided that we would have a public name for the dojo that would be better received by those unfamiliar with Japanese language of martial arts culture. We choose the name Okinawan Martial Arts Center, which made since, it was kind of generic but we thought hey we teach Okinawan karate, Kobudo and Toide, so it was kind of a catch all name that we thought the public would better understand.
You would be surprised how many people can not pronounce the word Okinawan, and don't get me started on the number of people that have called asking about marital advise. In hindsight maybe I should have kept Mike Jones Karate, people didn't have trouble with that. Then again, one of these days one of my son's will take it over, so having my name on it isn't planing for the future.
This year we celebrated 25 years since I opened that first dojo. Some years we have so many students we have to split classes and then some years it is just the small dedicated group that trains regularly.
My advise is that if you open your own dojo someday, keep it simple, name it after your city or county or your last name followed by family karate. From a marketing standpoint, regular people just don't get it.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
T-Shirt Store
https://www.storefrontier.com/store/okinawan-martial-arts-center