During the l950's and l960's the senior most living expert of Okinawan Karatedo was Choshin Chibana. Chibana was born in Shuri City, Okinawa Prefecture, on June 5, 1885. On October 10, 1966 the Okinawa Karatedo Association sent a representative to interview this living legend. This article is now considered a treasure of ancient and modern Okinawan martial arts history. The original article was written in Japanese and was given to me by Shugoro Nakazato in 1975.
It should also be noted that Chibana was the first president of the Okinawa Karatedo Association and was ranked a Hanshi 10-Dan in Okinawa Shorin-ryu Karatedo by the Okinawa Karatedo Association. He died on February 26, 1969 at the advanced age of 83 and left behind five Hanshi 9-Dans.
His senior students included the following: Yuchoku Higa (the first one to be promoted to Hanshi 9-Dan in 1965); Katsuya Miyahira (who started with Chibana in 1933 and is recognized as his senior, living student); Chozo Nakama (the oldest student who was born in 1899); Kensei Kinjo (who did not teach in Okinawa); and Shugoro Nakazato (the youngest Hanshi 9-Dan at age 46). The following is the translation:
An important figure at the turn of the century was Kiyuna. It was said at that time that Kiyuna had the strength and power of Ankoh Itosu plus he was also a true expert in atemi (methods of striking the vital points). In describing Kiyuna, I will quote Yukoku Sanjin, whose real name was Taro Shimabukuro, since he was a direct student of Kiyuna:
"I received instruction from Kiyuna, who was at that time the grave keeper of the Sho family (the Okinawan royal family), from the second quarter which began in September of my first year until the mid-first quarter of my second year at the Commerce High School. Kiyuna, as I recall, would train in atemi by using old slippers made of straw and tied to trees call fukuchi-boku with the diameter of these trees ranging from 7 or 8 inches to one foot, which abundantly grew throughout Okinawa. Kiyuna often changed the punching trees since hitting only one tree would cause the tree to lose its leaves and damage the roots and also eventually kill the tree."
Kiyuna was a gigantic figure and one could not see a person standing behind him. Kiyuna Tanmei continuously trained in the patsai form and the kusanku form of which he was considered an expert. He was extremely strong in all methods of atemi and fumikomi (stomp kicks with the foot sword). He was also an expert in oi-tsuki (a lunging punch), using his right side forward when the enemy used their left side forward but also changing to his left side forward when the enemy used their right side forward. Such a skill as his was far from being mastered by a small person like myself .
Another interesting karate expert was Ryosei Kuwae who was also the last student of Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura. Kuwae was a very tall individual and was noted for being a kicking expert. The modern day Kuwae family, descendants of Ryosei Kuwae, still preserve the original scroll given to Ryosei by Bushi Matsumura in the latter's own script.
I also would like to speak of Kentsu Yabu who was the senior most student of my teacher, Ankoh Itosu. Kentsu Yabu was an ex-serviceman who had joined the military and became a sergeant during the Sino-Japanese War of 1905. Another close friend of Yabu was Chomo Hanashiro . It was Hanashiro who was the first one to use the word karate as it is written today. He served as a military man in the Sino-Japanese War and was also a sergeant.
After the war, Yabu taught karate at the Okinawa College of Education and Hanashiro taught at the Shuri City Senior High School. Both were at that time assistant instructors under Itosu. Although both Yabu and Hanashiro were recognized as the chief assistants under Itosu, it was both of them who did the actual teaching of karate. Itosu would often attend the classes as the senior teacher but would act more as an advisor and would occasionally correct the students arms and so forth.
Both Yabu and Hanashiro were tall and very strong figures. Yabu was about 20 years older than I, and Hanashiro was about 18 years older than I (I was born on June 5, 1885).
Another expert was Choto Yamakawa who was 7 years older than I and Ambun Tokuda (1886-1945) who one year junior to me; Shinpan Gusukuma (1890-1954) and Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952) both were about five years younger than I. These individuals studied under Itosu for about four to five years. Tokuda and Gusukuma were both elementary school teachers in Okinawa. Tokuda died during the Second World War and Gusukuma died about seven or eight years after that war. Mabuni also passed away about fifteen years ago in the mainland (Japan proper).
An interesting personality was Chotoku Kiyabu (Kyan) (1870-1945) who was called "Chan Miguwa" (the small-eyed one). Kiyabu was born in Shuri City and moved to Kadena while still very young. He died at the age of 76 after the war. He was 15 years senior to me and was of the same age as Gichin Funakoshi.
Kiyabu studied under Shinpaku of Haku. As Kiyabu often trained with us, I came to know him fairly well. At those training meetings (which we called embukai ) he would often perform such kata as chinto, patsai and his method of kusanku. He was a great expert.
Kiyabu's chinto kata and patsai kata were considered unique. He developed his interpretation of these forms based on his extensive knowledge of the older methods of Okinawan karate. His kusanku kata originated from the lineage of Chatan Yara. He actually learned this form from Yara of Yomitan who was a direct descendant of Chatan Yara. Kiyabu taught these forms to Taro Shimabukuro who in turn taught them to Seitoku Ishigawa. I was given instruction in both chinto and patsai kata from Ishigawa. Presently, this patsai form is now called the patsai-no-sho .
Taro Shimabukuro, who is known in the Japanese as Yukoku Sanjin, was introduced to Kiyabu by Kiyuna and studied under him for some time.
Kiyabu's father was a Bushi who served the then King Sho Tai while he stayed in the capital city of Shuri. Kiyabu was 18 years old at that time. Kiyabu was nicknamed Chan Miguwa because he had small beetle-like eyes that were considered too small for his little face.
Kiyabu had two students for whom he held great expectations. One was Ankichi Aragaki (1899-1929) who was called Ufuyaaguwaa in the Okinawan dialect, and the other was Taro Shimabukuro (who was known as Yukoku Sanjin by the Japanese). Shimabukuro was also called Yamatoo and sometimes Yaaguwaa in the Okinawan dialect.
Kiyabu devoted himself to teaching these two students. He would often tell them that training in the martial arts also included drinking and womanizing and would make them do everything. He would tell them to keep in mind that the ultimate goal was to master the philosophy of the martial arts.
Kiyabu was very fond of traveling and used every opportunity when he could afford to do so. His wife was raising pigs and he took charge of selling the baby pigs so he could pocket some money to travel and visit the red-light district which used to exist nearby. Aragaki and Shimabukuro always accompanied their teacher in his travels.
He often held training classes in the martial arts (in the Ryukyu martial arts this is called embukai) at different places and even on his way to the northern most island of Japan where he went to introduce karate. On those occasions he did not use the word "embukai" but would put up a sign which read: "Martial arts training! Everyone welcomed to train!"
At one time the street fighter, Tokusampoo, unexpectedly came by their training area. Kiyabu advised Aragaki and Shimabukuro, to carefully watch this trouble maker. He told them that if Tokusampoo would challenge them or attack them in any way that it would be necessary for them to strike him to death, otherwise they would lose respect and if they did not cause his death that Tokusampoo would come back and kill them from behind.
Tokusampoo did challenge them with his eyes but after he saw the challenge accepted with their eyes he concluded that he might die in an open confrontation and then left. The group was never troubled again by Tokusampoo's presence.
Kiyabu also like rooster fighting. He would often visit rooster fights with his own rooster under his arm. One day Aragaki and Shimabukuro decided to test their teacher's strength while they were at a rooster fight. They intentionally started a fight with several young men who were present and then ran away.
Kiyabu, without knowing what had happened, ran after them. The young men, thinking he was part of the fight, attacked him. Kiyabu fought with them with one arm and leg. He kept his rooster under his other arm all the while. The young men lost the fight. While Kiyabu fought with the young men, Aragaki and Shimabukuro hid in the bushes. After watching their teacher, both of them renewed their belief that Kiyabu was truly very strong.
Kiyabu would often mention that a weapon should be used to fight against a weapon. Aragaki and Shimabukuro thus always wore specially made geta (wooden foot wear) and would train to perfect strong foot striking techniques by jumping up and kicking a beam of a ceiling. This was a very difficult technique to master but Kiyabu was an expert in all kicking and jumping methods as were all of his students.
One evening Aragaki and Shimabukuro visited Kiyabu for an evening of training. They walked into Kiyabu's garden with a lighted paper lantern. Kiyabu immediately said that they should not rely on a lantern, but should train their eyes so they could see in the dark. Kiyabu often had them train in the dark and on uneven ground with water sprinkled on it in an effort to make them more aware of their balance.
In addition to chinto, patsai and kusanku of Chatan Yara, Kiyabu also specialized in the kata ananku, which he learned and brought back from Taiwan (the present island of Formosa). Kiyabu taught ananku first when he was a teacher of karate at the College of Agriculture and Forestry.
Joen Nakazato, who is presently a teacher in a junior high school, is one of the few people who learned the orthodox kata ananku from the originator, Kiyabu. Joen Nakazato is also a graduate of the College of Agriculture and Forestry and is an active teacher and originator of shorinji-ryu karate in Naha City.
Another individual that should be remembered is Ihaguwaa of Haku (also known in the Japanese as Kotatsu Iha) who was born in 1873 and died in 1944. He was also a teacher of Taro Shimabukuro. Shimabukuro often said this to me: "Ihaguwaa Sensei was a descendant of a Ryukyu Bushi family. He studied under the great teachers, Hakushoo Mora (Kosaku Matsumora of Tomari-te, 1820-1898) and Shinpaku of Haku (Kokeu Oyadomari). Ihaguwaa was a considered a real fighter and was said to have left a large scar on the shoulder of Choki Motobu who was also known as Motobu Saru (Motobu the monkey)."
Taro Shimabukuro was known for his mastery of the kata rohai and wanshu that he learned from Ihaguwaa Sensei.
Another important individual that should be remembered is Choki Oshiro. Oshiro was four years younger than I (1889-1929). He once taught karate at the High School of Industries and we were very good friends. He died at about 40 years of age and was known for his powerful practice of bo-jutsu. He studied and mastered the style of Chinen Shichanaka bo-jutsu from Chinen Yamane. Choki Oshiro was a great master.
All my seniors and juniors are now gone. I feel very lonely.
Choshin Chibana, Hanshi 10-Dan
Chief Instructor for theOkinawa Shorin-ryu Karatedo Association
October 10, 1966
[1] Choshin Chibana stood 5'1" and weighed approximately 136 pounds.
[2] Kentsu Yabu (1863-1937) was the acknowledged senior student of Ankoh Itosu. He was the first one to demonstrate Okinawan karate on American soil. In 1927 he demonstrated Shuri-te karate at the American-Okinawan Club located in Los Angeles, California.
[3] Chomo Hanashiro (1869-1945) took over the leadership of the Itosu style upon the death of Kentsu Yabu in 1937. When Hanashiro died in 1945, Choshin Chibana then became the acknowledged successor of Ankoh Itosu.
[4] The word karate is made up of two characters. The first character was translated as T'ang referring to the T'ang Dynasty of China and pronounced To . The second character translated as "hand," and was pronounced Te or De . An alternate reading of these two characters is translated as "tode" meaning Chinese Hands.
Murakami Katsumi wrote:
CHOSHIN CHIBANA, the first president of the Okinawa Karatedo Association and of the Okinawa Shorin-ryu Karatedo Association, said, " Before you begin your karate workout you must first clear your mind of those thoughts not connected with your training. Your mind must work in unison with your eyes, feet and hands. I believe that a person who trains correctly does not physically peak until he reaches 50 years of age. After that your body slowly begins to wear out. Some people, because of continued and correct training, show very little indications of their body wearing out and continue to train until they are 70 or 80 years of age. So, my advice is to continue to train hard but correctly so as to retard the aging process. "
