Yamanni Ryu -- Bo-Jutsu of Okinawa An Interview with Sensei Toshihiro Oshiro
by William H. Haff

All of the martial arts are rooted in the human experience, the human body. As one master said, "all martial arts comes from two arms, two legs, one head, one heart." But much of the history and background of martial arts today is shrouded in mystery. Because the training methods, techniques, and katas were passed down through verbal instruction and the old, almost secretive, face to face teaching methods, it is very hard for contemporary practitioners to know what is traditional, what has been changed, and what has been lost in the mists of time.

Yamanni-Chinen Ryu bojutsu provides modern martial artists a glimpse of an art that remains relatively unchanged by the passage of time and also a mirror or tool by which they can examine their own movement and their own style. Sensei Toshihiro Oshiro has brought this weapons style from Okinawa to the United States and wants to promote it throughout the martial arts community. This flowing and immensely powerful weapons style is a wonderful example of a traditional, sophisticated Okinawan martial art and can help show modern martial artists both how things were and how they are supposed to be. -- more

Master Choki Motobu: A Real Fighter
by Graham Noble

Posterity has not treated all the old karate masters equally. Some have had their praises sung many times in print while others, equally accomplished, have been all but forgotten. It would be nice to turn the spotlight onto some of these little known figures but so much karate history has been lost that it is often impossible.
Karate was introduced into Japan in the 1920's when several masters came from Okinawa to teach the art. The best known of these today are Gichin Funakoshi, who founded the Shotokan school; Chojun Miyagi (Goju style), and Kenwa Mabuni (Shito style). There were others however such as Kanken Toyama, Moden Yabiku, Kanbum Uechi; and Choki Motobu, who in many ways was the most interesting of them all. Unlike Funakoshi, Myagi and Mabuni, though, Choki Motobu did not leave behind him a major karate school. Perhaps he never organized his methods into a formal system, or maybe he was too much of an individualist. -- more

Master Funakoshi's KARATE
by Graham Noble

Some Thoughts on Yoshitaka  There is a certain romance about Master Funakoshi's third son, Yoshitaka (or Giko). The stories of his training, his early death, and the excellence of his technique evident from old photographs, continue to exert their fascination. He is a favorite subject of mine, but trying to dig up details of his life is frustrating; for a variety of historical reasons he remains a neglected figure. The stories are that he began karate training as a child. Obviously he must have learned the art from his father, yet he somehow developed his own instinctive way of performing techniques; "dynamic" is the word that springs to mind. Photographs of past karate experts usually appear old fashioned, yet Yoshitaka's techniques look surprisingly modern. The development of his karate must have been given added impetus when his father passed on the major part of his teaching responsibilities in the 1930s.
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Thoughts on Iaido
by Nakamura Taizaburo with Guy H. Power & Takako Funaya

I am not surprised that iaido has become remarkably spread and developed after World War II. Until the end of World War Two Japan's national identity was expressed through the Three Sacred Treasures--the mirror, the jewel, and the sword. The sword represents the spirit of the warrior to we Japanese; therefore, it is only natural to me that today there is an upsurge in the spirit of the Japanese Sword. This new popularity tells me that iaido has naturally spread among the Japanese. Before the war, not many people studied iaido even though they may have owned numerous swords. Those people had only owned swords simply because they were entitled to do so. In fact, kendo practicioners would say, "Studying iaido will prevent you from improving in kendo.' This attitude is attributed to the fact that iaido is composed mainly of kneeling techniques. In this sense, iaido has no relation to kendo, which contributed to iaido's not having been spread as widely as kendo in those days.
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Early Ju-jutsu: The Challenges  
by Graham Noble

In the early years of this century Japan had emerged as a major world power, and victories over China in 1895, and Russia in 1904/5, aroused international admiration for "the plucky little Jap." In addition, the early propagators of jujutsu in this country were fortunate in that their efforts to launch the art coincided with a vogue for physical culture and professional wrestling. This was, in fact, the golden age of professional wrestling, a period which lasted from about 1898 to 1913 and the retirement of the then world champion Frank Gotch.

I suspect that there has always been an element of flim flam in professional wrestling, but in those early days this was held in check and the major matches involving such champions as Hackenschmidt, Zbysko, Gotch, Gama, and Padoubny were straight, genuine contests for a monetary prize. We can probably mark Gotch's retirement as the time when the entertainment aspect took over completely and John F. Gilbey (Author of "Secret Fighting Arts of the World", "Way of the Warrior" and Western Boxing and World Wrestling." --Editor.) is probably correct when he states that there hasn't been a straight pro wrestling match in America since 1915. The same would apply to Britain and Europe. -- more

The Soul of Karate-Do: Initial Move and Posture
by Masatoshi Nakayama, Japan Karate Association

In the early days of karate-do, for some years after 1935 college karate clubs all over Japan held inter-school matches. They were called kokangeiko, 'exchange of courtesies practice' and the participants freely attacked each other with all the karate techniques at their disposal. Their original purpose was to promote friendship between clubs. The matches were to consist of displays of kata, the set patterns of defence and attack, or of practice in attack and counterattack. The latter was ideally a formalized affair. One person attacked, only once. Then his opponent counterattacked, again just once. They continued in strictly controlled alternation. But the young blood of the students ran too hot to be satisfied with such tameness. They could not resist the temptation to use to the fullest the techniques they had learned and the powers they had gained through daily training.
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