Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

, 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 a ...

. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long history of trade and cultural exchange, including Japan, China and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, 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
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 Kagoshim ...

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 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 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

term for a type of indigenous

martial art 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 ...

to the area around Shuri, the old capital city of the

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in t ...

. Important Okinawan masters of Shuri-te: * Sakukawa Kanga *

Matsumura Sōkon was one of the original karate masters of Okinawa. The years of his lifespan are reported variously as c.1809-1901 or 1798–1890 or 1809–1896 or 1800–1892. However, the dates on the plaque at Matsumura's tomb, put there by Matsumura's fam ...

* Itosu Ankō * Asato Ankō * Chōyū Motobu * Motobu Chōki * Yabu Kentsū *

Chōmo Hanashiro was an Okinawan martial arts master who is notable for aiding in the evolution of Shōrin-ryū karate. Early in his childhood, he became a student of the renowned master Matsumura Sōkon, of the Okinawan martial arts, Shuri-te style. In additi ...

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 was an Okinawan, Japanese martial artist. He is the founder of Isshin-ryū ("One Heart Style") style of karate.) From childhood until World War II Family Tatsuo Shimabukuro was born in Gushikawa village, Okinawa on September 19, 1908. He was t ...

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 practis ...

: * 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 A is a specialized weapon that was used by police in Edo period Japan (1603 – 1868). History In feudal Japan, it was a crime punishable by death to bring a sword into the ''shōgun''s palace. This law applied to almost everyone, including the ...

* Rohai * Chinto * Gojushiho The successor styles to Shuri-te include

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" thro ...

, Shitō-ryū, Shōrin-ryū, Shudokan, Shuri-ryū,

Shōrinji-ryū (also known as Sakugawa Koshiki Shōrinji-ryū Karatedō) is a form of karate derived from the teachings of Kanga Sakukawa. References External linksWorld Shorinji-Ryu Karate Federation Karate Japanese martial arts {{karate-stu ...

, 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 Kokan Oyadomari (親泊興寛,1827–1905) was a Ryukyuan people, Ryūkyūan karate master, who practised the Tomari-te style of karate and also taught it. Life Kokan Oyadomari was a disciple to two local masters: Kishin Teruya (1804–1864) a ...

* Motobu Chōki *

* Nakasone Seiyu Important

: * Naihanchi (Koshiki) * Eunibu *

Rōhai Rōhai (鷺牌) meaning ''“image of a heron”'' or ''“sign of a heron”'' is a family of kata practiced in some styles of karate. The kata originated from the Tomari-te school of Okinawan martial arts. It was called ''Matsumora Rōhai'', af ...

* Wanduan * Passai (Tomari) * Chintō * Chinsu * Chinpu *

Wankan Wankan (王冠) (Japanese: "King's Crown" or "Emperor's Crown") (also called Okan) is a kata practiced in many styles of Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom ...

* Wanshū * Seisan * Jumu * Nichin * Juma * Ananku The successor styles to Tomari-te include Wado-ryu, Motobu-ryū, Matsubayashi-ryu and

Naha-te

is a pre-

term for a type of

indigenous to the area around

, the old commercial city of the

and now the capital city of

Okinawa Prefecture 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 cit ...

. Important Okinawan masters of Naha-te: * Arakaki Seishō * Higaonna Kanryō * Miyagi Chōjun * Kyoda Jūhatsu *

Uechi Kanbun was the founder of Uechi-Ryū, one of the primary karate styles of Okinawa. Early life Kanbun was born in Deikusaku section but grew up in the Takintō section of the mountain farming village of Izumi on the Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa, Ue ...

Important

: * Sanchin * Saifā * Seiunchin *

Shisochin is a kata of naha-te karate style, whose authorship has been mentioned as Kanryo Higaonna. There are two theories that explain the origins of kata shisochin: the first suggests that the shape or style comes from white heron or the Tiger, Shaol ...

* Seipai * Seisan * Sanseru * Tensho * Kururunfa * Suparinpei The successor styles to Naha-te include Shōrei-ryū (earliest school), Gōjū-ryū, Uechi-ryū,

Ryūei-ryū is an Okinawan style of karate. It was originally a family style of the Nakaima family of Naha and is now one of the internationally recognized Okinawan Karate styles. It is practiced in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Europe, ...

, Shito-ryu and Tōon-ryū.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okinawan Martial Arts Ryukyu Kingdom Japanese martial arts

History

Shuri-te

Tomari-te

Naha-te

See also

References