Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu Essex |

Hakutsuru

The Word Haku (White) is also often used in Okinawa in conjunction with the term Tsuru which means Crane, as in Hakutsuru, which means White Crane, a system that is believed to have links with the Fukien, Cantonese and Northern White Crane Chaun Fa (Kung Fu) Styles which have influenced the development of both Okinawan Shorei & Shorin Ryu styles of Kempo.

All of the Crane systems are believed to be based, at least in part, on Lo Han 18 Monk Fist Chinese Boxing of the Shaolin Kung Fu tradition. One of the 5 animals of Shaolin was the Crane and the Crane has been combined in styles with the snake, the bear and the Tiger, all at one time or another Shaolin animals. The original animals are believed to have been the Crane for sinew, the Tiger for Bone, The Leopard for Strength, the Snake for Chi and the dragon for spirit. In Five ancestor fist an important Fukien style to have influneced Okinawan Karate the Crane is combined with the monkey, Grand Ancestor and Lohan boxing along with Daruma's (Tamo) Iron body conditioning exercises based on the I Chin Ching (Muscle Change Classic). It should also be noted that Wing Chun is also related to White Crane. In the Fukkien province of Southern China, with which Okinawa has had long links to the point that an Okinawan Community was established there a number of variations of the White Crane style were practised and often taught by Chinese from Fukkien when visiting Okinawa. one example of this is the tea merchant Go Genki.

Shorei Ryu or Naha Te: The basis of Goju Ryu

Shorei Ryu is the name given to those styles of Te that are found in the Okinawan City of Naha where due to the influence of the 36 families of Chinese Nobles and Artisans the Te is been based on complete Chinese boxing systems. Naha Te is often regarded as the basis for the Shorei Ryu styles of Karate such as Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu both of which like many External Chinese Chaun Fa styles emphasise body conditioning and low stances.
The restorer of Naha Te was one Kanryo Higashionnna who had studied Whooping Crane in China under its founder Xie Zhongxian, who is known by his Okinawan name Ryuro Ko (1852-1930) who was a student of Yongchun White Crane master Pan Yuba. Kanryo Higashionna also learnt some Lo Han Quan (Monkfist Boxing) from Wai Xinian who had also taught Aragaki Tsui Peichin (1840-1918).

To find out more about Kanryo Higashionna and Naha Te see: http://www.gojukarate.co.uk/sodokan009.htm

Okinawan Goju Ryu

Chojun Miyagi who was born in April 1888 was first taught Tomari Te by one Ryuko Aragaki (1875-1961) when he was 11 years of age, a few years later he was introduced to Kanryo Higaonna, this was in 1902. The training at Kanryo Higaonna's Dojo is said to have been very severe and consisted of much Sanchin traning. whilst what Kanryo Higaonna taught was called Shorei Ryu, he named it Naha Te to distinguish it from the Karate practised around Shuri and Tomari. Later Chojun Miyagi he journeyed to Fuzhou in China with Gokenki, a white Crane practitioner, in order to try and find Kanryo Higaonna's teacher, though they were unable to find him. Whilst in China Chojun Miyagi managed to study some Chinese martial Arts there including Southern Shaolin and Pau Kua, he also learnt various Crane forms that became the basis of some of the Kata that were later incorporated into Goju Ryu, for example the kata Tensho that was created by Miyagi is based on the White Crane Form known as Rokkishu and he introduced the Kata Saifa in to his Goju style, the Saifa kata is based on the movements of the Crane. In 1926 along with others Chojun Miyagi established the Kenkyu club long with Chomo Hanashiro, Choyu Motobu and Kenwa Mabuni (Higaonna1995:61). In 1929 he taught at the Prefectural police School dojo and later at Naha Courthouse, the Prefectural Physical Culture Association and the Prefectural Teachers Training College (Bishop 1999:27) In 1933 he registered his style of ToudiGoju Ryu wth the Dai Nippon Butokukai and in 1934 Chojun Miyagi visited Hawaii. In 1936 Chojun Miyagi along with Chomo Hanashiro, Chotoku Kiyan, Chokki Motobu, Choshin Chibana, Juhatsu Kiyoda and others officially changed the name of Toudi to Karate. as

Japanese Goju Ryu (Yamaguchi Gogen's Goju Kai)

In mainland Japan a version of Shorei Ryu known as Goju Kai was developed by one Yamaguchi Gogen (1909 - 1989) who was born with the name Yoshimi Yamauchi in the city of Kagoshima and was later named Gogen (menaing rough) and became nicknamed as the cat in his martial arts career, in part because of his long hair and partially because of his way of movement. Gogen Yamaguchi had in the years of his formative training in martial arts, whilst growing up in Kagoshima studied the Jigen Ryu Ken Jutsu style, the sword art of the Satsuma Samurai clan that had occupied Okinawan from 1609. Later Yamaguchi Gogen learnt the rudiments of Okinawan Karate from an Okinawan gentleman who was a carpenter known as Takeo Maruta at the Maruta Dojo in Miyazai, Kyshu, the style that Maruta studied and his teachers background is unknown. Later Yamaguchi Gogen studied law at RitsumeikanKarate dojo called Ritsumei-Kan Dai-Gaku Karate Kenyu Kai, the first Karate club at this University. University in Kyoto where with Jitsuei Yogi he helped establish a

This Dojo was known for the hard training and the fierce breathing exercises of its participants. In 1931 when he was aged 22 years of age he met Chojun Miyagi the founder of Goju RyuKarate and this led Yamaguchi Gogen to look at the softer aspects of Goju Ryu. However it should be noted that Chojun Miyagi was rarely in Japan for more than a few months at a time, so the amount of training that he Yamaguchi Gogen received from Miyagi is limited and is likely to have only consisted of some formal exercises and kata such as Sanchin. During the 1930's until the end of the Second World War Gogen Yamaguchi worked as an intelligence officer in Machuria, which gve him some opportunity to gain exposure to Chinese Martial Arts, he returned to Japan after the war and established his Dojo under the name Goju Ryu Kai and later arranged for demonstrations in Tokyo of the various Chinese Martial arts that he had discovered whilst in Manchuria. In 1950 he established the All Japan Goju Kai Karate do Association. It is generally accepted that Yamaguchi Gogen may have learnt much of his Goju Ryu from Meitoku Yagi, who established the Meibukan style of Goju Ryu.

Kenshinkan Goju: a synthesis of Goju Ryu and Old Shuri Te.

Seiko Higa was a student of both Kanryo Higaonna and his Shorei Ryu (Naha Te) and was a junior to Chojun Miyagi and was later to carry on his studies with Goju Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi. Seiko Higa who spent a year as an elementary school teacher before going on to become a Policeman for a short while before becoming a full time Karate teacher, for a short while he stepped in as the successor of Goju Ryu after Chojun Miyagi's death, until this position was taken on by Eichi Miyazto of the Jun Do Kan and Meitoku Yagi of the Meibukan. In 1933 Seiko Higa established the Okinawan Kobudo Goju Ryu Karate Do which beacme a world organisation and is known as Sho-Do-Kan. One of Seiko Higa's students was one Seiichi Akamine who was born in Okinawa in 1920 and had trained initially with Chomo Hanashiro, Kentsu Yabu and Chotoku Kiyan, before meeting Chojun Miyagi, which led him to take up Goju Ryu under the guidance of Seiko Higa. Seiichi Akamine later moved to Kawasaki on the Japanese mainland where he stablished Shikan Ryu w ich consisted of the following Goju kata Gekisai I, Gekisai II, Saifa, Sanchin, Seionchin, Tensho and Seipai. However Seiichi Akamine had also studied some of the Kata that were passed down from Sokon Kishomoto and which were also practised at the Bugeikan under Seitoku Higa of Shorin Ryu. It seems most likely that Seiichi Akamine learnt these kata from Seiken Shukimune at the Izumikawa Dojo whilst both were living in Kawasaki and incorporated the following Shorin kata into his system: Naihanchi, Ryufa ( a version of Passai) and Kosokun (a version of Kusanku). This style was taken to Brazil in 1957 when Akamine split from the main Brazilian Karate association the style was renamed Kenshinkan Goju to empahsie the increasing Goju Ryu influence on the development of the style . A biography of Sensei Seichi Akamine can be found here: http://www.kenshinkanakamine.cl/INGLES/Biography/BIOGRAPHY%20OF%20SENSEI%20SEIICHI%20AKAMINE2.htm

Shorin Ryu or Shuri Te and Tomari Te

Shorin Ryu is based on the Te of Tomari and Shuri in Okinawa as taught by the likes of Sakugawa Satunushi (circa 1700 - 1800), Sokon Matsumura (1809-1901), Bushi Takemura (born 1800?) and Kishimoto Soko (1862 - 1945).

Sokon Matsumura (1809-1901), is believed to have learnt the native Okinawan art of Te, and served as a body guard to the Okinawan Royal family. Some sources seem to indicate that Matsumura was a one time teacher of Choyu Motobu. Sokon Matsumura teachers included Ason and Iwah, both Gong Fu Masters and Sakugawa Satunushi.

It was Sakugawa who taught the art of staff to Sokon Matsumura, but this was not until after Sakugawa had returned from Satsuma where he had learnt the art of Jigen Ryu Ken Jutsu from the Satsuma Samurai. Sokon Matsumura also held a Menkyo in Jigen Ryu Ken Jutsu, a martial art of the Satsuma Samurai of Japan.

The term Hakutsuru refers to the Tou-Di , an empty handed fighting art, of Sakugawa Chikuden Peichin who practised the native Okinawan art of Ti and White Crane Chaun Fa. There is no doubt that the White Crane style of Chaun Fa has influenced Okinawan Karate and Kempo from an early period.

The White Crane system contains both Hard and Soft Forms and techniques, in other words it has external and internal (Chi or Ki) aspects.

Sakugawa Chikiden Peichin (1733-1815)

Kusanku of China (1700-1800) was a military envoy who lived in Okinawa between 1756-1762 where he taught Shaolin Kempo techniques and introduced a method of Kumite or sparring techniques known as Kumiai Jutsu to Toudi Sakugawa Chikuden Peichin. Sakugawa studied for six years under Kusanku , and later visited his teacher in China . Toudi Sakugawa Chikiden Peichin is said to have combined the techniques from the native Okinawan art of Ti with those of Chinese Kung Fu and created Okinawan Toudi Kempo Jutsu (McCarthy 1995).

Sokon Matsumra (1797-1889)

Sokon Matsumura (1797-1889) having studied under Toudi Sakugawa Chikiden Peichin for four years became the principle disciple, it is likely that a Bushi Takemura may have been his Kohai. Sokon Matsumura was appointed body guard to the last three Ryuku Kings Sho Ko (d.1834), Sho Iku (d.1847) and Sho Tai 1841-1901 and had the opportunity to study Chinese Temple boxing in China during the 1830�s and under the Chinese warriors Iwah and Ason who were stationed in Okinawa during the 1860�s and is credited with bringing Hakutsuru, the White crane system of Chinese boxing to Okinawa (Bishop 1999). Sokon Matsumura also studied in the Satsuma district of Japan under Ijiun Yashichirio the headmaster of Jigen Ryu Kenjutsu the combative methods of the Satsuma Samurai of Japan and received his Menkyo certificate (McCarthy 1999). Matsumura is therefore credited with synthesizing the principles of Japanese Jigen Ryu Ken Jutsu, Chinese Kung Fu, and native Okinawan Ti.

Bushi Takemura

One of the lesser known disciples of Bushi Matsumura was one Bushi Takemura, who had been a tax collector and was later to teach Sokon Kishomoto, the teacher of Seitoku Higa of the Bugeikan and Seiken Shukumine who established Gensei Ryu Karate and later Taido.

Matsumura's disciples and their legacy

Among Sokon Matsumuras pupils were Itosu, Yasutsune and Chotoku Kiyan. Itosu, Yasutsune (1830-1915) nicknamed Iron horse because of his ability to absorb blows without ill effects and root himself in the horse stance had studied under Sokon Matsumura from 1846-1880 (Bishop 1989). Itosu is known to have taught a large number of students, many of whom went on to establish their own styles, the most well known of Itosu's students were Gichin Funakoshi the founder of Shotokan Karate the first official karate in Japan, Kenwa Mabuni who created the Shito Ryu style of Karate, Choki Motobu (1871-1944) who founded his own style of Motobu Ryu Toudi Kempo.

Shorinji Ryu A Synthesis of Shuri and Tomari Te

Chotoku Kiyan (1830-1915) nicknamed Mi Gwan Chan, small eyed Kiyan was the son of Chofu Kiyan who had served as steward to the last Okinawan King Sho Tai (1841-1901) who had been exiled to Tokyo (Bishop 1989). Chotoku Kiyan therefore received much of his education on the Japanese mainland and this is believed to have included some tuition in Ju Jutsu. He also studied Shuri Te under both Sokon Matsumura (1797-1889) and Itosu Yasutsune (1830-1915) and Tomari Te under Matsumura Kosaku (1820-1898), and Oyodamari Peichin who had learnt martial arts from a Chinese man, possibly Anan who lived in Tomari village (Ibid).

Chotoku Kyan (1870-1945) is credited with synthesizing Shuri Te with Tomari Te and is the founder of what has become known as the Shorinji Ryu.

Two of Chotoku Kiyan�s top students were Zenryo Shimabukuro (1904-1969) and Shojin Nagamine (b. 1907) who had studied under Chotoku Kiyan (1870-1945) and his disciple Taro Shimabukuro whilst in Okinawa, and later in 1936 under Choki Motobu (1871-1944) when stationed in Tokyo as a Japanese police officer.

Zenryo Shimabukuro (1904-1969) carried on the Shorinji Ryu tradition of his teacher Chotoku Kiyan (1830-1915) and this became the Sukunaihayahi lineage, known as Chubu Shorin Ryu, this style has been popularised under the name Seibukan.

In 1962 Zenryo Shimabukuro joined with Nakamura Shigeru (1892-1969) who had studied under Bushi Kunishi and Choyu Motobu. Zenryo Shimabukuro and Nakamura Shigeru together these men founded the Okinawan Kenpo Karate Do Association which includes Grandmasters Seikichi Odo, Fusei Kise, Seiyu Oyata and Yuichi Kuda.

In 1968 the Okinawan Kempo association merged with the Okinawan Karate and Kobudo Association, formed by Seitoku Higa and which included the recently founded Motobu Ryu Kobu-Jutsu Association headed by Seikichi Uehara, who had inherited the Motobu Udun family Ti system from Choyu Motobu (Bishop 1997).

Choki Motobu Okinawan Kempo Tode Jutsu

Choyu Motobu who had inherited the Motobu family Ti system had a younger brother called Choki Motobu (1871-1944) who moved to the Japanese mainland in 1921 and taught in Osaka and Tokyo, he went to Hawaii in 1933 where and when Kempo was popular, he later returned to teach in Japan and study martial arts in Okinawa where he remained between the beginning of world war two until his death in 1944. Choki Motobu's own style is described in his books Okinawan Kempo-Tode Jutsu and Watashi no Karate Jutsu.

Kenwa Mabuni Ha Shito Ryu

The Japanese Tradition of Motobu Ha Shito Ryu combines the teachings of Kenwa Mabuni�s Shito Ryu Kempo with those of Choki Motobu�s Okinawan Kempo Tode Jutsu.

In 1929 Kenwa Mabuni moved to Osaka in mainland Japan where he taught his system of Karate known as Shito Ryu which combines the characters from the names of his two teachers Kanryo Higashionna, the teacher of Chojun Miyagi founder of Goju Ryu, and Itosu, student of Sokon Matsumura and secretary to Sho Tai, the last of the Ryukan Kings, whose Court Te or Ti instructor was Choyu Motobu.

Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1953) who had studied White Crane Chaun Fa under a tea merchant from the Fukien province of China called Wu Xiangui, known by the Okinawan name of Gokenki (1886-1940), and Naha TeGoju Ryu�s founder Chojun Miyagi. He had also studied Shuri Te under Itosu (1830-1915), who was at the time over seventy years old had also taught Gichin Funakoshi whose style was to become known as Shotokan, the first organised Japanese Karate system. Itosu himself had been a senior student of Sokon Matsumura

Choki Motobu arrived in Osaka in 1921 and Kenwa Mabuni in 1929 and both of them taught Kosei Kuniba, who was later to become the Japanese Motobu Ha Karate do systems second generation headmaster and established the Seishan Kan Dojo in Osaka which in 1947 grew into the Seishin Kai.

Kuniba is the Japanese rendering of the Okinawan name Kokuba, part of the Sho Shi Family, the last Royal family of Okinawa. The history of the family line can be traced back to Yoshitsune Minamoto, brother of Minamoto Yoritomo, who became Shogun in 1192. from Kanryo Higashionna, the teacher of

More detailed biographies of many of the Masters mentioned here and elsewhere on this site can be found here: http://www.donracinekarate.com/masters.html#Kenwa%20Mabuni

Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Seishin Kai

Kosei Kokuba (1901-1959) who is also known as Yukimori Kuniba studied under Choki Motobu. Kosei Kokuba's son; Kosho Kokuba (1935-1992) whose name is rendered in Japanese as Yukitaka Kuniba and who was later to become known as Shogo Kuniba became the third generation headmaster of the Motobu Ha Karate do tradition and the founder of Motobu Ha Shito Ryu.

Shogo Kuniba had studied under his father Yukimori Kuniba/Kosei Kokuba (1901-1959) and under Tomoyori Takamasa of the Kenyu Ryu system during his early teens and by the time that he was 14 years of age he had began to study under Kenwa Mabuni the founder of Shito Ryu.

Whilst Shogo Kuniba was at Keio University in Japan he had opportunity to study the Shotokan and Goju Ryu Karate styles. He later visited Okinawa and studied under various Okinawan Masters including Shojin Nagamine (b.1907) the founder of the Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu system, Kobudo under Junko Yamaguchi and Shojin Koshi and took over from Shihan Teuro Hayashi as the head of Seishin Kai in 1968. By 1973 Shogo Kuniba had also achieved high grades in Mugei Ryu Iai-do (Sword drawing). It was Shogo Kuniba who graded Albert C Church to Shihan in Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Seishan Kai.

We are very grateful to Shihan Dr James Herndon of the Seishin Kai USA Honbucho for having recently provided us with information that has enabled us to make corrections to the above section on Motobu Ha Shito Ryu concerning the Kuniba family. For further and more detailed information on Shogo Kuniba and the Kokuba Family see: http://www.kunibakai.org/history_of_shogo_kuniba.htm

Shorinji Tetsuken Kempo:

The system known as Shorinji Tetsuken Kempo is believed to have had its origins in the fighting traditions of Northern Shaolin and was alleged to have originally been known as Shaolin Ssu Tang So Dao Chin Chen Du Chaun Fa. This is basically a village fighting system.

The lineage of Pa Ming Chaun is usually given as:

Shaolin Ssu Tang So Dao Chin Chen Du Chaun Fa, became known as Pa Ming Chaun or 8 Rams head fist in the 1300�s. The various masters for the style are given

Yang Ho Chin (1679-1751) of Honan Province
Lee Ho Chin (1751-1814)
Lee Chi Kooh (1814-1881) Chekiang province .
Kim Chee Kooh (d.1967) Korea and Japan. Pa Ming Chaun renamed So Rim Sa Churl Kwon Do Tang Sou Dua.
1956 - 1957 Kim Chee Kooh moved to Japan style renamed Shorinji Tetsuken Kempo.

Albert C Church allegedly studied under Kim Chee Kooh whilst stationed in Korea between 1950 - 1952. Whilst back stateside between 1956 - 1957 Albert C Church taught a Ju Jutsu based on Hakko Ryu (In which he held a 3rd Dan) combined with Kim Chee Kooh's Churl Kwon Do.

Albert C Church went to Japan in May 1967 at the request of Kim Chee Kooh and inherits Churl Kwon Do on Kim Chee Kooh's death. Albert Church then meets with and trains under Siyogo Kuniba, third generation headmaster of the Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Seishan Kai. He trains with him until 1969 and is awarded Shihan Ranking. He returns to the USA and teaches and popularises his system of Nippon Kamishin Ryu Kobudo and Shorinji Tetsuken Kempo.

Nippon Kobudo Kamishin Ryu

The system that Albert Church created was known as Kamishin Ryu Aiki-Ju Jutsu and Shorinji Tetsuken (Toraken) Kempo. The Kamishin Ryu lineage in America has been divided since the death of Albert C Church in 1980 with one branch calling itself Ko Kamishin Ryu to distinguish itself from the other branches which include names such as Shorinji Kempo Shina Karate Do & Kamishin Ryu Te. The style is also known as Nippon Kobudo Kamishin Ryu. Literally Japanese (Nippon) Old (Ko) Martial (Bu)way (Do) Divine (Kami) Heart/Spirit (Shin) School (Ryu). To find out more about Albert C Church, Nippon Kobudo Kamishin Ryu see here: http://www.kamishin.com/modern3.html

British Kempo Association

In England during the early to mid 1990's we were fortunate to be able to train under Shihan Brian Walsh the President of the British Kempo Association and founder of Kodai Ryu which has divisions for Jutsu, Kobu-Jutsu, and Kempo Jutsu. These arts had part of their origins in Shorinji Tetsuken Kempo and Nippon Kamishin Ryu Kobudo.