Mabuni, Kenwa (1889-1952)
Kenwa Mabuni was born on the island of Okinawa in 1889. Mabuni was a
descendent of the Okinawan warrior class whose ancestors served the Okinawan
lords for hundreds of years. At the age of 13, he began his martial arts
instruction under Yasutsune Itosu in the village of Shuri. He also began
to study Naha-te under Kanryo Higaonna, who was introduced to him by a
childhood friend, Miyagi Chogun. These men were the highest authorities
of karate at that time, and were the founders of two schools of Okinawan
Karate, Shorin-Ryu and Shorei-Ryu. Both of these instructors passed away
when Mabuni was in his late 20's.
Mabuni Sensei was the ichiban-deshi of Itosu Sensei, suceeding him as
the second master of Itosu-Kai. He continued his studies after the death
of these great masters, becoming adept at traditional Okinawan weaponry
while also incorporating elements of Chinese Kung Fu into his style. Mabui's
thirst for knowledge prompted him to develop an extensive body of karate
information. The defining characteristics of Sensei Mabyni's karate was
its large number of kata, the versatility of its fighting techniques and
the inclusion of Okinawan weapons in its instruction. Mabuni Sensei had
an insatiable appetite for kata, studying with masters such as Arakaki
Kamadeunchu (1840-1918), from whom he learned the Unshu, Nisheishi, Sochin,
Arakaki-sai and Arakaki-bo katas.
In 1929, after compulsory military service and a career as a police officer,
Mabuni Sensei left Okinawa for Osaka, Japan to teach Itosu-kai. He blended
the teachings of Shuri-te and Naha-te to create Shito-Ryu. He formed this
name by taking the first ideogram from the names of his two teaches, Sensei
Itosu and Higaonna. In this way, he chose to honor and respect his great
teachers.
Because of his contribution to Japanese culture and society, Kenwa Mabuni
was bestowed by the emperor with the family crest (mon) of the circle
with four bars. This was a great honor, as no other family could claim
the use of this symbol. When the Kanji for Shito-Ryu is placed within
the mon, the symbol for the historical lineage of Shito-Ryu karate is
formed. This symbol represents the pure, unaltered tradition of the Nipon
Seito Shito Ryu Kai.
Reproduced with permission of Sam Moledzki, President Karate-do Shito-kai
Canada. (Edited for punctuation and clarity)
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