Southern Defense Martial Arts

Founder of Shindo-Munen tachiiai. He did not teach sitting techniques only standing, probably due to usage as a battlefield art. Taught the use of different kiai, unlike alot of iaido styles that are silent forms.

A practitioner of Shindo-Munen.

A practitioner of Shi Ba Luo Han Q'uan. A monk that fled the Fukien temple during its destruction. He was killed by bandits from a neighboring village.

Founder of Xinyiquan. The fundamentals of his style he based on his spear techniques that he was famous for. He started his training in Wushu at 13 and classical training before that. He became a court offical in Shanxi province. He encountered alot of corruption while in this position and was eventually pushed out of it. He then started traveling to polish his martial arts skills. He eventually stopped at the Shaolin temple and trained in Shaolin Wushu. Over 10 years that he spent at the temple he started refining what he knew and created Xinyi. He completed his creation after watching a cock fight and it inspired his finishing touches to the style. He taught the monks his style which they named Xinyi Ba. After leaving the temple he started his main quest of teaching his style. He was nicknamed "God of the Lance" or "Divine Spear." In his home village which he returned to he is seen as a guardian deity, primarily because of his defeating a band of bandits on his own that was trying to raid the town even though he was elderly by this time.

A practitioner of Egami-ryu.

A practitioner of Shindo-Munen. Ran the Shintomunenryu dojo. Was the 3rd head of the style.

Practitioner of Shinto Munen Ryu. He founded the Renpeiken dojo which was 1 of the 3 largest dojos in Edo during it's time. He was also the 4th soke of the style. He was nicknamed "Saito the Powerful." He was also 1 of the 3 greatest swordsmen of Edo. He was known as a loyal warrior, and because of his other studies he was also a very intellectual person. He was strong willed and held strong beliefs, and thus was a big advocate for the emperor about change for Japan. Sensei Yakuro had strong principles, and was well known for keeping his word and sacrificing himself to help those in need. He was also a big believer in strong mind over strong body. Because of all this he was always making friends and was highly reguarded by many. When he was over the Offical Seals section of the Bureau of Coinage, a fire erupted and he was burned badly trying to save some of the public records while escaping. Below is some of the wisdom he would impart on his students:

A practitioner of Black Crane and Eighteen Fist Monk Boxing. Helped finish Qiniang Fang's training after her father was murdered.

A practitioner of Xinyi. When joining the military he received the highest scores out of all the candidates. Because of this he was appointed head superintendant by the emperor over one of the provinces. He died of hypothermia while directing troops in the relief effort of the flooding of the Han river. It is said he was also an imperial bodyguard which allowed him into the forbidden city.

A practitioner of Jikishinkage-ryu kenjutsu.

A practitioner of Egami-ryu.

Founder of Hokushin Muso-ryu. He adopted Chuzaemon.

Practitioner of Ono Ha. He was the 4th Soke of the style.

Founder of Shaolin White Crane. A female martial artist, her dad taught her the southern shoalin martial arts. After a confrontation with a Crane, which there were an abundance of in Fujian province, she started studing the bird, and combined the movements she learned from it with the martial arts her dad taught her. Hakutsuru and Sanchin kata's were developed from her style. One of the most notible stories was how she destroyed the gang that murdered her father using Shaolin White Crane. Though their is also a story that she became so enlightened that she abandoned her quest for vengence.

A practitioner of Black Crane and Eighteen Fist Monk Boxing. Helped finish Qiniang Fang's training after her father was murdered.

A practitioner of Shaolin Monk Fist. Taught at the Nine Dragon's Temple. Said to have Originated from Quanzhou city which is said to have been one of the original locations of the Southern Shaolin Temple.

A practitioner of Xinyiquan. He wrote the book "The Six Harmonies Fists." He sold vegetables for a living and primarily only taught the style to family. He was said to be a elegant and refined person. It is said that some of the movements of the style he learned by watching a alligator.

Founder of Shin no Shinto Ryu. He was a guard at Osaka castle. His curriculum consisted of 68 waza, which came from his original study of Yoshin Ryu.

A Practitioner of Jikishinkage-ryu kenjutsu. Was an instructor of the Shogunate's Military Training facility. Nicknamed "The gentlemen's sword" because of his respective behavior during competative matches. He was known to allow others to to score hits and win the first matches to get a feel for their skill and style. He was also known as Otani Nobutomo. He was also a student of Military strategy, the lance, and archery.

A Practitioner of Totsuka-ha Yoshin-ryu.

A Practitioner of Hokushin Muso-ryu. Father of Chiba Shusaku.

A Practitioner of Itto-ryu. Head of the Asari dojo until his son-in-law took it over. Beat Yamaoka Tesshu in a kenjustu match.

A practitioner of Ono-ha Itto-ryu.

A practitioner of Shindo Munen-ryu. He was from Nagaoka, where Japanese swordsmanship originated from. He was a Samurai and fought in many wars and battles until he was badly injured. He then went back home and took over one of his teachers dojo. From their he taught the Tokyo Police force and the Emperor's royal guard. He was one of the members that created Dai Nippon Teikoku Kendo Kata, though he was not a fan of kata. He had alot of notority for winning high profile competition bouts. He was also the 6th generation headmaster of Shindo Munen-ryu.

Practitioner of Muso-ryu. Father of Uchida Ryogoro.

Practitioner of Ono-ha Itto-ryu.

Practitioner of Kyushin-ryu jujutsu.

Practitioner of Shinto Muso-ryu Jo.

Practitioner of Tanimura-ha Jinsuke-Eishin or otherwise known as Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu and later as Goto Ha. His students were soldiers for the emperor during the Japan Restoration. He made alot of significant changes in the way the style was taught.

The founder of Goju-ryu Karate. He started his training in Tomari-te Naha-te as a young boy and because of his talent and determination rapidly progressed. No matter how severe the training he always seemed to train and push himself even harder passed the other students. He was a great athletic person and any sport or activity he would excel. From his training in Naha-te and the training he received during his trips to China, He blended them together to form the hard soft style karate he named later Goju-ryu. A bit part that is seen in his system is the motions of the Rokkishu, a set of hand exercises that emphasize the rotation of the arms and wrists for attack and defense. This can be seen mainly in the Tensho kata. Sensei MIyagi's system of Goju-ryu was the first style recognized by the Dai Nippon Butokukai Organization and he introduced Karate into many streams of life in Japan. He revised the Sanchin kata for the harder part of the system. The Suparinpai kata is said to contain the full syllabus of his teachings. His favorite kata especially in his later years was Shisochin. He also created the katas Gekisai Dai Ichi and Ni. It was his goal to make Karate's (especially Naha-te) status equal the status of Judo and Kendo in Japan. For this he traveled and taught alot from Okinawa, Japan, China, and even Hawaii. Sensei Miyagi was also one of the first teachers to teach kata in a specific order and under a curriculum. He also created power building exercises to promote health and build strength. Thus the age old tradition of shaolin ironshirt is known to still reside in his system, especially in the sanchin kata. The Original Karate Kid movie's character Mr. Miyagi played by Pat Morita was inspired by Sensei Miyagi as the name suggests. The screen writer was a student of Goju-ryu. Below is a quote from Sensei Miyagi:

Practitioner of Nagaoka Han Den Shindo Munen Ryu. Was the last headmaster of the of Nagaoka Han Den branch.

Practitioner of Shinto Munen Ryu. Son of Saito Yakuro. He was also the 5th head of the style.

Practitioner of Shinto Munen Ryu. Son of Saito Yakuro. Brother of Saito Shintaro.

Creator of the Whooping crane style. One of Xie Zhongxiang's teachers.

A practitioner of Ba gua Zhang. He was also a Taoist monk. Was a firm beleiver in the figure 8 step and circular footwork. Would use rice to condition the hands. His name was probably his religious name and not his birth name. It is interesting that if you put his and Shang Tao-yuan's names together with his name last that it reads "If the way is clear, why know the origin." This may indicate a lesson instead of the teachers actual names.

A practitioner of Ba gua Zhang. He was also a Taoist monk. Was a firm beleiver in the figure 8 step and circular footwork. Would use rice to condition the hands. His name was probably his religious name and not his birth name. It is interesting that if you put his and Shang Tao-yuan's names together with his name last that it reads "If the way is clear, why know the origin." This may indicate a lesson instead of the teachers actual names.

A practitioner of Xingyiquan. Second son of Dai Longbang. He taught his family the family style of Xingyiquan as his fathers wish for a long time, outside the family he only taught Li Luoneng after seeing how much dedication he had to wanting to truly learn.

A practitioner of Shinto Muso-ryu Bojutsu. He was the creator of gendai budo Uchida Ryu Tanjojutsu. He trained in all manners of the Samurai martial artsand excelled in each. He created a set of Tanjo kata based on Shinto Muso-ryu. After his death the kata's were renamed to Uchida Ryu. Alot of his teaching was influenced by the walking sticks that was popular during the time that was influenced by the western world. There is a bit of a difference in the modern way of teaching the walking stick and the traditional way, such as the way it is held. He also taught caligraphy.

A practitioner of Shinto Muso-ryu. A teacher of Nakayama Hakudo. Lived in Tokyo.

A practitioner of Shindo Munen-ryu. A teacher of Nakayama Hakudo. He was a count and a member of Japan's first political party. He was born into a middle ranking Samurai clan. He was part of the group that overthrew the Shogun regime in the Meiji Restoration. After the Meiji goverment took power, he left them and started pushing for a more democratic goverment, which appealed to the dissatisfied Japanese that were unhappy with the change from the Shogunate or was unhappy with the crushing taxes and high prices they were having to pay. because of this push he was almost assassinated in 1882.

A practitioner of Muso Shinden Eishin-ryu. He was also an activist in the democratic rights groups. He was a samurai and later in life became a christian.

A practitioner of Tanimura Muso Shinden-ryu. A teacher of Nakayama Hakudo.

A practitioner of Goju. A carpenter by trade.

A practitioner of Goju. Helped setup the Ristumeikan university karate club. He was also Sensei Miyagi's demo partner for the Japanese prince in 1935. He was also a police officer.

Also known as Ryu Ryu Ko. Practiced White Crane kungfu. Many of his students founded Okinawan styles of Karate. Taught the Sanchin kata. He learned his kungfu at the Southern Shaolin Temple in the mountains of Fujian province. He was one of the first masters of Ming he quan. At first he taught at his home, but later with the help of his student Wai Xinxian started teaching the public.

A practitioner of Kungfu. Lived in the Fujian province and was an assistant instructor and student to Xie Zhongxiang.

A practitioner of Bojutsu. Teacher of Shichiyanka Chinen

A practitioner of karate. He was also a practitioner of Jigen-ryu Kendo and archery. He was also a scholar. Him and Sensei Itosu would often have arm wrestling matches with each other and studied together under Soken Matsumura. These arm wrestling matches differ from here in the US, you do not support the elbow, you are locking wrist to wrist in a way that you are in the same position as the inside block. He also defeated Yorin Kanna unarmed while Kanna attacked him with a live blade. Sensei asato and Sensei Itosu once fought together against 20-30 men. It seems his passion was Jigen-ryu Kendo as he loved the sword work. His home was his dojo and everywhere throughout the home was different types of training equipment. Someone staged a breakin to test him, and the intruder was very fast and agile. The intruder got away. Below is the story relayed by Gichin Funakoshi:

A practitioner of Pa Gua. It was such well known that he was good at martial arts, even bandits would evade the village where he lived. He traveled China to learned everything he could about martial arts. He brought Pa Gua to the public attention when he got to Beijing. He sent out an open challenge to all who wished to try and defeat him. He was never defeated. There is a famou battle between him and Guo Yunshen, that ended in a draw and cross training between the two's students due to the mutual respect they had for each other and each others styles.

A practitioner of Xingyiquan. He went by name names and was nicknamed Divine Fist Li. He was turned down by his Seifu at first, but he had so much determination that he started a farm close by and delivered vegetables for free to his Seifu, Persuading his Seifu to start his training. He popularized the art of Xingyi. He introduced different variations over time to the art, such as replacing the Splitting fist with a palm strike. The story goes to how he got his nickname that he was invited in front of the emperor for a showing. The emperor asked what his strongest techniques were, and Seifu Neng-jan said he wished to try a demonstration. The emperor granted this and Seifu Neng-jan told him to place the 4 bodyguards around him, and he would send each in a different direction. The demonstration started and as the bodyguards went to attack all at once Seifu turned his body swiftly all the way around and sent each bodyguard in different directions. The emperor saw this and gave him the nickname.

A practitioner of Xingyiquan. He beleived in the Xingyi teachings of mastering a few techniques instead of more techinques and less proficiency. He was nicknamed "The Steadfast" because of his legendary mastery of half step beng quan technique. His teachings was based on the Three truths, three capacities, three methods, and the single/double weight notion. This was done during Santishi stance practice. His students were to stand still for three years before learning forms. It was said that he would also have a student hold the San Ti posture until a puddle of sweat formed at his feet. Seifu Yunshen spent some time in prison for killing a man. It is possible that the Prison cell scene in the movie "The One" with Jet Li is based on a story of how Seifu Yunshen developed his half-step bengquan technique. Also it could be that the Episode of "Kenichi: The Mightest Deciple" where he works on his footwork to and from school could be based on another story of how Seifu Yunshen developed his technique.

Pracitioner of Kungfu. Opened up a school in Fuzhou, China. He had many known students.

Pracitioner of Kungfu. He was a teacher of Shu Shiwa.

Founder of Shindo Yoshin-ryu. He was a very accomplished samurai during the Tokugawa period. He opened his first dojo in 1858. Though he had to hand it over to a student 2 years later to go teach kenjutsu at the military academy. He resumed his dojo 2 years later. He founded his system of Jujitsu because he believed that the other jujitsu schools had lost there military effectiveness so he combined his knowledge and started putting his system together, though he had to perform his duties for his clan during political dismay and put it on hold for a while. performing his duties he was wounded in the back and went into hiding for the new government that took hold did not care for loyalist of the old regime. Once healed he opened a new school and continued working on his system of jujitsu. As he needed income he also opened up a bone-setting clinic beside the dojo. About 10 years later he was able to come out of hiding as he was given amnesty from the goverment. His school became quite popular and he had thousands of students. He also was undefeated in challenge matches during this time.

A practitioner of Ono-ha Itto-ryu Kenjutsu. He was a instructor at a military encampment and also ran a small dojo. He was the grandfather of Takano Sasaburo. He was also known for his unusual training methods like putting beans on the dojo floor, practising on slopes, in the water, or at night, etc.

Founder of Itto Shoden Muto-ryu Kenjutsu. He was a Samurai during the Bakumatsu period. He played a hand in the Meiji Restoration and is said to have even been responsible for saving lord Tokugawa's life. He started his training at age 9. He showed great dedication and talent in the martial arts and wasknown for his swordsmanship and caligraphy. The last 7 years of his life was spent in meditation and in maintaining the style of "no-sword." He had a very competitive person and was known as "Demon Tesshu." Below is a few stories and Tesshu's death poem:

A practitioner of Shingane Yagyu Ryu Taijutsu. He was the 5th generation head instructor.

The founder of Judo. He invinted the ranking system and was the start of the white and black belts. He was a director of primary education and president of the Tokyo Higher Normal School. He was a driving force for making Judo and Kendo part of the Japanese public school system. Sensei Jigoro was also the first asian member of the International Olymipic Committee and later inducted into the IJF hall of fame. What he didn't learn from his teachers he learned from self study. Below are some quotes from Sensei Jigoro:

A practitioner of Aikijutsu. He was a soldier, and later a shinto priest.

A practitioner of Karate and Kobudo. Taught the bo, eku, kama and sai. He was known for his hard hands. There is a story that while drunk, he challenged a friend saying he could tear the bark off a tree faster than his friend with a sickle. Sensei Agena won this bet. He died in a fight with Kyan Chotoku.

The Founder of Shotokan Karate and attributed as the father of modern karate. Sensei Funakoshi was one of the Okinawan masters that took karate to the mainland of Japan and was the head of the Japan Karate Association. His original family name was Tominakoshi. Shotokan was named after his pin name Shoto, which means Waving pines. It came from his studies of Shuri-te and Naha-te. It was formulated by Sensei Funakoshi's students when they placed a sign above the dojo reading Shotokan (house of Shoto). Though he passed his medical exams, he was unable to attend medical school due to his families opposition to the abolition of the Samurai topknot. He was an avid poet and knew the classical Chinese and Japanese philosophies and teachings, and was known to go for long walks in the forest to meditate and write poetry. Sensei Funakoshi is also attributed with the changing of the meaning of karate from Chinese hand to empty hand, as it had been refered to in Okinawa. This chaning of meaning sparked recoil and controversy which may be why he stayed on mainland Japan afterwards. Sensei Funakoshi published many books including Ryukyu Kempo: Karate-do, Karate-do: My way of life, Niju kun, The twenty guiding principles of Karate, and Karate-do Kyohan. Sensei Funakoshi helped overcome the the prejudices against karate from the artist of Japan that beleived if it wasn't pure Japanese Jutsu then it was a savage art. His favorite kata was the Naihanchi kata though he taught 5 pinan, 3 naihanchi, kusanku sho, kusanku dai, seisan, passai, wanshu, chinto, jutte and jion. Sensei Funakoshi also beleived in the old way of 3 years practice of one kata. He was a peaceful man. His 5th dan that he is accredited with was the highest belt rank at the time that he received it. Below is an Quote about Sensei Funakoshi and the parable of A man of Tao and a little man:

A practitioner of Muso Shinden-ryu. The only person to receive 10th dan and master instructor in kendo, iaido, and jodo from the All Japan Kendo Federation. He was the 7th Soke in Shindo Munen-ryu. He trained many top kenjutsu practitioners of his day. In the mid 1920's he was one of the most famous swordsmen in Japan. He was able to cut an iron bar about the size of a persons finger in one stroke with a new blade, and was a big supporter of new blades made in traditional fashion. He was a poet and caligrapher, and was very wise in his thinking and interpretations of bushido. He created the five iai kata of Gunto Soho. He had thousand's of students and was a big help of the popularization of kendo. He was also one of the many martial artists to help lift the ban of martial arts practice in Japan after the war. He wrote a book called Kendo Tebikiso. His nickname was "The god of kendo."

A practitioner of Goju. Was known as "The Cat of Goju." He was known as a great contributer of the spread of Goju through mainland Japan. He mixed the practice of Shinto and Yoga with his style of Goju, and was seen as a controversial figure for this, wartime activities of a propoganda and intellegence officer, and the size of his school even though his time was limited in the study of Sensei Miyagi's Goju-ryu. Despite this he is seen as an equal by the peers he kept ties with in Goju including Sensei Miyagi's senior student Yagi Meitoku. He ran a school before world war II and during he was stationed overseas and was kept for a time as a prisoner of war at a hard labor camp in Mongolia, during this his student So Nei Chu took over running the school. When Sensei Yamaguchi returned home from the war he opened a new school in one of the rougher areas of Tokyo, saying this was the best way to test the effectiveness of his karate. Other than sparring he taught the kata's Sanchin, Tensho and Suparimpei. He headed the Goju-ryu Oranization in Japan after Sensei Miyagi's death. Many Okinawan practitioners did not like this and asked that Sensei Yamaguchi step down from that position. With this the organization broke apart into 2 factions, and Sensei Yamaguchi headed one. He had a book called "Karate. Goju-ryu by the Cat." It is said he was very rough on his students during training, but was a very warm guy overall and would take care of them. He was a big advocate on free sparring. There are many legends and stories about him.

A practitioner of Yoshin Ryu Jui-jitsu.

A practitioner of Shin no Shinto-ryu.

A practitioner of Hozoin-ryu sojutsu and Jikishinkage ryu sojutsu.

A practitioner of Jikishinkage Kenjutsu. He was a personal guard of Japan's last two Shoguns. He was instrumental in preserving traditional swordsmanship after the fall of the last Shogun. Though he was opposed to sword fighting as a sport, his work would lay the foundation for sport Kendo. He was a professor at the Shogun Military Academy. He helped create the forms for Keishicho-ryu. He was one of 3 sword masters that attempted the Helmet breaking technique before the Meiji Emperor, and he was the only one that could accomplish the technique. His sword blade was still intact after the cut.

A practitioner of and Yoshin-ryu Jujitsu. One of the best jujitsu practitioners of the Bakumatsu period. It was his school that was victorious in the 1886 tournament that is held in debate as the tournament of Judo vs. Jujitsu.

Founder of Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujitsu. Traveled the Country and competed in many competitions. It is said he was never defeated. He stressed the importance of striking techniques after a battle with a large number of assailants. He was a teacher for the Tokugawa clan. At one time his dojo was the most popular school of it's time. He is said to have taught over 5000 students. He was also a spiritual man, telling his students to not drink in excess or not to surrender to uncontrolled lust. He did not beleive in stength, but relied on technique.

A Founder of Hokushin Itto-ryu Hyoho. He was one of the last Kensei's. Some consider him the strongest and greatest swordsman of history. He was started by his father, who wished him to follow in the family tradition and be a Samurai. This is based on his well documented life and duels. He took over his father in laws dojo for awhile, then when they had a falling out he left and started his Musha Shugyo, training and challenging many other kenjutsu dojo's. It is said he never lost a duel. He was said to be a kind man and would normally let his opponent win 1 of the 3 matches so they would not lose face in front of their students. Losing face by losing all 3 matches usually resulted in the person losing his students. He started teaching the Takugawa family for awhile. He created his form of swordsmanship by taking what he learned and cutting out the fat, it was said if it takes 6 years to learn iaido, it took 3 to learn Hokushin. He included Kenjutsu, Battojutsu, Naginatajutsu and Jujutsu in his system. When he opened up his own dojo, it is said to be one of the most famous schools in Japan, like his brothers. The Hombu was destroyed in the Kanto earthquake of 1923. There is said to be a plague with ihs and his students names on it, the students list contains around 3,600.

A practitioner of Hokushin Itto-ryu.

A practitioner of Itto-ryu and Sojutsu. Had a big effect on teaching the strength of body, mind, and spirit. He was a Confucian with strong beleif. He died at an early age by drowning.

A practitioner of Nakanishi Itto-ryu and a Zen philosopher. He was the 12th head of Nakanishi Itto-ryu. It was said he was so well versed in swordsmanship and the mental state of swordsmanship, that one of his students during sparring he would push back to the back of the dojo, out the door and knock them down in the street, then turn around and close the door before the student was able to get up and back in. He was said to defeat you with his spirit because it was so strong.

A practitioner of Daito-ryu. He was a Shinto priest and a master of yin-yang divination. He was the chief priest of the Aizu Ise Shrine.

A practitioner of Yamaguchi Ha Itto Ryu. The art in it's entire form died with him.

A practitioner of Shindo Munen Ryu Kenjutsu. He was said to have many stories and insights into the art of swordsmanship. He influenced Nakayama Hakudo's movement to Shindo Munen Ryu after the defeat of a Maeda clansman.

A Quanfa practitioner. He is known for his influence in the development of many of the major karate styles. He was also an official in the Okinawan royal court. He was also known for doing a karate demonstration for a chinese ambassador during the time that Sensei Matsumura Soken, Sensei Itosu, and Sensei Asato where active in the arts. Sensei Aragaki was known for teaching the katas Unshu, Seisan, Shihohai, Sochin, Niseishi, and Sanchin as well as kobudo katas Arakaki-no-kun, Arakaki-no-sai, and Sesoku-no-kun. Some consider the closest taught style to Sensei Aragaki's to be Chito-ryu, though many of his students became practioners of Goju-ryu. Sensei Aragaki had many nicknames, he was called The Cat for his jumping kicks and cat like reflexes, Kama-de-unchu because of his seizing and holding ability, and Unchu because of the kata that he passed on.

A practitioner of Kungfu. Also was renown for his Confucianism knownledge. He was nicknamed Hardfist Taitei. Studied under Wai Xinxian.

Practitioner of the Motobu family style Goten-te. Father of Choyu and Choki Motobu. Ancestor of Prince Sho Koshin, who was the 6th son of King Shot Shitsu.

Father of Chotoku Kyan. He had some knownledge of te. He taught his son Okinawan Sumo and probably the basics before turning his sons karate teaching over to others. He was the steward to the last king of the Ryukyu kingdom before it became part of Japan. He was against the takeover of Okinawa by Japan.

A practitioner of Tomari-te. He practiced the kata Passai, Rohai, Wanshu, and Naihanchi. The version of Passai he practiced today would be called Oyadomari no Passai and is seen in some versions of Matsubyashi Shorin-ryu Karate.

A Practitioner of Martial arts. He was skilled with the turtle shell shield and blade, the Bo staff, and the Sai. He also had knowledge of the pressure points. He taught the kata Wansu.

A practitioner of Kobudo. Teacher of Sanda Chinen.

A practitioner of Kobudo. Teacher of Sanda Chinen. Also known as Chinen Peichin. Father or uncle of Sanda Peichin

A practitioner of Martial Arts. Taught the weapons Nicho kama, suruchin, tenbi, and tekko-jutsu. Grandfather of Shinkin Taira.

while a boy because he was so skinny and small he was nicknamed Scarecrow. Because of this he was picked on and bullied and decided to make his mind and body strong. This started his training in Karate and Kobudo. later on he would create the Ryukyu Kobujutsu Research Association to promote and popularize kobudo in mainland Japan. He was also known for his story telling, and would mesmerize his students with stories of Okinawan Budo warriors of the past. He was also known for pushing himself further in his training, whether it be working his armed by traveling around his home by the iron railing attached to the ceiling around his house, or wearing iron clogs all day to strengthen in legs. Sensei Yabiku was a spiritual man, who would never speak bad about another person, and did not drink nor smoke.

A practitioner of Shorin-ryu karate. He helped with the evolution of Shorin-ryu. He helped Sensei Itosu introduce karate into the school system. He was a gym teacher. He was also one who noticed the changes taking place in karate especially with the kata's being taught on mainland Japan, and was an advocate to keep the kata's unchanged in there original forms. He was also a member of Okinawa Karate Kenkyu club. He was said to have practiced a kata called Ryusan. Sensei Hanashiro is the author of the book Karate Shoshu Hen. One of his best friends was Kentsu Yabu. Sensei Hanashiro passed away during the Battle of Okinawa.

A practitioner of karate. He had a large influence on karate especially versions of Shorin-ryu. He was a child of small stature and had asthma and was frequently sick, he also had poor eye sight and was nicknamed squinty eyed Chan or small eyed Chan. It is noted that his father may have started his training in Tegumi, a style of okinawan wrestling. His grand father is rumored to have had him do exercises every morning and Sensei Kyan had to do them a certain way and perfectly as his grandfather wanted nothing but perfection from him. From there he started his training in karate in Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Sensei Kyan was in attendance at the 1936 meeting that the term karate was standardized. Sensei Kyan died after surviving the Battle of Okinawa from fatigue and malnutrition. It is said that he would often give his food to the children because of the scarce supply at the time which may have attributed to his malnutrition. It is said he was challenged often and had to fight often but never lost a fight. He was said to win the fights not with strength but with great evasion and defense, then immediately counter-attacking There is a story of Sensei Kyan that when he was around 40 he came across a big wrestler bullying some smaller men of the village. When Sensei Kyan reproached him about this behavior the man challenged him knowing he knew karate, but because he was a smaller man that he would not be able to use this against him. When they met to fight Sensei Kyan put his back to the river and as the man charged him Sensei Kyan evaded and with one kick sent the man flying into the river. Sensei Kyan was also a good dancer and would also teach his students the traditional Okinawan festival dances. It was his beleif that these dances were related to karate and others shared this view. He also beleived that to be a great karateka you had to experience life to the fullest. His best friends were his two favorite students, Ankichi Arakaki and Taro Shimabuku and were often with him day or night. He stressed constant practice to become better and not getting rusty. This is shown in Sensei Kyan's practice of doing demonstrations even in his older age, where alot of other masters would have their head students do the demonstrations instead. Sensei Kyan stressed Anaku, Wanshu, Chinto, Passai, Kusanku, Seisan, and Gojushiho katas in his teaching. It is also stated that he would practice and have his students practice without a top. This allowed viewing of the muscle movements and allow him to tell if someone was using the correct muscle sequence in their kata and techniques.

A practitioner of Shorin-ryu Karate. He was a leiutenant in the Japanese Army. It has been said that he won over 60 lethal karate battles while in the service and lost none during the Japans war with China. In one such case he had killed a fellow soldier with a palm strike, and because it was an open hand technique he was cleared of the charges. This story is most interesting since he was an expert in Open hand techniques. He was one of the first to teach karate in Hawaii. He was also one of the first school teachers to teach karate in Okinawa. He was known for his militarist teaching, such as lining up in rows and teaching by numbers. There is another story in which he defeated Choki Motobu. Though it is not certain if it was in a karate match or if it may have been wrestling, Sensei Yabu loved wrestling and would often compete when he had a chance. His favorite katas were Gojushiho and Naihanchi, and beleived that students should do 10,000 kata a year.He also had met with Sensei Nagamine, and told him to preserve the Okinawan kata's, as kata was undergoing rapid change in Japan. He had a strong will and even when he was fighting tuberculosis and was no longer the man he once was, his strong will and self-discipline were still evident. He also did taught in America in the 1920's in Los Angeles, California at the American-Okinawan Club, before the first Karate school was opened in America.

A pakua practitioner. He was a famous fighter and teacher. One story about him tells how he killed one of his students who attacked him while he was in bed. His nickname was "Invincible Cobra Cheng."

A practitioner of Hsing-i Chuan. He was a liberal teacher and coordinated all forms of chinese boxing with Hsing-i.

Champion fighter in the Hsing-i and Pakua styles. Sensei T'sun-Yi was famous all over China, having over 5,000 students. He was also the head of a business that provided security to merchant caravans. He was said to practice the kata Go Pei Sho.

A practitioner of Xing Yi Quan Gungfu. A student of Guo Yunshen and teacher of Sun Lu T'ang.

A practitioner Tenjin Shinyou Ryu Jujutsu.

A practitioner of Pangai-noon Gungfu. He was a teacher and Medicine peddler in Fujian, China. He may have had connections with the group that overthrew the Qing dynasty and restored the Ming dynasty. He was known to have served at the Shaolin temple in Foochow, China. Seifu Shiwa was also known to dress as a Taoist priest. He had many nicknames. It was known that he knew each of the 5 Shaolin styles and had excellent technique with the tiger's talon. He was very artistic and was known for his medical elixirs. His style was to use the hard techniques for attack and soft techniques for defense. He was said to be very strong and could hold a person on each arm by his fingertips. He placed heavy emphasis on fingertip training. He taught 3 kata, Sanchin, Seisan and Sanseiryu. The single knuckle strike, spearhand strike, pointed toe kick, and circle block were signature techniques to his style.

A practitioner of Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin-ryu Jujutsu. 2nd headmaster of Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin-ryu Jujutsu. Driven by the unarmed contests and popularity of Judo, Inose took the style to structure more like the way of the judo schools, away from the Military style dojo that his Sensei prefered. With this self-defense techniques that were more dangerous were either altered or abandoned. This was also a financial directive since the old samurai class and culture deminishing with the times and would allow survival to the schools since the old ways were no longer neccessary. The old battlefield combat ways were being pushed aside for the new sport competition. This proved a good move for Sensei Motokichi as he kept the dojo going.

A practitioner of Kendo. Could be considered one of the fathers of Kendo. Sensei Takano was around kenjutsu from the time he was born and started his training when he was 3 by his grandfather. By the time he was 5 he could demonstrate the 50 Itto-ryu kenjutsu basic kata. He was trained using beans on the floor, practicing on slopes, at night, in the water and other methods. By the time he was 18 his swordsmanship was excellent. Even with his skill he was defeated by Okada Sadagoro in a kenjutsu match. Though he never gave in the match was stopped because Sensei Takano's hakama was covered in blood. He was humiliated by this and plotted revenge on Okada, so he left for Tokyo to train as hard as he could with another Sensei. 2 months after his training began with his new Sensei he left to get his revenge, only to be turned down for a rematch by Okada. After his grandfathers death he went back home and ran his grandfathers business and probably his dojo. In 1886 by recommendation of his second Sensei, he became a kendo instructor and police officer at Motomachi police station. They say his training was very severe. Him and his students often competed and he became one of the best schools in the area. As he moved around afterwords with the police department and teaching at different police stations he finally opened up his own dojo where his fathers business had previously been and left work for the police. As the Butokukui was founded Sensei Takano became part of it and won many competitions, and was awarded Seirensho, which is an honor only about 15 people have. He then opened up his school in another area and continued winning competitions and doing demonstrations. He then was awarded a Katana and later a gold metal from the emperor. When Kendo became a public school subject Sensei Takano was asked to come and was awarded a position almost immediately. He had a big part to play in the structure of Kendo Curriculum. He was the only normal school kendo speciality instructor in Japan. He continued teaching until he was forced to resign when the war broke out. He always wanted to train people to be better phsyically and mentally He also wrote the book Kendo Kyohon.

A practitioner of Naha-te Karate. Also known as Higashionna West. He was the founder of Naha-te karate. He was said to be a strong child as he often helped his father gather wood. His family was known merchants that carried firewood from Naha to Northern Okinawa. He was also known for his speed. He started studing Luohan Quan when he was 13. In the 1870's he went to Fujian to study Southern White Crane Gungfu and other chinese styles. Though it took time once in China for him to start studing, it was custom for an instructor to study you before hand to see if you had the correct personality and temperment. Sensei Ryu Ryu Ko taught him as a favor for saving his daughter from drowning during a flood. In the 1880's he returned and later started teaching martial arts. Sensei Kanryo's style of hard/soft was unique. Sensei Kanryo was said to have a very powerful Sanchin kata. He was known also for his grip which came from Niri-game practice. It is said that Sensei Kanryo never fought unless it was necessary, he had promised his Sensei Ryu Ryu Ko that he would never fight to show skill. Because of his speed and power he was nicknamed "Sacred Fists." Before he started teaching in the Okinawan schools, he taught the same way he was taught, and most people could not handle the harsh training. He was also noted for his technique's with the straight sword. Below is some of the old way of Sanchin Kata when it was performed by Higaonna Kanryo:

A practitioner of Karate and Kobudo.Was known for his bojutsu skill.

A practitioner of White Crane Kungfu. He traveled to Naha Village to teach in 1912. He was also known as Go Kenki. His main profession was a tea trader. It is said that he had a major impact on Shito-ryu and Goju-ryu karate as he was great friends with Kenwa Mabuni and Chojun Miyagi. He is also at times credited with bringing Bubishi to Okinawa. It is said his techniques can be seen in the kata's Hakutsuru , Hakucho , Haffa and Papuren.

A Practitioner of Goto-ha.

A Practitioner of Judo. He practiced very hard and he was a great competitor. He spent all his time teaching others and helping promote Judo. He is one of 3 people that was promoted to 10th Dan by the founder. He was also the youngest person promoted.

A practitioner of Kenjutsu and Sojutsu. He was of a Samurai family. He was also a Sumo Wrestler.

A practitioner of Kyoshin Meichi-ryu.

A practitioner of Kobudo. Was known for his knowledge of the Tonfa and Nunchuka. He was a student of Sensei Agena. Was also known as Chitodei Moshigwa.

A practitioner of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and Chinese weapons. Teacher of Shinko Matayoshi. He also taught tinbei-jitsu, Suruchin-jitsu, and Nunti-jitsu.

A practitioner of Ryuei-ryu Karate. He was raised in an area that had alot of Chinese immigrants. He later went to China to learn martial arts. He started out to learn for personal protection, but under his teachers influence he kept studing deeper into the art and military practices. After studing with his master for 7 years he got his mastery certificate and was give the books "Bubishi", "Hyoronshi", "Kokutski", "Kenyushin" and "Yojoho." Before leaving for home he took an oath to only teach secretly within the family because of the tense political times. He kept this oath only teaching his son. He taught these kata: Sanchin, Niseishi, Sanseirui, Seiunchin, Seisan, Pachu, Tensho, Kururunfa, Suparimpei, Ohan, Heiku, Paiku, Paiho 1, Paiho 2, and Annan.

A practitioner of Okinawan Karate. Was famous for his kata Ronchin. There is a Sai kata that bears his name.

A practitioner of Karate. He first learned the family art of Udun-ti. He later learned the arts of Shuri-te and Tomari-te. He is Choki Motobu's older brother. He succeeded Bushi Matsumura as Head Sensei to the Ryukyu king. His formal name was Inoha Aji Choyu. He knew up to 30 kata and was a very talented horseman. Sensei Choyu Motobu also loved art and dance. Sensei Choyu and with other Sensei's in the early 1920's started the the Okinawa Karate Kenkyu club. Sensei Choyu was the leading Sensei. He was known to have fast and powerfull leg work. Sensei Choyu and Sensei Choki are said to be two of the last ones to know Traditional Kumite, it is said that most Kumite known today is different that what was originally used. The Motobu Family has royal lineage back to the 17th century Ryukyu king Sho Shitsu. It is said that from the Udun-ti, Choyu learned to how be totally relaxed while fighting and would seem to be dancing, and as soon as someone would attack he would instantly throw them without breaking his stride.

A practitioenr of Karate. He started his learning under a guard of a chinese official. He later went to China with Nakaima Norisato and studied under Xie Zhongxiang. He taught and practiced the katas Niseishi, Sochin, and Unsu.

A practitioner of Liuhebafa. A Teacher of Wu Yihui. He taught Liuhe Bafa, Wei Tuo Gong, San Pan Shier Shi, 24 Daoyin, Sleeping Qigong and Chinese weapons.

A practitioner of Liuhebafa. A Teacher of Wu Yihui. His and Yan Guo Xing's training methods was said to be a good bit different.

A practitioner of Lu Hong Ba Shi. A Teacher of Wu Yihui. His father taught him and since he had no children of his own he taught Sensei Yihui. His style was combat oriented, and though it seemed simple on the surface was very indepth. He was a close friend of Yan Guo Xing.

A practitioner of LuiHe Gungfu and BaFa Gungfu. His teachings emphasized flowing techniques.

A practitioner of Xingyiquan and Tantui. Was known for his ability to break stones with hand techniques. He was said to be a man of great character. He was also a great fighter and the only known defeat he had was to Sensei Wang. After this match he became a student of Sensei Wangs.

The founder of Yiquan also sometimes called Da Cheng Chuan. Sensei Wang was known for his post standing postures which you would hold for hours. He got started in the martial arts for being a weak child, and because of this his parents sent him to learn xingyiquan. He later joined the military and got to travel and learned multiple systems. Below are some quotes from Sensei Wang:

A practitioner of Shotokan Karate. Third son of Gichin Funakoshi. He is credited with creating the foundation of todays Shotokan karate. He was a sickly child and started studying karate to help improve his health. When his fathers senior assistant passed away, he took the position to help his father. He helped develop the techniques of the style that separated it from the Okinawan styles. One example of this is the lower stances in Japanese style and where Okinawan arts are based for close range attacks Gigo worked on long distance attacks. Another example is the higher kicks emphasized in Shotokan. He also introduced the Kokutsu Dachi stance which he took from kenjutsu. This had part to do with Gigos study in Kendo and Iaido. Him and his father co-authored the books "Karate Do Kyohan" and "Karate Do Nyumon." He also introduced Free sparring into the art. In his Makiwara training he would often his with such power that he would break the makiwara in two. He is responsible for the creation of the Taikyoku kata, Wankan, and Ten no Katas. His kumite drills usually came from the Ten no kata. Sensei Gigo Funakoshi was also known to expect you to use twice the energy training than you needed in a real confrontation, to train you to be prepared if you ever needed it.

A practitioner of Goju-ryu. He wished for a Korea free of Japanese Occupation. This got him kicked out of school. He started weight training and boxing while in school, but when he was expelled he moved and joined a Karate Club. This training was mainly free sparring and the kata's Sanchin and Tensho. He took over the dojo while his teacher went away with the Imperial Army. At a competition he beat Gigo Funakoshi by litterly picking him up and tossing him across the room. Gichin Funakoshi said that it was against the rules, gathered his group and left. Some time after this Sensei Neichu got in trouble for his political views and was arrested. He became a buddist while in prison and when he got out he taught his students the spiritual as well as the physical. Up until his death he was always behind the scenes helping Goju-ryu expand and grow. He was a man of character and confidence.

A practitioner of Karate. Was also a bojutsu practitioner. A teacher of Uechi Kanbun.

A practitioner of Shorin-ryu Karate. Grandson of Soken Matsumura. He was taught the family style of karate and White Crane style. He only had one student who he passed his knowledge down to. He was a strict traditionalist, and also beleived that the martial arts was a family tradition and should only be kept in the family.

A practitioner of Shuri. Was a Samurai from the city of Nishihara. Kobudo teacher of Hohan Soken.

A practitioner of Shuri. Was known for his Bojutsu. Famous for his kata Tsuken-bo. He taught in Nishihara village. Kobudo teacher of Hohan Soken.

A practitioner of Uchinadi. He favored the practices of Sakugawa and Shikiyanaka. Sensei Sanda is best known as a innovator with his exercises of Shuji, Yonekawa and Shirotaru. His father also taught him Bo-jutsu.

A practitioner of Uhuchiku Kobudo. He also studied the kata Chinto. He may have lived around Tomari, Okinawa.

A Saijutsu Practitioner. Noted as a master in kobudo. Sensei Ufuchiku was a Police Officer in Okinawa. He was said to always carry a sai to direct his officers, VIP protection, and crowd control.

Born as Shinken Maezato he was set for adoption and later took on his mothers maiden name. He broke his leg and was buried alive in a cave in working in the mines when he was young man and had to dig his way out. Even after it healed he had a limp and was teased by coworkers for this saying he was good for nothing. This gave him the push to become a practitioner of karate and kobudo. When he was a child he was nicknamed rascal for his mischievous nature. He created the Kobudo katas Taira no Nunchaku and Maezato no Tekko. He also developed the Manji Sai. He created the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko-Kai organization to help with the promotion and to preserve the kobudo arts and heritage as a part of okinawan culture.

A practitioner of Tomari-te karate. He taught Wankan, Rohai, Wanshu, and Passai katas to Sensei Nagamine. He was also known to practice a version of Seisan kata. He was also known as Ihaguwaa of Haku. He is said to be a fierce fighter and supposable left a large scar on Sensei Choki Motobu's shoulder.

A practitioner of Okinawan karate. He is known for his aid in the development of Shorin-ryu. One of Sensei Nagamines teachers he was very important of the development of Matsubyashi-ryu. He was also Sensei Ansei Ueshiro's uncle. He started his training at an early age and was said to have had a deadly toe kick. The power and placement of this kick was known to possibley cause an aneurysm in possibly two cases. He died at a young age of 28 with a stomach ulcer.

Sensei Nagamine grew up in Tomari village in Okinawa. He was a small stature child. After contracting Gastroenteric disorder, he began his own diet and started training in karate. With this his health greatly improved and he was able to become leader of the school karate club and nicknamed Tenacious pine tree. From there as he continued his karate training he was drafted into the Japanese Army. Once discharged he then found a career as a police officer as he looked for ways to benefit society with his martial arts abilities. Once he retired he opened his own dojo and started teaching his type of Shorin-ryu called Masubyashi-ryu, which he named to honor Bushi Matsumura and Kosaku Matsumora. He was also an Assemblyman of Naha village. After resigning from his position while reading the book of five rings by musashi he decided to incorporate zen into his teaching. He continued his teaching and wrote two books, The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do and Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters.

Renown master of the Chinese internal arts. Sensei T'ang was also the creator of Sun-style t'ai chi ch'uan. He published many works on the internal Chinese arts. Originally born Sun Fuquan(The name has meaing of the child bringing good fortune to the family), His Paqua teacher gave him the name Sun Lu T'ang. He was a very intelligent child. His family were farmers, and after a bad harvest his father passed leaving him and his mother poor. His mother Got him a place to stay with a rich landowner. Sensei T'ang was bullied by the landowners son and the land owner was very harsh and looked for reasons to beat him. One day he was working the field and heard alot of yelling. He climbed a tree and saw an older gentleman teaching martial arts. He was fascinated by the and the next day went looking for the man to get him to teach him martial arts. Many of Sensei T'ang's published works is under his birth name. He also studied hsing-i ch'uan and Tai chi chuan. He was considered without equal in these styles even though he did not start studing Tai Chi until late in life. After 1914 he joined the Beijing Physical Education Research Institute and began to teach Tai Chi. Five of his books were Xingyiquan xue (A study of form mind boxing), Baguaquan xue (A study of eight trigrams boxing), Taijiquan xue (A study of grand ultimate boxing), Baguajian xue (A study of eight trigrams straight sword), and Quanyi Shuzhen (An explanation of the essence of boxing).

A practitioner of Tenjin Shinyo jujutsu.

A Practitioner of Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu and Samurai. He stressed technique over kata and formal exercise and would often prefer free-style sparring to better the technique.

A Practitioner of Kito Ryu Jujutsu. He was fond of "ran o toru", a free style method of practice, when teaching and training. He was an expert at kata and throwing. He was a man of fine character and lofty views. He had also instructed Kito jujutsu for the shogunate at the end of the Edo period.

A Practitioner of Shorinji Kenpo. Teacher of Shinko Ganiku. Lived in China.

A Practitioner of Shorinji Kenpo. Teacher of Shinko Ganiku. Lived in China.

A Practitioner of Karate. He used the makiwara, chishi, and nigiri-game to stengthen and develop muscles.

A Samurai Warrior and practitioner of Koryu Jujutsu. He was also a martial arts teacher in the Tuchiura clan.

A practitioner of Shindo Yoshin ryu, Jikishinkage-Ryu-Kenjutsu, and Onoha-Itto-Ryu. He was the head instructor at Genbukan dojo. He also taught physical education at Shimotsuma Middle School. He was also a Bone-setter.

A practitioner of Tenjin Shin'yo-ryu.

A practitioner of Shinkage-ryu and Yagyu Shingan Ryu Taijutsu. His dojo was in Sakai, Japan. You will see alot of the styles hand motion and footwork in Aikido. Though he was only a little over 5 foot tall, he was strongly built and had a great spirit of budo. He was desendant of the Yagyu family who were known for their sword work.

A practitioner of Kodokan Judo. Created his own version of momoguruma.

The founder of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu. His father was a Samurai of the Takeda clan. Sensei Takeda's grandfather was a master a Kenjutsu. Once old enough he started traveling and training at various dojos. He was a great swordsman and often ingaged in many duals with shinai and live blade during a time when those skills and training were starting to die out. As the banning of the Samurai and carrying of the sword, Sensei Takeda started leaning more towards the jujitsu arts. Afterwards he spent a great deal of time traveling and training in southern Japan perfecting his art. He was branded the nickname of "the little demon of Aizu" because of his spirit, ferocity, piercing eyes, and swordmanship. In his later years He traveled up and down Japan teaching. He taught up until his death in 1943. It is said he had taught around 30,000 students in his lifetime.

A practitioner of Okinawa Kobudo Matayoshi Kobudo. He practiced the bo, eku, kama, sai, tonfa, and nunchaku. He studied the Chinese martial arts and traveled to Shanghai. He demonstrated his kobudo skill to Prince Hirohito. After his death his son succeeded him as headmaster.Sensei Matayoshi was also known to study ba-jitsu (horse riding techniques), shuriken-jitsu, and nagenawa-jitsu (rope throwing), tinbei-jitsu, Suruchin-jitsu, Nunti-jitsu, Chinese Herbal medicine, and acupuncture. He also studied Shaolin Si Quan Fa in Fujian, China. He was nicknamed "Matayoshi the Kama."

A practitioner of Ryuei-ryu. He was taught the family style of karate from his father. He pledged to keep the traditions of the style to his father. He only taught his son and grandchildren the family style.

A practitioner of Okinawan Te. He was a very educated man and school teacher. He was interested in Herbal medicines. He practiced the Pinan and Naihanchi katas.

Founder of Tozan-ryu Shindokan Karate. He was Chief advisor to the All Okinawan Karate Association. He started studying Karate at the age of 15 with the influence of his grandfather. He was famour for his performance of the Ronchin kata. He also studied Sanchin and Naihanchi katas. He also picked up from the Motobu brothers free sparring and that kamae is formless, blocking is formless. Saying this means that fighting is not set, a person should move natural and relaxed. He also learned from them natural breathing. Sensei Kaneshima was also a big believer in meditation. Practiced the old way on a cusion cross-legged. Sensei Kaneshima also studied Ju-jitsu, Aikido, Kendo, and was also a practiced Accupuncturist. Sensei Kaneshima's Kobudo teachings consisted of Bo, Sai, and Tonfa. He beleived that a kata should start and end at the same point and be balanced. He also trained with Chi-ishi, sashi, and kame. Emperor Hirohito awarded Sensei Kaneshima as a National living treasure.

Founder of Seibukan Shorin-ryu Karate. He made his living as a baker and tatami maker. He opened a dojo out of his home after world war 2. He was president of the All Japan Karate-do Federation. He passed away from appendicitis.

A practitioner of Gotente Karate. While a child, his family fell on hard times and he had to quit school to help with the family business. While he would be out peddling other peddlers would bully and intimidate him. Because of this he took interest in learning karate. during his trips to peddle the family goods, he met Choyu Motobu and became his student. Sensei Motobu's training was unique. He would have Sensei Uehara punch himself in the abdomen for conditioning, to spinning on a balance beam. He would also have to jump from gravestones or walls to another while kicking, and scale walls. Sensei Uehara also had the basics of punching, kicking, and walking. He also got training in weaons, tuite, and horsemanship. Sensei Motobu would also do free attack training. As Sensei Uehara got proficent, he was charged with training other students, including Sensei Motobu's second son. Sensei Uehara moved to the Phillippines, while there he opened his own dojo. He was then drafted into the war where he was praised for many of his skills in combat. After returning to Okinawa after the war, he was a Kakure Bushi, a hidden martial arts master. Soon word from the phillippines about him came and people started asking him for instruction. He started by teaching fundamentals of udundi. Like his teacher he centered on sparring practice. No other dojo taught free attack sparring like him. He did not use prearranged drills. He was criticized for the difference in his style of fighting, because when he learned was prewar, and alot of what the other schools taught were picked up post war, saying what he taught was not karate, but once they saw his level of skill they changed their minds. In his later years he researched the relationship between dance and karate, finding alot of the old movement of karate tuite hidden in dance. Later on Sensei Uehara taught Choki Motobu's third son returning the art back to the Motobu family. He taught Kobudo for the Katana, Wakizashi, Naginata, Nagamaki, Yari, To, Chien, Suruchin, Nunchaku, and others. He later renamed the art Motobu Ryu Kobujutsu, to honor his teacher. Even until his death he was a force to be respected. He would often demonstrate on much younger practitioners from all forms of martial arts and bested them.

A practitioner of Tomari-te Karate. He was renowned for his powerful fist, as when he punched the ground it would sink in up to the wrist. He was nicknamed Tomari Bushi Kuniyoshi. Sensei Kuniyoshi taught the kata's Naihanchi, Seisan, Niseishi, Passai, Kusanku, Anan, and Seipa. He also taught kobudo such as Buki-no-kumigata.

A monk and practitioner of Xinyiquan and Qigong. Lived in the Shaolin Temple of Henan province.

A practitioner of Xingyiquan. He was a student of Guo Yunshen. It is beleived that this is where Zhai Wang learned the rest of his Xingyiquan since he was also his brother in law.

A practitioner of Southern White Crane Kungfu. One of Sensei Wang's teachers.

A practitioner of Southern White Crane Kungfu. One of Sensei Wang's teachers. It is said that some of his teachings(very little) can be found in Tai Chi Qigong.

A practitioner of Liuhebafa Kungfu. He was the first person to teach this style in public. Seifu Wu was also a scholar. This was because of his family being government officials. They tried to disuade his interest in martial arts but he secretly trained himself when he was able to. A friend of the family helped Seifu Wu by talking with his grandfather and showing him that the martial arts were rich in chinese culture. He was a good fighter and teacher who influenced many other martial artists. He was dispatched in the army after completing military school. Afterwards he became a school teacher. From here he began teaching Liuhebafa at the Shanghai youth center. Seifu Wu was dispatched to Vietnam when the Japanese war broke out. He was one of the instructors of the 4 Diamond Warriors of Yichuan. Seifu Wu became sick and went to see an accupuncturist who accidently punctured some nerves and Seifu Wu was paralyzed partialy for 5 years and was unable to train or teach. It is said he was a very humble man and content with his skill. Below is Seifu Wu's 4 difficulties in studying boxing:

A practitioner of Yiquan. Was the formal successor of Xiang Zhai Wang. While Sensei Wang was alive Sensei Yao was quite regularly his representative for the style at many martial arts exibitions and contests. Sensei Yao was a polite, modest, calm, and unhurried person. He was switch, had great control, and excellent technique. He was such a just man that he was often getting in conflicts with local gangs and thugs. One such gang was the 36 friends. His reputation for rightousness and punishing evil acts became so spread that most gangs would flee from him. Sensei Yao also furthered the study of Yiquan's internal arts and refined the physical arts. Because he wished to better pass down the style of Yiquan he wrote books about it later on in life.

Founder of Kyokushin Karate. He authored the book "What is Karate" and many others. Born in Korea he moved to Japan in 1938 following his brother who was going to attend aviation school. After world war 2 Sensei Oyama was very angry at the loss of many friends in the war, and was getting into alot of trouble because of it, after speaking with his current teacher, he went up Mount Minobu and built himself a shack on the side to clear his mind, meditate, and train. He took with him "The book of 5 rings." After opening his dojo, he went around the world giving demonstrations, including fighting and killing bulls with his bare hands. He had a reputation of being a rough teacher, often injuring students during training. In 1969 Sensei Oyama held the first full contact karate championships in Japan. This event took Japan by storm and is still held at 4 year intervals to this day. A well known student of his is Sonny Chiba. Sensei Oyama earned the nickname "Godhand" for his one blow kills while bull fighting. He was in 2 movies with his student Sonny Chiba, Champion of Death and Karate Bearfighter. The "Mr. Karate" character in the game SNK is based on Sensei Oyama. Below are 4 training tips from Sensei Oyama:

Founder of Kosho Shorei-ryu Kenpo Karate. He brought Kenpo to the US in the 1940's. Many Kenpo practitioners can tracer their lineage back to him. He was convicted of murder and died in prison from diabetes. Born in Hawaii Sensei Mitose was taken back to Japan to receive formal education. While there he trained in the art of Kenpo. At the age of 21 he returned to Hawaii. Sensei Mitose always claimed his art was Japanese and not Okinawan. After Pearl Harbor was attacked Sensei Mitose enlisted in the National Guard, but was discharged a few weeks later. After the war he taught Kenpo Karate to civilians to prepare them for an invasion. He was also known as an excellent healer. He only taught one kata, Naihanchi. He also used the Makiwara. His role in the murder charge is controversial. One of his students had killed a man and Sensei Mitose felt responsible. It is debated weather or not he had anything to do with the actual murder, but was imprisoned due to possible involvement as the/a conspirator. 2 of the edicated of his style are Do no harm and blend in with the environment. His religious beliefs were always tied to his martial arts, and often was at conflict.

Founder of Uechi-ryu Karate. In his early life he studied Bojutsu. He then went to China to learn martial arts and escape Japanese military enlistment. Once receiving his Certificate of mastery, He opened a dojo in China. After a dispute between one of his students and a farmer resulted in a death Sensei Uechi closed down his school and he returned to Okinawa and married. It took a long time before He would teach again, but eventually he did open up another dojo. He taught three kata, Sanchin, Seisan, and Sanseirui. He also use the kote kitae, makiwara, nigiri-game, and pushing hands into buckets of rocks.

A Practitioner of Uechi-ryu Karate. Father of Seiyo Shinjo. Was known for his incredibly fast kicks. He was a small agile man. His nickname was "Fast Kicker Seizen." Sensei Shinjo was a quiet man and would not quarrel with anyone. He was a close friend of Kanbun Uechi.

Practitioner of Uechi-ryu Karate. Son of Kanbun Uechi. He was instrumental in the growth of Uechi-ryu. For a long time his father would not teach Uechi-ryu, but when his father started back teaching Kanei started his training. He developed the Kanshiwa, Kanshu, Seichin, Seirui, and Kanchin kata plus Kyu Kumite and Dan Kumite drills to help new students understand the 3 primary katas. Sensei Uechi was President of the All Okinawa Karate-do Federation. He was a kind and gentle person.

A Practitioner of Matusmura Seito Shorin-ryu karate. He founded the Shorin-ryu Matsumura Seito Karate Kobudo Association. He learned Shorin-ryu from his uncle starting at the age of 13. The kata he was taught include Naihanchi shodan - Sandan, Pinan shodan and Nidan, Passai Sho and Dai, Chinto, Kusanku, Gojushiho, Sesan, Rohai Jo, Rohai Chu, Rohai Ge, and Hakutsuru. Sensei Hohan says that the most important kata in the style is Kusanku. He later went for more knowledge on his kobudo training. During this time he made a living and helped support his family by working the fields, pulling a rickshaw, and guarding fields from bandits. When he went to Argentina, he mainly worked as a photographer and laundry cleaner, but started his teaching to Okinawan Ex-patriots. When he returned to Okinawa he started teaching to family and then opened his dojo. At this time he called the style Matsumura Shuri-te. He later changed the name to what it is now known as. His ancestory and karate has direct lineage back to Bushi Matsumura, and is said to be without updates. Other styles of Shorinryu he says are genuine, but as other of Bushi Matsumura's student expanded their knowledge the kata's changed a bit. He also trained in two person techinques and conditioning and says especially after a full days work the training was very hard. Balance is a key element to his training, Sensei Hohan said of his training of balance would advance to a point where he had to do the Hakutsuru kata on a floating log that was tied in place so to not float down river. The weapons Sensei Hohan taught were the Bo, Tonfa, Kama, Sai, Nunchuka, kusarigama, and suruchin. Sensei Hohan was a firm advocate for the old ways and still taught that way. He also taught the Older Okinawan striking punch used for Ti striking preasure points. It was Sensei Hohans beleif also that you must be fast, as he would have said, be like the mongoose.

Practitioner of Karate. Yuichi Kuda's first teacher. An Okinawan that served in the Japanese Navy.

Founder of Chito-ryu karate which translates to 1,000 year old Chinese style. His style is actually a Japanese/Okinawan style. He has a long history in martial arts, his grandfather was Bushi Matsumura and Sensei Chitose grew up studing Karate and Kobudo in Okinawa during a time when it was still taught quietly. He later moved to Japan to study medicine. With this knowledge he refined his technique to be more effective and less destructive to the karateka practicing. He also combined elements from shuri, naha, and Tomari villages versions of karate. He spent most of his time in his younger years working on the Seisan kata, but also knew Sanchin and Niseishi. He could also walk on the coral and reverse himself while climbing trees. His next teacher would teach him the katas Saifa and Seipa. His next teacher would him Unsu and Wansu. Next he learned the Chinto and Kusanku katas from Sensei Chotoku. From Sensei Chomo he learned Jion, jitte, Shihohai, and Ryusan. During this time he continued his study of Kobudo, the way of old okinawan style grappling, and Judo. Later in life he became one of the Imperial guard but due to catching typhoid fever he had to return home. He also joined the Japanese Military as a Medical doctor. He was one of the members of the original All Japan Karate Do Federation and held multiple positions. He was also known to be very skilled in Okinawan dance. A conversation between Sensei Chitose and Sensei George Van Horne speaks of how in the years that Karate was banned, it was made to look like dance to keep from rousing suspicions. When Sensei Chitose got sick before his death, his students say he still came and worked with them when he was able to. Sensei Chitose wrote the book Kempo Karate Do: The Universal Art of Self-Defense.

A practitioner of Karate. He was Sensei Nagamine's first teacher.

Father of Ansei Ueshiro. Sensei Anho Ueshiro was his sons first karate teacher. He is also a descendant of the Okinawan Bushi warrior class.

A martial arts practitioner. One of Ansei Ueshiro's teachers.

A practitioner of Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu Karate. One of Ansei Ueshiro's teachers.

A practitioner of Hsing-i gungfu also known as Xing Yi Quan. He was a renowned fighting master and was known to know the internal arts of Chuan-fa, Hsing-i and Pakua and the external arts of Shaolin-chun and Hung-kun. He was T'ung Gee Hsing's uncle and teacher.

A practitioner of Chuan-fa gungfu. An ancestor of Hoy Yuan Ping, though there is a break in between them I am including him as Hoy Yuan Pings teaching line since it seems this may have been a family art. He is credited with the introduction of Chinese Kenpo into Japan. There is also evidence that this may be where the Pinan 1-4 kata's originate from, or at least the Ping's family version of these katas. I do beleive that at that time were probably called the Channan Kata's and the source of the book may have well been from the Ping family's system.

Uncle of Shimabuku Tatsuo. A practitioner of Shorinji Kenpo and a practioner of Fortune Telling. Sensei Ganiku was Sensei Shimabuku's first karate instructor teaching him the rudimentary principles. Learned when he was on exibitions to China.

A practitioner of Karate and Kendo. He introduced karate to Sensei Konishi.

Sensei Otsuka created the Wado-ryu style of karate. He began his training with his uncle who was a Samurai in Jujutsu. As he progressed his father took over his training and he trained under Shinzaburo Nakayama until the death of his father. After his fathers death he put his energy into his job, but he still trained and wanted to become a full time martial arts teacher. He would later continue his training again and get the certificate to teach in Shindo Yoshin-ryu jujutsu. From here he would begin his training in Shotokan karate. He would also open up a medical practice specializing in martial arts injuries. He also studied other types of karate, jujutsu, aikido, and kobudo. Because of a difference in thought, he broke away from Sensei Ginchin. He beleived that kata didn't work and the same as Sensei Motobu free sparring was needed. With this he introduced kumite, 1 step, and 3 step kumite drills. This would be the foundation that lead to karate tournament. Sensei Otsuka would also help develop the katas Idori No Kata, Tachi Ai No Kata and Shirahatori No Kata. Later in life the emperor would award Sensei Otsuka the Order of the Rising Sun, Fifth Class and the Soko Kyokujitsu-Sho medal for his contributions in karate. He would also write two books, Karate-Do volume 1 & 2. He would be the first to receive the Shodai Karate-do Meijin Judan from the Kokusai Budo. Here is a quote from Sensei Otsuka:

The founder of Shito-ryu Karate. Sensei Mabuni is another of the great teachers accredited with bringing karate to mainland Japan. Together with Morihei Ueshiba and Yasuhiro Konishi Sensei Mabuni helped develop the kata Seiryu to help teach self defense to women. Sensei Mabuni is also a desendant of the Onigusukini Samurai family. He was also great friends with Sensei Miyagi. As alot of the old masters, he was a small sickly child and it influenced the start of his karte training. He trained originally in Shuri-te and then Naha-te. Shuri-te gave him straight powerful techniques as seen in Naihanchi and Passai, while Naha-te gave him more circular motions and shorter fighting techniques as seen in Seipai and Kururunfa. Sensei Mabuni was espeically known for his knowledge of kata and their bunkai. For this he was much sought after as a great teacher. As he was a police officer he taught fellow officers and at the request of Sensei Itosu he also taught at grammar schools. It was his belief that karate should be taught to anyone that was honest and that had integrity. He originally called his style Hanko-ryu(half-hard style), but later changed it to honor its roots. He also developed the Meijo kata. It is said that when Sensei Itosu passed away that Sensei Mabuni looked after his grave and would go every day to practice his kata there for a year. As he began his teaching he started stressing free sparring and when a student wanted to learn more he would tell them to attack freely, and as he defended he would keep asking "do you now understand" all the while telling them to attack again. To gain acceptance on the mainland, Sensei Mabuni would often give demonstrations, including breaking bricks and boards to show the power of karate. Below is a quote from Sensei Mabuni pertaining to dedicated training:

The founder of Aikido. Sensei Ueshiba studied a multitude of martial arts. He was a weak child and his father often entertained him with stories of his great grandfather Kichiemon who was a very strong samurai. His father encouraged him to take up physical activities such as sumo and swimming. He witnessed his father attacked when he was a child. This probably greatly influenced him to learn martial arts. He also had a passion for religion, poetry, and art which was encouraged by his mother. During his lifetime he studied Goto-ha Yagyu-ryu, kenjutsu, Tenjin Shin'yo-ryu jujutsu, Judo, & Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. Sensei Ueshiba was called for military service but failed the physical exam for being too short. He over come this by attaching weights to his legs and hung from trees to stretch his spine. This allowed him to gain the 1/2 inch needed to join. He served in the Japanese Army and later was head of a pioneer settlement in Hokkaido. He joined a Shinto sect and there opened his first dojo. He then went on an expedition to Mongolia and was captured by Chinese troops and was sent back to Japan. Back in Japan he had a spiritual movement which increased his martial arts skill and opened a dojo in Tokyo. This awakening came after being unarmed he disarmed a Naval Officer of his Bokken without harming the Officer. During World war 2 this dojo was closed, but he continued training in another dojo he setup in Iwama. He was known as a kind and gentle person, but was also known to strict discipline of students. There are stories of him severly scolding students for practicing the bo on the trees without them padding the trees first. Sensei Ueshiba was always known for his hard training of himself and teaching others to do the same. Sensei Ueshiba also wrote The Secret Teachings of Aikido, Budo: Teachings of the Founder of Aikido, and The Essence of Aikido: Spiritual Teachings of Morihei Ueshiba. Below are some quotes from Sensei Ueshiba:

A practitioner of Okinawan-te. A teacher of Sensei Odo's.

A practitioner of Okinawan-te. A teacher of Sensei Odo's. Moved to Brazil in 1940.

A practitioner of Okinawan Kobudo. A teacher of Sensei Odo's teaching him the Tekko, Sai, Tonfa, Nunchuka, Kama & Bo.

A practitioner of Okinawan karate & kobudo. Son of kobudo master Shinko Matayoshi. Their family has a long history in the martial arts and was once officers of the Ryukyu court. His karate background was in Naha-te. He also practiced southern kungfu. He was a driving influence of keeping Okinawan kobudo a part of Okinawan culture as karate took dominance. Sensei Matayoshi was well known for his use of the kama. He was president of the General Federation of Okinawa Kobudo.

A Practitioner of Ryuei-ryu Karate. His style was a family art passed down from father to son. He was the first to teach the art to others that were not in the family. Sensei Nakaima only taught a small group, those he felt were noble and honorable enough to keep the style honorable. This break from tradition was for fear that the art would eventually die out and he wished to make sure that did not happen. Sensei Nakaima was known as a well respected leader in the martial arts community.

A practitioner of karate and kobudo. As a child he studied in secret because his father thought he was too young for karate. From his many teachers he blended together Okinawa-te, Shorin-ryu, Tozan-ryu, Isshin-ryu, and Motobu-ryu. He had fast and crisp technique and was extremely flexible. He was always full of life, energy, and kindness. He was known to teach Seisan, Anaku, Wansu, Passai, Pinan 1-5, Naihanchi, Passai Sho, Gojushiho, Chinto, Kusanku, Tokumine No Kun, sai kata, and tonfa kata.

A practitioner of Okinawan Kenpo Karate. He introduced the use of protective equipment for full contact sparring. It was his belief that without contact sparring there was no karate, that only kata was not enough, as the other teachers of the time thought free sparring was too dangerous and only taught kata. As the Japanese thought down on the Okinawan's for not placing emphasis on competition, Sensei Nakamura was insulted by this and sent his students to compete in tournaments all around Japan, consistently winning and showing the Japanese that Okinawan karate was more than dance karate but a powerful art. It saddened Sensei Nakamura that all the schools were constantly fight with one another, he wanted a peace and unity between them. He was always pushing to create an unifying organization that would join them. Unfortunatly he passed away before he could see the fruits of his labors on this. With the changes in karate after the war, karate was taking a sport approach, and Sensei Nakamura wished to keep the old ways alive, he spoke with alot of the old generation karateka of the time and they had seen this shift too, this may also be the reason for the push for the full contact karate. A way to keep the life and death sense of the old ways and the old teaching that were with them alive, instead of losing them to the point and no contact sport karate that was becoming the new wave of karate. Because of this he was seen later as the real deal and as a guardian of karate. He was a kind bull no nonsense instructor. He wanted full effort but was also attentive and had a deep love of the art side. He was a glue that kept alot of the old ways in the north together, and after his death their was a separation of the northern schools. Sensei Nakamura was also known as The Punch Knight for his iron fist punch, which he learned from Shinkichi Kuniyoshi.

A practitioner of Burmese boxing. An instructor of Kyar Ba Nyein. Taught and trained at Mandalay National High School.

A famous practitioner of Burmese boxing. He was also a Mandalay police officer. An instructor of Kyar Ba Nyein. He taught Sensei Nyein the infighting he became known for. He received the best boxer award by world heavyweight champion Gene Tunney.

A practitioner of Judo. He lived in Hawaii in the 1920's. Richard Kim's first teacher.

A practitioner of Karate. He lived in Hawaii in the 1930's. One of Richard Kim's instructors.

A practitioner of Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. Sensei Yoshida was also a member of the Black Dragon Society. He was one of Sensei Sokaku's top students. Sensei Yoshida lead an ascetic lifestyle. Late in life he was paralyzed on his left side while saving a child from being ran over by a truck. He was further paralyzed right before he passed away from a stroke. His family fighting system consisted of small circle in fighting techniques. Though he probably let most of this system go as he trained under Sensei Sokaku. He was excellent with the Iron fan, tanto, shuriken, and sword. Sensei Yoshida had strong belief and lived by the old samurai bushido code. He was also a member of the Dai Nippon Butokukai.

A practitioner of Yang style Taiji Chuan (Tai Chi). One of Sensei Kim's teachers in Shanghai at the Shanghai Martial Arts Academy.

A practitioner of Pa Kua & Shorinji-ryu Kenpo. One of Sensei Kim's teachers in Shanghai at the Stemberra Physical Culture Institute.

The founder of Taiki-Shisei kenpo. Sensei Sawai held a 7th dan in Judo and a 4th dan in Kendo and Iaido. While in the Military Sensei Sawai went to China and there he Challenged Sensei Wang who defeated him with ease. Because of this defeat he decided to start studying Yiquan. Sensei Sawai had a strong value in a persons fighting spirit, and beleived this to be essential in a martial artist. Sensei Sawai also had a Samurai's seriousness when it come to training. He beleived to needed total commitment and intent when sparring, and if you made a mistake, and you kept making that mistake he would show you how to correct it, and also show you the outcome if you continued to make that mistake by allowing you to feel that outcome. He was very fond of heart strikes as taught in Yiquan. If he respected your commitment and talent, he would often perform this technique on you to allow you to see the power it possessed. Sensei Sawai wrote the book Taiki-Ken: The Essence of Kung-Fu.

Father of Adriano Emperado. He was a professional boxer in the Philippines and Hawaii.

A practitioner of Judo. He taught at the Palama Settlement gym in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also learned boxing from his student Adriano Emperado.

A practitioner of Kara-Ho Kempo Karate. He was instrumental in the spread of Kempo Karate in America. As a young man he studied different Martial Arts such as boxing, Jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Lua, and karate. Even though he was a shorter man, he was well known for his powerful breaking techniques. Sensei Chow was also known to get in brawls so that he could practice his art and was very lucky as he never seemed to have any issues with the law in this regard. This could be due to his time growing up on the streets, because of this he learned to be very street smart. He was one of 5 Black belt students of James Mitose's Kyoshu-ryu Juijitsu. Sensei Chow was known as a touch instructor and beleived in a strong, disciplined workout. He was known by his students to have explosive power and speed that when he worked on a technique with them you didn't realize just how strong the techniques where until it hit. For this he earned the Nickname "Thunderbolt." When Sensei Chow opened his school he combined Kyusho-ryu with Karate and call it Kenpo Karate. He did not teach kata but individual techniques instead beleiving that this practice helped build muscle memory. His most noted student Ed Parker helped spread Kenpo Karate across the U.S. During Sensei Chow's time he never had his own Dojo, instead teaching in parks, YMCA's, and other like places. He was mainly a poor man spending a good bit of time in poverty. It is beleived the reason for this was because he was a great teacher and martial artist, but had a lack of business sense. He was known to call his style a warrior art and only taught techniques he felt worked in the street.

A Practitioner of Filipino Escrima. Originally he was from Illocos, Notre, Luzon, Philippines. He was a teacher and stepfather of Adriano D. Emperado. He taught a method of single stick Escrima. As a method of strength and speed training, he would take a 2x4 and taper down a handle, after working with the 2x4 a ratton escrima could move like lightening. His training and methods came from a combination of Illocan, Visayan, and Tagalog styles of Escrima Martial arts.

A Practitioner of Northern Shoalin Gungfu. A member of the Chinese Physical Cultural Society of Hawaii.

A Practitioner of Uechiryu Karate. After years of begging his father to allow him to learn karate, he finally was allowed at the age of 10 in 1939. The first three months was doing Sanchin steps across the dojo floor, the next was to keep his arms in the proper position while stepping. The repitition of this had him complaining to his father that it was what he had already been doing before. Eventually his father began to train him at home. He learned from his father for the next nine years along with his Training under Sensei Uechi. When his main teacher went back to Okinawa in 1946, Sensei Shinjo's father decided to pack and go as well. This was due to the harsh conditions in Japan after the war. They were imprisoned in a war camp for 6 months when they reach Okinawa. His father opened a dojo in Kadena, Okinawa, eventually Sensei Shinjo took over the dojo. He made great efforts to popularize, develop, and organize karate and was a great influence on making karate known across the globe and as it being recognize as a cultural gem of inheritance in Okinawa. His fathers School was closed in 2004 for city redevelopment and his son moved it to Zakimi City, Okinawa.

A Practitioner of Shorin-ryu Matsumura Seito Karate. He was known as an easy going guy and very strong for his size. He was not strict at teaching kata, but focused more on sparring and self defense techniques and tuite. Using more of pressure point strikes, the tuite he taught consisted more of the rubbing technique using the thumb or knuckles. Most classes were not formal classes, You did not line up or bow in like most traditional dojo's, and usually did not use formal words for techniques, you watched, demonstrated, and were corrected.

A Practitioner of Matsumura Kempo Shorin-ryu Karate. He was known to be a quiet man. He was also a desendant of a samurai linage that spanned 500 years to an Okinawan king from the Sho dynasty. His first instructor was his father which taught him the family art of bojutsu. When he was 10 he started kendo training. He started his karate training when he was 25 and learned the spirit of karate-do. From their he studied Kempo and Shorinryu. He created a set of 5 kata called Niseidi,a set of kata called Kobudi Sho and Dai, an escrima kata called nitan bo, and a tonfa kata called Renshin nu Tunfa. He also created Kuda No Bo Shodan and Nidan, Kuda Kama Nidan, Kuda Sai Shodan, and Kuda Tonfa Shodan. Below is the dojo kun Sensei Kuda used for his dojo:

Sensei Fields learned Kodokan Judo while he served in the Air Force in '52. When returning home to Cinncinati, Ohio he began to teach children that were at risk so that they could safely resolve conflicts. Later on as things changed in Cinncinati he offered courses to the Police department, as well as self-defense courses for the general public. Growing up he had learned early how to fight and to avoid fighting on his way to and from school in the west end of Cinncinati. This helped him at making the decition to find a way to stop a violent confrontation with little or not harm to yourself or others. In 1964 He placed 4th in the US Olympic trials and was seen as a person with great potential in the 1962 AAU Judo Championships. As he was a little upset that he did not do better, his instructor told him ‘If you win over yourself, you have the rest of the world beat." He has been mentioned to have the most humble aura about him. Sensei fields has been quoted saying this is a secret of Judo. Here is a quote from Sensei Fields:

A studen of sensei Chitose. Was Sensei Dometrich's 1st instructor. After sensei Dometrich's promotion to brown belt, he gave his blessing for him to ask to train with Sensei Chitose.

A Martial Artist. One of Sensei Dometrich's instructors.

One of the Shimabuku brothers. A student of Kyan Chotoku. It is said that he was very close to Sensei Kyan's and would often accompany him quite often and even train late into the night with him. He was one of Sensei Nagamine's instructors. Later Sensei Shimabuku and Sensei Nagamine started studing under Sensei Arakaki. Sensei Dometrich studied with one of the Shimbuku brothers and I beleive it it may have been Taro Shimabuku since he may have visited with Sensei Nagamine at times.

The Nephew of Ankichi Arakaki. When he was young he lost both his parents and his hands were severly harmed in the war. Despite the trama of this, he still became a great martial artist and world champion. He was the head instructor at Sensei Nagamine's dojo. He also created Fukyugata Sandan kata and was very skilled with the bo. At the request of Sensei Nagamine he came to the US to help Sensei Wax spread karate to the US. He became the head of US Matsubyashi-ryu and continued Sensei Wax's training. He started the Shorin-Ryu Karate USA organization. He was one of the 1st oriental instructors in the US. Here is a quote from Sensei Ueshiro:

A Chinese master from Canton. He combined Chinese kungfu with Okinawan Karate. He was a Buddist Missionary traveling When he met Robert Trias who would become his student. He learned forms such as Hopeisho, Danennsho, and Tekatana from his Chinese studies, and Kata's such as Naihanchi from his Karate studies.

A practitioner of Kempo Jui-Jitsu. He was Sensei Trias second teachers and taught him at the Hock Keng Temple in Singapore.

A practitioner of Yoshin-ryu Ju-jitsu and proficiant with the yawara.

A practitioner of Kodokan Judo. One of Sensei Trias teachers.

The founder of Isshin-ryu. He started learning martial arts from his uncle, who was also a fortune teller. He was an excellent athlete and constantly winning in the javelin throw and high jump events. From his next teacher Sensei Kyan he learned shuri and the katas Seisan, Naihanchi, Wansu, Chinto and Kusanku, as well as kobudo. Sensei Shimabuku, Sensei Kyan, and Sensei Arakaki were great friends as well. From his next teacher Sensei Miyagi he learned Goju and the katas Seiunchin and Sanchin. He Trained under Choki Motobu next and afterwards expanded his kobudo arts under Shinken Taira. He invented the Sunsu kata and reversed the Naihanchi kata.

One of the first Karate practitioners to teach on mainland Japan and was instramental in its acceptance. He founded Shindo Jinen-ryu Karate. He started training in Muso Ryu jujitsu, Kendo, and Takenouchi-ryu jujitsu. His first expose to Karate was with Sensei Tsuneshige Arakaki in College. After college Sensei Konishi went to work but was unhappy with his profession, so with his wifes encouragement he quit his profession and started the Ryubu-kan Dojo. A short time later Hironishi Ohtsuka and Gichin Funakoshi came to his school and asked if they could teach there. This was unheard of at that time and most would have considered it a challenge, but Sensei Konishi liked the thought of cross training and accepted. Many schools challenged the Ryubu-kan Dojo, but no one was ever able to defeat the senior students, which by custom they had to do before challenging the master. Many of these defeats lead to more students of Karate, since the challengers were always JuJitsu Purist practitioners, once the benefits of karate were explained to them. Together with Sensei Mabuni and Morihei Ueshiba, they developed the kata Seiryu to help teach self defense to women. Sensei Konishi also developed the kata Tai Sabaki Shodan, Nidan, and Sandan. Kenichi Sensei always beleived that technique of the body and education of the mind created a better practioner of budo. He also started the practice of ippon kumite or drills, since karate mainly was focused at the time on kata. His push for this was that kata was not enough, in kendo and jujitsu there were exercises with partners to hone skill. Below is a poem by Sensei Konishi:

As a child he was very weak. His karate training helped build him into a healthy strong karateka. He was an assistant instructor at the first karate dojo in mainland Japan. He held many positions in multiple prominent karate organizations. He beleived in the true noble spirit and heart of karate and beleived that was what all karateka should strive for, good heart and noble spirit. Anger is the enemy, peace is the pursuit. He is the founder of Gima-ha Shoto-ryu karate. and co-founder of Shoto-ryu karate with Sensei Funakoshi.

Though his linage is of samurai, he was a small child with introvert. He started learning judo and from there he learned karate and kobudo. He spent much time learning kobudo because he wanted to keep the old ways alive. When he would pick up a weapon he was unbeleivable. He was a soft spoken humble man and with his small frame you would never guess he was so powerful. He would at times spar with his senior students while they were fully padded and laugh as they tried to strike or wrestle him down. He never told a student that asked if they were doing something wrong, but when asked how he did a technique or for help improving a technique he would give the student his insight. Even when walking or moving about, a person could see his karate where it evolved into his natural movement.

Sensei Maung Gyi's father. He was his first teacher and the leading insiration for his. Because of his position in the government he was able to travel and seek out martial arts masters to train with. As was the case with Okinawa, the suppression of the Burmese martial arts had drove it into secret, and as this ban lifted Sensei Than Gyi was able to meet with these masters. After returning home alot of these masters would also visit and show their arts. It was his insistance that Burmese martial arts must be combat effective. With his personality and position on the Military Athletic Club, he was able to get into the underground and learn from the masters that were there since the original martial arts supression. The Burmese Martial artists were also usually medical practitioners also and showed the combination of both side of the Burmese martial arts, the healing aspects and the lethal. Thus Sensei Than Gyi also brought back the prestige since before the Supression most Burmese martial artists were usually of high positions in society due to their honorable and noble spirits. He gave his son volumes of information from all this that would later become Hanthawaddy Bando Martial arts.

A practitioner of Burmese Kickboxing. He is known for his evasions, head shots and leg work. Even in his later days he was still defeating practitioners alot younger than him.

A Practitioner of Kayin Burmese Martial Arts. One of Sensei Gyi's teachers.

A practitioner of the Kala Stick Burmese Martial arts. I beleive this to be similar to Escrima type stick fighting. One of Sensei Gyi's teachers.

A practitioner of Burmese saber martial arts. One of sensei Gyi's teachers.

A practitioner of Burmese Kachin sword martial arts. One of sensei Gyi's teachers.

A practitioner of Burmese Mon stick and sword martial arts and kickboxing champion. One of sensei Gyi's teachers. He is also a political prisoner and was imprisoned for purchasing a banned politicial publication. He was released in 2004 for health reasons for suffering from severe coronary atherosclerosis.

A practitioner of Burmese stick and saber shin martial arts. One of sensei Gyi's teachers.

A practitioner of Nepalese Kukri martial arts, a type of forward semi-curved large knife. One of sensei Gyi's teachers.

A practitioner of Nepalese Kukri martial arts, a type of forward semi-curved large knife. One of sensei Gyi's teachers.

A practitioner of Traditional Burmese Boxing. One of sensei Gyi's teachers. He was a famous author and wrote the book The Renaissance of Burmese Boxing. His first book was Blood on the Sand. He was a prominent martial artist and even represented Burma in the 1952 Olympics. He was also a champion of the Kyar-Hto game. He founded the Golden Tiger Boxing Club. He was said to have been a very humorous guy and loved to joke.

A practitioner of Wado-ryu Karate and Judo. He was a sargent in the Japanese Army. He also wrote a book on karate.

Sensei Kim started his martial arts training in Judo. Not long after this he started training in Karate. Then he studied different forms of karate and kobudo after that while in Japan. He was awarded the full proficency certificate of daito ryu. He then went to China and studied Tai Chi Chuan, pagua, and chi kung. When he returned to the US he opened up a dojo in San Franciso. He also wrote a column in Karate Illustrated and the book The Weaponless Warriors, The Classical Man. He was awarded by black belt magazine Sensei of the year in 1967 and later inducted into their hall of fame, calling him karate's guiding light. He was also the Director of American Amateur Karate Federation and VP of ITKF and a prominent member and founder of multiple other Organizations. Sensei Kim was always learning and always had something new to teach even the most advanced practitioners. He also beleived the main essential katas to karate to be Chinto, Bassai, Seisan, Gojushiho and Konku. He practice a great deal of kata and beleived that especially in the US there was an aspect missing in kata practice, that other level where you are in survival mode while doing the kata where you are training your spirit. Here is a quote from Sensei Kim:

Sensei Emperado was on of 5 instructors that created Kajukenbo martial art. Growing up in an area of Honolulu that was high violence he took up boxing from his father and uncle and also learned the 12 basic strikes of the escrima. From there he took up Judo and then Kara-ho Kenpo Karate. From there Sensei Emperado and 4 other black belts created the Black Belt Society. Together they trained and looked at the different arts they knew. From there they created Kajukenbo. As the other members left for the Korean war, Sensei Emperado started the Kajukenbo dojo. Because of the area being poor, the price to train was very little. But the training and workouts were known for being extreme. This was a no nonsense combat teaching, and though many people left because of this it did attract other black belts that saw the effectiveness of the art. He also was part of the development of the karate tournaments in Hawaii. He was on the board that established the standard for the tournaments. His knowledge of self defense also came from his time as a police officer and bodyguard. He also studied gung fu. Here is a quote from Sensei Emperado:

Sensei Lindsey first started his training in Shotokan Karate before being commisioned to the US Army. while in the Army he was stationed in Okinawa and started training in Uechi Ryu. From there he started studying Matsumura Seito Shorin-Ryu. Sensei Lindsey has great knowledge of the okinawan arts and the differences that have happened along the way such as the inceptions of mainland Japan's influence on the Okinawan ways. He wrote the book Okinawa no Bushi no Te.

A practitioner of Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu karate. He would often have to spar with much stronger oponents and would best them due to his strict training. Sensei Nishihira stayed with Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu from the time he was a boy until his passing. He prefered the old ways and one on one instruction. He would also do what was needed to help motivate a student in progression just as his Sensei had done. Sensei Nishihira was always training and getting better at his karate up until his passing never really beleiving he had reached his peak of understanding. He always had a sense of humor and patience.

A Judo & Jujitsu Instructor. He was the first instructor to start Teaching Vic Moore Martial Arts.

A Teacher of Kempo Karate. He got the nickname grave digger because he dug graves as his profession. He was Vic Moores first teacher in Karate.

A Judo instructor in Cincinnati ohio. Sensei Hughes was the second Judo teacher to teach Vic Moore. He ran a Martial Arts club with Harvey Eubanks and William J. Dometrich

A Karate instructor of Goju-Ryu Karate. Ran a Martial Arts club with Ray Hughes and William Dometrich in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sensei Eubanks was Vic Moores second Karate Teacher.

Founder and Chief Instructor of the United States Chito-Ryu Karate organization. He was also a Police officer.In the 60's Sensei Dometrich ran a Martial Arts club with Sensei Hughes and Sensei Eubanks. He was Dr. Moore's 3rd Karate teacher. He was a special student of Sensei Chitose, the founder of Chito-Ryu Karate, and began his training in 1951 while stationed in kyushu, Japan while in the Air Force. He started his training with Ichiro Shirahama and later after many denials with Sensei Chitose. Sensei Dometrich would be the first American Sensei Chitose would teach. During this time he thought that they were trying to beat him out of the dojo to discourage him, but as he continued he realized everyone was training this way. He received his 3rd degree black belt before returning home and opening his dojo. His wife Barbara Dometrich was the first US Female Black Belt in Chito-Ryu. In 2008 he was awarded his 9th degree black belt from the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai in Kyoto, Japan. He is the only Non-Japanese to be awarded this honor by the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. He also wrote the book "Karate: The Endless Quest." Sensei Dometrich passed away in 2012 with Parkinsons.

Chung Ling was a sifu of Chuan Fa(Law of the Fist) Kung fu. This art is based on the 5 animals of Shaolin. He came to the United States as an exchange student. He was another instructor of Vic Moore and taught the conditioning exercises using the Bambo Cane.

A member of the US Army Sensei Osborn started learning Judo while in Japan. He also held a brown belt in Karate. He was also a prominent member in many Organizations.

John Osako was born in California, but at the age of 13 moved to Japan, He later returned to the US in 1941. He was a great Judo practitioner winning many matches and even a grand champion of the AAU. He was also a Committee member of the US Judo Federation and a Olympic Referee. He helped found the US Judo Referee Program. He is considered a great inspirational help to Judo in the US. He had a great driving force to help develop the balance between traditional judo training and the sport. He was once the head of the largest judo club in the US.Sensei Osako was always on the go to try and help Judo flourish.

While serving in the Marines, Sensei Wax was stationed in Okinawa. There he began to study Shorin-ryu. After his service with the Marines was finished, Sensei Wax stayed and studied and was the first American to receive a Black Belt in Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryu. He eventually returned and started the first Shorin-Ryu dojo in the US. Matsubayashi-Ryu began spreading to all parts of the US and most US students can trace their linage back to Sensei Wax. It is mentioned by Dr. Moore Sensei Wax trained with one of the Shimabuku brothers. With the Lineage I beleive this may have been Taro Shimabuku, since he was one of Sensei Nagamine's teachers he may have likely visited the dojo while Sensei Wax was in Okinawa.

Sensei Yasuto Studied Shotokan Karate. He awarded Dr. Moore his black belt in Shotokan Karate.

Dr. Maung gyi is a Burmese Bando Martial Artist. Before coming to the US, he had trained in many styles of Bando Thaing. He also studied with Buddist Monks and from this it gave him a great spiritual foundation. He began teaching Bando in the US in the 60's, and established the ABA in 1966. His teaching began in Washington, D.C in response to some gang attacks at the time. When he first started, he was up against the already established arts from Japan, Okinawa, China, and Korea that preceived arts from his area as a lower form. after training some of his students Bando took a strong stance on this.

A practitioner of Isshinryu Karate. While serving in the Marines, Sensei Long was stationed in Okinawa Always interested in the martial arts, he sought out someone to instruct him and was directed to Tatsuo Shimabuku's dojo in Chun village. He was on the board that setup the rules for US Karate tournaments with Sensei Trias. He was also the Vice President of the USKA for a time. He started the USIKA with the permission of Sensei Shimabuku.

A Practitioner of Karate. One of Vic Moores instructors.

A student of Sensei Trias. Another of Vic Moores instructors.

A student of Sensei Trias. Another of Vic Moores instructors.

Known as the father of Florida Karate. He was a practitioner of Goju-ryu and Shuri-ryu. He began teaching in the '50s. He was known for his speed and power, and was known to fight from a cat stance. He was one of the great champion fighters. He was a member of the Trias International Society. Sensei Pachivas also held a 5th degree in Judo and Jujitsu, as well as master belts in Kempo, Aikido, and Shotokan. He was also a prominent wrestler. He was known to speak about freeing a persons self from prejudice and doing the best they can. He also taught that physical training never stops.

During Sensei Keoppel's service with the US Navy he started his Martial Arts training in Wado-Ryu Karate. After awhile he started studing Shorinji-ryu. Sensei Keoppel was sent to Hawaii to be stationed and their he started his training in Kajukenbo. After his service ended, to continue his training he opened the first Karate dojo in Illinois. After joining the USKA, Keoppel became the regional director for the Midwest district. In the early 80's Sensei Keoppel decided he needed a fresh start to revive his studies and began learning Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu. With his passion rekindled he founded the United States Karate-Do Kai.

Known as the Man who fought them all, Vic Moore fought all the great martial arts tournament champions in the 60's and 70's. Vic Moore was a chief instructor and one of the Original 10 Members of Sensei Trias's "Trias International Society". Vic Moore started his martial arts training at the age of 7 in Judo and Jujitsu and since has had many Instructors and studied many styles of Martial arts over the years. Even before he got his first teacher he was reading on the martial arts and doing strength training. From his knowledge of different styles he was able to defeat such martial artists like Mike Stone, Chuck Norris, and Joe Lewis. Vic Moore and Joe Lewis were also the first to show the American people Kickboxing on the Ed Sullivan show. Doctor Moore Also trained in Boxing and was victorious in all 12 of his amateur Matches. He was even Tiger Joe Harris's sparring partner and has a scar from one of these sessions over his left eye. He is a big advocate for Traditional Karate and the Okinawan/Japanese Belt system. He is the head of the Traditional World Karate Association. He also performed a speed demonstration with Bruce Lee. Below is a quote from Frank Dux website about the speed demonstration: