was an Okinawa

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

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 is the Cities of Japan, 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 people per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). ...

. He was a small and sickly child, and he contracted a gastroenteric disorder in 1926, his second year of

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. He began a self-imposed diet and took up

under the watchful eye of his next-door neighbour, Chojin Kuba. Nagamine soon became a picture of good health, crediting his recovery to "hard work both at school and training of Karate". His health improved to such an extent that he became a leader of the school's karate club, and his friends dubbed him ''Chippaii Matsu'', a nickname meaning "tenacious pine tree".

Career in the army

After graduation in March 1928, he began to study martial arts full-time, moving to Shuri and training under Taro Shimabuku (島袋善良)and Ankichi Arakaki. Later that year, he was conscripted into the Japanese army in the 47th

Infantry Regiment Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, and fought in China for the Jinan incident before receiving an honourable discharge in 1931. Leaving the army, Nagamine sought an area in which his martial arts abilities would be useful, eventually settling on the police force.

Career in the police force

During his time as a police officer, Nagamine received further instruction in karate from Chotoku Kyan and Motobu Choki, and achieved the title of Renshi in 1940. By 1951, Nagamine was a Police Superintendent, of Motobu, and was training his own officers in karate. Nagamine retired as a policeman in 1952, and in 1953 he returned to Naha City and set up his own

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...

, which he named "Matsubayashi-Ryu Kodokan Karate and Ancient Martial Arts Studies". From the dojo he taught Matsubayashi-ryu, a karate school he had founded in 1947, and named in honour of Sokon Matsumura and Kosaku Matsumora. He continued to teach the discipline until his death in 1997. He was succeeded in 1997 by his son, Takayoshi Nagamine, who returned to Okinawa after many years teaching in the US, and who was the head (

sōke , pronounced , is a Japanese term that means "the head family ouse" In the realm of Japanese traditional arts, it is used synonymously with the term '' iemoto''. Thus, it is often used to indicate "headmaster" (or sometimes translated as "head o ...

) of Matsubayashi-ryu until his own death in 2012.

Author

Nagamine wrote two books in Japanese, ''The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do'' and ''Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters''. ''The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do'', which has been reprinted many times, was first published in the English language in 1976. This was translated into the English language by Nagamine's student Katsuhiko Shinzato. ''Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters'' was translated into the English language by Patrick McCarthy ubishi and published in 2000, by Charles Tuttle.

References

External links