HISTORY OF OKINAWAN MARTIAL ARTS

Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island, most notably karate, tegumi and Okinawan kobudō.

Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures such as Japan and China, with a long history of trade and cultural exchange with China that greatly influenced the development of martial arts on Okinawa.

History

In 1429, the three kingdoms on Okinawa unified to form the Kingdom of Ryūkyū. When King Shō Shin came into power in 1477, he banned the practice of martial arts. Tō-te and Ryukyu kobudō (weaponry) continued to be taught in secret. The ban was continued in 1609 after Okinawa was invaded by the Satsuma Domain of Japan. The bans contributed to the development of Kempo (To-te), which uses common household and farming implements as weaponry. The Okinawans combined Chinese martial arts with the existing local variants to form Tōde (唐手 Tuudii^?, T'ang hand, China hand), sometimes called Okinawa-te (沖縄手).

By the 18th century, different types of Te had developed in three different villages – Naha, Shuri, and Tomari. The styles were named Naha-te, Shuri-te and Tomari-te, respectively.

Well into the 20th century, the martial arts of Okinawa were generally referred to as te 手, which is Japanese for "hand". Te often varied from one town to another, so to distinguish among the various types of te, the word was often prefaced with its area of origin; for example, Naha-te, Shuri-te, or Tomari-te.

Naha-te, Shuri-te and Tomari-te belong to a family of martial arts that were collectively defined as Tode-jutsu or To-de.

Karate (Okinawa-te or karate-jutsu) was systematically taught in Japan after the Taisho era (after 1912).

Shuri-te

Shuri-te (首里手, Okinawan: Suidii) is a pre-World War II term for a type of indigenous martial art to the area around Shuri, the old capital city of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.

Important Okinawan masters of Shuri-te:

• Chōjun Miyagi
• Sakukawa Kanga
• Matsumura Sōkon
• Itosu Ankō
• Asato Ankō
• Chōyū Motobu
• Motobu Chōki
• Yabu Kentsū
• Chōmo Hanashiro
• Funakoshi Gichin
• Kyan Chōtoku
• Chibana Chōshin
• Mabuni Kenwa
• Tōyama Kanken
• Tatsuo Shimabuku

Important katas:

• Naihanchi
• Pinan
• Kūsankū
• Passai
• Jion
• Jitte
• Rohai
• Chinto
• Gojushiho

The successor styles to Shuri-te include Shotokan, Shitō-ryū, Shōrin-ryū, Shudokan, Shōrinji-ryū, and Motobu-ryū.

 

Tomari-te

Tomari-te (泊手^?, Okinawan: Tumai-dii) refers to a tradition of martial arts originating from the village of Tomari, Okinawa.

Important Okinawan masters of Tomari-te:

• Matsumora Kōsaku
• Oyadomari Kokan
• Motobu Chōki
• Kyan Chōtoku

Important katas:

• Naihanchi (Koshiki)
• Eunibu
• Rōhai
• Wanduan
• Passai (Tomari)
• Chinsu
• Chinpu
• Wankan
• Wanshū
• Seisan
• Jumu
• Nichin
• Juma

The successor styles to Tomari-te include Motobu-ryū, Matsubayashi-ryu and Shōrinji-ryū

Naha-te

Naha-te (那覇手, Okinawan: Naafa-dii) is a pre-World War II term for a type of martial art indigenous to the area around Naha, the old commercial city of the Ryūkyū Kingdom and now the capital city of the island of Okinawa.

Important Okinawan masters of Naha-te:

• Arakaki Seishō
• Higaonna Kanryō
• Miyagi Chōjun
• Kyoda Jūhatsu
• Mabuni Kenwa
• Uechi Kanbun

Important katas:

• Sanchin
• Saifā
• Seienchin
• Shisōchin
• Seipai
• Seisan

The successor styles to Naha-te include Gōjū-ryū, Uechi-ryū, Ryūei-ryū, and Tōon-ryū.

 Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawan_martial_arts