Motobu-ryu Karate
本部流Karate of Motobu Choki built on the kata naihanchi, close-range fighting and the use of both hands at once (me-oto-de). The school dates its origin to 1922.
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About Motobu-ryu Karate
Motobu-ryu is the karate of Motobu Choki (1870–1944), one of the best-known Okinawan fighters of his time, which the school calls Nihon Denryu Heiho Motobu Kenpo. Motobu studied under Itosu Anko, Matsumura Sokon and Matsumora Kosaku, and in 1922 he opened a dojo in Osaka, from which the school derives its origin. His fame came from a match with a European boxer in Kyoto, which the magazine Kingu described in 1925. The drawings in the article, however, showed Gichin Funakoshi as the winner. In 1926 he published one of the first books on kumite. The basis of the style is the kata naihanchi, from which the stance for kumite derives, and the principle me-oto-de, in which both hands cover and attack at the same time and every block can instantly turn into a strike. The fight is conducted at close range and grabbing the opponent is among the basic techniques. Neko-dachi and zenkutsu-dachi are not used in kumite. Choki's son Motobu Chosei merged the dojo with a direct link to his father in 1977 into the organization Nihon Karate-do Motobu-kai. It today covers both Motobu kenpo and the family palace art Motobu udundi, which is not karate. The name Motobu-ryu is also borne by a system with levers and throws founded in 1961 by Uehara Seikichi.
History
According to the school, Motobu Choki was born on 5 April 1870 as the third son of Motobu Aji Choshin from an aristocratic Ryukyuan family, while the historian Graham Noble gives the year 1871. At about twelve he began to study with his older brother Choyu under Itosu Anko, then under Matsumura Sokon and Sakuma Pechin, and from nineteen under Matsumora Kosaku of Tomari. In 1922 he opened a dojo in Osaka's Konohana district and founded the Karate-jutsu Fukyu-kai, from which the school derives the origin of Nihon Denryu Heiho Motobu Kenpo, commonly called Motobu-ryu. National fame came from his match with a European boxer in Kyoto, which the magazine Kingu described in September 1925. According to Noble, no contemporary reports of the match itself exist, and its year varies in the sources from 1921 to 1924. In May 1926 Motobu published a book on kumite, Okinawa kenpo karate-jutsu kumite hen, in 1929 he became shihan of the karate club of Toyo University in Tokyo, and in 1932 he published Watashi no karate-jutsu. He closed the Tokyo dojo Daidokan in 1941, left for Okinawa a year later, and died there on 15 April 1944. His third son Motobu Chosei, born in 1925, merged the dojo with a direct link to his father in 1977 into the organization Nihon Karate-do Motobu-kai.
How it differs
Motobu kenpo differs from most of today's styles in stance and distance. In kumite it uses neither zenkutsu-dachi nor neko-dachi, it builds on the stance from naihanchi and the fight is conducted at close range. Grabbing the opponent is among the basic techniques, though it is forbidden in sport kumite. Naihanchi, Motobu's favorite kata, is called Tekki in Shotokan. The name Motobu-ryu is also borne by a system founded in 1961 by Uehara Seikichi. According to Noble it is a jujutsu-type system with levers and throws, which is not karate and must not be confused with Choki's karate. We found no documented comparison with Shorin-ryu, Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu or Uechi-ryu in the sources.
Technique
According to the school, the basis of all practice is the kata naihanchi, which contains all the principles of Motobu kenpo. The stance in kumite has the same width and height as in naihanchi and is turned left or right. Neko-dachi, zenkutsu-dachi and kosoku-dachi are not used in kumite. The basic guard is an open palm at the level of the abdomen, chudan-kaisho kamae. The key principle is me-oto-de, the simultaneous offensive and defensive use of both hands, in which every block can instantly turn into a strike. Motobu's sayings, compiled by Nakata Mizuhiko, say the defending arm must always be able to turn instantly into an attacking one. The fight is conducted at close range after closing the distance with the movement irimi. Strikes include tsuki, uraken and enpi, and kicks include choku-geri, hiza-geri and hiza-ori. Grabbing the opponent is a basic technique, though it is a foul in modern sport kumite.
Training
According to Motobu Choki, kata and kumite were first trained together. The school's kata practice centers on naihanchi itself. By Motobu's sayings, me-oto-de should become so familiar that it is used even when pouring a drink or using chopsticks. The school today also inherits the kata Seisan, Shirokuma, Motobu Udun no passai and Ufukun, that is kusanku dai, some of which belong more to the family tradition of udundi. We did not find makiwara or an ordinary lesson structure in the sources.
Ranks and progression
We found no kyu and dan system on the school's website. Progress follows from the kata: the practitioner stays with naihanchi and learns passai only on request. Motobu Choki opposed altering the kata, especially in ways meant to ease the spread of karate on the mainland. Historian Graham Noble calls the notion that he knew only naihanchi a myth, as he also knew passai and gojushiho.
Today
Motobu-ryu presents itself today as an umbrella for two schools: the family Motobu udundi and Motobu kenpo, whose founder is Motobu Choki. Motobu Chosei, the second soke of Motobu kenpo, became head of the family in 1944 and has taught karate since about 1948. According to a list of 23 June 2025, the organization's chairman and soke is Motobu Tomoyuki, honorary chairman Motobu Chosei and chairman of the board Iwai Tsukuo. The organization, founded in 1977, also collects documents about Choki and compiled his sayings from the recollections of students.
Did you know
The magazine Kingu, which described Motobu's match with the boxer in 1925, accompanied the article with drawings by K. Nabashima showing Funakoshi Gichin, not Motobu, as the winner. The Pinan yodan stance picture was taken from Funakoshi's book of the same year. Descriptions of the decisive blow differ: Kingu mentions a rising palm strike, Seiyu Oyata a kick and a strike to the neck, and Shoshin Nagamine a strike to the temple. Not even Motobu was invincible. According to Noble, he was beaten in a competitive match by Yabu Kentsu, the oldest student of Itosu. The school states that on 25 October 1936 Motobu took part in a symposium of karate masters organized by the daily Ryukyu Shimpo. The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly chose this date in 2005 as Karate Day, because on 25 October 1936 the writing 空手 was adopted.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Motobu Choki?
Motobu Choki (1870–1944) was an Okinawan karateka from an aristocratic family, a student of Itosu Anko, Matsumura Sokon and Matsumora Kosaku. In 1926 he published one of the first books on kumite, and Motobu-ryu karate traces its origin to him.
Is Motobu-ryu the same as Motobu udundi?
No. The Motobu-ryu organization today covers two schools, the karate Motobu kenpo of Motobu Choki and the family palace art Motobu udundi. The system with joint locks and throws that Uehara Seikichi founded in 1961 under the name Motobu-ryu is, according to the historian Graham Noble, not karate.
Did Motobu really beat a boxer?
The fight with a European boxer in Kyoto was described by the magazine Kingu in September 1925, and the school says Motobu beat his opponent with one punch. According to Noble, however, no contemporary reports of the fight itself exist, and sources give its year as anywhere from 1921 to 1924.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.