Okinawan
Karate Legend
by
George W. Alexander
Okinawa, Japan is the birthplace of karate and this
small island has produced many karate legends. One of these karate
legends was Chotoku Kiyan. Kiyan was born in Shuri, Okinawa in December
1870 as the third son of Chofu Kiyan. His father was a descendent
of the Ryukyu King Shosei and served as a retainer to the last
Ryukyu King-King Sho Tai. Kiyan, also pronounced Kiyabu, was born a
frail child but through martial arts training he developed a strong
constitution and improved his health. Kiyan began training in karate
under his father when he was eight years old. He was known in
Okinawa as Mi-gwa Chan or “small-eyed Kiyan” because his eyes
were small and weak. Despite this handicap, he became a great
master. In fact, he was one of the most knowledgeable masters of
his time. When he was twenty years old he studied Shuri-Te
(Shuri hands) from Sokon Matsumura (1797-1889) and Anko Itosu
(1830-1915); and Tomari-Te (Tomari hands) with Oyadomari Peichin
(1831-1905), Maeda Peichin (1842-1909) and Kosaku Matsumora (1820-1898).
The two distinct genre of Shuri-Te and
Tomari-Te that Kiyan studied differed both in style as well as in
geographical classification; however, the differences of style
were actually only surface differences since both Shuri-Te and
Tomari-Te are derived from the same Chinese martial arts traditions
and indigenous Okinawan fighting techniques (see Okinawa Island of
Karate, Yamazato Publications, p. 32.). Shuri-Te was the
style of karate practiced in and around the city of Shuri where the king
and members of the nobility lived. Sokon Matsumura was responsible for
organizing the Shuri-Te system and carrying on the teachings of
the this martial art. Tomari-Te was practiced in Tomari village
and was closely related to Shuri-Te. This village is located near
the ancient capital of Shuri and was mostly populated by farmers and
fisherman. Tomari-Te was an offshoot of Shuri-Te and was
propagated by Chokun Makabe (b.1785) and Kosaku Matsumora (1820-1898).
Eventually these systems became stylized. Shuri-Te and
Tomari-Te combined to form the Shorin Ryu (young forest) style.
By the time he was thirty years old Kiyan had
garnered a reputation as an accomplished karate man and was well known
throughout Okinawa. Kiyan’s teachings combined elements of both
the Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te styles. The Shorin Ryu system
he passed on to his students reflected this mixture. Kiyan’s teaching
influenced many modern Shorin Ryu masters. This makes him an
important transitional figure in the history of Shuri-Te and
Tomari-Te. He is mainly responsible for blending Tomari-Te
back with Shuri-Te. His students originally called his teachings
Mi-gwa-Te but later his style became known as the
Sukunaihayashi branch of Shorin Ryu.
Kiyan traveled a good deal. During his martial arts
career he journeyed to Japan and Taiwan. He also visited one of
Okinawa’s off-lying islands and learned the Tokumine Bo Kata there.
Tokumine Peichin was an Okinawan lord who had been banished from Okinawa
and developed this kata. Although some authorities believe the Tokumine
No Kon kata to be simply another version of Chatan Yara No Kon.
Kiyan lived in Shuri until he was about thirty years
old and than moved to Kadena where he opened his dojo. At one time in
his life, Kiyan lived in the village of Yomitan where a karate man named
Yara taught him the Kusanku Kata. Yara of Yomitan was a descendent of
Chatan Yara who developed the Chatan Yara sai, bo and tonfa kata. An
interesting legend passed on about Yara is that one of his
training methods was to run down wild boar and after an exhausting chase
he would then kill them by kicking them to death.
In addition to Kusanku kata, which was his favorite,
Kiyan learned other kata. From Sokon Matsumura he learned Seisan,
Naihanchi and Gojushiho. From Kosaku Matsumora he learned Chinto
and Oyadomari taught him Passai. Also, Maeda Peichin taught him
Wansu and Ananku meaning light from the south he learned while in
Taiwan. Kiyan later developed his own versions of Chinto and
Passai and his way of performing Ananku is considered the orthodox
version. He even learned tree fighting which is linked to the
Okinawan monkey dance Saru Mai.
Even though Kiyan was very slim, he excelled in the
use of the bo or Okinawan staff and kicking techniques, especially jump
kicking. The kicking techniques of Okinawan Shorin Ryu karate
favor low level targets. From a combative standpoint, kicks to the
torso, groin and legs have proven to be most effective. The
kicking techniques occur in the kata primarily as short range attacks
used when close to the opponent. However, Chotoku Kiyan was
noted as a kicking specialist in Okinawa. He is known to have
successfully used jumping or aerial kicks. One anecdote which
mentions his jumping ability tells how he would jump from a barge
floating on a river up to the bridge overhead. One of his training
methods was to put on a pair of wooden geta, the traditional wooden
shoes of Japan, and jump in the air inside his dojo and split the geta
in half by kicking a beam in the ceiling. It is also said that Kiyan
could sit in seiza, the Japanese formal sitting position, and then leap
straight up from this position and kick the ceiling. He had his
students practice their kata in the dark to get their eyes used to
fighting in the dark. He had them practice on uneven slippery
terrain to achieve better balance.
Because of his reputation, Kiyan was often challenged
by others. He fought many actual fights but was never defeated.
Kiyan was highly adept at body shifting. Since he was a small man,
he used this type of evasive maneuver known as taisabaki to
defeat his opponents. His technique was to never backup but rather
to surprise his opponents by rapidly moving forward or side stepping to
block and counterattack immediately.
Several stories about Kiyan’s martial exploits have
been handed down. One story indicates that he supposedly killed a famous
strongman from Gushikawa village by the name of Taira (Tairaguwa). It is
said that he accomplished the feat by jumping from a tree and killed him
by breaking his neck. Taira was no mere peasant. He was known as
an expert with the kama, a sickle used in the harvesting of rice.
Stories of his feats of strength are legendary in Okinawa. He was
unusually strong for his size and was known as the Samurai of Gushikawa.
A student of Sokon Matsumura, Taira never propagated a school of his own
and some say he was a bully. He concentrated instead on perfecting his
own technique.
Another story proposes that Kiyan killed or at
least subdued four outlaws in a fight. The reason this occurred
was because the outlaws were robbing people at night along a road
between Shuri and Naha known as Saka Shicha. The townspeople asked Kiyan
to deal with the outlaws since the local police could not control them.
Kiyan agreed and patrolled the road every night. Finally one night the
outlaws appeared and said to Kiyan “Do you want your money or your
life”. Kiyan handed the outlaws some change he had and then hit the
outlaw in front of him with a double nukite (spearhand) dropping him to
the ground. He then turned around and kicked the man behind him also
knocking him to the ground. The other two outlaws became afraid and ran
away. Kiyan told the outlaws laying on the ground who he was and that he
would fight them anytime. The outlaws said they had had enough and that
they would give up their lawless pursuits. Saka Shicha, the road to
Shuri, became a safe road to travel again. Many people were
fearful of Kiyan after this but he was also highly respected for dealing
with the outlaws. It should be kept in mind that often in a village, the
karate man functioned as a police officer and an enforcer of justice.
Early in his career, Kiyan had two top students.
They were Ankichi Arakaki (1899-1927) and Taro Shimabukuro
(b.1906). Arakaki was born in Shuri, Okinawa at the turn of the
century. He began studying karate at a very early age. His
first instructors were Chomo Hanashiro and Shinpan Gusukuma. He
later studied with Chosin Chibana and Kiyan. Arakaki was
enthusiastic about karate and dedicated to training. He was
blessed with a natural athletic ability. His excellent
coordination allowed him to master the kata and many difficult
techniques. One of his training methods was to walk on his toes to
develop himself in kicking with the toes. He was known to have killed a
sumo wrestler by kicking him in the stomach. Taro Shimabukuro was
from Tomari village and a boyhood friend of Arakaki’s.
Arakaki and Shimabukuro accompanied Kiyan almost
everywhere and were inseparable from their teacher. Kiyan enjoyed
rooster fighting very much. In fact, he often entered his own roosters
in these fights. Another anecdote reveals more of Kiyan’s
abilities as a martial artist. On one occasion he attended a cock fight
and carried his own rooster under his arm. His students, Arakaki and
Shimabukuro decided to use the occasion to test their master’s skill.
While at the cock fights, both Arakaki and Shimabukuro created a
commotion and started a fight with several men there. As soon as it
started they ran off and hid in some nearby bushes. Kiyan came over to
see what was happening and where Arakaki and Shimabukuro were. The
enraged men then attacked Kiyan. Kiyan fought with the men and defeated
them all. What was unique about the engagement was that all the while
Kiyan was fighting, he maintained a firm grip on his rooster with one
arm and consequently used only the other arm and his feet to defend
himself. Arakaki and Shimabukuro watched the whole fight from their
hiding place and were amazed at his composure and fighting skill.
Kiyan was smart and he was able to expand on what he
had been taught. He experimented with various strategies and
training methods. He contributed much to the development of Shorin
Ryu karate. He learned that “speed enhances power” and emphasized the
use of speed in his personal training thus tailoring his techniques to
suit his own physique. He believed that if attacked one must dodge (taisabaki)
the attack at the precise moment the blow is about to strike. At this
moment the opponent’s defenses are down and his vital points are
exposed. He suggested that by using this principle a smaller man could
defeat a larger man. He also believed that no matter how powerful a
strike is if it does not hit the target it will be ineffective. Thus
evasion and counterattack and the use of accuracy in striking were
Kiyan’s foremost strategies.
Chotoku Kiyan was also noted as a specialist in
makiwara training. In ancient Okinawa, martial artists used various
makeshift training devices to polish the skills developed through kata
practice. The makiwara or straw-padded post is one such training device.
This most ubiquitous and essential training device is unique to Okinawan
karate. Kiyan is said to have developed over fifty ways of punching and
kicking the makiwara. The makiwara was a simple device used for
developing atemi or striking power in the various techniques of
karate. This included such techniques as the backfist, elbow strike and
knifehand as well as front kicks and round kicks. An added benefit of
this type of training was the hardening and toughening of the body parts
used in the various techniques of karate.
Kiyan used two types of makiwara in his training, a
standing wooden post embedded in the ground which stood about chest
height for punching and a hanging makiwara for kicking. The standing
makiwara was covered with rope padding made out of native materials
i.e., sheaved rice straw. Kiyan would strike this makiwara to
develop strength and accuracy and to toughen his body parts such as his
fists, feet, shins and forearms. Kiyan would also kick the hanging
makiwara repeatedly to develop his leg strength. This type of makiwara
also used a sheaf or a bundle of cut rice stalks bound together. He also
emphasized in his makiwara training the development of both sides of the
body equally.
A major point in the modern history of Okinawa is the
devastation which occurred on the island in 1945 during World War II.
The last large scale amphibious operation of World War II was carried
out on Okinawa. This operation began on April 1, 1945 and after 82 days
of bitter fighting American forces gained control of the island.
The Japanese forces were concentrated mainly on the
southern end of the island. The 100,000 Japanese troops there were
commanded by Lt. General Mitsuru Ushijima. The northern half of the
island was cleared by US Marines with relatively little resistance.
However, as marine units advanced to the south, heavy Japanese
resistance was encountered. Those Okinawan civilians who were not
conscripted into military service by the Japanese were trapped between
advancing American forces and the defending Japanese Army. Finally on
June 19th, the marines who had distinguished themselves in other battles
throughout the pacific, reached the southern coast in conjunction with
US Army units and the island was secured.
Unfortunately, many karate masters died as a result
of this fighting. Among them was Chotoku Kiyan. It is said that he died
of starvation as a result of a food shortage created by the disruption
of the war. An interesting story passed on to us from this time tells us
something of the sensei/deshi (teacher/student) relationship and the
dedication of Zenryo Shimabukuro to his teacher, Chotoku Kiyan.
Zenryo Shimabukuro was another one of Kiyan’s top
students. Zenryo originally called his style of karate Shorinji
Ryu, named after the famed Shaolin Temple of China. Although, it later
became known as Seibukan which was the name of the dojo he established
in Jaguro, Okinawa in 1962. During the battle of Okinawa in 1945, Kiyan
was in a weakened condition due to lack of food. He was starving,
emaciated and could not walk. Zenryo Shimabukuro kept him alive and
ahead of the advancing troops by carrying Kiyan on his back. They would
hide in the daytime in caves and only move at night in order to avoid
detection. In this way they survived the battle. However, Kiyan finally
died on September 20, 1945.
Kiyan felt strongly
about the code of Bushido, the way of the samurai. He felt that every
martial artist must follow it totally and the ultimate goal was to
master the samurai’s philosophy. He was a perfectionist and
disciplinarian in both his own training and his teaching. He
believed that self discipline and social order and justice went hand in
hand. He was quoted as saying
“ Mastery of karate does not depend on the learners physical
constitution, but mainly on constant practice”. He believed that effort
to continue practicing was the most significant element necessary to
succeed in the mastery of the martial arts. However, his most famous
expression was “Fight with your back straight”. This meant not only to
maintain a good fighting posture but implied that a strong mental
constitution is necessary in the martial arts. His many students
included: Taro Shimabukuro, Ankichi Arakaki, Zenryo Shimabukuro, Shoshin
Nagamine, Zyoen Nakazato, Chosin Chibana, Tsuyoshi Chitose, Tatsuo
Shimabuku and Eizo Shimabuku.