Tegumi

or is a traditional form of

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

from

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 ...

. According to

Shōshin Nagamine was an Okinawa karate master as well as a soldier, police superintendent, mayor of Naha City, play director and author. Early life and karate-do Nagamine was born in Tomari, in Naha, Okinawa. He was a small and sickly child, and he contracte ...

, in his "Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters", there are no accurate historical documents surrounding the origins of

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

. It seems that ''tegumi'' evolved from a primitive form of grappling self-defense, which was constantly being adapted and enhanced as it was exposed to outside influences. It is believed by some, Nagamine included, that ''tegumi'' was probably the original form of fighting in Okinawa and, after incorporating striking and kicking techniques imported from

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 ...

, became the progenitor of ''Te'', which is the foundation of modern

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 ...

. Known as ''tegumi'' in

Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area i ...

, and ''mutō'' in Tomari and Shuri, Okinawan wrestling remained a popular cultural recreation until the Taishō period (1912 – 1925). There is little evidence of how ''tegumi'' evolved but the result was a rough and tumble bout where the winner was decided by

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

, through

joint locks A joint lock is a grappling technique involving manipulation of an opponent's joints in such a way that the joints reach their maximal degree of motion and hyperextension. In judō these are referred to as, 関節技 ''kansetsu-waza'', "joint loc ...

, strangles or

pinning Pinning may refer to: * Pinning, the effect of certain weapons that cause their targets to be pinned down * Pinning ceremony (nursing), a symbolic welcoming of new graduates into the nursing profession * Pinning force, a force acting on a pinned ...

. Today, ''tegumi'' has a strict set of rules and is still practiced widely. Okinawan folklore is full of references to ''tegumi'' and it is believed that the island's version of

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

can find its roots in the rural wrestling of the past. Okinawan martial arts Folk wrestling styles Japanese martial arts Sports originating in Japan {{Martialart-stub