Okinawan martial arts refers to the
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
, such as
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
,
tegumi and
Okinawan kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of
Okinawa Island
is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an ...
. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long history of trade and cultural exchange, including
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Southeast Asia, that greatly influenced the development of martial arts on Okinawa.
History
In 1429, the three kingdoms on Okinawa unified to form the
Kingdom of Ryukyu. When King
Shō Shin came into power in 1477, he banned the practice of martial arts, due to fears of the widespread teaching of the art of deception . Tō-te and Ryukyu kobudō (deception) continued to be taught in secret.
[Okinawan Masters](_blank)
msisshinryu.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-20. The ban was continued in 1609 after Okinawa was invaded by the
Satsuma Domain
The , briefly known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871.
The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of Kagoshima, ...
of Japan. The bans contributed to the development of kobudō which uses common household and farming implements as weaponry.
The Okinawans combined Chinese martial arts with the existing local variants to form , sometimes called .
By the 18th century, different types of ''Te'' had developed in three different villages –
Shuri,
Naha and
Tomari. The styles were named Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Tomari-te, respectively.
Well into the 20th century, the martial arts of Okinawa were generally referred to as ''te'' and ''tii''
手 in
Japanese and
Okinawan for "hand". ''Te'' often varied from one town to another, so to distinguish among the various types of ''te'', the word was often prefaced with its area of origin; for example, Naha-te, Shuri-te, or Tomari-te.
Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te belong to a family of martial arts that were collectively defined as ''Tode-jutsu'' or ''To-de.''
Karate (''Okinawa-te'' or ''Karate-jutsu'') was systematically taught in Japan after the
Taishō era (after 1926).
[Donn F. Draeger (1974). ''Modern Bujutsu & Budo''. Weatherhill, New York & Tokyo. Page 125.]
Shuri-te
is a pre-
World War II term for a type of indigenous
martial art to the area around
Shuri, the old capital city of the
Ryukyu Kingdom.
Important Okinawan masters of Shuri-te:
*
Sakukawa Kanga
, also Sakugawa Satunushi and Tode Sakugawa, was a Ryūkyūan martial arts master and major contributor to the development of Te, the precursor to modern Karate.
Karate-do
In 1750, Sakukawa (or Sakugawa) began his training as a student of a R ...
*
Matsumura Sōkon
*
Itosu Ankō
*
Asato Ankō
*
Chōyū Motobu
*
Motobu Chōki
*
Yabu Kentsū
*
Chōmo Hanashiro
*
Funakoshi Gichin
was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gichi ...
*
Kyan Chōtoku Kyan is both a surname and a given name. Meaning ancient or enduring. It is an alternative spelling of the given name Kian, which is a variant of ancient Irish Cian. Kyanna is a derivative of this irish name. Notable people with the name include:
...
*
Chibana Chōshin
*
Mabuni Kenwa
was one of the first karateka to teach karate in mainland Japan and is credited as developing the style known as Shitō-ryū. Originally, he chose the name Hanko-ryu, literally "half-hard style", to imply that the style used both hard and so ...
*
Tōyama Kanken
*
Tatsuo Shimabuku
Important
kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
:
*
Naihanchi
*
sanchin (shuri te)
*
Pinan
*
Kūsankū
Kūsankū (クーサンクー、公相君) or Kūshankū (クーシャンクー), also known as Kwang Shang Fu, was a Chinese martial artist who lived during the 18th century. He is credited as having an influence on virtually all karate-derive ...
* Passai
* Jion
* Jitte
* Rohai
* Chinto
* Gojushiho
The successor styles to Shuri-te include Shotokan, Shitō-ryū, Shōrin-ryū, Shudokan, Shuri-ryū, Shōrinji-ryū, Shorei-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Isshin-ryū, Gensei-ryu and Motobu-ryū.
Tomari-te
refers to a tradition of martial arts originating from the village of Tomari, Okinawa.
Important Okinawan masters of Tomari-te:
* Matsumora Kōsaku
* Oyadomari Kokan
*
Motobu Chōki
*
Kyan Chōtoku Kyan is both a surname and a given name. Meaning ancient or enduring. It is an alternative spelling of the given name Kian, which is a variant of ancient Irish Cian. Kyanna is a derivative of this irish name. Notable people with the name include:
...
* Nakasone Seiyu
Important
kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
:
*
Naihanchi (Koshiki)
* Eunibu
* Rōhai
* Wanduan
* Passai (Tomari)
* Chintō
* Chinsu
* Chinpu
* Wankan
* Wanshū
* Seisan
* Jumu
* Nichin
* Juma
* Ananku
The successor styles to Tomari-te include Wado-ryu, Motobu-ryū, Matsubayashi-ryu and Shōrinji-ryū
Naha-te
is a pre-
World War II term for a type of
martial art indigenous to the area around Naha, the old commercial city of the
Ryukyu Kingdom and now the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture.
Important Okinawan masters of Naha-te:
* Arakaki Seishō
* Higaonna Kanryō
* Miyagi Chōjun
* Kyoda Juhatsu, Kyoda Jūhatsu
*
Mabuni Kenwa
was one of the first karateka to teach karate in mainland Japan and is credited as developing the style known as Shitō-ryū. Originally, he chose the name Hanko-ryu, literally "half-hard style", to imply that the style used both hard and so ...
* Uechi Kanbun
Important
kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
:
* Sanchin
* Gōjū-ryū#Saifa, Saifā
* Seiunchin
* Shisochin
* Gōjū-ryū#Kaishugata, Seipai
* Seisan
* Sanseru
* Tensho (kata), Tensho
* Gōjū-ryū#Kaishugata, Kururunfa
* Gōjū-ryū#Kaishugata, Suparinpei
The successor styles to Naha-te include Shōrei-ryū (earliest school), Gōjū-ryū, Uechi-ryū, Ryūei-ryū, Shito-ryu and Tōon-ryū.
See also
* Okinawa
* Karate
* Japanese martial arts
* Peichin
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okinawan Martial Arts
Okinawan martial arts,
Ryukyu Kingdom
Japanese martial arts