Choki Motobu
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Choki Motobu
April, 5th 1870 --- April, 15 1944
In Japan there is a phrase, Jissen, which is used to distinguish
real martial arts from what has been referred to as 'garden
party' Karate. Jissen literally means real fighting. It is many
times used in conjunction with Karate to establish the
difference between combat effective martial arts and what
might best be called tournament Karate.
Jissen Karate is many times attributed to Choki Motobu, who
was considered by many the greatest Karate master to have
ever lived. During his whole life he is known only to have been
beaten in combat by two individuals, one being Kentsu Yabu, a
veteran of the Pacific War (World War II). It is believed that it
was his war time combat experience that allowed Yabu to
defeat Motobu. The other was his brother, Choyu Motobu,
who had been trained in the family art of Gotente, and had the
advantage of superior training. After the incident, however,
Choki became a devoted student of his older brother's art. It
is also known that at one time he and a friend were attacked
by a gang of twenty five and in his desire to protect his
untrained friend, Choki Motobu dived into battle against all
twenty five, and after hurting and knocking down many of the
number, the others ran rather than face the fighting fury of
this great martial artist.
In his youth Choki Motobu, having been born in an aristocratic
family, was constantly getting in trouble, and fights, more
from the expectation of being treated with respect, that was
not forthcoming, than from any inherent meanness. There are
those who say that Choki was crazy, mean spirited, and a
belligerent fighter, and yet among those who knew him well,
he was a refined gentleman, with good manners, and a quiet
but humorous nature. Yasuhiro Konishi, Choki Motobu's main
interpreter on Japan, said that those who ran afoul of the
man usually did so because they started to treat him with
disrespect, acting like he was a country bumpkin from
Okinawa. While Konishi said that Motobu was basically a man
of peace, who had to live down the reputation of his wildness
in youth, he was not one to suffer insult well and this lead
to many confrontations, in which the wise apologized and
sought recompense, and the foolish ended up knocked out or
demonstratively beaten.
Choki Motobu referred to his art as Kempo and was very much
a specialist in the use of unusual fists associated with
Okinawan Karate. His favorite technique was the Ippon Ken
Zuki, forefinger knuckle fist thrust, which he had developed
to a very powerful level. It was said that he could actually
strike a Makiwara full power with this weapon. In his famous
battle with the European heavyweight boxing champion, it is
believed that this was the punch which knocked the opponent
out.
The Jissen Kempo of Choki Motobu could be thought of to
consist of certain concepts which constitute the nature of
real combat. First of all, real fighting martial arts, are to be
only used when your life is on the line. It is to be used to
defend yourself or another, from serious injury or death.
Thus the basic attitude is one of don't fight if it is not
necessary. It is said that it took Choki Motobu a long time to
realize this principle, but that once he did, he held to it quite
well. The main two reason not to fight frivolously are
simply, you may hurt your opponent and two you may get hurt
yourself. It is said that after his battle with the European
boxer, the man was placed on board a ship to be sent home, but
died before he made it there. And in his battle with Kentsu
Yabu, both men were banged up badly after the fight. It may
have been these two events which turned Motobu away from
fighting and towards a more peaceful lifestyle.
One other important aspect of Jissen Kempo is that it included
all the techniques of combat. From his Karate instructors;
Kosaku Matsumora and Yasutsune Itosu; Choki Motobu
learned the most important aspects of blocking, punching,
striking, and kicking. From his brother Choyu; Choki learned
how to throw, joint lock, and grapple in the Okinawan
fashion.
In comparison, Shiai Karate, or contest martial arts, develops
a 'be aggressive' attitude, which may be fine in regard to a
sporting match, but can be dangerous on the street. The idea
of contest martial arts is to win and not lose. It is to score
points without allowing the other person to score as many.
All sports, including the most rugged of contests, have to
have limited techniques. In actual combat, self defense, the
eyes, throat, and groin, are the most targeted points. Yet in
contests, in order for the competitors to survive and have a
certain level of safety, these are off limits, with the
exception of the groin. But even the groin is not targeted as in
a self defense situation. In contests, cups are worn, and while
strikes may be allowed, in actual self defense, women have
reported the most effective groin technique, is to grab the
testicles and squeeze until the assailant is unconscious or
helpless.
Choki Motobu passed his realistic methods of developing
Jissen skills to many different individuals. While he did not
create a particular Ryu that has a direct lineage from him and
is considered his own particular method, his Kempo actually
influenced the development of many different systems and in
particular the Kihon Kumite, basic sparring, drills of many
styles.
There are three styles that reportedly were created by
Choki Motobu and in some cases are suppose to have been
passed on to certain individuals. According to Robert Trias,
Choki Motobu created the Shorei Ryu style and this was
passed on to him through a Chinese master after World War II.
Trias modified the system by adding certain Goju Ryu Kata to
the curriculum, thus creating his own style of Shorei Goju
Ryu Karate. Shuri Ryu was also attributed to Choki Motobu
by Yasuhiro Konishi who eventually passed the system on to
Robert Trias, as the man most preserving Motobu's art. In
Japan itself, the late Tatsuo Yamada called Choki Motobu's
system Motobu Ryu in his teachings of Karate history. In
Okinawa the term Motobu Ryu is applied to the family art of
Gotente which was passed to Seikichi Uehara. Thus in
discussing Motobu Ryu it is important to know whether the
term is used in the Japanese manner referring to Choki
Motobu's art, or in the Okinawan manner referring to Choyu
Motobu's art. There is a great deal of difference, with the
main one being that Choyu Motobu's art is taught in the most
ancient manner without prearranged Kata.
Choki Motobu taught many students during his long lifetime
of seventy three years. Among his students were; James
Masayoshi Mitose, Yasuhiro Konishi, Tatsuo Yamada, Shoshin
Nagamine, Shinsuke Kaneshima, Yukimori Kuniba, Shinyei
Kaneshima, Katsuya Miyahira, Chozo Nakama, Tsuyoshi Chitose,
Tatsuo Shimabuku. Eizo Shimabuku, and Shigeru Nakamura.
Among the many styles which are directly influenced by what
Choki Motobu taught, especially in regard to Kihon Kumite and
an intelligent application of techniques in Jissen, real
fighting, are; Shorei Goju Ryu, Shuri Ryu, (Koga Ha) Kosho
Shorei Ryu, Yamada Ryu, Isshinryu, Tozan Ryu, Shobayashi
Shorin Ryu, Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu, Kobayashi Shorin Ryu,
Chito Ryu, Nakamura's Okinawan Kempo, Ishimine Ryu, Shinto
Shizen Ryu, Motobu Ha Shito Ryu, and Kenshinkan Ryu. Then are
many modern systems which have been derived from these
previously mentioned ones which owe much of the reality of
their training, and the practice of Kumite, to Choki Motobu.
Shoshin Nagamine admits that in his training he teaches his
students the skills of Kumite as taught to him by Choki
Motobu. Motobu taught that distancing was the most
important factor to delivering a punch, Seiken Zuki, with fatal
force. He explained that too far away, and not enough power
would be in the technique at contact, but to be too close
will keep the technique from developing full power. Thus it
was important to master distancing. And for those situations
where one was too close it was important to be able to
strike properly with Uraken and Ippon Ken Zuki. In the Kumite
of Shodai Soke Shoshin Nagamine's Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu
are the lessons and skills as taught by Choki Motobu.
There are several systems today which are very involved in
the fighting sports which have been developed from the art
of Karate. Each of these Shiai Karate styles, feel that they
represent the best of true fighting skills, with some of them
being the systems listed above which were influenced heavily
by Choki Motobu. It is a shame that those of these contest
styles never grew in the same manner that Motobu did. In his
youth, and due to the fact that he was royalty in a time when
it no longer held any meaning, Choki Motobu engaged in many
battles, to uphold his honor. And many of these styles insist
on hard fighting contests, some with bare knuckles, others
with gloves and equipment, but all thinking they are teaching
Jissen the way that Motobu did.
Yet according to those who knew him best, Shoshin Nagamine
and Yasuhiro Konishi, Choki Motobu grew spiritually and
matured in his later years. His goal was to teach and train in
Karate as it should be, as a form of Jissen Kempo, real fighting
martial arts. In time he realized that he did not have to fight
others to reach the true depths of the martial arts, but
rather he had to practice his skills in Kata and in his own
unique Kihon Kumite to open his spirit to the highest levels of
development. In the end, he finally conquered his greatest
enemy, his own insecurity, which kept him fighting in his youth
to uphold an honor which was never tarnished.
April, 5th 1870 --- April, 15 1944
In Japan there is a phrase, Jissen, which is used to distinguish
real martial arts from what has been referred to as 'garden
party' Karate. Jissen literally means real fighting. It is many
times used in conjunction with Karate to establish the
difference between combat effective martial arts and what
might best be called tournament Karate.
Jissen Karate is many times attributed to Choki Motobu, who
was considered by many the greatest Karate master to have
ever lived. During his whole life he is known only to have been
beaten in combat by two individuals, one being Kentsu Yabu, a
veteran of the Pacific War (World War II). It is believed that it
was his war time combat experience that allowed Yabu to
defeat Motobu. The other was his brother, Choyu Motobu,
who had been trained in the family art of Gotente, and had the
advantage of superior training. After the incident, however,
Choki became a devoted student of his older brother's art. It
is also known that at one time he and a friend were attacked
by a gang of twenty five and in his desire to protect his
untrained friend, Choki Motobu dived into battle against all
twenty five, and after hurting and knocking down many of the
number, the others ran rather than face the fighting fury of
this great martial artist.
In his youth Choki Motobu, having been born in an aristocratic
family, was constantly getting in trouble, and fights, more
from the expectation of being treated with respect, that was
not forthcoming, than from any inherent meanness. There are
those who say that Choki was crazy, mean spirited, and a
belligerent fighter, and yet among those who knew him well,
he was a refined gentleman, with good manners, and a quiet
but humorous nature. Yasuhiro Konishi, Choki Motobu's main
interpreter on Japan, said that those who ran afoul of the
man usually did so because they started to treat him with
disrespect, acting like he was a country bumpkin from
Okinawa. While Konishi said that Motobu was basically a man
of peace, who had to live down the reputation of his wildness
in youth, he was not one to suffer insult well and this lead
to many confrontations, in which the wise apologized and
sought recompense, and the foolish ended up knocked out or
demonstratively beaten.
Choki Motobu referred to his art as Kempo and was very much
a specialist in the use of unusual fists associated with
Okinawan Karate. His favorite technique was the Ippon Ken
Zuki, forefinger knuckle fist thrust, which he had developed
to a very powerful level. It was said that he could actually
strike a Makiwara full power with this weapon. In his famous
battle with the European heavyweight boxing champion, it is
believed that this was the punch which knocked the opponent
out.
The Jissen Kempo of Choki Motobu could be thought of to
consist of certain concepts which constitute the nature of
real combat. First of all, real fighting martial arts, are to be
only used when your life is on the line. It is to be used to
defend yourself or another, from serious injury or death.
Thus the basic attitude is one of don't fight if it is not
necessary. It is said that it took Choki Motobu a long time to
realize this principle, but that once he did, he held to it quite
well. The main two reason not to fight frivolously are
simply, you may hurt your opponent and two you may get hurt
yourself. It is said that after his battle with the European
boxer, the man was placed on board a ship to be sent home, but
died before he made it there. And in his battle with Kentsu
Yabu, both men were banged up badly after the fight. It may
have been these two events which turned Motobu away from
fighting and towards a more peaceful lifestyle.
One other important aspect of Jissen Kempo is that it included
all the techniques of combat. From his Karate instructors;
Kosaku Matsumora and Yasutsune Itosu; Choki Motobu
learned the most important aspects of blocking, punching,
striking, and kicking. From his brother Choyu; Choki learned
how to throw, joint lock, and grapple in the Okinawan
fashion.
In comparison, Shiai Karate, or contest martial arts, develops
a 'be aggressive' attitude, which may be fine in regard to a
sporting match, but can be dangerous on the street. The idea
of contest martial arts is to win and not lose. It is to score
points without allowing the other person to score as many.
All sports, including the most rugged of contests, have to
have limited techniques. In actual combat, self defense, the
eyes, throat, and groin, are the most targeted points. Yet in
contests, in order for the competitors to survive and have a
certain level of safety, these are off limits, with the
exception of the groin. But even the groin is not targeted as in
a self defense situation. In contests, cups are worn, and while
strikes may be allowed, in actual self defense, women have
reported the most effective groin technique, is to grab the
testicles and squeeze until the assailant is unconscious or
helpless.
Choki Motobu passed his realistic methods of developing
Jissen skills to many different individuals. While he did not
create a particular Ryu that has a direct lineage from him and
is considered his own particular method, his Kempo actually
influenced the development of many different systems and in
particular the Kihon Kumite, basic sparring, drills of many
styles.
There are three styles that reportedly were created by
Choki Motobu and in some cases are suppose to have been
passed on to certain individuals. According to Robert Trias,
Choki Motobu created the Shorei Ryu style and this was
passed on to him through a Chinese master after World War II.
Trias modified the system by adding certain Goju Ryu Kata to
the curriculum, thus creating his own style of Shorei Goju
Ryu Karate. Shuri Ryu was also attributed to Choki Motobu
by Yasuhiro Konishi who eventually passed the system on to
Robert Trias, as the man most preserving Motobu's art. In
Japan itself, the late Tatsuo Yamada called Choki Motobu's
system Motobu Ryu in his teachings of Karate history. In
Okinawa the term Motobu Ryu is applied to the family art of
Gotente which was passed to Seikichi Uehara. Thus in
discussing Motobu Ryu it is important to know whether the
term is used in the Japanese manner referring to Choki
Motobu's art, or in the Okinawan manner referring to Choyu
Motobu's art. There is a great deal of difference, with the
main one being that Choyu Motobu's art is taught in the most
ancient manner without prearranged Kata.
Choki Motobu taught many students during his long lifetime
of seventy three years. Among his students were; James
Masayoshi Mitose, Yasuhiro Konishi, Tatsuo Yamada, Shoshin
Nagamine, Shinsuke Kaneshima, Yukimori Kuniba, Shinyei
Kaneshima, Katsuya Miyahira, Chozo Nakama, Tsuyoshi Chitose,
Tatsuo Shimabuku. Eizo Shimabuku, and Shigeru Nakamura.
Among the many styles which are directly influenced by what
Choki Motobu taught, especially in regard to Kihon Kumite and
an intelligent application of techniques in Jissen, real
fighting, are; Shorei Goju Ryu, Shuri Ryu, (Koga Ha) Kosho
Shorei Ryu, Yamada Ryu, Isshinryu, Tozan Ryu, Shobayashi
Shorin Ryu, Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu, Kobayashi Shorin Ryu,
Chito Ryu, Nakamura's Okinawan Kempo, Ishimine Ryu, Shinto
Shizen Ryu, Motobu Ha Shito Ryu, and Kenshinkan Ryu. Then are
many modern systems which have been derived from these
previously mentioned ones which owe much of the reality of
their training, and the practice of Kumite, to Choki Motobu.
Shoshin Nagamine admits that in his training he teaches his
students the skills of Kumite as taught to him by Choki
Motobu. Motobu taught that distancing was the most
important factor to delivering a punch, Seiken Zuki, with fatal
force. He explained that too far away, and not enough power
would be in the technique at contact, but to be too close
will keep the technique from developing full power. Thus it
was important to master distancing. And for those situations
where one was too close it was important to be able to
strike properly with Uraken and Ippon Ken Zuki. In the Kumite
of Shodai Soke Shoshin Nagamine's Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu
are the lessons and skills as taught by Choki Motobu.
There are several systems today which are very involved in
the fighting sports which have been developed from the art
of Karate. Each of these Shiai Karate styles, feel that they
represent the best of true fighting skills, with some of them
being the systems listed above which were influenced heavily
by Choki Motobu. It is a shame that those of these contest
styles never grew in the same manner that Motobu did. In his
youth, and due to the fact that he was royalty in a time when
it no longer held any meaning, Choki Motobu engaged in many
battles, to uphold his honor. And many of these styles insist
on hard fighting contests, some with bare knuckles, others
with gloves and equipment, but all thinking they are teaching
Jissen the way that Motobu did.
Yet according to those who knew him best, Shoshin Nagamine
and Yasuhiro Konishi, Choki Motobu grew spiritually and
matured in his later years. His goal was to teach and train in
Karate as it should be, as a form of Jissen Kempo, real fighting
martial arts. In time he realized that he did not have to fight
others to reach the true depths of the martial arts, but
rather he had to practice his skills in Kata and in his own
unique Kihon Kumite to open his spirit to the highest levels of
development. In the end, he finally conquered his greatest
enemy, his own insecurity, which kept him fighting in his youth
to uphold an honor which was never tarnished.
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