Motobu Choki
本部朝基
Okinawan karate master (1870–1944), known for his emphasis on kumite and his victory over a boxer in Kyoto, author of the first book on kumite from 1926.
Quick Facts
JapanBiography
Choki Motobu was an Okinawan karate master, known for his emphasis on kumite and combat, whose legacy is carried on today by the Motobu-ryu school. He was born on 5 April 1870 in the village of Akahira in Shuri as the third son of Motobu Choshin of the Motobu Udun house, a cadet branch of the Ryukyuan royal family. He died on 15 April 1944 in Shuri at the age of 74.
At the age of twelve he began training with his brother Choyu under Itosu Anko, with whom he stayed for seven to eight years. He also studied in secret under Sokon Matsumura and Sakuma Pechin, and from about the age of nineteen under Kosaku Matsumora in Tomari, where he practised the free wrestling of kakidi. In an interview from 1936 he also named Kunigami Pechin and Kunishi of Kumoji as teachers.
Around 1921 he moved to Osaka, and according to Motobu-ryu he opened a dojo there in 1922. In November 1922 he defeated a foreign boxer in Kyoto, according to research by Charles Goodin probably the Estonian Jaan Kentel, while Motobu himself dated the fight to 1923. In May 1926 he published the book Okinawa Kenpo Karate-jutsu Kumite-hen with twelve kumite exercises, and in 1932 Watashi no Karate-jutsu. In 1929 he became chief karate instructor at Toyo University, and around 1930 he ran the Daidokan dojo in Tokyo.
In mid-1942 he returned to Okinawa. His son Chosei Motobu took over the family tradition and has been head of Motobu-ryu since 2003. According to Wikipedia, the students and guests of the Daidokan included Tatsuo Yamada, Shigeru Nakamura and Yasuhiro Konishi.
Early life
Choki Motobu was born on 5 April 1870 in the village of Akahira in Shuri as the third son of Motobu Choshin and his wife Ushi. The family belonged to Motobu Udun, a cadet branch of the Ryukyuan royal family, which according to research by Charles Goodin descends from the sixth son of King Sho Shitsu. In childhood he was called Masanraa, and for his agility he received the nickname Motobu no Saaru, the monkey of Motobu.
According to Wikipedia, the family art of Motobu Udundi belonged to the eldest son, and Choki as the third son had no claim to it. The family register lists him as the third son of Motobu Choshin.
Training and teachers
At the age of twelve he began training with his older brother Choyu under Itosu Anko, who taught them at the family residence. According to Wikipedia he stayed with him for seven to eight years and learned Naihanchi and Channan, the predecessor of the Pinan kata. He studied in secret under Sokon Matsumura and Sakuma Pechin, whom he called Sakuma the Wise in his 1932 book. From about the age of nineteen he trained under Kosaku Matsumora in Tomari in the wrestling of irikumi and kakidi.
In an interview for the Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper from November 1936 he also named Kunigami Pechin and Kunishi of Kumoji as teachers and said he felt closest to Matsumora and Sakuma. A close friend in his study of kumite was Kentsu Yabu. According to Motobu-ryu he fought in the entertainment quarters of Naha in kakedameshi matches, but the claim of hundreds of fights without a defeat has not been independently documented.
Contribution and innovations
Around 1921 he moved to Osaka, and according to Motobu-ryu he opened a dojo there in 1922 and also taught at a police station and at the Mikage teachers school. In November 1922, according to the magazine King, he defeated a foreign boxer in Kyoto and became known nationwide. Research by Charles Goodin identifies the opponent as the Estonian strongman Jaan Kentel.
In May 1926 he published the book Okinawa Kenpo Karate-jutsu Kumite-hen, the oldest record of kumite, with twelve exercises that Motobu-ryu still teaches today. In 1932 the book Watashi no Karate-jutsu appeared, with photographs of the whole Naihanchi sequence and a critique of changes in the kata. In 1929 he became chief karate instructor of the Toyo University club, and around 1930 he ran the Daidokan in Tokyo, according to Motobu-ryu the oldest named dojo only for karate in Japan. On 25 October 1936 he attended the meeting of karate masters in Naha, from whose date the present-day Karate Day derives.
Philosophy and principles
In an interview for Ryukyu Shimpo from November 1936 he said that the hand that receives an attack must immediately turn into an attack, and he did not regard the principle of blocking first and then striking as true bujutsu. He criticised kumite that merely takes over kata unchanged, because in his view it yields nothing in real combat. According to Wikipedia, he regarded stance and the work of the legs and hips in Naihanchi as the foundation of karate.
Legends and documented facts
The rumour that he was the illegitimate son of a courtesan is refuted, according to an article on the Fightingarts website, by the family register, which lists him as the third son of Motobu Choshin. The widespread claim that he knew only the kata Naihanchi does not match Wikipedia either, according to which he also taught Seisan, Passai, Wanshu and Jitte. According to Wikipedia, the rumour of illiteracy was spread by rivals and is refuted by surviving samples of his handwriting.
In 1925 the magazine King did attribute the fight with the boxer to Motobu, but the illustrations showed Gichin Funakoshi as the winner. In 1978 the Okinawa Times reported that Choki obtained the family art of Udundi from his brother after a match in 1924, yet the same article states that nobody in the family inherited Udundi. We have not resolved the dispute.
Legacy
He died on 15 April 1944 in Shuri at the age of 74, and his grave is in Kaizuka near Osaka. His son Chosei Motobu learned the family art of Udundi from Seikichi Uehara and has been officially head of the school since 2003. Motobu-ryu, officially Nihon Denryu Heiho Motobu Kenpo, continues to teach the kumite from the 1926 book.
According to Wikipedia, the students and guests of the Daidokan included Tatsuo Yamada, Shigeru Nakamura, Yasuhiro Konishi and the boxer Piston Horiguchi. In 2021 the city declared the family tomb of Motobu Udun in Ginowan a historic site.
Teachers, students and family
Associated Martial Arts
Quotes
The hand that receives must instantly turn into an attack.
Karate's specialty is to move softly, then, when an opening appears, strike instantly.