master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
of
Gōjū-ryū
, Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters dur ...
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 ...
.Pereira, L. (c. 2007) Teruo Chinen Shihan: Jundokan Goju Ryu Retrieved on April 6, 2010; link has expired, as at July 21, 2011. He founded the Jundokan International karate organization and held the title of ''
Shihan
is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor".
The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process of ...
''.Kane, L. A., & Wilder, K. (2005): ''The Way of Kata: A comprehensive guide to deciphering martial applications'' (p. 247). Boston, MA: YMAA Publication Center. () Chinen held the rank of 7th ''
dan
Dan or DAN may refer to:
People
* Dan (name), including a list of people with the name
** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark
* Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa
**Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...
'' in karate.Davis, R. (2015): "2015 Grand Gasshuku - A Time of Transition - Sensei's history" ''Jundo Echo'' (p. 3-4)
Early life
Chinen was born on June 8, 1941, in
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
,
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...
, Japan, of Okinawan and Japanese ancestry.Hefner, K. (1998): "The Old School: From training to philosophy, Teruo Chinen stresses the old ways of Goju-Ryu Karate." ''Black Belt'', 36(1):32–35, 38.Hunt, R. (2007) Teruo Chinen: An ancient man in a modern world (December 23, 2007). Retrieved on April 6, 2010. (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 6, 2010. His father, Seisho Chinen, was an Okinawan martial artist who served in the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
; he had trained in various Okinawan weapons. His mother was Japanese. His grandfather, Matsu Chinen, was a full-time
Shuri-te
Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long hi ...
instructor. His granduncle, Masami Chinen, belonged to the line of masters of the
Yamanni ryu
Yamanni-ryū (山根流) (also Yamanni-Chinen-ryū and Yamane Ryu) is a form of Okinawan kobudō whose main weapon is the bo, a non-tapered, cylindrical staff. The smaller buki, such as sai, tunfa (or tonfa), nunchaku, and kama (weapon) are st ...
kobudo school.Tran, D. (1997) Bridging past and future: An interview with Teruo Chinen (May 31, 1997). Retrieved on April 6, 2010.
Although Okinawan, Chinen's father adopted Japanese ways, and this included the naming conventions applied to his children. In a 1997 interview, he spoke about his father, saying: "because he was a Japanese naval officer, he adopted the Japanese ways and did not use the Masa name for his children. Consequently, my brothers and I all received Japanese names—Akira, Hirokazu, Teruo, and Toshio. No more Chinese names, no more Masa line!"
Chinen's father died in 1944 when the captain of his ship decided to sink the vessel rather than surrender to Allied forces. When he was five years old, his family—now consisting of his mother and several siblings—returned to Shuri briefly, then settled 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 ...
, where his uncle worked as a policeman. His mother found work on a
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
airbase. Chinen's home in Naha was just three houses down the street from Chōjun Miyagi's ''
dojo
A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
'' (training hall) and, despite his family's history in another style of karate, he began to train in Miyagi's style.
Karate career
Chinen began training in
Gōjū-ryū
, Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters dur ...
Ei'ichi Miyazato
was a leading Okinawan master of Goju-ryu karate.Higaonna, M. (1985): ''Traditional Karate-do: Vol. 1 – Okinawa Goju-ryu, fundamental techniques'' (p. 32). Tokyo: Minato Research. () He was a senior student of Chōjun Miyagi,Toguchi, S., Tam ...
(1922–1999) in 1954.Chinen, T. 1970: ''Introduction to Goju Ryu Karate-do'' After about six years of training, Chinen received promotion to black belt status.
In 1959,pers. comm., T. Chinen to G. Greenwald Chinen left Okinawa to teach karate in Tokyo, where he joined his friend
Morio Higaonna
is a prominent Okinawan karate practitioner who is the founder and former Chief Instructor of the International Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF). known as "Yoyogi Dojo".pers. comm., T. Ogawa to G. Greenwald. Chinen has credited Higaonna with teaching him the technical aspects of Gōjū-ryū karate. In 1969, Chinen traveled to the United States of America as a technical advisor to the Spokane School of Karate-do in Spokane, Washington. Prior to leaving Yoyogi Dojo for Spokane, Miyazato promoted Chinen to yondan (fourth degree blackbelt). What was initially planned as a three-month visit led to him settling in Spokane, which became the base of operations for his karate organization.Cogan, M. (2003): ''A Goju Ryu Guidebook: The Kogen Kan Manual for Karate'' (p. 34). Victoria, Canada: Trafford. ()Anonymous (1983) Karate: Hard yet gentle ''The Spokesman-Review'' (October 25, 1983, p. 17). Retrieved on April 6, 2010. (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 6, 2010.David, M. (c. 2009) Retrieved on April 6, 2010.
From 1973 to 1979, Chinen traveled through Europe and South Africa, teaching karate. From 1979 to 1986, he was technical advisor to the International Okinawan Gōjū-ryū Karate-dō Federation (IOGKF) led by Higaonna. In 1987, Chinen founded his own karate organization, Jundokan International,Chinen, T. (2018): ''Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate''. Spring Home, PA: Tambuli Media. () and was no longer associated with the IOGKF.Kobukan Karate Club: Our Instructors (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 6, 2010. He assisted in the preparation of the book ''Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate'' (1987) as a translator.McCarthy, P. (1987): ''Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate''. Burbank, CA: Ohara. () In 1987, he taught ''
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 ...
'' in Vancouver.Anonymous (1987): "Chinen conducts kata workshop." ''Black Belt'', 25(4):116. Around 1988, Miyazato promoted Chinen to the rank of 7th ''dan''.
In 1995, Chinen became ill from undiagnosed diabetes, but still traveled across Europe and North America teaching karate, and he continued to lead Jundokan International.Bishop, M. (1999): ''Okinawan Karate: Teachers, styles and secret techniques'' (2nd ed., p. 33). Boston, MA: Tuttle. () Speaking in 1997 about the future of karate in the USA, he said: "I hope that the next generations will not only improve technically but also know how to share their knowledge. People must pass on the traditions and not lose them. In the old days in China and Okinawa, the teaching was done behind closed doors. Now, thanks to the media, Karatedo is no longer a secret. There's more sharing now."
Chinen developed and taught many unique and highly-effective training methods during his karate career. During these lifelong teachings, Chinen continually stressed the importance of maintaining the Zen concept of "Beginner's Mind", relentless training, maintaining strong physical conditioning, and remembering the Chinese roots of Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate. One of the prominent points of emphasis to his students was to live life with a "firm fist, but a compassionate heart".