Shinpo Matayoshi (又吉眞豊; 1921–1997) was a martial artist who lived in Naha,
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, during the 20th century.
Biography
He was the son of the legendary Okinawan martial arts master
Matayoshi Shinko 又吉眞光 (1888–1947). The Matayoshi family has long been associated with the martial arts and can trace its lineage back over many generations. An early ancestor of Matayoshi Shinpo was a strategic martial arts instructor and an officer of the Ryukyu royal court until the last days of the shogunate.
Matayoshi Shinpo learned martial arts from his father from his birth until his mid-twenties. He learned several ''kata'' associated with Naha-Te in his early childhood.
Despite being a well-respected expert in Okinawan karate, Matayoshio is perhaps best known for his practice of Kobudo.
He started a dojo in the 1960s in memory of his father and called it the Kodokan 光道館. From the Kodokan he began to teach a wide variety of traditional weapons associated with Okinawan peasants.
Matayoshi continued to learn martial arts from a man affectionally know in Okinawa as Go Ken Ki (Wu Xian Gui). Go Ken Ki was from the Chinese mainland and practiced various styles of southern kung fu. It is from Go Ken Ki that Matayoshi learned many of the Chinese forms that he later became famous for demonstrating.
Many of the weapons used in
Matayoshi Kobudo
Matayoshi Kobudo is a general term referring to the style of Okinawan Kobudo that was developed by Matayoshi Shinpo (又吉眞豊) and Matayoshi Shinko (又吉眞光) during the twentieth century. Martial arts have been practiced by the Matayo ...
have their origin in China. The
staff,
Ssai,
tonfa
The ''tonfa'' ( Okinawan: , lit. ''old man's staff'' / ''"crutch"''), also spelled as ''tongfa'' or ''tuifa'', also known as T-baton is a melee weapon with its origins in the armed component of Okinawan martial arts. It consists of a stick ...
,
nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person wh ...
, sansetsukon, suruchin, hoe, sword and shield are all weapons regularly used and practiced in
Chinese kung fu
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
. These weapons are particularly prevalent in the
Hung Gar
Hung Ga (), Hung Kuen (), or Hung Ga Kuen () is a southern Chinese martial art belonging to the southern Shaolin styles. The hallmarks of Hung Ga are strong stances, notably the horse stance, or "si ping ma" (), and strong hand techniques, not ...
tradition. It may be that Hun Gar has had a strong influence on Matayoshi and his Kobudo. Other weapons such as the oar, the fishing spear and the sickles have their origins in Okinawa.
Students of Matayoshi are found all over the world and they continue to practice his style of Kobudo known collectively as "Matayoshi Kobudo". Some of his more respected later students include Gakiya Yoshiaki and Yamashiro Kenichi.
It was the ambition of Matayoshi that his art of Kobudo should be practiced all over the world and to that end he travelled extensively teaching his art. Today there are approximately 2,000 dojos worldwide that practice Matayoshi Kobudo thanks to his legacy.
References
External links
Matayoshi Kodokan JapanInternational Matayoshi Kobudo Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matayoshi, Shinpo
Okinawan kobudoka
1921 births
1997 deaths